Poll finds worries about housing costs

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2003-09-24-affordable-housing-usat_x.htm

The high cost of housing is hitting close to home for many Americans, according to a survey to be released today.

Two out of three Americans in major metropolitan areas worry that teachers, police officers and firefighters in their towns can't afford to live where they work. Half worry that their children and grandchildren won't be able to live near them.

The poll, commissioned by the National Association of Realtors, shows that concern over affordable housing isn't limited to the poor and unemployed.

Eighty-two percent of those surveyed said they would support more affordable housing in their communities if the developments "fit with the area and were pleasant to look at."

That sentiment could come as a surprise to planners and zoning officials who are often besieged by angry homeowners when they propose apartments and town houses near single-family homes.

[DuctapeFatwa]

1. Sounds like it's time for Halliburton to build more cages at Gitmo

And what about those FEMA camps?

A few million more taken care of there, and for the rest - see those Wackenhut investors smiling?

[skippysmom]

2. this is such a huge issue...

Here in Massachusetts housing costs are horrible. The rich are pricing almost everyone else out of the market. And we actually have legislation (40B) to promote affordable housing, but without any teeth in the law, it goes nowhere. (The law allows developers who include 25% or more affordable units, defined as units that can be afforded by people making 80% of the county's median income, to circumvent some zoning laws.) Towns are supposed to have 10% affordable housing, but NIMBYs come out of the woodwork everytime someone proposes an apartment complex or condos or other affordable housing options.

[Xithras]

3. I just spent $185,000...

on a fixer-upper with a bad roof and tree damage to the foundation. Gotta love the California real estate market :eyes:

[teryang]

4. Huge increases in home insurance costs plus

...increased tax rates and ad valorem assessments are wiping out the benefit of lower interest rates on mortgages.