Reply to My aunt started working as a maid at the Watergate after graduating HS & bought a home in Arlington

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I can’t remember if it was this or another thread where I saw a poster saying people shouldn’t be upset about not being to afford (Bethesda, Arlington, etc.) around here the same way people in CA shouldn’t be upset at not being able to afford Beverly Hills.

And I’ve been thinking on that, at first going along with the logic. But I don’t think it’s quite applicable.

There are places like Beverly Hills and Manhattan that have been expensive since our entire lifetimes (for many of us). Whereas if you’re in the bracket of someone trying to by a first or move up home from your starter home, it feels like the goalposts were moved very quickly). You start saving to buy in X area and then realize your savings can’t match the pace of home appreciation. I guess watching something become further out of grasp is harder than just moving somewhere and knowing you can’t afford it b/c it just always has been unaffordable.

I’m sure 22 year olds moving here for the first time think of these close-in suburbs as being unattainable. But for many of us, especially if you graduated into the recession, it feels like first you get dumped into a crappy economy where there aren’t many jobs for recent grads, and then once you get your footing to start saving, the neighborhoods you like get insanely expensive before you can save.

Now, I’m not saying there’s anything to do about that. It’s life and not everyone gets what they want. It’s probably good advice to start looking at getting into the next affordable area before it becomes out of reach. But I think this explains why not being able to afford a small, older home in Arlington feels more disappointing than being told you can’t afford Malibu or whatever.

FWIW I did eke into a close-in neighborhood with some family help. But I understand why my priced out friends feel bummed.[/quote]

I think this is it, PP. Thanks. As a priced out millennial, I'd rather get a job in a cheaper area to afford a decent home and commute, but I also work in a sector where DC has the best and most jobs, so it's not that easy. I have tried! I'm still here!

I think the PPs saying "but lots of people never tried to afford the most fashionable area" are also not admitting that literal location and distance make this different than DuPont Circle or Arlington being less "fashionable" 40 years ago. The difference between Arlington in 1980 and Manassas in 2020 is that the Arlington resident didn't have a 2 hour commute to the office in DC. That's a huge part of standard of living that is inherent to a place and doesn't change based on fashion, schools (the true elephant in the room in this discussion), or housing cost. Thank God for telework and may it stick around. [/quote]

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