General > General Technical Chat
First house for a young man
cdev:
This is an old debate but I have a fairly large amount of research that I cite which shows that altruism is a successful strategy for societies and individuals living within them.
Also, is it smart to raise people the way it seems many wealthy people have been, to ignore others rights? https://www.researchgate.net/publication/222699672
Quote from: rstofer on Today at 09:38:07
It's a zero-sum game! One person's gain is another person's loss. Assets in one hand, liabilities in the other.
Only the best and brightest win!
--- End quote ---
rstofer:
Then we all gravitate toward mediocrity.
I didn't spend 6 years in college just to make parity with someone flipping hamburgers. They got to mess around while I was working my butt off but now it's my turn! And I get to mess around at a much higher level.
This whole idea of 'equality' attempts to create equal outcomes without equal effort. It's not going to work! It's been tried, it failed! People want to be rewarded for their efforts and they want to feel that reward in their lifestyle.
NiHaoMike:
--- Quote from: IanB on July 04, 2017, 03:26:46 am ---Yes, that's the story realtor's tell, but the reality is different. Most people are only suckered into an HOA once. When they move they will try very hard never to be in an HOA again. HOA's take away your freedoms and limit what you can do (e.g. prevent you from parking in your driveway, or hanging washing out to dry, or erecting a TV antenna). Restrictive covenants like that can only devalue a property, never increase the value of it.
--- End quote ---
In the US, FCC prohibits HOAs (or anyone else) from preventing the installation of a TV antenna.
https://www.fcc.gov/media/over-air-reception-devices-rule
The bigger issue is that there rarely seems to be anything worth watching on traditional TV. But it's a big deal for amateur radio operators since a TV antenna can be used for VHF/UHF amateur service. (HF is a different story but there exist workarounds for that, too.)
I have found a drying rack to be a better alternative to a clothesline. Namely in that being indoors, it is not affected much by weather.
vodka:
--- Quote from: rstofer on July 04, 2017, 03:21:53 pm ---Incidentally, I just checked on Zillow (real estate prices) and that house I bought for $80k in '86, sold for $290k in 2003, got offered back for $130k in 2006 (or so) is now estimated at $360k.
It's a tiny house at just 952 square feet with 3 bedrooms and 1-1/2 baths. It's 50 miles from Silicon Valley and the commute is UGLY. It wasn't bad back in '86 but I sure wouldn't want to drive it today.
No HOA, no amenities except a small park a block away. But the prices in Silicon Valley are even more insane so that pushes up prices in neighboring areas. If 50 miles can be considered a 'neighboring area'.
What do I know? When I moved to Silicon Valley in '76, I thought $50k for a house in Milpitas was insane! Now even the tract houses are more than $900k.
https://www.zillow.com/milpitas-ca/houses/
Palo Alto is a little closer to the action:
https://www.zillow.com/homes/palo-alto-ca_rb/
Some of these are ordinary tract homes - nothing special. Some aren't much larger than the crackerbox I had.
Check out this duplex:
https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sale/Palo-Alto-CA/pmf,pf_pt/house_type/2099372804_zpid/26374_rid/globalrelevanceex_sort/37.538043,-121.857262,37.225407,-122.413445_rect/10_zm/
Like every market, there are 'corrections' but if the owner can just hold on, everything will work out ok. It may take several years but real estate will recover in most areas. Particularly areas with education, technology or industry.
--- End quote ---
it might be worse;
Barcelona Neighbornhood Born https://www.idealista.com/inmueble/36349379/
58 meter per square = 624 feet per square Price :649.000€
Tarragona Arrabasada Valley https://www.idealista.com/inmueble/36797301/
44 meter per square = 473.7 feet per square Price :149.000€
rstofer:
--- Quote from: IanB on July 04, 2017, 03:26:46 am ---
--- Quote from: edavid on July 03, 2017, 10:43:52 pm ---in the US, an HOA full of picky people can be a very good thing for protecting the value of your property.
--- End quote ---
Yes, that's the story realtor's tell, but the reality is different. Most people are only suckered into an HOA once. When they move they will try very hard never to be in an HOA again. HOA's take away your freedoms and limit what you can do (e.g. prevent you from parking in your driveway, or hanging washing out to dry, or erecting a TV antenna). Restrictive covenants like that can only devalue a property, never increase the value of it.
--- End quote ---
HOAs tend to be run like a dictatorship! There are a handful of busybodies that want to control every aspect of the association and everybody else is a peon. I would definitely tend to avoid any HOA.
Our last HOA was the opposite. If it didn't concern the roog, paint or grounds, they pretty much stayed out of things. It wasn't too bad. But still, if you replaced the roof and the material wasn't approved by the board, they placed a lien against the property for a replacement roof when the house was sold. They wanted 50 year Presidential roofs and nothing else! And we couldn't park boats in the driveway - bummer!
There is talk about starting some kind of association where we live now but since that association isn't part of the CC&Rs (Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions) tied to the title at the time of sale, they wouldn't have any authority. I don't sense a lot of people want to sign up. Everybody has their own property and there are some beautiful homes here. It works well even without an HOA. But, out here, everybody has their own well, they use septic tanks, there is no city water, sewers or storm drains. We're pretty much on our own. Nice...
And we have a dedicated Deputy Sheriff. Somebody around the corner must have some juice! It's certainly not us...
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