Housing shortfall, costs and affordability

[Joedelay Highhoe]

I think we are all saying the same thing  The buying power of your dollar was better amd homes were affordable.  And those that want to call me names,  that says enough to me about you..

I worked in a factory for 15 years, trust me,  it wasn't good wages.  Then owner of the company i worked for  payed terribly for what he expected.  But still,  I could afford way more then than I can now in comparison.

Yeah... I work in manufacturing now. I'm lucky enough to be part of the management team. I have a ton of responsibility and I am one of the company's top earners. Despite this I certainly couldn't afford a detached or semi-detached home in this region. I could maybe stretch my budget and pay 3K a month to buy a 1 bedroom condo in an older building, but honestly I'd be way better off getting a job south of the border. I figure I'll get evicted before I can find an affordable unit to buy, so most likely I'll be leaving this area instead of settling down here (to the great chagrin of my family/friends/employer).

All of the baby boomer factory workers at my plant own houses. Most of the younger people live with their parents and have no hope of ever moving out. I'm sure it was tough back then, but it's exponentially harder now.

Edit to add one thing: I am also way better-off than a young person graduating today. I was lucky. When I graduated in 2014, I could actually afford a 1 bedroom apartment. I paid-off $27K in student loans within 3 years. My little bro finished school in 2020 and he is relatively screwed! Can't find a crappy bachelor apartment for less than $1500, and there is so much competition in his field that he can't even get a decent paying job.