Last week, Leigh Tauss wrote about her not-entirely-successful efforts to buy a house in Raleigh. Lots of folks replied with their own tales of house-buying woe. Here’s a sampling.
From Jake Seaton: “My wife and I are on the other side of thirty, and it took us seven years to find and buy a house in Raleigh. We were very lucky to find what we did—beating out multiple offers, including an all-cash offer that was over our bid. We could have moved to Garner, Apex, Fuquay, what have you, and bought much sooner, but we wanted to be in Raleigh and close-ish to downtown. There’s no way anyone can buy a house in a hot housing market in ‘a few months’ unless you have $250,000 in cash. It’s frustrating, sure, but it’s the reality of urban home-buying these days.”
“There are currently twenty-five single-family homes listed (I’m sure not good condition) under $250,000 inside the Beltline,” adds Carrie Pitts-Densmore. “The problem isn’t that you need cash in a hot market (outside the Beltline, that’s mostly untrue); it’s that there isn’t enough affordable housing. And by affordable, I don’t mean just low-income.”
Andrew Snee thinks Tauss was being unrealistic: “The author is trying to buy a house inside the Beltline, in biking distance of downtown. That’s not really a test of the overall housing market.”
“And the tradeoff of not having a car in exchange for a higher house cost isn’t really possible in Raleigh because, despite some good effort, it’s not a city where it’s made at the pedestrian level,” writes Scott Dadson.
Brian Porter says we just need to build more: “A house with a big yard isn’t for everybody. We need all the options for affordable housing. Tiny homes, apartments, condos, townhouses, micro-apartments, duplexes, mobile home parks (preferably co-op), doghouse, outhouse, in-law house, just freaking build everything. Get rid of any zoning and other regulations that get in the way of affordable housing. Preserve the character of the neighborhood, my ass. Just build it all already.”
It’s possible commenter DWK might be willing to sell you a house in Clayton: “As Triangle home prices continue to rise, millennials will need to make compromises when shopping for homes. While you may not get a home within the Beltline, there are still good values to be found in surrounding communities like Johnston County. It may not be centrally located, but the entire Triangle is rapidly changing. Downtown Clayton used to be a ghost town in prior years, but now has many wonderful bars, breweries, and restaurants, as well as farmers markets and events. Also, millennials might find that, as they age, living downtown, with growing crowds and traffic jams, starts to lose its appeal.”
Finally, Anthony E. Biancardi asks us for more of columnist Barry Saunders: “Lately I’ve been nibbling at the idea of joining the INDY Press Club, but Barry Saunders’s column reeled me in. Years ago, when N.C. State was looking to replace their basketball coach, he wrote something to the effect that, predictably, the school was interviewing the usual lineup of ‘Brill-creamed, Armani-suited’ candidates rather than promoting from within. That hilarious observation started my years-long devotion to his N&O column. And I hope my small contribution to the INDY will in some way help promote the kind courageous, honest journalism our state and country sorely needs at these almost desperate hours.”
About that: Thanks to you and everyone else who’s gone to KeepItINDY.com and joined our Press Club, next week, we’re launching INDY Voices, a rotating column from a diverse set of some of the Triangle’s most compelling writers. And guess who’s kicking it off? None other than Barry Saunders.
Want to see your name in bold? Email us at backtalk@indyweek.com, comment on indyweek.com or our Facebook page, or hit us up on Twitter: @indyweek.
Support independent local journalism. Join the INDY Press Club to help us keep fearless watchdog reporting and essential arts and culture coverage viable in the Triangle.
Letters: “There Isn’t Enough Affordable Housing in Raleigh”
Share this:
Last week, Leigh Tauss wrote about her not-entirely-successful efforts to buy a house in Raleigh. Lots of folks replied with their own tales of house-buying woe. Here’s a sampling.
From Jake Seaton: “My wife and I are on the other side of thirty, and it took us seven years to find and buy a house in Raleigh. We were very lucky to find what we did—beating out multiple offers, including an all-cash offer that was over our bid. We could have moved to Garner, Apex, Fuquay, what have you, and bought much sooner, but we wanted to be in Raleigh and close-ish to downtown. There’s no way anyone can buy a house in a hot housing market in ‘a few months’ unless you have $250,000 in cash. It’s frustrating, sure, but it’s the reality of urban home-buying these days.”
“There are currently twenty-five single-family homes listed (I’m sure not good condition) under $250,000 inside the Beltline,” adds Carrie Pitts-Densmore. “The problem isn’t that you need cash in a hot market (outside the Beltline, that’s mostly untrue); it’s that there isn’t enough affordable housing. And by affordable, I don’t mean just low-income.”
Andrew Snee thinks Tauss was being unrealistic: “The author is trying to buy a house inside the Beltline, in biking distance of downtown. That’s not really a test of the overall housing market.”
“And the tradeoff of not having a car in exchange for a higher house cost isn’t really possible in Raleigh because, despite some good effort, it’s not a city where it’s made at the pedestrian level,” writes Scott Dadson.
Brian Porter says we just need to build more: “A house with a big yard isn’t for everybody. We need all the options for affordable housing. Tiny homes, apartments, condos, townhouses, micro-apartments, duplexes, mobile home parks (preferably co-op), doghouse, outhouse, in-law house, just freaking build everything. Get rid of any zoning and other regulations that get in the way of affordable housing. Preserve the character of the neighborhood, my ass. Just build it all already.”
It’s possible commenter DWK might be willing to sell you a house in Clayton: “As Triangle home prices continue to rise, millennials will need to make compromises when shopping for homes. While you may not get a home within the Beltline, there are still good values to be found in surrounding communities like Johnston County. It may not be centrally located, but the entire Triangle is rapidly changing. Downtown Clayton used to be a ghost town in prior years, but now has many wonderful bars, breweries, and restaurants, as well as farmers markets and events. Also, millennials might find that, as they age, living downtown, with growing crowds and traffic jams, starts to lose its appeal.”
Finally, Anthony E. Biancardi asks us for more of columnist Barry Saunders: “Lately I’ve been nibbling at the idea of joining the INDY Press Club, but Barry Saunders’s column reeled me in. Years ago, when N.C. State was looking to replace their basketball coach, he wrote something to the effect that, predictably, the school was interviewing the usual lineup of ‘Brill-creamed, Armani-suited’ candidates rather than promoting from within. That hilarious observation started my years-long devotion to his N&O column. And I hope my small contribution to the INDY will in some way help promote the kind courageous, honest journalism our state and country sorely needs at these almost desperate hours.”
About that: Thanks to you and everyone else who’s gone to KeepItINDY.com and joined our Press Club, next week, we’re launching INDY Voices, a rotating column from a diverse set of some of the Triangle’s most compelling writers. And guess who’s kicking it off? None other than Barry Saunders.
Want to see your name in bold? Email us at backtalk@indyweek.com, comment on indyweek.com or our Facebook page, or hit us up on Twitter: @indyweek.
Support independent local journalism. Join the INDY Press Club to help us keep fearless watchdog reporting and essential arts and culture coverage viable in the Triangle.