4 ms·

This is very true. Even after CoL adjustments, high-tech jobs in the midwest don't typically pay as well as the coasts. Especially in senior roles. Notice that

This is very true. Even after CoL adjustments, high-tech jobs in the midwest don't typically pay as well as the coasts. Especially in senior roles. Notice that this is especially true for the vast number of coastal-state cities that aren't SFBA [1]. However, this apt observation is not what the article is actually about. Mid-tech jobs are things like "...computer systems analyst, computer network architects, and support specialist...", which are very different jobs from software engineering. [1] As an aside, CoL adjustments between the Midwest and coastal-state cities are extremely favorable to the Midwest in cases where you can actually afford to buy a house (read: not SFBA). If you buy a house in the midwest, you usually have to be okay with treating it as "not an investment". Whereas a house in Portland, Seattle etc. function as both a place to live as well as an investment likely to appreciate handsomely. Personally, I'm OK treating CoL as a sunk cost and not engaging in real estate speculation during my non-work hours. But from an objective perspective, the CoL pay cut suffered in MW cities is often unjustified given the opportunity cost of not living in an area with more and more predictable real estate appreciation. Selfishly, I wish folks in the Midwest had more success convincing their employers that "cheap land" is not a good justification for severely underpaying their labor force.

Hydraulix989 9y ago
Have you taken a look at the real estate markets in Austin, Pittsburgh, or Raleigh? "Buy low, sell high" is the adage of any savvy investor -- the markets in SF have been stagnant for years now.
- closeparen 9y ago
  What? The median San Francisco house is up 6.8% between 2016 and 2017.
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- throwawayjava 9y ago
  > Austin, Pittsburgh, or Raleigh My post was about the Midwest [1]. None of these are in the Midwest [2]. Except maybe Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh is technically not Midwestern because it's slightly more than a commute away from Ohio. But it's also actually not Midwestern because it's not a good prototype for a typical Midwestern city. "The Midwest" does not mean "not the coast". Also, all three of these are in the "coastal states" I'm contrasting with the Midwest. > the markets in SF have been stagnant for years now. Yes, I repeated some rendition of "except SF, which is uniquely terrible even among coastal places" many times in my post. And the problem with SF isn't lack of predictable appreciation. The problem with SF is that you can't afford to make the investment in the first place. [1] https://ces4thgradewiki.wikispaces.com/Midwest+Region+of+the+United+States https://ces4thgradewiki.wikispaces.com/Midwest+Region+of+the... [2] PA and NC are mid-Atlantic and Texas is most certainly in the South.
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- dmode 9y ago
  This is the first time I have heard that SF housing market has been stagnant for years. I made 200k profit on my 600k house in East Bay in 2 years (sold in 2016). That house is up another 100k. So not sure what you are referring to here.

Hydraulix989 9y ago

Have you taken a look at the real estate markets in Austin, Pittsburgh, or Raleigh? "Buy low, sell high" is the adage of any savvy investor -- the markets in SF have been stagnant for years now.

closeparen 9y ago
What? The median San Francisco house is up 6.8% between 2016 and 2017.
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throwawayjava 9y ago
> Austin, Pittsburgh, or Raleigh My post was about the Midwest [1]. None of these are in the Midwest [2]. Except maybe Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh is technically not Midwestern because it's slightly more than a commute away from Ohio. But it's also actually not Midwestern because it's not a good prototype for a typical Midwestern city. "The Midwest" does not mean "not the coast". Also, all three of these are in the "coastal states" I'm contrasting with the Midwest. > the markets in SF have been stagnant for years now. Yes, I repeated some rendition of "except SF, which is uniquely terrible even among coastal places" many times in my post. And the problem with SF isn't lack of predictable appreciation. The problem with SF is that you can't afford to make the investment in the first place. [1] https://ces4thgradewiki.wikispaces.com/Midwest+Region+of+the+United+States https://ces4thgradewiki.wikispaces.com/Midwest+Region+of+the... [2] PA and NC are mid-Atlantic and Texas is most certainly in the South.
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dmode 9y ago
This is the first time I have heard that SF housing market has been stagnant for years. I made 200k profit on my 600k house in East Bay in 2 years (sold in 2016). That house is up another 100k. So not sure what you are referring to here.