Why are people in the DC area so...greedy?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When you have 150k in student debt and your average house costs close to a million dollars, you pretty much have to milk your salary as high as possible.


15-20 years ago, a 100k salary could buy you a nice SFH for about 400k. Now, 100k salary isn’t even enough for a 20% down payment on a house.

20 years ago, people were happy with a 1600-1800 sqft house. Now, starting is 4000 sqft.

That’s not people’s fault. It’s minimum lot sizes and nimbyism.

Yes, it is their fault. 4K sq ft is a want and people think it’s a need.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why do people associate wanting to be successful as greedy? If you earn the income it’s not greed..unless you’re being unethical.

I hope my kids strive for the highest levels of success..what parent wouldn’t want that?

I want my kids to prioritize family life.

Low bar.

✌🏻

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When you have 150k in student debt and your average house costs close to a million dollars, you pretty much have to milk your salary as high as possible.


15-20 years ago, a 100k salary could buy you a nice SFH for about 400k. Now, 100k salary isn’t even enough for a 20% down payment on a house.

20 years ago, people were happy with a 1600-1800 sqft house. Now, starting is 4000 sqft.

That’s not people’s fault. It’s minimum lot sizes and nimbyism.

Yes, it is their fault. 4K sq ft is a want and people think it’s a need.

Who the hell wants a 4,000 sq foot house? If that’s what’s on the market though, that’s what we must put up with

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why do people associate wanting to be successful as greedy? If you earn the income it’s not greed..unless you’re being unethical.

I hope my kids strive for the highest levels of success..what parent wouldn’t want that?

Why do people associate salary with success? Seems rather superficial to me.

Because it is literally how our capitalistic society works?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When you have 150k in student debt and your average house costs close to a million dollars, you pretty much have to milk your salary as high as possible.


15-20 years ago, a 100k salary could buy you a nice SFH for about 400k. Now, 100k salary isn’t even enough for a 20% down payment on a house.

20 years ago, people were happy with a 1600-1800 sqft house. Now, starting is 4000 sqft.

That’s not people’s fault. It’s minimum lot sizes and nimbyism.

Yes, it is their fault. 4K sq ft is a want and people think it’s a need.

In my neighborhood you can get either a teardown or a giant McMansion, nothing really in-between.

[Anonymous]

There's nothing wrong with having financial goals, regardless of age. I much prefer this than having a nation full of people living paycheck to paycheck and needing hand outs like during the pandemic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When you have 150k in student debt and your average house costs close to a million dollars, you pretty much have to milk your salary as high as possible.


15-20 years ago, a 100k salary could buy you a nice SFH for about 400k. Now, 100k salary isn’t even enough for a 20% down payment on a house.

20 years ago, people were happy with a 1600-1800 sqft house. Now, starting is 4000 sqft.

That’s not people’s fault. It’s minimum lot sizes and nimbyism.

Yes, it is their fault. 4K sq ft is a want and people think it’s a need.

In my neighborhood you can get either a teardown or a giant McMansion, nothing really in-between.

So fix up the tear down instead of replacing it with a McMansion, or look at a different neighborhood.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When you have 150k in student debt and your average house costs close to a million dollars, you pretty much have to milk your salary as high as possible.


15-20 years ago, a 100k salary could buy you a nice SFH for about 400k. Now, 100k salary isn’t even enough for a 20% down payment on a house.

20 years ago, people were happy with a 1600-1800 sqft house. Now, starting is 4000 sqft.

That’s not people’s fault. It’s minimum lot sizes and nimbyism.

Yes, it is their fault. 4K sq ft is a want and people think it’s a need.

In my neighborhood you can get either a teardown or a giant McMansion, nothing really in-between.

Presumably anyone buying the teardown is not going to live in a tent on the lawn. There is no law that says they have to replace the teardown with a 4000sf McMansion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why do people associate wanting to be successful as greedy? If you earn the income it’s not greed..unless you’re being unethical.

I hope my kids strive for the highest levels of success..what parent wouldn’t want that?

I want my kids to prioritize family life.

Low bar.

✌🏻

who says you can't prioritize family life and be successful. I ma700k + ast year and probably work 30-40 hours max a week. Finance! I coach my daughters team, never miss a school event, etc. I prioritize my family over my job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well they cannot afford a decent house in a nj e neighborhood and if they have a child, it will cost her entire salary for a nanny.

As someone living comfortably in the DMV with two kids and less than half OP's sister's HHI, this forum is so out of touch it cracks me up

I especially love how OP had to make it clear that they made over $200K in the post. That being said, there's nothing wrong with being stressed and/or complaining about you finances no matter your income -- everyone has different financial wants and goals -- I just take issue with idea that anyone in OP's family is "poor."

[Anonymous]

Why do all DCUM posters extrapolate an experience they had with one person onto the entire DMV metro area?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why do people associate wanting to be successful as greedy? If you earn the income it’s not greed..unless you’re being unethical.

I hope my kids strive for the highest levels of success..what parent wouldn’t want that?

I want my kids to prioritize family life.

Low bar.

✌🏻

who says you can't prioritize family life and be successful. I ma700k + ast year and probably work 30-40 hours max a week. Finance! I coach my daughters team, never miss a school event, etc. I prioritize my family over my job.

You can’t have it all.

[Anonymous]

Why do you have to call people in DC greedy

Does your sister make up all the opinions and behaviors of all the communities

I’m sure the people who live east of RFK would love to be in her greedy shoes
DC is a great place and your sister needs a realty check!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well they cannot afford a decent house in a nj e neighborhood and if they have a child, it will cost her entire salary for a nanny.

Why do they feel entitled to that, though? 300K for a family is an excellent salary to have savings and buy in a safe neighborhood.

NP - Not right now in DC LOL. It doesn't cut it.

[Anonymous]

It isn’t greedy to have financial/earnings/career goals. It’s called ambition. It’s ok to be content with what you have and also ok to strive for more, as long as you are not putting down others or bragging or otherwise behaving badly.

If your sister is stressed on 300k, it means they’re overspending - did they stretch for a house they couldn’t truly afford? Either way this is not a DC problem.