Author Topic: living in sub-standard housing  (Read 5048 times)

letsdoit

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 405
living in sub-standard housing
« on: April 15, 2019, 08:52:29 AM »
we're in one of the most $$ housing markets in the US
and our dark little one BR is practically free compared to other options
 society wants me to move to a suburban home bc of the kiddos.
but what about the $$ we can invest bc of our cheap housing?
and living in small space gets us out of the house in a jiffy. 


HipGnosis

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1824
Re: living in sub-standard housing
« Reply #1 on: April 15, 2019, 11:03:59 AM »
When 'society' pays for your housing, THEN 'society' can tell you where to move to.
I never even listened to what my parents 'want(ed)' me to do.

SwordGuy

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 8955
  • Location: Fayetteville, NC
Re: living in sub-standard housing
« Reply #2 on: April 15, 2019, 02:10:44 PM »
Little kids don't know squat about lots of things in life.  They care that their parents love them, that they are fed and comfortable.

Save and invest for now.   Learn about real estate investing and how to find a property for way less than market price.  Learn your market and watch for deals.   When you're ready to move, when and if that happens, you may be able to find a suitable property for a fraction of the price others are paying.  You'll need to do some renovation work on it.   You could potentially save a hell of a lot of money if you buy the right property at the right time on the right terms.

letsdoit

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 405
Re: living in sub-standard housing
« Reply #3 on: April 16, 2019, 09:01:05 AM »
Little kids don't know squat about lots of things in life.  They care that their parents love them, that they are fed and comfortable.

Save and invest for now.   Learn about real estate investing and how to find a property for way less than market price.  Learn your market and watch for deals.   When you're ready to move, when and if that happens, you may be able to find a suitable property for a fraction of the price others are paying.  You'll need to do some renovation work on it.   You could potentially save a hell of a lot of money if you buy the right property at the right time on the right terms.

thank you for reading my damned mind.
the other factor is:  now, in our somewhat free housing, we're able to invest 60k/yr or a little more.  even though we pay child care
and lots of ppl dont invest anything.  so if we get more and more wealthy, it will make buying a smaller percentage of the total. 
money is the most flexible thing in the equation


ixtap

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 4561
  • Age: 51
  • Location: SoCal
    • Our Sea Story
Re: living in sub-standard housing
« Reply #4 on: April 29, 2019, 01:44:07 PM »
Sub standard housing is dangerous. Housing that doesn't live up to the expectations of the middle class is easy to find.

letsdoit

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 405
Re: living in sub-standard housing
« Reply #5 on: May 01, 2019, 09:44:14 AM »
wow, this is so great. 
i feel so validated here.
i told another bulletin board about my evil plan to raise my kids in a tiny home (investing $ and spending as much time w them as possible) and they shot me full of holes.  said i was damaging them or something

ixtap

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 4561
  • Age: 51
  • Location: SoCal
    • Our Sea Story
Re: living in sub-standard housing
« Reply #6 on: May 01, 2019, 09:48:37 AM »
wow, this is so great. 
i feel so validated here.
i told another bulletin board about my evil plan to raise my kids in a tiny home (investing $ and spending as much time w them as possible) and they shot me full of holes.  said i was damaging them or something

Yes, each kid must have their own room, and there should be separate guest and play rooms. Otherwise, how will they grow up to be proper consumers?!

Parizade

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1028
  • Location: Variable
  • Happily FIREd
Re: living in sub-standard housing
« Reply #7 on: May 01, 2019, 09:58:13 AM »
we're in one of the most $$ housing markets in the US
and our dark little one BR is practically free compared to other options
 society wants me to move to a suburban home bc of the kiddos.
but what about the $$ we can invest bc of our cheap housing?
and living in small space gets us out of the house in a jiffy.

A good friend of mine was a doctor, married to a doctor. They bought a big house in an upscale suburb "for the kids." After her divorce my friend sold her big house and got a little condo downtown. She mentioned to her now adult kids how much she loved urban life and had hated living in the suburbs. To her surprise, they told her they had hated it too! Suburbs may LOOK like a pristine haven but there is often poison under that veneer.
« Last Edit: May 01, 2019, 10:24:31 AM by Parizade »

Louisville

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 545
Re: living in sub-standard housing
« Reply #8 on: May 01, 2019, 11:58:55 AM »
The term "sub-standard housing" is usually used to describe housing that's not safe: leaks water, has electrical fire hazards, has pest infestation, has lead paint or asbestos. That sort of thing.

If you're raising kids in that environment, then I'm with "society" in telling you you're doing something wrong.

But, if by "sub-standard housing" you just mean small and not suburban, then ROCK ON!!

Laura Ingalls

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 148
Re: living in sub-standard housing
« Reply #9 on: May 11, 2019, 09:54:53 AM »
The term "sub-standard housing" is usually used to describe housing that's not safe: leaks water, has electrical fire hazards, has pest infestation, has lead paint or asbestos. That sort of thing.

If you're raising kids in that environment, then I'm with "society" in telling you you're doing something wrong.

But, if by "sub-standard housing" you just mean small and not suburban, then ROCK ON!!

Yep as someone that had a total fire loss while living in an old house we were in the process of rehabbing, never again we could have all died. 

As someone that lives in a small mid century house in a low costs of living place and getting along just fine with the little closets because we have tiny wardrobes carry on.

Cassie

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 7946
Re: living in sub-standard housing
« Reply #10 on: May 11, 2019, 10:34:10 AM »
To me substandard  means unsafe and not small. 

letsdoit

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 405
Re: living in sub-standard housing
« Reply #11 on: May 13, 2019, 07:26:13 AM »
ok, so the post has a bad title.  duly noted. 
it's not sub-standard:
we've tried to make it as safe as an old place can be.

so it's a small dark one BR with a bad floor plan.

former player

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 8822
  • Location: Avalon
Re: living in sub-standard housing
« Reply #12 on: May 13, 2019, 07:56:43 AM »
The thing no-one seems to notice about the big house in the suburbs is that each member of the family ends up in their own room and "family time" disappears.  In a smaller house there is a lot more face to face interaction within the family.

(If that's not something you enjoy, you shouldn't have had a family.  If you've had a family regardless, suck it up until the kids are grown and gone.)

Cromacster

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1695
  • Location: Minnesnowta
Re: living in sub-standard housing
« Reply #13 on: May 13, 2019, 07:57:11 AM »
This is off topic
but why is every line broken up?
is it the way you are typing?
is it an app that does this?
Or is enter just a fun key to press?

ysette9

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 8930
  • Age: 2020
  • Location: Bay Area at heart living in the PNW
Re: living in sub-standard housing
« Reply #14 on: May 13, 2019, 10:13:05 AM »
This is off topic
but why is every line broken up?
is it the way you are typing?
is it an app that does this?
Or is enter just a fun key to press?
Maybe to make up for the lack of a period to put at the end of sentences

ysette9

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 8930
  • Age: 2020
  • Location: Bay Area at heart living in the PNW
Re: living in sub-standard housing
« Reply #15 on: May 13, 2019, 10:14:29 AM »
The thing no-one seems to notice about the big house in the suburbs is that each member of the family ends up in their own room and "family time" disappears.  In a smaller house there is a lot more face to face interaction within the family.

(If that's not something you enjoy, you shouldn't have had a family.  If you've had a family regardless, suck it up until the kids are grown and gone.)
Yep, I’ve definitely noticed this as a feature of our small house. I like being able to talk to each other without yelling across the house or upstairs/downstairs. Unless someone goes outside it is easy and frequent to run into each other and interact more. For the most part I like my family, so it is generally a net positive.

letsdoit

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 405
Re: living in sub-standard housing
« Reply #16 on: May 13, 2019, 11:04:11 AM »
This is off topic
but why is every line broken up?
is it the way you are typing?
is it an app that does this?
Or is enter just a fun key to press?

it's called a prose poem.

familyandfarming

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 145
Re: living in sub-standard housing
« Reply #17 on: May 31, 2019, 08:51:04 AM »
My kids came home for the weekend and all commented with "Wow, we didn't know we lived in sub-standard housing!" as 5 people were all using our single bathroom, as they did during their childhoods. I encounter people who have master bedrooms that take up the same space as our 3 bedrooms and that bathroom we all crowded into in the house my husband and I still live in. As children, they spent most of their free time outside. They are all well-adjusted adults with little interest in stuff.

But if your housing is unsafe, please move.

clarkfan1979

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 3352
  • Age: 44
  • Location: Pueblo West, CO
Re: living in sub-standard housing
« Reply #18 on: June 03, 2019, 02:15:34 PM »
How small? My wife and I lived in a 332 sq. ft. studio for 2 years. When our son was born we did upgrade to a 2 bedroom and about 700 sq. ft. We could have made it work in the studio if we wanted. Our rent increased from $1,100 to $1,500, but we probably saved $100/month in gas, due less driving from the 2 bedroom apartment.


partdopy

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 138
Re: living in sub-standard housing
« Reply #19 on: June 03, 2019, 02:56:52 PM »
Living in a small space is great, OP.  I live in Denver, was in a 600 sqft. 1 BR, recently upped to a 800 sqft. 2 BR as we're expecting our first kid.  Wouldn't be cramped but for the 3 bikes, fishing gear, bike cart and backpacking gear I own.

On the positive side, I pay $1350/month and we are able to maintain a 58% savings rate despite the fact that my soon to be wife stays home and we're planning a wedding 5 states away next month.  Luckily my income increases a bit this year so we should be able to sustain that rate with a kid (plus I won't be getting married again next year).  Meanwhile, my coworkers live in the center of downtown and pay $2700+/month for the same space, plus $100/month for a parking space for each of their two cars.  That doesn't even begin to touch the ones who buy houses here.

2Birds1Stone

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 7916
  • Age: 1
  • Location: Earth
  • K Thnx Bye
Re: living in sub-standard housing
« Reply #20 on: June 03, 2019, 07:37:03 PM »
Love it!

Live in a <500 SQFT basement apartment ourselves....spending a whopping 8% of gross income on housing/utilities. Life is a lot less stressful when most of your spending is discretionary or you're funneling 50%+ of income into investments/savings.

letsdoit

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 405
Re: living in sub-standard housing
« Reply #21 on: June 04, 2019, 04:27:41 PM »
if you dont include the Principle in our housing #s, we pay 4.4% of our gross on housing
with P included it is 10.4% of gross