Rent is unaffordable for half of U.S. renters, 2022 data shows
https://www.axios.com/2024/01/27/rent-unaffordable-housing-market-apartment-prices-cost
@knittingknots2 Great indicator and proof that most people are irresponsible with their spending and tend to rent places outside of their means.
This isnt a graphic showing rent is too high, its a graphic showing people are irresponsibly spending their money by signing onto rent deals they cant afford.
@freemo @knittingknots2 My brother in Christ, it’s like this because the U.S. does not have enough homes for the number of people who live in it. The problem is particularly acute in the areas where most of the jobs are. A cursory examination indicates that it’s a supply and demand problem, not people being irresponsible with their money.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/08/homes/housing-shortage/index.html
No, In fact there are more houses currently open for rent then there are homeless people in the USA. So we know for a fact the issue isnt that there arent enough homes.
@freemo @knittingknots2 No there are not “more houses for rent than there are homeless people in the USA.”
There are a lot of housing units that are long abandoned and falling apart and/or in places like Bumfuck Alabama that nobody wants to live in they are not “for rent.”
Right we arent talking about the places that arent for rent that are abandoned. I'm talking about actual homes up to code, more than enough for rent to cover all homeless people several times over. It isnt a quantity issue.
@freemo @knittingknots2 Yeah I know you are talking about those. There aren’t enough of those. Like, they don’t exist. Especially not where the jobs are.
You have a weird idea that’s a combination of this stupid leftist myth and a stupid right-wing personal responsibility myth.
You have no clue what my idea of the problem actually is, you didnt ask. But it isnt qty, yes they exist.
Now saying "they arent where the jobs are" that at least gets closer to an aspect of the problem. But that also is in line with what I said, it isnt a quantity issue.
@freemo @knittingknots2 Yes it is. I live in an area where we have a rent crisis and this is the biggest factor contributing to it.
And you think, what, housing is a fungible commodity where it doesn’t matter where the housing is? Of course it matters where it is. Can’t pay the rent if you don’t have money, which almost always means a job.
Which to my point, then you shouldnt be looking locally. You should be looking in areas where there is no local crisis. Showing it isnt a qty issue, you have options just not options that match what you want (something in a specific area).
@freemo @knittingknots2 Some people can work remotely but most people can’t. You mean someone should just move wherever where they might not be able to have a job to pay their rent with? That’s bananapants. Nobody does that. I’m pretty sure even you wouldn’t do that when making decisions about your life.
Most likely there is at least one home for rent within the hour or so commute radius for your job. If your claiming there isnt I'd be really curious what area your even talking about.
That said no.. what I am saying is if the areas you have to pick from to move to dont have job options for you there, that is a problem with the job market, it doesnt mean there arent enough houses.
@freemo @MisuseCase @knittingknots2 If this were true, people wouldn't be trying to rent in apartments in cities, and simply go for the places "1 hour or so commute of their jobs".
Those areas are *also* cities, packed just as tightly, with people holding unused homes to an aggressive rental pricing, let alone buying pricing.
> If this were true, people wouldn't be trying to rent in apartments in cities, and simply go for the places "1 hour or so commute of their jobs".
How ya figure? Most people dont pick the cheapest option, most people are very irresponsible with their spending and will get a place they cant afford because they want to be close to the bar or have a nice place. Thats part of the problem.
@freemo @AT1ST @knittingknots2 This isn’t “most people.” I don’t know what your financial or housing situation is but I don’t think you’ve talked to real people about theirs.
Lots of people with limited means have gotten priced out of cities and pushed into the suburbs and have long commutes.
As a matter of charity I take people into my home who are homeless and give them a place to live. This is usually a mutli-year process as I help them get on their feet and out of poverty. I have done this with many people.
Virtually every person I ever helped who was homeless had horrible money management issues and overspent on things they couldnt afford, including rent (before they became homeless)... Yes it absolutely is most people who are in this situation. Not surprisingly almost all of them were in denial about their habits and wasnt until they were back on their feet and doing well they realized their bad habits and corrected them.
@freemo @AT1ST @knittingknots2 Yeah, most people who end up homeless can’t afford rent…because rent is extremely expensive and being rent-burdened is a common problem. That’s why a lot of people end up homeless! Because the cost of living, including housing, is expensive.
Right, but not because the rent was simply too high, but because they choose places that were well beyond their means and were irresponsible and had far more space than they needed (often renting apartments intead of rooms).
For every single person I helped and is now out of poverty and doing well they had to adjust how they spent money and be more responsible. Once they did they had no trouble affording their rent, once they picked a place they could afford.
@freemo @MisuseCase @knittingknots2 The cheapest rent in my city that I've heard cited is my studio apartment (0 bedroom), and it...is about 2 Slim PS5s worth a month.
My parents own a place and rent their basement, an hour and a half away on public transit, for around the cost of 1 Slim PS5 a month.
Rent is so high, I can compare it *literal luxury items.*
Im not sure what those items cost. Are you willing to give the name of the area your in?
@freemo @MisuseCase @knittingknots2 The PS5 Slim Digital costs $579.99.
And to be clear, where I live, we recently invoked a rent freeze, so without it, in the last couple of years, it could've been more.
Like, gone up to 3 PS5 Slim Digital consoles' worth.
That adds up for a studio in some expensive cities. But again if 1K is too expensive for you then you probably should be renting a room, not a studio. The most expensive area in the USA to rent (manhatten) has rooms that are quite a bit cheaper than that. Go an hour outside of manhatten even cheaper still.
> Are those the places that are often described as shoeboxes, sometimes not having a dedicated bathroom or kitchen?
They are rooms to rent in a home you'd share with other roomates. So you'd have a shared bedroom and kitchen, and one room in the home to yourself.
Yes you can pay more and obviously get much more space to yourself. But we are talking about affordability, that is a choice your making, and if you can afford it, enjoy. The point is most people get more space than they can afford, and there are much cheaper and very livable options until you improve your career.