Working for a roof.

[SoCalDem]

Housing is the largest expenditure that most people have.

Even a modest income would be enough, if the expense of housing were to "vanish".

Housing is the biggest "problem" in America.

Poor people often don't have it. (and when they do, it's usually pretty awful)

Former Middle classers are struggling to hold onto homes.

Upper Middle classers are desperately downsizing, or trying to.

Rich people are the only ones who seem to always have at least one roof to shelter themselves, and they rarely fall below 2 or 3 houses, even if they have to let the servants go.

I know our society is built on the idea of private property, but if one thinks outside the box, it's easy to see that if that ONE thing were somehow guaranteed to everyone, people could weather occasional joblessness and/or limited employment.

Think of how much easier your life would be if that one expense were to "go away". Whatever you spend on rent or a mortgage would go a long way to solvency. ..and multiply it times every citizen..

As long as people are slaves to property, and dump half or more of their income to service that debt, incomes will never grow enough to keep up.

How many people do you know, who have actually paid off a home, or who have no mortgage or rent payment? If you do know someone like that, I'd bet that they have a peaceful look on their faces, and may actually be enjoying life a little..

The bloated, twisted business that real estate has become, is not helping many people, and sure seems to be hurting a lot more..

there is a saying about land and how "they're" not making any more of it, but if you go back, all the land that keeps getting sold and re-sold was stolen in the first place.

[shraby]

1. Even if the mortgage is paid off, there is still the matter

of never-ending taxes on the property which in many cases is a sizeable monthly payment...or year end cost, and that's if you live in the countryside and not in a town. In town, you have the town and county/township taxes, in the country, you only have the county/township taxes. A person never actually owns their home, if taxes aren't paid, it will be lost for the taxes not paid.

[Oregone]

4. Property taxes are most often a fraction of a mortgage

Fortunately, they pay for local roads, police and schools.

Property tax is one of the most progressive forms of taxation there is, being that it taxes wealth (though yes, it has flaws).

[NNN0LHI]

8. On my refi taxes are about half the payment

Four hundred a month for the principle and interest and about another four hundred for property taxes.

But you are right. I like my services like having roads to drive on, police and fire protection, snow removal, and an ambulance to come and get me if I stroke out.

Not complaining.

Don

[Oregone]

10. You must have a nice house then!

:)

My property taxes are about $100 a month. $500 goes to interest and only $300 to principle.

My yearly property taxes are about 1/200th of the value of my home

This depends on the state though.

[NNN0LHI]

12. When I moved into this small three bedroom two bath 1500 sq ft home my taxes were $100 a month

That was in the fall of 1989.

Its small but it is pretty nice here. I like it and hope I can stay until I die.

On my refi it just hit the point where the interest is a hundred dollars a month and the principal is three hundred. And the interest payment goes down 2 dollars, and the principal goes up two bucks every month now. I highlight each payment on the amortization schedule as I make them. :) 47 more payments to go.

Don

[Oregone]

13. Well if its something that really concerns you, just buy my house

:)










Please. Switch it up

[supernova]

5. There's also the $$ of maintaining a residence

Houses are money pits. There is rarely a time when you don't have a fix it project, especially with an older home.

[NNN0LHI]

15. You make a good point

By the time I finished remodeling this one I realized it may have been cheaper to just demolish it and rebuild a new one on the existing foundation.

I think it was close?

Don

[NoNothing]

2. How would you envision this working?

A voucher of some kind?

[NNN0LHI]

3. I paid this house off once

Then I had to take out a $60,000 Home Improvement loan to fix it up before it fell into disrepair. I put the entire 60 grand into fixing up the house too. Got the receipts to prove it. New roof, new windows, new doors, new driveway, new everything.

I still owe about 20 grand but I am happy I fixed the house up when I did. The price of everything really jumped up in the years following the remodeling.

Made a big difference in my heating and cooling bills and comfort level.

Don

[Oregone]

6. I lived in a county in Oregon that offers 0%, no term loans for that stuff

It would stimulate the economy if most places offered retrofitting loans like this to lower income people. You never have to pay it back, unless you sell your home or die. To get them, you have to prove need, get quotes, and have the county involved in knowing the contractor is doing the actual work. Its really a good system. A friend of mine did it (and was an employee of the contracting company that got the bid, so he got paid to fix up his own home).

[NNN0LHI]

9. That sounds like a brilliant idea

I can't figure out why that isn't being done across the country? It sure should be.

Don

[KittyWampus]

7. Cultures that don't sell "stolen" land allot it according to either kinship or party membership.

Traditional tribal kinship is linked to religion. Your family has access to any and all resources via a religious framework.

Party membership is linked to an all encompassing political system.

Just saying.

[proudohioan]

11. K&R!!!! nt

[hunter]

14. Our family's biggest expenditure is health care.

Our health insurance premiums are greater than the payments we make on our first mortgage, and our medical costs not covered by insurance (mostly prescriptions) exceed the payments on our second mortgage.

Our family would be affluent upper middle class if we lived in Canada or some other civilized nation. I guess in the United States if God gives you a bad gene or two, or you're driving along and a drunk driver runs a red light and hits you, well, it's your own damned fault sinner and you have to pay a stiff monthly penalty to the stock holders and CEO's of huge health care and pharmaceutical corporations.

Or you can die.