Yikes!

 

This graphic popped up on MeWe yesterday evening.  I can’t link directly to the post concerned.  Clickit to biggit.

The original poster didn’t provide a source link, or any further details about where the data had come from.  It’s pretty scary, isn’t it?

I’d love to know how accurate those figures are.  Certainly, the numbers for Oklahoma City and Pittsburg seem suspiciously low.  Can anyone who knows the property market well, across the country, tell us whether they’re real or made-up?  Is there a better source for correct information, and if so, can you provide a link to it in Comments?  I’ll be grateful for any help out there.

On the face of it, if that’s what housing costs have done over a mere two-year span (OK, call it two and a half years if you’re counting from January 2020), it’s no wonder people can no longer afford a mortgage.  Even at the old, lower interest rates, that’s a big cost to swallow.  At 6% or higher, it becomes almost impossible.

I’m glad I’m not in the property market right now . . .

Peter

13 comments

  1. Higher interest rates, inflation, and politicians at work. Everyone will suffer with this one from the construction laborer to the largest of corporations.

  2. It's baloney.
    You couldn't get an upholstered toilet in a ghetto gas station in Los Angeles in 2020 with an annual income of $123K.
    Unless you were planning on defaulting in a couple of years.

  3. The market is INSANE right now, and I'm not just talking about prices.

    I have seen 22 year old doublewides sell for over $250k on my street. Yeah, it's on an acre of land, but have you ever tried to get homeowner's insurance on a 20+ year old mobile home? Can you imagine what it would cost to get $200k of coverage on one?

  4. Not entirely accurate, but close. I did purchase a house, in Dallas, in 2021. The market was so competitive that we bid on over 40 houses before we won the sale! My current mortgage is 60% of my income.(50K+) If not for my wife's retirement fund, we'd be having a much harder time of it than we already are..

  5. A customer came into my store: He and his wife own her childhood home in central Austin Tx, they rent it out for $3600 per MONTH! But, their taxes on that 1600 sq. ft. home is $14,000!!!

  6. Looks like there's only a couple of places I could afford to live. Of course I wouldn't want to live anywhere near most of them.

  7. My house in suburban DFW doubled in value over 8 years. It's come down 5% or so off the peak, but it is still insane. Property taxes are insane.

  8. I can tell you the prices for Pittsburgh, Columbus, and Seattle are NOT accurate – all 3 are actually higher. I suspect this is an old chart or represents a very low end house.

  9. Honestly not sure how most could or can afford the prices. I fear for my children and their future. I'm fortunate enough to be making a good living. At the start of Covid craziness we upsized as the kids are getting older so we have room for them and their families if it came down to it. It tightened things now but hoping to hedge so my children can maintain a roof over their heads. Maybe it will be worth enough when I die that they can split the proceeds to each buy their own homes as well. At a minimum we'll be able to house several other family members if push comes to shove. And with a small bit of land to give sustenance farming a go if it gets that bad. But by then they'd probably try to take it for back taxes.

  10. @maniac, renting doesn't help that much, the person you are renting from has to pay a mortgage, and they mark it up to you for the rent.

    now, they may not have a mortgage and could afford to charge you less, but the going rate is always going to be mortgage+markup, so you aren't likely to be cheaper than the mortgage.

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