The only properties under $275k in my zip code are empty lots.

There is 1 property under $300k and it's <2 acres w/ a trailer house.

Aggiesincebirth said:

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htxag09 said:

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Howdy Dammit said:

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Housing market has killed what I thought should be a comfortable living. Starter homes are now priced like 2nd level homes. A 250k house does not exist anymore. It did when I graduated in '16.

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It obviously depends on where you are. But $250K houses absolutely do exist. It just may not be in the hip part of town, a brand new neighborhood, over 3,500 sq ft, or have wood floors and granite countertops like everyone thinks they need.

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I am building "affordable housing" homes in Hitchcock, Texas. 1,500 square feet appraised for $250k. You have to be so poor you have to apply through the government for this housing.

The person stating $250k has gone out the window is 100% correct unless you plan to be poor enough to apply for government assistance. It's nuts.

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My parents own several homes in Sulphur Springs which they are in the process of selling. They are all around the $200k range and there is plenty of demand to buy them because housing is in a shortage there like everywhere.

Depends on the market.

Reading property here is hilarious. I'm in an area mostly built in the 80s and typical suburbia. Last three months I found a couple houses that went under $1M. $950k got you 1800 sq/ft 3/2 with original kitchen (tile counters).

$500k gets you an 800 sq/ft condo.

Glad I bought in 2011 at the peak bottom.

double aught said:

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Doesn't sound like typical suburbia if the homes are $1million.

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Things have shifted in some markets though. Exurbia is what suburbia used to be in many.

double aught said:

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Doesn't sound like typical suburbia if the homes are $1million.

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I live in San Diego. It's very typical. Here is one of the cheapest sold recently.



3/2 1700 sq/ft that was $950k

A point I haven't seen addressed is that in a lot of situations, to break the $100k mark in salary you have to move to somewhere with a higher cost of living.

I'm sure there are exceptions, but this is definitely true in my field (chemical engineering).

Smaller companies or those that operate in the middle of nowhere will often times offer less money because the employee will be located in an area where the cost of living is less.

I know I had to move from College Station to Houston to break the $100k mark. I would have eventually done it in CS (had the company survived), but it would have taken significantly more time.

But my 20% bump in pay came with a 30% increase in housing (for a comparable home to what I owned in CS). Not to mention the increases in insurance and taxes.

It was still a great move for me because my base salary has increased by another 40+% over 9 years (next year, including bonus, I'll probably come close to doubling what my salary was in CS), and I'm still living in the same house as when I first moved here. But I had to bite the bullet to make it work early on.

When I look at comps for my house in my neighborhood now, though, I would be close to being priced out, at least for my comfort level (I'm certain I could get a loan from a bank).

htxag09 said:

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Aggiesincebirth said:

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htxag09 said:

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Howdy Dammit said:

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Housing market has killed what I thought should be a comfortable living. Starter homes are now priced like 2nd level homes. A 250k house does not exist anymore. It did when I graduated in '16.

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It obviously depends on where you are. But $250K houses absolutely do exist. It just may not be in the hip part of town, a brand new neighborhood, over 3,500 sq ft, or have wood floors and granite countertops like everyone thinks they need.

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I am building "affordable housing" homes in Hitchcock, Texas. 1,500 square feet appraised for $250k. You have to be so poor you have to apply through the government for this housing.

The person stating $250k has gone out the window is 100% correct unless you plan to be poor enough to apply for government assistance. It's nuts.

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$250k hasn't gone out the window, to say so as a blanket statement is dumb. We are currently remodeling our house so staying with the in laws. I just checked HAR for their and surrounding neighborhoods and there are dozens of houses between $200-225 and even more between $225-275. Katy ISD, but Mayde Creek HS, so not the top HS. 3 or 4 bedroom, around 2,000 sq ft. No, they don't have granite countertops or hardwood floors.

Yes, you have to sacrifice some things. But it's absolutely within range to buy a house under $250.

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No offense to any graduates of Mayde Creek because it was a decent school 30 years ago, but no family that graduated from a decent college should be targeting Mayde Creek HS. I might get **** on for that statement, but so be it.

htxag09 said:

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My wife went there, it's probably better than every high school where I grew up, corpus. But I do agree with you. Thing is we're talking about starter homes. No reason it's not a decent enough neighborhood to start a family, and hope to move to a better school.

Again, I'm pointing out homes for $250k exist. Everyone has reasons why they aren't good homes. I agree. That's why they're starter homes. But everyone wants and almost expects to just move into their dream home after college.

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I don't think anyone disagrees with you that these homes exists. The trouble is whether or not you'll want to live in them.

You can argue that we've gotten more picky over the years, and I would agree with you, but people want to live around people with similar goals and interests. The area you're zoning in on is very blue collar. It's just the reality.

Diggity said:

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htxag09 said:

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My wife went there, it's probably better than every high school where I grew up, corpus. But I do agree with you. Thing is we're talking about starter homes. No reason it's not a decent enough neighborhood to start a family, and hope to move to a better school.

Again, I'm pointing out homes for $250k exist. Everyone has reasons why they aren't good homes. I agree. That's why they're starter homes. But everyone wants and almost expects to just move into their dream home after college.

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I don't think anyone disagrees with you that these homes exists. The trouble is whether or not you'll want to live in them.

You can argue that we've gotten more picky over the years, and I would agree with you, but people want to live around people with similar goals and interests. The area you're zoning in on is very blue collar. It's just the reality.

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Quote:

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The person stating $250k has gone out the window is 100% correct unless you plan to be poor enough to apply for government assistance.

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Quote:

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A 250k house does not exist anymore.

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htxag09 said:

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Diggity said:

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htxag09 said:

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My wife went there, it's probably better than every high school where I grew up, corpus. But I do agree with you. Thing is we're talking about starter homes. No reason it's not a decent enough neighborhood to start a family, and hope to move to a better school.

Again, I'm pointing out homes for $250k exist. Everyone has reasons why they aren't good homes. I agree. That's why they're starter homes. But everyone wants and almost expects to just move into their dream home after college.

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I don't think anyone disagrees with you that these homes exists. The trouble is whether or not you'll want to live in them.

You can argue that we've gotten more picky over the years, and I would agree with you, but people want to live around people with similar goals and interests. The area you're zoning in on is very blue collar. It's just the reality.

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Quote:

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The person stating $250k has gone out the window is 100% correct unless you plan to be poor enough to apply for government assistance.

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Quote:

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A 250k house does not exist anymore.

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My apologies...I'm reading that as a $250K that is livable and in an area the average TexAgger would want to live in doesn't exist. I doubt there are people that literally don't believe a house can be purchased for under $250K.

For the record, I don't really agree with that thought...as you can find an older, smaller home in a decent area for that budget. It's just a whole lot harder than it used to be and you need to be willing to compromise.

BiochemAg97 said:

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Looks like top 1% AGI was $540k in 2018. $200k ends up just outside of top 5% AGI. Top 25% AGI is about 100k.

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Does AGI mean only salaries/paychecks or does it mean capital gains and other gains too?

infinity ag said:

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BiochemAg97 said:

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Looks like top 1% AGI was $540k in 2018. $200k ends up just outside of top 5% AGI. Top 25% AGI is about 100k.

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Does AGI mean only salaries/paychecks or does it mean capital gains and other gains too?

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Adjusted Gross Income. Everything you make subtracted by deductions (401k, donations, write offs, etc).