Thanks for the condolences, everyone. It's been ages since I've seen this grandmother in person, so the reality hasn't hit me, and may not for a while yet. The hard part is not being able to do anything for my mom, who is dealing with all this while being forced into the role of Token Sane Person in the family.
Given that the national average income for a family of 4 is $28,000, how do people afford houses?
What's the percentage of families who actually own? Also, I have to wonder what housing prices are like in the middle of, say, Nebraska or Idaho.
I bought the house here in St. Louis even though I'm woefully underemployed at the moment (I have temp work, so I can't really say that I'm unemployed). I've gotten a few raised eyebrows at the decision, but I think it was a wise one--for me. I was able to put a fair amount down, thanks to the sale of my house in Baltimore, so my mortgage is about what rent would be on a much smaller place. I'm also thinking that even though it's possible that the housing bubble might pop, that the money I put into my down payment is safer as equity than it would be in any other investment plan.
Median household income, Omaha: $49k.
Median house cost, Omaha: $132,400.
There was an article recently on how Omaha's cheap housing costs make it attractive to employers, because they can have happier workers on the cheap on account of low CoL.
The median price for a condo in the region last month was $481,000, up 20 percent from last year. The combined median -- the value of both detached homes and condos -- hit $610,000, the first time above the $600,000 mark.
That's the bay area. A little lower in Fremont - but in my area of fremont Tha's about right. We couldn't buy our house now. If we sold our house Today we'd gain somewhere in the neighborhood of 100K
But I have a bit of the homeowner woe's going on. This is a cheap project - about 80.00. However painting the Bathroom has invovled 4-6 hours to remove the EVIL WALLPAPER BORDER. and another couple of hours of patching. and me constantly saying this is an interem project - we do not have to make it perfect - just improve it. Possibly things would go faster if DH got off the phone. I'd really like to put the first coat of paint on Tonight. Which means we might have the bathroom back by Monday night or Tuesday.
Oy, Beth, don't you hate that?
One thing that's throwing me for a loop is that all these priority 3 house bugs (need fixing, but can live with) that suddenly became P1 bugs as soon as Lillian came into the picture. Worn wood floors that occasionally splinter thanks to the POs throwing carpet on them instead of refinishing? P1. Water heater that can't control its own temp well, and can't be set specifically to 120 or below? Major P1. And we have to get this crap done before she hits the whole walking milestone.
In the meantime, there are all these P2 bugs (siding repair, painting, deck removal) that have been neglected for so long that they're in danger of becoming P1s.
It's a constant state of triage here.
