Wednesday, May 03, 2006

Newsflash: Buying a House Anywhere is Fucking Expensive

(Ed. note: there is generous use of the F-bomb in this post.)
I was talking to a friend yesterday who lives in San Diego and she said that she wants to by a house but it is "so fucking expensive to buy a house in San Diego."

So it got me thinking. I used to live in Portland, and it was so fucking expensive to buy a house there. I have friends who live in Seattle and it is so fucking expensive to buy a house there too. I then moved to DC, and yes, buying a house there was also so fucking expensive.

So it got me thinking some more: Isn't it so fucking expensive to buy a house/condo in any city? Why do we qualify it by saying in "X" city it is so fucking expensive, as though there is something about that particular city that makes it expensive over other cities? Its like, "Waaaahhh - Look at me, I need special attention because I live here and it is expensive to buy a house..."

I have friends who live in the following places, and all of them have said:

  • Boston - so fucking expensive
  • Chicago - so fucking expensive
  • Austin - pretty fucking expensive
  • New York City - so unbelieveably fucking expensive
  • Los Angeles - any neighborhood you'd want to live in is so totally fucking expensive
  • San Fransisco - don't even think about it because you'd die it is so fucking expensive
  • Sydney - you're kidding right? So fucking expensive
  • London - OK, what planet are you on? Not in a million years it is so fucking expensive

I challenge anyone out there to tell me where it is cheap to buy a house. In a place that you'd actually want to live (which in my opinion automatically eliminates anywhere south of the Mason-Dixon, west of Chicago yet east of the Rockies, and Ohio). Can't we all just agree that it is expensive to buy a house (or condo) anywhere and everywhere?

9 comments:

Rob said...

Dude, Portland is a fucking great place to buy a house. C'mon. We had to pay 40% more for a house in Boston that is 1,000 sqft less than what we owned in Portland.

Though, I guess you could move to Mississippi and buy a mansion for $180K.

Anonymous said...

I am going to have to disagree with you on this one Wilby(my new version of Will/Bill--what do you think?). My house in NoPo was fucking cheap. I know that NoPo is not for everyone (aka people that don't smoke crack or have to medicate themselves from the "voices") but seriously, I was only 24 when I bought that place. It's probably fucking expensive now, though as there are at least 2 Starbucks within a 2 mile radius...

Anonymous said...

Anchorage? I thought he said people had to want to live there. Last I heard Anchorage was in Alaska which is probably really damn cold in the winter.

I think the most affordable cool city in the US might be Austin. I know, I know: Texas. But, Austin has a great music scene, a halfway decent nightlife, and a fairly reasonable restaurant selection.

There are also beautiful women falling out of trees there, so it's got pretty much my only real pre-requisite.

Alison said...

I know some people who are moving to North Carolina, which is supposed to be a pretty good area for young people with the whole Duke/UNC research triangle and it's DIRT cheap there compared to Chicago.

Anonymous said...

Rob and the Hobbit, the question is when did you buy your house? I think the point is buying a house today would be fucking expensive. If you bought your house 5 years ago, NoPo or not, it would look hella cheap.

The [Cherry] Ride said...

Yeah, I agree with Darci on this. Take the average Portland income compared to housing costs, and Portland is fucking expensive.

Anonymous said...

I do disagree with you about London Will. It is no just fucking expensive it's virtually fucking impossible unless you have an HRH in front of your name or parental support.

Anonymous said...

I want to live where I live, but it's not in the city. In fact, it's not even very close to any city in particular. That was intentional on my part. I don't especially like getting out of the shower, and realizing my neighbor can see right through my blinds. Therefore, it wasn't sfe that I couldn't be where I am.

However, I more than make up for the difference in my mortgage payment with what I spend on car washes for my black car that drives at least twice a day down a rutty dirt road.

Anonymous said...

im selling my house in northern maine for $22,000

http://houseforsalemaine.blogspot.com/

gonemaine@yahoo.com