Question: Every time we get out and drive around we find these large neighborhoods of very expensive homes, huge, very nice homes. It’s been a long running conversation that my wife and I pick up every time we see this. Neither of us personally know anyone that makes more than about $150k per household in this area (Texas) and we do know some professional types, so how is it possible for so many of these ridiculously expensive homes to exist?
Answer: I moved to south jersye from BUffalo. There we have neighborhoods with sidewalks and local schools. Here they have developments, no tree’s and limited sidewlaks, lousy neighborhood playgrounds without trees and benches and parks where all the tree’s have been cut down.
Developers have ruined neighborhoods. They clear cut woodlands and farms, build screwy curvy streets that are like mazes, cookie cut homes and change a few items on the facades. Construction is cheap, real cheap, quality seen is reasonable, quality unseen, insulation and construction materials stinks
I call them McMansions. Large expansive 3000 sqft homes literally planted on wide open savannahs with 15 foot set backs. I recall my folks and grandparents homes, simple 3 bedroom capes with a real yard, tree’s and a garage. They were happy, the kid’s turned out fine and Mom was home full time (or as in my case I had a full time Dad, Mom worked)
The development crowd has two working parents and substitute parents (daycare). The income is needed to support primarily daycare, mortgage, a 5K vacation every summer and new cars every two years. A more reasonably priced home and driving a car a little longer would allow Mom or Dad to quit work and give their children what they need, a full time parent and less stressful life.
As for me, working Dad, full time Mom at home and we eat a lot of chicken and baloney, drive older cars, live in a modest house but are debt free except for mortgage.
Think people, think, run the numbers, you most likely can have one parent working with little to no financial hardship – Your kid’s will thank you for it.
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