How do the rest of you AFFORD to live where you do??? Damn!!!

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

I'm cruising some real estate listings on the internet, right?

Here's something I found in Santa Clara, California, a KITCHEN with one bathroom (400+ sf) I can have for ONLY 200K!

http://www.mlsb.com/mls/property_detail.cfm?ClientID=826&LIST_NUMB=425331&list=4

Oh my God, seriously, how do you guys DO it? I've found the same thing everywhere I look that is a good blue area.

Portland, Oregon? Love it! Can't afford to live there, apparently.

Philadelphia looks somewhat affordable, but it'd be more than offset by the cost of private school, which is apparently required if you live in the city.

NYC, forget it. In my dreams.

Even St. Paul MN is too expensive.

Let me give you an idea of what I am talking about: I live in a 12 year old home, four bedroom, 2 1/2 bath. 2000 square feet. Decent sized lot (not a postage stamp sized lot). Beautiful home. Well-built. We bought it for $130,000 in 2001.

For $130K in Portland, I can get a two room shack with indoor plumbing.

:cry:

I hate the suburbs, too, so those are out of the question. To me the suburbs are death (we live in one now). It's not the city, it's not the country, it has the advantages of NEITHER. Suburbs, in my opinion, are the biggest scam ever carried out on the American people besides republicans winning elections in the 21st century.

[slinkerwink]

1. try MA

Outside of Boston, they've got decently priced homes.

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

5. I started to say "no burbs" in response to this post

but I'm beginning to think maybe we need to just accept a burb home in a BLUE state just to get there at first, then see what happens from there.

Thanks, I would LOVE to say Kerry and Kennedy are my senators (mine SUCK!).

[MADem]

26. MA is expensive

You may find something affordable in Western MA, or New Bedford/Fall River, but if you want city living, you will PAY. New Hampshire isn't as bad, but even the cities are not big there. I can afford to live here because the family home is here, which has increased in value x 20. The property taxes are onerous, too.

And I live in a SUBURB. Convenient to Boston by train, but a suburb nonetheless.

[fwiff]

45. I was just looking there yesterday.

It's expensive, all right.
I travel all over the NE. (Live in CT)

I would try looking in Pittsburgh (which is a far more interesting city than anyone gives it credit for), Baltimore, and Providence.
Alot of people priced out of the Boston market are moving to NH, which is a reasonable commute.

[Dookus]

2. oh yeah

when I said come to Santa Cruz, I forgot to say to bring tons of cash. It's mighty expensive here.

:)

there's a one bedroom, one bath house around the corner from me, sorta run down, on a busy street, for only $599,000

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

7. WTF???????

Oh. My. Hell.

You HAVE to be kidding me. Seriously. Tell me.

[Dookus]

22. I kid you not

My already-expensive little house has more than doubled in price since I bought it, 7 years ago. It's insane here.

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

32. Ok well

I think I can safely say your area is a tad out of my price range. We're a teacher and a plastics salesman. Not wealth creating professions! LOL!

[Dookus]

70. don't you worry

you'll be able to buy anything you want with your enormous tax cut under bush.

[likesmountains 52]

3. it helps if you bought a home in the 1980s..

sorry Moonbeam, I live in a beautiful smallish town in SW Colorado but I could never afford to move here now. What kind of work do you do?

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

10. I'm a teacher

and my husband works in industrial/engineering plastics distribution.

Heh heh. Dream on, right?

[likesmountains 52]

14. I have a feeling that you'll make it work

don't give up...you'll have lots of helpers here at DU.

[sundog]

4. lol - I hear ya...

let's all pitch in & buy a big ranch somewhere on the coast... then we can be REAL commie hippies :7

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

21. I'm open to ideas here

I swear people should start off in the more expensive areas. That way you can move to the cheaper areas if you want, but you can still afford to stay in the more expensive area, because you are already there.

Damn all my ancestors who never bothered to leave this place.

[fujiyama]

58. I'm willing to

with one caveat: Everyone takes a daily shower!

As long as its a bunch of clean hippies, I'm down with it.

[sundog]

69. Daily shower??? Fascist!

:P

[Digit]

6. Pittsburgh is very affordable

But I have heard they are having problems economically.
The taxes are supposed to be "strange".
Other than that, the people I have known from Pittsburgh were wonderful.
They have some wonderful old homes that will take your breath away.

[tigereye]

53. we have nice old houses here in Pittsburgh that

are pretty affordable in most of the city and environs.

The city is having econ. problems. But it is a cool urban area with pockets of small townness and very Dem. A neighborhood near me is just outside the city with very beautiful and affordable houses. As far as schools go, you do have reasonable choices. public and private. Taxes... depends on city or outside. Not too bad, though. We do have Rep Senators though, Spector ( who is tolerable, mostly and pro-choice) and SLick Rick who is a Cath. fascist. Sigh. Plus there is a lot of great culture here.

[SarahB]

8. Central CT isn't bad.

Average smallish house is about $200K now. 2 bedroom apt for $800 a month.

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

12. We might even have to suck it up harder

and go back to apartment living. At least no yard to mow.

I think husband and I are just going to have to sit down and say "what are we willing to give up in order to live in a blue state?"

At this point, quite a bit.

[SarahB]

20. If you like progressive and a small city, West Hartford is nice.

Good schools too. (Not my town though, but it was my favorite.)

I saw you were a teacher. I think teachers are paid the higher in CT than any other state, but you do have to get your master's within 10 years of certification. It's about $35,000 to start for fresh out for school new grads and steadily goes up- union too almost everywhere.

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

28. Hmmm

I'm making about 41K here, because I have eight yrs experience and I am waiting to hear on acceptance to grad school to start next semester. I'll have a masters in Dec of 2007 or maybe a semester sooner. Then we'll be ready, financially, to get out of here and I'll have a masters.

I'll look into West Hartford, I've heard of it.

Daughter wants to go to an Ivy League university anyway. LOL!

[2Design]

34. ct would be a good salary for a teacher in the right town

my sister had master and 17years teaching back in early 90's and the pay was 70,000 +

Weston, Westport, Greenwich, New Cannan and others like that pay the highest I believe. Not sure how you look up the salaries in ct but I don't know if they hire teachers without master in the rich towns.

Good union support in New England and especially connecticut schools

This is why rethugs want to get rid of public schools. they want the unions to get busted - by going to vouchers and religion schools they bust the unions and lower teacher pay to the southern levels

[rednek_Liberal]

43. Are you wanting to move to a blue state because it is blue...

or so that you can Imagine your Vote actually counting?
If you think about it, you are doing more work for the Dems in a red state. If for every 10 people you talk to in a red state, one of them can be converted, then your being there will have made a diffeence. I live in South Carolina, I hate it, Im from Maryland. But Since ive livedher for the last seven years, I have helped a few inoramuses at least open their minds to reading a newspapaer or watching a channel other than FuxNews. Ok thats just my 2 Cents, keep fighting the good fight.

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

54. I know

big blustery sigh.

Boy do I know.

And I know I DID influence some votes this time. Quite a few.

Lot of good it did, eh?

What difference does it make if votes get stolen, if elections are dirty?

No I'm thinking more of our happiness. I'm being a selfish bastard. And who knows? We may never be able to move. But I'm dreaming right now of living somewhere where I can feel normal, where I can breathe, where I am not in the minority.

It's just hard. I know you know.

[SoCalDem]

65. Wisconsin has some pretty reasonable real estate

California is waaaaaaay up there..

We bought our house in 1982 and it has quadrupled in (paper) value, but it's all relative. If we sold it, we could not afford a nices one, so why move?

I hated it in 82, still do, but unless we move to a cheaper state, and have no jobs, we are here for the duration.

[Pithlet]

76. 200 grand here can get you

4 bedrooms, 3 full baths, 2000+ sq feet, less than 10 years old, in some areas. It's a trade off.

[theorist]

9. I'm in the Indiana university town, and am buying my first house.

Prices are reasonable and the county went blue, but don't bother coming here, the churches just proclaimed that Indiana is the "Pro-life State". Harumph!

[Systematic Chaos]

11. I almost spit dinner all over my keyboard when I saw the photo.

That kitchen looks utterly useless for anything more than nuking TV dinners. And that was the BEST thing they could find to represent a $200,000 purchase?

Man, whose idea of a joke IS that? Rod? Mr. Serling? Is that you?

[Digit]

13. Greater Baltimore Maryland has some nice areas.

I don't think they have tax on food, either.
Correct me if I'm wrong.
There are nicer areas than Baltimore, but there are jobs that can be had there.

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

16. Hmmmm

scrambling to type "Baltimore real estate" into Google.

Only downside: freeper in laws live in coastal Virginia. Ug.

But interesting, I haven't checked out the Baltimore area yet.

[freestyle]

67. Another shameless plug for Baltimore

from a native Baltimorean. There are still plenty of nice and affordable neighborhoods, great character and characters, and easy access to the rest of the east coast. The public school system is spotty to say the least, so do your research. There are very good schools available if you seek them out. My neighborhood of Reservoir Hill is a short way from downtown and borders a large and beautiful park. Prices are rising, but there are still some buys available, especially if you are prepared to do some renovation. Other nice and still fairly affordable areas that come quickly to mind are Ashburton, Hanlon, Windsor Hills, Lauraville, Hamilton, Waverly, and Beverly Hills. Check out Baltimore.

[happynewyear]

15. how about looking much further north

like up near Crescent City (Del Norte county), CA? It used to be a lot less to live there than anywhere in the Bay Area for sure.

Best of luck to you in your search for a home.

baldearg

:dem:

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

17. Ooo thanks another one to add to my list.

Hope there are jobs!

[happynewyear]

35. it is a small rural area but there are some jobs

but don't be expecting them to pay a whole lot - that is the downside - the economy real does SUCK in the north. :(

:dem:

[madrchsod]

18. we live in a 1700 sq ft slab house built in the

70`s,nice lot and a decent area.most of the houses go for an average of 100,000 -125,000. my 30 yr comes to about 570 with prop tax and inusurance included..i`m an 1.5-2 hours from chicago and madison wisconsin.not to bad a place to live i guess

[BernieBear]

Yeah, Blue States are outrageous

We moved 2 years ago from the Blue state of CA to the red state of GA (what were we thinking - although we do at least live in the only blue county in the upper half of Georgia) and in San Diego where we moved from, a 2000 sq. foot house is selling for $750K, a 3,000 in our old neighborhood went for $1.2M. Now these are just regular tract homes. (We left money all over the table!!!!!)

Atlanta Georgia will buy you twice as much for half the cost. But we're a tiny island of blue city in a sea of red. So there you have it - total blue state is going to cost big time...... It's depressing (I seem to have a common element of depression here tonight!!!!)

Maybe you could get people to sell their expensive blue house and move to your less expensive red state? Where are you by the way?

BernieB

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

23. Hey we lived in Georgia

no thanks, LOL!

Yeah, I have been thinking about a transplant program. I actually know of a very conservative bush loving family who lives in upstate New York who wants to move to Texas badly. I'm thinking we need to start talking (she pissed me off during the election crap, of course). They would fit in better here and we'd fit in better there.

But their house sells for far more than ours does, though ours is far bigger and newer and nicer.

Weird, eh?

Oh we're in a suburb of Dallas.

[Ramsey]

19. Philly is affordable

And I think the Quaker Friends Schools are reasonably priced. The public schools in the city do really suck, but some of the suburban schools are quite good.

[girl gone mad]

24. Real estate can't go up forever.

Take heart. Bush will probably help us be able to afford our dream soon enough (sorry blue state homeowners).

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

33. Fingers crossed

We're thinking we'll be ready to move in 2008. I don't care HOW that election goes, we need to move. Stifling, stifling, I tell you.

[DrZeeLit]

25. Vermont is soooo affordable.

Of course, I think prices have risen, but saying that here's what you find in Vermont. For example, I looked at this situation last year and now kick myself for not buying:

house (four-five bedrooms, great room, dining room, two fireplaces
five bay garage with apartment over it
HUGE two story barn
22 acres of land -- gorgeous pasture
plot for garden was set with irrigation
creek running below the property
and some of the oldest, most beautiful oaks

And all this asking -- $220,000.

It's always like that. Four or five bedrooms, outbuildings and then... they throw in the land, and all for $150,000. Then they throw in more land just in case.

I love Vermont. It can be harsh here, although we are having a mild and wonderful autumn (so far). We don't have a freeway system, so it's that "you can't get there from here" way of figuring where to live and work. And just as land and house prices have not kept up with the "real" world, neither have wages. Most people work two jobs.

Still, the peace is astounding. No sress, no traffic. A whole different way of life. Much slower. And now, winter brings a reason to stay inside and renew.

Yes, I love Vermont.

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

29. Can I just say I drooled on my keyboard

reading that?

And my husband would trip all over himself to live somewhere like that, with four seasons and real snow. He lived a lot of his childhood in Germany and misses real winters badly.

What is the job situation like?

On edit: can you recommend some towns in Vermont? We're seriously trying to make a plan.

[DrZeeLit]

46. Vermont -- one state, many experiences...

First of all, the population of the entire state is 615,000 ...yes, we have more cows than registered voters.

BUT WE ARE A BLUE STATE!!!!

The experiences are: "big" city (look at the population # and you know I don't mean LA) -- Burlington, Bennington, Brattleboro. These are in different parts of the state. More jobs in these areas. IBM is in Burlington area. They made big cuts last year, but don't follow, so not sure.

Montpelier is the captial (only captial in US w/no MacDonald's... HOORAY). Very small.

I live outside Rutland. I found great work as English professor. Love my job. My husband works at the ski resort (Killington) in the winter, and at the golf course (Killington, again) in the summer. In between, he gets unemployment and I worry about our trees (he tends to get happy with the chain saw when he's unemployed). The resorts pay $7.00 an hour and no benefits and no one can really afford to work only at the resorts. So, others have jobs as wait staff and they make great tips during the ski season.

Many resort towns in Vermont -- Killington, Stowe, and others.

Since I'm employed and he's employed... not sure about the job market. BTW, my husband has a pension and doesn't necessarily have to work. He just not the type to sit. He loves to be productive. He was a VP with a major corporation and now he's moving golf carts. He loves being outdoors. We own our home (he built it 30 years ago when he came up here to ski). So, we do have a great life.

I do not really miss CA -- I really do NOT miss the traffic!

[SarahB]

44. Vermont is beautiful.

I have definitely thought about Vermont for the future in my life. Maine too if you like the ocean. Winter's not too terrible in southern Maine and Summers are gorgeous.

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

27. Barely, and we're just renting.

We're in Orlando.

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

30. Yikes

I can imagine.

[Digit]

31. Go to Realtor.com or...kw.com/kw/ might work for many states.

Which stands for Keller Williams Realty.
They sometimes have alittle more information on their sites.
I am not affiliated with Keller Williams nor do I know anyone who is. I have just used the site myself when checking out prices in various areas.
Maryland has some advantages, like no tax on food.
There are some very good doctors in the state as well.

[Champ]

36. Down the street from me

They have a duplex with 2 nice bedrooms, bathroom, living room, kitchen, porch, and a nice backyard for about $475 a month. You can get 2 bedroom apartments on average here for about $500-$600 a month.

[2Design]

39. you are red state though and mcCain got in again

[landdaddy]

64. Where is this?

[GAspnes]

37. Minnesota's not that expensive

and we've got great schools and lousy weather besides!

http://rc.lendingtree.com/axx/applications/mls/asp/searchresults.asp?bp=realestate&rangefrom=150000&state=MN&city=Minneapolis&rangeto=175000&bedrooms=&bathrooms=&listingtype=Book&perpage=10

Single Family Home
$174,900
4 Bed. / 2 Bath.

Single Family Home
$170,000
3 Bed. / 1 Bath.

Single Family Home
$169,900
3 Bed. / 2 Bath.

Single Family Home
$169,900
2 Bed. / 1 Bath.

Single Family Home
$169,900
3 Bed. / 2 Bath.

Single Family Home
$169,900
2 Bed. / 1 Bath.

Single Family Home
$167,000
2 Bed. / 1 Bath.

Single Family Home
$162,900
2 Bed. / 1 Bath.

Single Family Home
$160,000
2 Bed. / 2 Bath.

Single Family Home
$160,000
3 Bed. / 2 Bath.

[miss_kitty]

38. Since I got sick

Section 8...

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

51. I'm sorry!

[miss_kitty]

56. ahhh! it's worse for others

I have a great landlord who let me slide on the rent while it was coming through (It took nearly 2 years to get, based on my need-not homeless, not going to be homeless, not trying to get out of a dangerous relationship, no kids). Some people don't have that to fall back on. So I feel lucky in a weird way
On Edit: In Seattle, a mile from downtown

:)

[Philostopher]

40. Don't concentrate on what you'd be able to pay on what you're making now.

Jobs in 'blue states' with higher costs of living, if you can get a job, do pay somewhat more. They have to -- how would anybody afford to live there, if they didn't?

You should look into incomes in the areas you're interested in first, then look into housing costs. You might be surprised at how much difference there is in what you'd be able to afford, if you were employed in that region.

Trust me -- I had a friend who moved to Manhattan about a decade ago, he was making more than twice what I was making living in Ohio to do essentially the same work. That's the thing -- people do make more money in those areas, just as a general rule.

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

50. Oh yeah

I realize that. But it's not always true.

In Portland, Oregon, for instance, I was rather shocked to find out I'd be making a bit LESS as a teacher with the experience I have than I do here.

WTF?

So yeah, we're looking at everything. Really it is my husband's job that is driving this. He works in a rather limited industry so he either would have to start over or find a job in his arena in the new place.

Cheers!

[Philostopher]

55. Same here.

Our problem is, the Mr. is in a heavily-outsourced field, but works for a company that sells customer service and instant troubleshooting over low cost. Experienced people doing what he does aren't that easy to find, and they've had to stop outsourcing because it wasn't doing them any good -- it cost more, ultimately, because they couldn't turn on a dime when they had to, if half their employees were half a world and several time zones ahead or behind the U.S. operation.

Good luck to him finding anything anywhere else, that's what we've pretty much resigned ourself to. Stuck with our bluer county in a very red part of Ohio for the nonce, I'm afraid.

[fortyfeetunder]

41. if you think Portland is bad, don't even try Seattle

In Seattle, the burbs are as bad as the city when it comes to housing prices. I am flabbergasted the house up the street went for 524K...these things were only like 100-150K 20 years ago.

The only affordable stuff is 60-70 miles out of town, and that has to be in some remote, waterless, viewless area.

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

49. Oh I know

I looked into Seattle first, in 2002. The prices sent me into sticker shock.

I always loved Portland so I looked at real estate there and it is more affordable than Seattle but still out of reach.

[Digit]

42. Schools, jobs, medical care...

You will have to see what your priorities are.
If you need to be employed, you will need to go where they are hiring people in your field. If you require medical care, go where they have good care. If you have children in school, pay attention to how the schools are doing.
Wide open spaces or city life.
It goes on and on.
Narrow it down and check it out.
I like to subscribe to the city paper and check it out before I even make a trip.
When I visit, I like to check out a mall. It is like a micro version of the town.
Best of luck.

[stumblnrose]

47. I sell real estate in a liberal blue city

Ihave no idea how these people can afford to live here. Both adults need to be project managers at a large software company located in suburban Seattle that gives lots of money to the Rethugs. The one way people seem to keep ahead of the game is by purchasing one home and putting lots of sweat equity into it while simultaneously capitalising on up to 10% annual appreciation in neighborhood sales prices. Lots of folks leveraging their ways up the ladder this way.

[Dastard Stepchild]

48. We rent...

and we prolly won't be able to afford to purchase anything for... uhhh... forever. Nice 2 bedroom condo down the street currently on sale for a mere $315,000. Anyway....

[CO Liberal]

52. Pueblo, CO is Still Fairly Reasonable

Many older homes for under $100K. And lots of mobile homes. Mrs. CO Liberal and I have a 1200-square-foot single-wide with three bedrooms and two full baths on a 60 x 145 lot - all in all, we paid $76K for it.

There are still reasonably-priced places - they just require some research. I know I could never afford to go back to my native New Jersey - when we left ten years ago, we were paying $650 a month for a one-bedroom apartment in Lake Hiawatha (part of Parsippany). And last year, my kids were sharing half a duplex in Wharton for $1,000 a month, and they considered that a bargain!!!

[Kellanved]

57. very reasonable prices over here.

Especially when compared to Paris and London :scared:.

100+ m² three+ room inner city apartments, either newly renovated or newly constructed, are available well under €200k.

Of course there are districts far more expensive and districts far cheaper; in my case a lucky coincidence of the landlord's tax-evasion model and the right roomies makes it possible.

[fujiyama]

59. Since you're already living in the southwest

Did you consider New Mexico? It didn't go blue this time, but it almost did (it was within a few thousand votes).

They have a Dem governor and I would guess their prices aren't too ridiculous.

[huellewig]

60. Check out Eugene, OR.

I would say we are one of the most liberal towns in the nation. You can find a nice three bedroom in the 120 to 140k range. And the University of Oregon has a good teaching program. Beware, bike theft loves Eugene. And we don't really have suburbs. I live almost at the edge of town and can get downtown as quickly as cars on my bike. (well, not anymore)

Oh, and we don't have a sales tax.

::still mad::

[niwi]

72. I've heard such wonderful things about Eugene!

always wanted to visit...

[LynneSin]

61. Try Wilmington DE

I'm finding nice downtown Condo's run about $100k, Townhomes about $150-300k depending on size. And these are decent neighborhoods. We're a 30minute drive from Philadelphia and we've got a Septa train you can take into the city. We're also an hour from some nice beaches in Southern DE/MD.

Plus we're blue to the core. Blue Governor, blue senators and our only representative is Red, but he's the only guy who wins statewide. Plus he is pretty moderate

[scarlet_owl]

62. Central Illinois isn't too bad. If you don't need a big city, that is.

Of course St. Louis, Chicago, and Indianapolis are all about three hours away. Houses aren't too expensive. We bought a new modular home for $64,000. My house is 16' X 60' and I have four bedrooms. For my money, a modular home is the most affordable way to own a house.

[niwi]

63. Come to Austin, TX

Blue as can be and not that expensive.

[rbnyc]

66. By not paying my student loan!

Actually, I just got a big raise, so we'll see. I may be able to afford to live now.

[amazona]

68. i live in a very cheap area, south Louisiana

But there are no jobs here, so it really keeps the prices down.

[skygazer]

71. Short answer is, I can't

I have no hope of buying a home here. I'm fortunate enough to have found a place to rent for a very reasonable (for Bay Area, CA) price and hubby and I just manage to make all our payments every month. It's a catch-22. I make twice as much money as I did in Vermont - I also pay twice as much to live here. If I lived in a place that charged the usual rate, I'd be paying about three times as much as I did in VT. But there is work here and there wasn't there. I can't save any money though so I simply live week to week and pray that nothing happens to upset the delicate balance.

[helnwhls]

74. too close to home that

it drove me crazy that I was making more than ever before, but liviing like I did right out of unversity. Now the job is gone, like many IT positions.

[4_Legs_Good]

73. Santa Barbara, California

It's very difficult to find a house here for under $1M. 1960's homes 2BD, 1.5BA go for at least $750,000 in the suburb of Goleta.

I live 50 miles away in Lompoc and commute every day and my house is almost $0.5M now. Insanity, utterly.

How do we afford it? Mortgage mortgage, mortgage! (home, child, future).

david

[Pithlet]

75. I got blue state sticker shock, too.

My husband and I bought our first home in Western Tennessee. After selection 2004, I looked up housing in some blue state areas. I knew housing was cheaper in the south, but I really had no idea. We'd pay considerably more for a comparable house. Bye bye, equity.

[Maine Mary]

77. 56% homes around here are under 100K ~ including 12% under 50K!

Looks like you're in the market for a city though. Can't help w/that. There is nothing but woods and critters here.

... And not a decent job within 100 miles... :-(

(Just happened to have read 2003 stats on housing in Rural Maine yesterday.)