C@LAg said:Yep.Ramdiesel said:MemphisAg1 said:
I feel for young folks trying to get into their first home, I really do. It's not their fault. My oldest son bought one in Dec 2020 just before prices took a moonshot and he got a good interest rate. I'll do whatever it takes to help my other two sons get into a house when they're ready, but a lot of people don't have that parental backup.
One thing that would help is if builders would build simpler starter homes. Today's median size house is 50% to 80% bigger than the median house 50 years ago, depending on where you get your statistics. Plus, ten to twelve foot vaulted ceilings, fancy trim, tile floors, granite counter tops, integrated electronics, wooden deck, etc. are now considered standard. All those things and all that extra size doesn't explain everything behind the moonshot in prices, but it's a big piece of it.
Cost = Square Feet X Dollars per Square Foot
Take a big bite out of both of those and it would help. I'm talking 1,200 to 1,500 square feet and Plain Jane. There's a market demand for smaller, simpler starter homes where first time buyers could build equity over several years and then gradually trade up to bigger homes when they're financially ready. I wonder if we'll see builders begin to target that segment, or are they making so much money on current home designs that they're just not interested?
It's like vehicles. Go try to buy a plane jane truck nowadays that looks nice, and doesn't have all the luxuries that Soccer moms want? What if I just want a truck that's very basic on the inside ( just radio, bluetooth, A/C, and Heat), and no carpet, just vinyl or something durable..I don't need a huge computer screen or power windows, or a truck with sensors all over it to tell me im going to cross the line or hit something. And, I want it to be 4x4 and look good on the outside. You can't get it really, they want you to pay for all the extras...
Even Jeep, of all companies, who should allow you to buy a stripped down whatever, insist on pre-installed garbage making their prices ridiculous for as little as some of us want.
I would LOVE an Asian company to target Jeep with something like this.
True, you would think Jeep could sell a very basic Wrangler. I get Jealous when I look at some of the stripped down trucks they are allowed to sell in foreign countries but not here because of all the regulations; especially, the ones with baby diesel engines.. They are probably still better than some of the crap trucks that were sold in the 80s here in the US, but not legal for us to have because of EPA or some safety BS.
