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 Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2012 3:45 pm
I no longer have a computer. I moved, and other people needed it more. Not the only reason I haven't said anything in months, but a part of it! Sorry guys!
Lea I fold your old postcards when I moved. Maaaaan, you are so cool. That was so awesome of you.
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Posted: Thu Nov 01, 2012 6:25 am
I lurk. Also, I'm busy and stuff. Most of my days off are spent fixing things (parent's computer, my car, parent's car), and since most days I work I go directly to sleep after getting home... sweatdrop
Also, I'm looking hard at houses near here. I'mma have to start talking to a realtor in December I think. ninja
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Posted: Mon Nov 05, 2012 10:52 pm
I still have Lea's postcards too. From memory, Kav was really excited by the motorcycle. xd
That's pretty exciting that you're thinking of buying a place Blake! What are you looking at? House, unit, apartment? How many bedrooms? I'm hoping to buy in the next year or two. Seems a bit daunting though!
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Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2012 6:22 pm
House! whee
3 bed, 2 bath, hopefully. I'm more focused on budget than anything else, though. I want to buy a house that will leave me budget room to save money still. I don't know why, but it feels like no one else does this.
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Posted: Thu Nov 08, 2012 1:15 am
That sounds amazing. There's no way I'll be able to afford anything that large. Housing is so expensive here! I think it's sensible to keep saving money, but I guess it's just not an option for everyone.
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Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2012 1:38 pm
Housing is cheap where I am because of the housing bubble and lack of demand. A 3/2 used to go for $120k+; now it goes for $60-80k depending on condition.
(I'm looking for the lower end and a house that is younger than me - easily possible since foreclosures are lower. I have coworkers who have 3/2s that were built new for $120k now. I could do this, but my job tends to lay people off when things get bad, and I want to be able to afford this house on whatever budget I have.)
I have a downpayment saved already; I'm waiting a bit longer so I have money for some furniture and a six month cushion. 3nodding
How expensive is housing in Aus-land? That's one of the few places to which I would willingly relocate.
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Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2012 5:27 pm
I apologise in advance if I give too much detail. Melbournians love talking about the property market. rofl
Before you get too shocked by how expensive housing is here, keep in mind that although our currencies are essentially at parity at the moment, the minimum wage is much higher in Australia compared to the US (roughly AUD 16 vs. USD 8 ). Having said that, our housing bubble hasn't burst...
Most of my friends who have bought their first places in the last year (so we're talking university educated, been in the workforce for 2 - 3 years) have bought 2 bedroom apartments or units, usually within half an hour from the city centre, in the $400k - $450k range. One couple I know just bought a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom place for $560k, roughly the same distance from the city.
There's a big range though. You could probably get a small apartment in the city for $300k - $350k and there are lots of new housing estates 1 hour + out of the city where you can get more bang for your buck (3 bedroom, 2 bathroom, garden for $300k).
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Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2012 6:32 pm
Crono725 I no longer have a computer. I moved, and other people needed it more. Not the only reason I haven't said anything in months, but a part of it! Sorry guys! Lea I fold your old postcards when I moved. Maaaaan, you are so cool. That was so awesome of you. so let me guess, you are posting telepathically using only the awesome powers of your mind? smile but seriously, i would be lost without my comp, it is my link to the world. we have no cell phone service here in the Adirondack Park and i have no tv. i did have a friend who messaged me from northern New Jersey, and she had actually borrowed the police chief's laptop when he came around in a boat to see if everybody was okay! (Sandy flooding) so she had online classes and he let her use his laptop for a while just to let teachers know what was happening. and before she handed it back, she messaged me! and did some shopping of course, some people are incurable.
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Posted: Sun Nov 11, 2012 7:25 am
As you work in accounting, you like numbers, even without being from Melbourne. I also like numbers (and derailing Crono's threads, lol).
Let's talk Economics! xD
Lord, I'mma ramble....
Gas is a real issue for me.
I currently live ~45min from the city center here, and I could easily get a 3/2 this far out for ~$80k pretty close to new (<10 years old). Gas is just expensive, though. My truck gets average 20mpg, gas costs around $3.21/gal (and dropping; was close to $4/gal after Hurricane Isaac and before Sandy), and my trip to work and back is 70mi total.
I work average 4 days a week. By math, at the higher gas prices of ~$4, at a cost of $0.20/mi with my mpg, and driving ~280mi just between home and work, I spend $56 of my ~$500 per week after tax pay on gas alone, without going anywhere else.
sweatdrop Yeah, gas takes a lot of my budget this far out.
I've done research and math, and I could afford a new house at $120k with my current pay; I just don't expect it to last forever. And in the meantime, saving money is good. 3nodding
-------------------------------------------------------------
Random notes: US minimum wage without state augmentation is $7.25/hr. Minimum wage in FL is $7.67/hr. I make $18/hr (plus 1.5x overtime, full-time) as an entry level quality control lab technician (contractor), and most jobs in this area pay around $9-10/hr, $12 if you're lucky. I am paid okay for this area for working precisely with dangerous chemicals that can cause burns, cancer and, frankly, death if not handled safely, and for working swing shift scheduling while I do that.
With your minimum wage that high compared to the US, part of the reason you have no burst bubble in Aus-land is that people can (seemingly) actually afford to pay for things. (Though I'm certain other objects are commensurately more expensive as well, things likely balance out better. Cost of living v pay, etc.) No one wants to raise wages for people in the US, so things stagnate. The only reason I can afford to do these things on my own are because of pay scale v cost of living here. CoL is lower here than a lot of the US; up north toward Crono and Chessie, for example, CoL is much higher.
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Posted: Sun Nov 11, 2012 7:34 am
chessiejo i would be lost without my comp, it is my link to the world.
I would have much less to do without my beloved computer. *sigh*
Seriously, though... shopping? For what? A generator?
...I feel bad for the above joke now. It's too soon. sad
Glad you got a message, though; stuff like that is important after a crisis.
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Posted: Mon Nov 19, 2012 1:30 am
I think petrol is still cheaper in the US than here. We're paying about $1.30 per litre at the moment, but I can't be bothered translating that into gallons! Having said that, our public transport network is probably a lot more comprehensive. I've managed to get away with not buying a car yet - I catch the train into the city for work ($175 per month). But we also have trams, buses and a growing number of cyclists - Melbourne is a reasonably flat city.
Overall, things are definitely more expensive here. For example, it's been all over the news lately that Australians pay 50% more than the US for music, software and games - things which should have no overheads to provide since they're downloaded (so excuses like the cost of shipping to Australia and higher wages don't really fly). But you know, you win and you lose - our healthcare, unemployement benefits and superannuation systems are quite reasonable.
I was actually reading a really interesting article today comparing Australian shopping centres with US malls. Apparently Saks, as an example, has 45 stores in the US - 7.2 million people per store. In comparison, the two large department stores in Aus have 0.3 - 0.6 million people per store. Most of our shopping centres will have one or two supermarkets, department stores, a cinema complex, food courts and cafes, in addition to all the normal shops. From what I understand, US supermarkets generally tend to be stand alone stores? I'm actually not too sure what my point is here. Possibly we don't need to drive so much because we're all in close proximity to shops? rofl
But back to housing affordability. From what I understand, one of the largest factors here is simply supply and demand - broadly, supply is low and demand is high for property in Australia, or at least compared to elsewhere. I think the multiple between median house price and median household income in cities like Melbourne and Sydney sit at around 8.5. So I definitely wouldn't say it's easy going!
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Posted: Mon Nov 19, 2012 9:44 am
Other than this line and the last, I kinda broke down and did a response for each section. You had a lot of thoughts.
I made Google do the unit change because I wanted to know. Gas for you costs around $4.92/gal; the UK is supposed to be worse, from what I've read, and California, where I was born, costs the same. As a ratio comparison, I took the $175 per month and cut it into per week for $43.75. There is almost no public transportation in this end of my state; what transport exists is either college campus based (in a loop around campus) or a single shuttle system that runs from my small town to the city center, which will be terminated at the end of this year, and only ran for one year as an experiment (link). We're below sea level, so subways are impossible; rail above-ground is unpopular; it's a flat area, but nothing is close.
I think things are more expensive because of difference in pay. The industries involved want people to pay a certain percentage of their income to enjoy things. It's not justifiable, but it is what's happening. Note: Most companies in the US have changed from an old pension system, similar to Aus's superannuation but not government-enforced, to a 401k stock-market-based investment portfolio for retirement around the 1970s, which sucks (and is part of the economic problems coming for US citizens; this is the reason US Social Security is so important - Social Security is a monthly allowance paid to retirees, and people aren't saving enough).
Yes. The closest shop to me is further than my last job; last job was 1.8mi; nearest grocery is 2.8mi, and it's a country store. The nearest supermarket is 12.5mi; the nearest mall (department stores) is around 25.6mi. With no public transport, a car is necessary.
The supply and demand of housing is kinda interesting. Supply may be low because of a lot of commercial land use for all those close-by shops? Our multiple (between median house price and median household income) with the low housing prices is around 2-3. Before our bubble burst, it was likely around 5 in this area. Keep in mind, my city is not big.
Generally, though, it sounds like Australia has better infrastructure than most of the US; this is most of the problem, really. sweatdrop
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Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2012 4:09 am
Oh wow I forgot all about those postcards! If you guys want more this season you should PM me an address because I'll yet again be out of the country.
So if it's always been your dream to get mail from India I can make that dream come true. It can be a housewarming present, Crono.
All this housing talk. We are all so old. crying
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Posted: Thu Nov 22, 2012 1:11 am
Lea Fealith Oh wow I forgot all about those postcards! If you guys want more this season you should PM me an address because I'll yet again be out of the country. So if it's always been your dream to get mail from India I can make that dream come true. It can be a housewarming present, Crono. All this housing talk. We are all so old. crying You're going to India!!! What are you doing there? Holiday / volunteering / spirital journey?
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Posted: Thu Nov 22, 2012 2:21 am
shells_of_sand Lea Fealith Oh wow I forgot all about those postcards! If you guys want more this season you should PM me an address because I'll yet again be out of the country. So if it's always been your dream to get mail from India I can make that dream come true. It can be a housewarming present, Crono. All this housing talk. We are all so old. crying You're going to India!!! What are you doing there? Holiday / volunteering / spirital journey? All three! I'm going with a student group in.. 7 hours haha. We'll be doing service work and attending lectures, mostly.
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