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> I know I'm playing the world's smallest violin and I will gather little sympathy since I am one of those tech workers with a big fat paycheck, but the fact th
by alex_lav 3y ago
> I know I'm playing the world's smallest violin and I will gather little sympathy since I am one of those tech workers with a big fat paycheck, but the fact that someone like me isn't thriving might be another symptom of how fucked up things are.
You don't have to preface your struggles and frustrations like this. Everybody's problems are real to them and diminishing them doesn't do anybody any good.
> Buying a home? Give me a break. I love to share the Zillow home price index graph to visually show people how Covid has screwed the housing market [1]. And at least before we had the option to move far from the city to a cheaper location and work remotely, but now employers are forcing us to go back to the office, so the choice is between unaffordable rent or multi-hour daily commutes (I’m in the second camp).
For reference, I purchased a home and I believe it to have been a huge mistake. I'll be looking to sell it basically at-cost in about a year or so. The homebuying gold rush made a lot of people, including me, buy houses because they thought it was their chance, only to then realize that many houses were deceptively priced/kinda shitty. I think your feelings around commuting are valid, and I don't mean to diminish the desire to own a home, I'm just trying to be a voice of "it's not always better". I didn't really have anybody in my life when I bought, saying that type of thing, so I'm trying to advocate for homebuying-realism when I can.
> I know this comment sounds whiny but I can’t help to feel that we are just getting dealt a shit sandwich after another. We might be in a world of extravagant productivity but I’m sure as hell not reaping the benefits. I’m supposed to be a top 5% earner and yet I don’t feel my standard of living is much better than my working class upbringing - at least back then we owned our apartment and weren’t told how privileged we were.
I feel this big time too. I make pretty far above my city's "upper tier" of income for tech workers and still generally feel strapped. I have gotten a handful of bad beats in a row.
- angarg12 3y agoThanks for your comment, I think the HN crowd might be more understanding. In the general population, someone making 6 figures complaining about cost of living (particularly tech workers, since we are usually blamed for the problem) is frowned upon.
- alex_lav 3y ago> In the general population, someone making 6 figures complaining about cost of living (particularly tech workers, since we are usually blamed for the problem) is frowned upon. This is one of the reasons why people generally associate with people in similar circumstances. As in, it's normal for people making 6 figures to feel comfortable griping to other people making 6 figures because we get it.
- applied_heat 3y agoWhy sell the house? Don’t you still need a place to live?
- alex_lav 3y agoIs this house the only place to live?
- applied_heat 3y agoAre there better deals readily available?
- alex_lav 3y agoDepends entirely on your definition of "better deal". To me, yes, many many many apartments and condos are a "better deal".
- jstarfish 3y ago> I purchased a home and I believe it to have been a huge mistake. I'll be looking to sell it basically at-cost If the worst part of the experience was breaking even, you're ahead. You bought at a peak. Refinance every few years and ride it out. Rent never gets cheaper over time, you get no privacy and own nothing. If shit hits the fan, you're homeless in 60-90 days. By comparison, foreclosure buys you a year.
- alex_lav 3y ago> If the worst part of the experience was breaking even, you're ahead I don't agree. > You bought at a peak. I guess it depends on how you look at it. I doubt I'll ever get an interest rate this low ever again. > Refinance every few years and ride it out. No interest in "riding it out". > Rent never gets cheaper over time, Old homes don't get cheaper over time. > you get no privacy Don't know what this means. > and own nothing. The bank owns this house. I own nothing. > If shit hits the fan, you're homeless in 60-90 days. If I'm optimizing against mythical "shit hitting the fan", this house buys me basically nothing. edit Very interested in these downvotes I'm receiving for giving my own opinions on my own house...