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San Francisco's Rent Hits a New Peak of $3,690, Highest in the US (cnet.com)

An anonymous reader shares a report: The median rent for a one bedroom apartment in San Francisco has reached a new peak of $3,690, according to survey data from Zumper, a home and apartment rental app. That's also a rise of nearly 9 percent from the same time last year, the survey found. Not only are those figures high enough to make your bank account cringe, but they're also nearly 30 percent higher than New York City and more than double the prices in Miami. Seattle, home to Amazon and Microsoft, rang in at $1,970 and Washington, DC, hit $2,150.

Oh, and by the way, while San Francisco's prices rose, the median price of one bedroom apartments across the US dropped nearly half a percent during this same time. That means while San Francisco's prices climbed, the country's prices fell. "Though there may be a ton of cash flowing through the city and surrounding areas soon, many of these workers will not immediately invest in a home and may, instead, take their money to both travel and upgrade their rental situation," Zumper wrote in a blog post Thursday.

314 comments

  1. All good. by HornWumpus · · Score: 0, Troll

    Nobody is being forced to live in 'that', good for the landlords. This is how it's _supposed_ to work.

    Sucks to be a grey haired trust funder who's trust no longer covers rent, but fuck them. They can live in Benicia or Gilroy, or get their first job.

    --
    John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    1. Re:All good. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > Sucks to be a grey haired trust funder who's trust no longer covers rent...

      Who is trust?

  2. Is that a typo? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    $3,690 USD? As in three thousand, six hundred and ninety U.S. dollars in *rent*, *per month*?!

    1. Re:Is that a typo? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      $3,690 USD? As in three thousand, six hundred and ninety U.S. dollars in *rent*, *per month*?!

      In my neck of the woods, you could afford a McMansion with a 4 car garage, an Olympic size swimming pool, and 10 bedrooms.

      Unfortunately, no jobs around here that pay that unless you are a CEO or large business owner. Otherwise you are trying to get by on Wal-mart door greeter pay.

    2. Re:Is that a typo? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      In my neck of the woods, you could afford a McMansion with a 4 car garage, an Olympic size swimming pool, and 10 bedrooms.

      Unfortunately, no jobs around here that pay that unless you are a CEO or large business owner. Otherwise you are trying to get by on Wal-mart door greeter pay.

      Hell, I'd love to CLEAR that amount in monthly pay! I'd be sh*tting in tall cotton with that much money.

    3. Re:Is that a typo? by fat+man's+underwear · · Score: 1

      "In my neck of the woods, you could afford a McMansion with a 4 car garage, an Olympic size swimming pool, and 10 bedrooms.

      Unfortunately, no jobs around here that pay that unless you are a CEO or large business owner. Otherwise you are trying to get by on Wal-mart door greeter pay."

      So basically Arkansas?

    4. Re:Is that a typo? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You mean creimer who is taking on Wreck It Ralph AND Casey Neistat this week?

    5. Re:Is that a typo? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No it's real enough. I just recently was offered a gig there. I compared my salary to rent and then went "screw that".

    6. Re:Is that a typo? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      creimer is "taking on" adult hypertension, diabetes mellitus, morbid obesity, and clinical depression

    7. Re:Is that a typo? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Really? He made 100+ videos in the past year without letting that slow him down.

    8. Re:Is that a typo? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Amazing huh?
      For that you could rent the whole damn block here !

      Of course that is also more than I make here per month :(

    9. Re:Is that a typo? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I bet those ailments would get in the way of you having gay butt sex with creimer.

    10. Re:Is that a typo? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      When you're paid over 300k/yr, its easy to afford that rent.... but, still.

    11. Re:Is that a typo? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Still cheaper than 1BR's in Manhattan (their average number for NYC includes all the outer boroughs, when Manhattan alone has twice the population of SF on half the land area)

      Comparing all of NYC to SF is like comparing America to Switzerland

    12. Re:Is that a typo? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yup, and for the privilege of smelling human poop in the streets. Vive la San Fran.

    13. Re: Is that a typo? by floobedy · · Score: 1

      That's the median rent. Large parts of the city are much worse. Many of the techies live in a new neighborhood they call "the east cut". Rents there appear to be around $8000+ per month for a one bedroom in a non-luxury building. Some of the google employees are barely scraping by despite making $140k+.

    14. Re:Is that a typo? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hell, I'd love to CLEAR that amount in monthly pay! I'd be sh*tting in tall cotton with that much money.

      Maybe.... Maybe you could, you know, afford a bathroom with that?

    15. Re:Is that a typo? by jwhyche · · Score: 2

      It's not a typo, and that sounds about right.

      So, Fuck That. We live in a world now where most jobs that don't involved physically laying hands on hardware can be done any where in the world now. If I was inclined I could rent out a 1 bedroom shack in bumfuck Alabama, and as long as I had a good internet connection, manage thousands of servers any where in the world.

      No, I'm not inclined to move back to bumfuck Alabama.

      --
      I read at +2. If your post doesn't reach that level I will not see or respond to it.
    16. Re:Is that a typo? by sunking2 · · Score: 1

      Big scary number but I do wonder how they came up with it. Is it a simple average, in which case the few ultra expensive ones have too much price influence. Or ideally it's some sort of weighted average based on price and availability. Just not sure how that number plays into an actual budget you'd have to go in there with. I know my daughter when she moved to Boston got a nice place significantly less than what the 'average' in Boston is advertised as.

    17. Re: Is that a typo? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The funny part about that is that they still have to pay federal taxes like a rich person, even if they can barely scrape by.

    18. Re:Is that a typo? by VisceralLogic · · Score: 1

      According to TFS, it's the median rent for one bedroom apartments in SF.

      --
      Stop! Dremel time!
  3. You're wrong. They ARE being forced. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Insightful

    Numbers like these are a signal; they are the way the market signals the fact that society has a problem with housing, and that there is profit in solving this particular issue.

    The demand for housing needs to be decreased, or the supply of housing needs to be increased (or some new technological innovation or cultural shift needs to occur in order to effectively achieve at least one of those changes).

    Yet, San Francisco is full of left-wing folks who are ideologically incapable of taking such signals seriously; the government in San Francisco actively thwarts solutions—the market is being censored, and thus people are being forced to live in an increasingly dire situation.

    CAPTCHA: logician

    1. Re:You're wrong. They ARE being forced. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      How is anyone forced to live there?

      If you can afford that rent, you can afford a bus ticket out of there.

    2. Re:You're wrong. They ARE being forced. by DamnRogue · · Score: 3, Insightful

      and thus people are being forced to live in an increasingly dire situation

      No one is forcing tech employees to come to SF and compete with each other to push rents into the stratosphere. I'm not denying the role of SF government in the supply/demand disconnect, but rents would not be where they are if people simply refused to pay that much.

    3. Re:You're wrong. They ARE being forced. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      and thus people are being forced to live in an increasingly dire situation

      No one is forcing tech employees to come to SF and compete with each other to push rents into the stratosphere. I'm not denying the role of SF government in the supply/demand disconnect, but rents would not be where they are if people simply refused to pay that much.

      But they're not refusing.

      And the ones that decide to pay it made the decision on their own.

      As is their right.

    4. Re:You're wrong. They ARE being forced. by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      Price goes up, demand decreases. All working as it should.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    5. Re:You're wrong. They ARE being forced. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Likewise, it’s in the people of San Francisco’s right to keep San Francisco from turning into a concrete jungle. God knows no one is moving there for the weather. San Francisco is “cool” BECAUSE the old architecture has been preserved, BECAUSE there a large immigrant, artist and gay communities. Tech, like all temporarily concentrated and wealthy industries is destroying(or attempting to) the very thing they love, with money. Like many neighborhoods in New York, someday it’ll be a jungle of dated high rise luxury apartments and a few houses and museums in remembrance of the vibrant low income communities that made that area famous enough to attract the attention of the wealthy.

    6. Re:You're wrong. They ARE being forced. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      but rents would not be where they are if people simply refused to pay that much

      That's like saying the sky would be pink if it was pink.

      This is why you don't ask a bunch of basement dwelling nerds about economics.

    7. Re:You're wrong. They ARE being forced. by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      SF has been the realm of the idle rich for _many_decades_. It's not like the poors were able to spend $3k/month a few years ago.

      There are many reasons why people like SF. The Chinese are superstitious, SF has awesome Fungsi, that's not going to change. They're not there for the (turd burglary/artsy fartsy reasons) in the first place.

      What makes SF and Manhattan so strong for entertainment? People with money being served, same as London and Paris.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    8. Re:You're wrong. They ARE being forced. by shess · · Score: 5, Insightful

      How is anyone forced to live there?

      If you can afford that rent, you can afford a bus ticket out of there.

      And that's EXACTLY what's happening. Folks are leaving both the cities AND the state because it's too expensive to live there. They are heading to places where the cost of living is lower. Places like Texas, Florida and other places where an $800K house isn't a two bedroom shack.

      Wait, so people are moving away in droves, and prices continue to rise! That's crazy! It goes against pretty much everything written about supply and demand! Imagine how much apartments will cost when EVERYONE has moved away!

    9. Re:You're wrong. They ARE being forced. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You have no idea lol, what a moron you are.

    10. Re:You're wrong. They ARE being forced. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Austin is one of these places where tech companies have satellite offices and move their workers from the Bay area to Austin. And at one time, Austin had this kitschy, quirky weird vibe that endeared itself to you. It was this little dot of very liberal blue in this huge sea of red. You can still find it sometimes, but as more people move in and gentrify the older, ethnic neighborhoods, it is quickly losing all those things that made Austin what it is.

      A good case in point is the section of Red River near downtown. At one time, it was this venue of awesome little private shops intermixed with bars and clubs. People were attracted to the vibe and moved into the area to be close to the scene.

      As more people moved in, there was more speculative real estate interest, and landlords started raising rent to keep in line with speculation. These small venues and shops started closing and moving *somewhere*else* to avoid the higher rent. So now that once local vibe is now being served up by corporate chains that can either afford the rent or just buy up the speculated properties once the former tenants move out.

      And as property values go up, so do the taxes, so much so that even the people who did own property now can't afford to pay the taxes, so they sell out and move *somewhere*else*. And...people stop going to these places because they can get the same vibe just about anywhere else because, you know, corporations. Property values fall, venues and stores are sold or just left to rot.

      The same story plays out a dozen times or more, a dozen places or more. What was once hot quickly becomes what's not. All based on greed and speculation.

    11. Re:You're wrong. They ARE being forced. by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      Austin always sucked, you've just grown up and can't stand the fucking posers anymore.

      They were never cool, you just thought they were, now you see what they've always been ('they can get the same vibe just about anywhere').

      Abe Simpson said it best. Everybody 'gets over' being 'hip and withit', realizes it's phony bullshit and always was.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    12. Re:You're wrong. They ARE being forced. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, you always suck. Get a job, stop whining online like a dull Fox News faggot. You're pathetic.

    13. Re:You're wrong. They ARE being forced. by bobbied · · Score: 1

      I used to live in Austin, quaint place in the 90's... I didn't like it and moved out as soon as I could... Horrible traffic, weird people, really weird, and already too expensive. I see how some would like it, but it just wasn't for me.

      I see the current revitalization of the areas around the river and new convention center as an improvement myself. They really needed to knock down the weird factor a bit and that sure helped. I get that some of the stranger stuff has died out and it's more of a posh swanky kind of weird now, but I like it better this way, given I have money now and can afford the swanky thing if I want.

      --
      "File to fit, pound to insert, paint to match" - Aircraft Maintenance 101
    14. Re:You're wrong. They ARE being forced. by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      Once you have 'clients' you will never go back to 'job'.

      You might understand, once you get your first job.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    15. Re:You're wrong. They ARE being forced. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      regular people are moving away. The influx is from the ultra-rich and the ultra-poor. This is why you have $4000 apartments on a street filled with human poop.

    16. Re:You're wrong. They ARE being forced. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1


      Wait, so people are moving away in droves, and prices continue to rise! That's crazy!

      As Yogi Bera once said "Nobody goes there anymore, it's too crowded!".

    17. Re:You're wrong. They ARE being forced. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "So you became part of the new breed
      Been smokin' only the best weed
      Been hangin' out on the so-called hippest set
      Being seen at all the right places
      Being seen with just the right faces
      You should be satisfied
      Still it ain't quite right
      What is hip?
      Tell me, tell me if you think you know
      What is hip?
      If you was really hip
      The passing years would show


      -- Tower of Power, "What is Hip", 1973

    18. Re:You're wrong. They ARE being forced. by aaarrrgggh · · Score: 1

      The problem is that new high-rise apartments are expensive to build and have high operating costs. You aren’t going to be able to build a building for less than $700/Square Foot (SF), which will work out to $3.50/SF in rent, plus you have about $1.5/SF of operating expenses for a total of $5/SF at the lower end. You also have land costs, but they can factor out with enough stories.

      So, 6-700SF gets you to $3,690. If you want the cost cut in half you need to either reduce unit size, or dramatically reduce construction cost. The typical approach there is the wood-framed 6-story building, which can be built for around $300/SF, but your land cost in San Francisco basically washes out with the cost savings.

      Build more land...

    19. Re:You're wrong. They ARE being forced. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sure, there have been rich people there for a long time, but there’s also been affordable housing for lower income people. The issue now is that with the insurance of decently paid tech workers the affordable housing is no longer affordable to people who made the city great and keep it running. San Francisco will turn into a suburb at this rate and you’ll have to drive OUT of SF to get your groceries because low income workers won’t be able to afford to live close enough to make the commute worth their time. And I really hope you walk around SF talking about poors, turd burglars... don’t forget to have 911 on speed dial when you do.

    20. Re:You're wrong. They ARE being forced. by LostMyAccount · · Score: 1

      Property values fall, venues and stores are sold or just left to rot.

      And then the new generation of counter-culture types moves in to places the landlords will give away just to keep them from being squatted and destroyed and they setup their little hand-to-mouth businesses. And with a little luck and perhaps the right confluence of trends, a new quirky little alt-neighborhood will be born again and begin drawing in 20-somethings.

      But then they too will age a bit, some will move away, but some will stick around, rehabbing a house or two. Word will get around about the great coffee, interesting food, cool bar, fun bands, and folks will take some interest. Apartment rents will tick up. The houses will get flipped and rehabbed. The long-time industrial business nobody paid attention to will close or have a fire, necessitating it be torn down. A brand new building will be built, attracting a corporate tenant on the ground floor and with "condos" on the top 3 floors. The area will start to feel slightly less quirky and counter-culturery, still drawing in people who want to drink in the bars, but some of the "old timers" will move away.

      More new corporate-tenant buildings will be built, and the vibe starts to slip away, held on only by a handful of businesses, probably bars with stages. But then the music scene shifts, the bars close, and before you know it the vibe is gone. Nobody goes there anymore.

      Property values fall, venues and stores are sold or just left to rot....

      This cycle goes on over and over. There is no permanent trendy area. The boomers kind of made it last longer because of two historical accidents, the demographic bulge and white flight. The demographic bulge gave them numbers and the power of trend and agenda setting. White flight gave them inexpensive urban real estate that hadn't been turned into a ghetto shithole that they could turn into a bohemian wonderland. I'll even throw in punk/alternative music, too, which kind of gave these neighborhoods a cultural lingua franca -- the shit bar for drunks became cool when it began playing live music.

      Now most of the bohemian areas have been fully gentrified and the follow-on generations are lacking the numbers and the obvious urban real estate for them to turn into their own version of bohemian paradise. Music and alternative culture are badly fractured, which doesn't help, because nobody wants to go to the same clubs to hear the same music.

    21. Re:You're wrong. They ARE being forced. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Two words: yellow vests

    22. Re:You're wrong. They ARE being forced. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      No. California out-migration is second-lowest in the nation. Only Texas is lower, which is why that comparison works, but doens't mean anything.

      https://medium.com/ca-rising/the-great-migration-myth-bda59595dfa2

    23. Re:You're wrong. They ARE being forced. by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      The only poors in SF for the last 50 years have been homeless and 'Hunters Point'. Haight Ashbury was a LONG time ago, and it ended very badly. Hunters Point is gone and good riddance.

      Retail workers live at the end of BART, their commute isn't my problem. Market rates for unskilled work in SF will creep up, it's already crept up, just enough to cover rent in Benicia. All as it should work. Even Oakland is becoming a decent neighborhood.

      SF isn't even a 'nice place to visit'. The twits can have it, but fuck their complaints. Fuck their claim that 'the gays' made it a good place to live. That's just bullshit, only true for other gays.

      SF is just like any other 'high rent douchebaggery'. Manhattan west. Great for finding $300 pre distressed blue jeans, not much use for anything else. This has been true for decades.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    24. Re:You're wrong. They ARE being forced. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You can only build so high on sand. Millennium Tower shows us this.https://www.cbsnews.com/news/millennium-tower-san-francisco-leaning-tower-of-lawsuits-60-minutes/

    25. Re:You're wrong. They ARE being forced. by aaarrrgggh · · Score: 1

      Yes. That is why proper high-rise buildings have footings that go down to bedrock.

    26. Re:You're wrong. They ARE being forced. by Impy+the+Impiuos+Imp · · Score: 1

      Likewise, it’s in the people of San Francisco’s right to keep San Francisco from turning into a concrete jungle. God knows no one is moving there for the weather. San Francisco is “cool” BECAUSE the old architecture has been preserved, BECAUSE there a large immigrant, artist and gay communities. Tech, like all temporarily concentrated and wealthy industries is destroying(or attempting to) the very thing they love, with money. Like many neighborhoods in New York, someday it’ll be a jungle of dated high rise luxury apartments and a few houses and museums in remembrance of the vibrant low income communities that made that area famous enough to attract the attention of the wealthy.

      If SFers choose to do this (ignoring issues of market freedom to build more units) they they should stop whining at the price increases. "Only a few specials a year may enter" is a brutally silly policy.

      --
      (-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
    27. Re:You're wrong. They ARE being forced. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Austin is also having significant issues with water. Within 6 months they have had 2 major issues. The first was a citywide boil water notice for a week because of upstream flooding caused excessive turbidity in the river. The second was even dumber, some oyster in the intake pipes that caused the water to smell like sewage coming out of your faucet. People were not even bathing as you smelled like shit after the shower. I hear that someone at the water dept predicted the oysters would go in the tubes over a year ago, but nadda was done about it. Meanwhile, the city focuses on the important stuff like bringing in soccer with a sweetheart deal. Priorities at city council. The mayor of course always has time for a few pics with stars at festivals. Priorities.

    28. Re:You're wrong. They ARE being forced. by _Sharp'r_ · · Score: 1

      In Seattle, for example, you can apparently get by on $256/SF for a fancy new 40 story condo tower. That's not even in a low-regulatory environment.

      Rent costs are primarily supply/demand driven. In the bay area, locals (via their governments) have been severely limiting the supply for a long time, otherwise the higher rents would drive increasing construction until they stabilized at a point closer to the rest of the country (or even State).

      --
      The party of stupid and the party of evil get together and do something both stupid and evil, then call it bipartisan.
    29. Re:You're wrong. They ARE being forced. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You’ve done a fantastic job convincing me the only thing worse for Americans than Trump is entitled Chinese bigots thinking they deserve to own our cities. Maybe, I’ll cross sides in support of revoking green cards and limiting H1s...

    30. Re:You're wrong. They ARE being forced. by terrycarlino · · Score: 2

      I raise your left wing social science site and see you the California Legislative Analyst Office which claims a loss of 2.5 % of its population in the last 15 years, and growing.

      https://lao.ca.gov/laoecontax/article/detail/265

      As a matter of fact on line the only source I can find for your contention is the site you mention. Every other source agress California has a negative population growth, even with undocumented counted.

    31. Re:You're wrong. They ARE being forced. by aaarrrgggh · · Score: 1

      Fair enough; I would add 25% to the $/SF cost for excluding the parking area, and another 30% for the construction cost delta with San Francisco, but it is still lower than what I would have expected even giving something for escalation.

  4. why isn't pay keeping up? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Real estate prices zooming.
    The stock market zooming.
    Companies are making more money than ever.

    I asked for $300k after my last interview and they looked at me funny.

    Time to pay up, people.

    1. Re:why isn't pay keeping up? by bobbied · · Score: 1

      Time to pay up, people.

      If you are being unfairly compensated, Maybe it's time to switch places of employment.

      We ARE in a seller's market for labor these days. I suggest you take advantage of the market.

      --
      "File to fit, pound to insert, paint to match" - Aircraft Maintenance 101
  5. That's a contradiction by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Insightful

    NIMBY means there's not a free market; governments are preventing the market from operating.

    As the rent goes up, it becomes a lucrative business deal to buy up properties, demolish what's there, and build housing. That's what a free market would lead to, but that's not allowed to happen.

    Quit blaming capitalism for the problems. The problems are authoritarianism; the problems are government; the problem is the LACK of capitalism.

    1. Re:That's a contradiction by lgw · · Score: 4, Insightful

      NIMBY means there's not a free market; governments are preventing the market from operating.

      As the rent goes up, it becomes a lucrative business deal to buy up properties, demolish what's there, and build housing. That's what a free market would lead to, but that's not allowed to happen.

      Calling it "the government" just hides the blame. Existing property owners are blocking new construction. And no wonder: the value of their property skyrockets thereby.

      --
      Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
    2. Re:That's a contradiction by lgw · · Score: 2

      There is nowhere in the city left to build, you have to knock something down to put something else up there.

      Every dense city in the world is this way. In most places, this happens routinely. When I was in Seattle, I could consistently see 14 high-rise construction cranes out the break room window. As one building would finish, another would start. There were always 30 or so mid- and high-rises going up, replacing shorter buildings. When I visited London, it was that on steroids: construction cranes as far as the eye could see.

      So obviously there's NIMBY type stuff in every city

      Yes, but it's extreme in SF. Seattle's mayor was proud that "we're not going to be SF": the city would work to enable new projects, not work to block them. Both very liberal west-coast US cities with similar values, but one wants growth and the other doesn't.

      --
      Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
    3. Re:That's a contradiction by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This is absolutely correct. The city government is bought and paid for by existing landowners and tech workers who can kinda afford the rents, whereas lower income brackets who would benefit from and vote for candidates supporting easing building restrictions (primarily draconian historic preservation and height restriction ordinances) have long since been priced out of the market and are living way out in the East Bay.

      In the meantime, the superficially "liberal" electorate in the city put London Breed in the Mayor's office pretty much solely based on her gender and skin color despite being in the pocket of the luxury real estate crowd and having the worst record on progressive issues favoring low income residents across the board.

      The "fuck you, I got mine" ethos is just as strong in SF as it is in much more conservative areas, it's just the people screwing the lower income brackets are gayer and hipper.

    4. Re:That's a contradiction by MightyMartian · · Score: 4, Interesting

      There's a desperate need in some circles to make California sound like a third world country. I think it's a bit of the good-old fashioned penis envy. California is one of the largest economies on the planet, and folks living in a lot of Red States just have never been able to deal with the fact that a state can by and large be democrat and liberal, and actually have an economy of such significance that it outguns most of the Red States combined.

      --
      The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
    5. Re:That's a contradiction by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You have nothing to point to. You don't know anything real about it. SF hasn't "blocked" a residential project in a good little while, in fact they've made it easier by removing certain things like parking requirements.

      Your generalizations from 20-25 years ago don't really apply. If you could even point to a single example you'd have 100% stronger points to make, but you don't.

      SF is 7miles on a side and almost completely developed, there are exactly zero laws blocking new residential construction within reasonable height/zoning.

      Stop generalizing, find a clue, and educate yourself with it. Step out of your Fox echo chamber and pull your head out.

    6. Re:That's a contradiction by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      Here's the official map of SF zoning (PDF) (linked from here). You see the deepest of dark red on that map? That's labeled as a 500 ft height limit, which is a bit short for a new tower, but not completely unreasonable. See the entire rest of the island except for those handful of plots? Those are places where the zoning commission has decided that building to a reasonable height is forbidden.

    7. Re:That's a contradiction by JackieBrown · · Score: 4, Insightful

      And they can keep their significant economy.

      What good is making more money than red states when 1 bedroom apartments costs $3,690? That is more than 3 times the cost of apartments in San Antonio. And no, your minimum wage is not 3 times higher than minimum wages in San Antonio.

    8. Re:That's a contradiction by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Insightful

      It is simple - move a bit out of the city. Heck, I don't pay rent. We have a 3,800 sq. ft. house. And we pay $3,400 a month with both property taxes and homeowner's insurance built into that price. Commute is 26 miles. If you want to be able to walk to work? Pay the $3,690.

    9. Re:That's a contradiction by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The problem is that here in the US money == free speech, thanks to the SCOTUS decision with Citizens United. So, you can donate and get the candidates you want with big money.

      Capitalism has given us an authoritarian plutocracy, which is the cause of many, many ills and injustices in the US. You cannot get around this.

      Were SF actually governing for the people's interests, they would actually allow high-rise residential towers to be built, and do something about the landowners who refuse to rent for anything but the market value, leaving vast swaths of vacant structures.

    10. Re: That's a contradiction by floobedy · · Score: 1

      You need to stop arguing like a child throwing a tantrum. It's just not appropriate.

    11. Re:That's a contradiction by Oswald+McWeany · · Score: 4, Insightful

      And they can keep their significant economy.

      What good is making more money than red states when 1 bedroom apartments costs $3,690? That is more than 3 times the cost of apartments in San Antonio. And no, your minimum wage is not 3 times higher than minimum wages in San Antonio.

      Minimum wage is not enough to pay for a home in the most desirable part of any City. Typically only the most well off live in the most expensive areas. Plenty of Californians CAN afford their mortgage and rent with money left to spare, because the wages are higher (and/or they live out of the most expensive areas).

      --
      "That's the way to do it" - Punch
    12. Re:That's a contradiction by execthis · · Score: 0

      Is that why California ranks almost dead-bottom for education and bottom for poverty level?

    13. Re: That's a contradiction by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You have nothing to point to. You don't know anything real about it. SF hasn't "blocked" a residential project in a good little while, in fact they've made it easier by removing certain things like parking requirements.

      Your generalizations from 20-25 years ago don't really apply. If you could even point to a single example you'd have 100% stronger points to make, but you don't.

      SF is 7miles on a side and almost completely developed, there are exactly zero laws blocking new residential construction within reasonable height/zoning.

      Stop generalizing, find a clue, and educate yourself with it. Step out of your Fox echo chamber and pull your head out.

      There's nothing in the above that isn't appropriate except that which I'm responding to, which is pure unadulterated Fox News bullshit.

      Pull.

      Your.

      Head.

      Out.

      If you don't have anything to point to, fuck off and die having lost the argument. The system works.

    14. Re: That's a contradiction by lgw · · Score: 2

      If you don't have anything to point to, fuck off and die having lost the argument. The system works.

      For values of "works" exceeding $3500/month for one bedroom.

      --
      Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
    15. Re:That's a contradiction by lgw · · Score: 3, Informative

      Is that why California ranks almost dead-bottom for education and bottom for poverty level?

      As much as I hate Cali: educational results can usually be explained by demographics, and Cali is no exception. This is especially true of states with a sizable ESL population: you're never going to get the same statistical educational outcomes from native English speakers and those who enter the educational system not speaking English.

      --
      Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
    16. Re:That's a contradiction by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There's a desperate need in some circles to make California sound like a third world country.

      Humans poop in the streets. That is not a healthy state of affairs.

    17. Re:That's a contradiction by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Island?

      Somebody's getting ahead of themselves on the whole climate-change-sea-level-rise thing. There's San Francisco for you, I guess.

    18. Re:That's a contradiction by liquid_schwartz · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Is that why California ranks almost dead-bottom for education and bottom for poverty level?

      As much as I hate Cali: educational results can usually be explained by demographics, and Cali is no exception. This is especially true of states with a sizable ESL population: you're never going to get the same statistical educational outcomes from native English speakers and those who enter the educational system not speaking English.

      Clearly the solution to this is to expand that ESL population via open borders.

    19. Re:That's a contradiction by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So I guess you are not really worried about your carbon footprint as long as you can live somewhere cheap and still make high wages.

    20. Re: That's a contradiction by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Follow the money in sf and I am certain the politicians are benefiting from the lucrative rise in real estate. No sane person blocks growth as heavily as that city. Who wants their city to be Detroit?

    21. Re:That's a contradiction by JackieBrown · · Score: 1

      I pay $980 for my house which includes property taxes and home owner's insurance without the 36 mile commute.

    22. Re:That's a contradiction by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And they can keep their significant economy.

      What good is making more money than red states when 1 bedroom apartments costs $3,690? That is more than 3 times the cost of apartments in San Antonio. And no, your minimum wage is not 3 times higher than minimum wages in San Antonio.

      There isn't a glut of highly paid IT people working in San Antonio. Supply and demand. Similar problems exist in oil boom towns, but conservatives don't complain about $10.00 burgers in BFE, Texas. Sucks if you're not a part of it and stuck living there, but it's generally a "good" problem.

    23. Re: That's a contradiction by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Live in Fremont and ride the BART for 2 hours if you can't afford SF.

    24. Re: That's a contradiction by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      But I enjoy living in SF more than 3x versus San Antonio. Far more interesting drug addicts and a higher volume of human waste in the streets where I live.

    25. Re:That's a contradiction by lgw · · Score: 2

      Well, clearly that's California's solution. And heck, they might be better off for it in 50 years. But I won't be living there in the meantime.

      --
      Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
    26. Re: That's a contradiction by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Everybody poops. It's natural.

      You could go to Santa Cruz where instead of pooping in the street people poop in the river because all the city provided toilets have been destroyed by arson.

    27. Re: That's a contradiction by reanjr · · Score: 2

      Humans poop in the streets in NYC, SLC, Miami, Detroit, and every city. What's your point?

    28. Re:That's a contradiction by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Minimum wage is not enough to pay for a home in the most desirable part of any City

      You've obviously never been to Detroit.

    29. Re: That's a contradiction by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And your pay is commensurately less... A lot less. Can you max out your 401k with your meager leftovers?

      Yeah

    30. Re:That's a contradiction by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This will be much cooler once personal drones come around and you can fly over the poop and stuff from high rise to high rise, ala Blade Runner.

    31. Re: That's a contradiction by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Where are you in San Antonio? Iâ(TM)m currently snacking the Schlotzskyâ(TM)s on Bandera rd.

    32. Re: That's a contradiction by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Um so how is reporting on such high living costs "making California out to be third world"... I'm confused? California is a red state BTW...just with three little blue dots that make decisions for the rest of the state.

    33. Re:That's a contradiction by _Sharp'r_ · · Score: 1

      It takes 4-5 years just to get through the building approval process after you own the land. That's if you actually meet all the restrictive criteria and the neighbors aren't trying too hard to prevent you from building. If you're trying to finance your construction, because of all the delays and the uncertainty involved in each step, that takes an average of four years to get done. Don't even talk about financing purchasing raw land, as you'll be paying interest for years before any hope of a return.

      In most other places, it takes maybe 30-60 days to accomplish all of the above, even in other locations many consider slower than they need to be.

      So while there is an increased understanding in the bay area what the results of their terrible policies are and some efforts to remediate them, they are a long ways away from not effectively blocking (by discouraging them from even trying, for the most part) an actual expansion of places to live.

      --
      The party of stupid and the party of evil get together and do something both stupid and evil, then call it bipartisan.
    34. Re: That's a contradiction by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      San Francisco sodomites are lol

    35. Re: That's a contradiction by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There is also a lovely documentary on YouTube where a laundry coin op has been trying to build on his property. The last roadblock was it may increase shadows in a neighboring school yard for some preschoolers. They had to provide a light study and it will be something else next time. City counsel is leading the protests. People who already own housing are getting their money already and they do not want competition.

      That is one story of someone who had the money to fight to build. It is certainly not the only one and it is absolutely baffling. Unless, you wonder who wants to benefit.

      They have land, but they do not want to build. Companies should get wise and get out.

    36. Re:That's a contradiction by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ... native English speakers and those who enter the educational system not speaking English.

      Those two are not mutually exclusive.

    37. Re:That's a contradiction by DamnOregonian · · Score: 2

      Well, to be fair, San Francisco's median income is also double that of San Antonio's, and with the left over, they can still buy a few places in San Antonio on top of their place in San Francisco.

    38. Re:That's a contradiction by sydbarrett74 · · Score: 1

      How long is your commute?

      --
      'He who has to break a thing to find out what it is, has left the path of wisdom.' -- Gandalf to Saruman
    39. Re: That's a contradiction by DamnOregonian · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I know $3500 a month sounds like a horrifying amount to you, but keep in mind the median there takes home over $7000 a month, after taxes.

      I fit pretty squarely into the slightly-above-median bracket for SF incomes, living in Seattle paying not much less than their peak in rent.
      I'm still shoveling a G or more a month to my family in the midwest, living their high life with their low cost of living, and while people may poop somewhere in the streets around here, the air isn't inundated with the smell of chicken shit, I'm not playing the will-I-get-killed-by-a-tornado-this-year lottery, and oh right- my house doesn't look like what would be a condemned building here. So there's that.

      It's different, but I've been on both sides of the comparison. I'll keep the west coast, thanks. I may pay a shit-ton of money to live, but what I have left over is still more than the median take-home income of anyone in the south, and I live better for that.

    40. Re:That's a contradiction by stealth_finger · · Score: 1

      So I guess you are not really worried about your carbon footprint as long as you can live somewhere cheap and still make high wages.

      What about the carbon footprint of your landlord as they jet around on your fucking stupidly high rent?

      --
      Wanna buy a shirt?
      https://www.redbubble.com/people/stealthfinger/shop?asc=u
    41. Re: That's a contradiction by lgw · · Score: 1

      In sane places, you keep rent down to 1/4 of your income. But then, in sane places people don't shit in the streets.

      --
      Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
    42. Re: That's a contradiction by DamnOregonian · · Score: 1

      The part you keep missing is my left over is more than their 1/4th.
      And I've lived in a lot of cities, including Killeen, TX. People shit in the streets in every city. It does happen more in bigger ones though.
      You come across as someone who hasn't been places.

    43. Re: That's a contradiction by DamnOregonian · · Score: 1

      Sorry- their 3/4th

    44. Re: That's a contradiction by lgw · · Score: 1

      When I worked in Silly Valley I kept my rent down to 1/4th my income. The commute was a bitch, but I saved a lot. Then I realized I didn't need to live in such a stupid place, and moved on while not making meaningfully less.

      --
      Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
    45. Re: That's a contradiction by DamnOregonian · · Score: 1

      It can happen- there are good salaries to be had in most places... But you have to recognize that the median isn't a lie... High salaries are much easier to be had in Silicon Valley, even if the cost is higher. 6 figure job markets are limited in the cheaper parts of the country.
      Also, I'm sure that's not the only appeal to San Francisco. I've been there. It's pretty cool. I like Seattle better, but may I just like dense cities, and you don't....
      Either way, the population density of San Francisco makes it hard to deny that people *want to be there*

    46. Re:That's a contradiction by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There's a desperate need in some circles to make California sound like a third world country. I think it's a bit of the good-old fashioned penis envy. California is one of the largest economies on the planet, and folks living in a lot of Red States just have never been able to deal with the fact that a state can by and large be democrat and liberal, and actually have an economy of such significance that it outguns most of the Red States combined.

      It's cute that you try and tout the benefits of California without any of the detriments, as if they don't also hold debt that outshines "most of the Red States combined."

      And sanctuary laws are working hard to bring that third world country look and feel here, so enjoy that.

  6. It's Piqued by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Can we get some english editors in here.

    1. Re:It's Piqued by grasshoppa · · Score: 1

      Can we get some english editors in here.

      You must be new here.

      --
      Mod me down with all of your hatred and your journey towards the dark side will be complete!
    2. Re:It's Piqued by bobbied · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Can we get some english editors in here.

      Well, if you want to volunteer, have at it...

      I would suggest that you avoid making English and grammar mistakes of your own.... Like capitalization of proper nouns like "English" and proper punctuation when completing an interrogative sentence ("?").

      And I'm just a lowly EE who cannot spell very well and didn't like English classes at all..

      --
      "File to fit, pound to insert, paint to match" - Aircraft Maintenance 101
    3. Re:It's Piqued by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If at the Hospital and the Doctors kill me, am I so wrongly requesting to require the Doctors not to kill me? I reset you're case and await the taste of victory in you're smelly defeet.

    4. Re:It's Piqued by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      U must b knew hear.

    5. Re:It's Piqued by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "It's Piqued"

      What is?

      Maybe that word does not mean what you think it means:

      Dictionary result for pique: /pk/
      verb
      past tense: piqued; past participle: piqued
      1.
      stimulate (interest or curiosity).
      "you have piqued my curiosity about the man"
      synonyms: stimulate, arouse, rouse, provoke, whet, awaken, excite, kindle, stir, spur, intrigue, galvanize
      "his scientific curiosity was piqued"
      2.
      feel irritated or resentful.
      "she was piqued by his curtness"
      synonyms: irritate, annoy, bother, vex, provoke, displease, upset, offend, affront, anger, exasperate, infuriate, gall, irk, get someone's back up, disgruntle, nettle, needle, ruffle, get on someone's nerves, ruffle someone's feathers, make someone's hackles rise, rub up the wrong way; More

    6. Re:It's Piqued by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well played, madam, well played. I see what you are doing. I like it. I like it a lot. May I have this dance?

    7. Re:It's Piqued by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I say ol' chap - that's a jolly good idea. Top draw suggestion my good man!

  7. Re:Thanks to... by Q-Hack! · · Score: 2, Insightful

    This is not a case of free market failure. This is a case of local government putting restrictions on building affordable housing. You got the NIMBY part correct, though.

    --
    Some days I get the sinking feeling Orwell was an optimist.
  8. This isn't hard to solve. by geekmux · · Score: 5, Insightful

    If your tech company cannot support remote work in the year 2019, then you're working for the wrong damn tech company.

    There's only one way you're going to get prices to revert to semi-reasonable levels in the Bay area; stop feeding that fucking stupidity.

    1. Re:This isn't hard to solve. by Gilgaron · · Score: 2

      Yeah if six figs is low income, then pay me a 'fair wage' to work remotely from the Midwest and I can live like a king...

    2. Re:This isn't hard to solve. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Some tech companies don't like you checking your email about 10:00 AM. Let's see wake up in pajamas. Watch some youtube videos, maybe twitter a bit. Maybe some early morning pr0n. Go to lunch. Check some more email about 1:00 PM. Watch some more pr0n. Maybe send some twitters out. Check some more emails. Stop doing anything related to work around 3:00 PM. This is what most work at home tech workers do. Productivity goes to hell yet these types of people manage to stay on the payrolls for months before they are weeded out. Then the cycle continues,

    3. Re:This isn't hard to solve. by geekmux · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Some tech companies don't like you checking your email about 10:00 AM. Let's see wake up in pajamas. Watch some youtube videos, maybe twitter a bit. Maybe some early morning pr0n. Go to lunch. Check some more email about 1:00 PM. Watch some more pr0n. Maybe send some twitters out. Check some more emails. Stop doing anything related to work around 3:00 PM. This is what most work at home tech workers do. Productivity goes to hell yet these types of people manage to stay on the payrolls for months before they are weeded out. Then the cycle continues,

      Trying to preach the problems of managing remote workers is like trying to preach the problems of raising a 2-year old. Nothing is a surprise anymore, and if you haven't figured out yet how to properly manage an employee and hold them accountable, then it doesn't really matter how far away they are; you've already proven to be an incompetent manager.

    4. Re:This isn't hard to solve. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      These are the managers.

    5. Re:This isn't hard to solve. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      These are the managers.

      No. Those aren't managers either. They're just more children being "managed" by incompetence.

    6. Re:This isn't hard to solve. by MooseTick · · Score: 1

      Managing isn't easy. Few if any are ever trained on how to do it properly. Most managers get a starter job, show they are good at that job, and get promoted to managing others without any expertise on how to do it. At best, they are sent to a 1-2 day manager boot camp. This is especially true for tech managers.

      Think about high school and college. How much of your education was spent on learning to be an effective manager? Especially for managing others. I never had a formal class address that for a single second.

    7. Re:This isn't hard to solve. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Managing isn't easy. Few if any are ever trained on how to do it properly. Most managers get a starter job, show they are good at that job, and get promoted to managing others without any expertise on how to do it. At best, they are sent to a 1-2 day manager boot camp. This is especially true for tech managers.

      Think about high school and college. How much of your education was spent on learning to be an effective manager? Especially for managing others. I never had a formal class address that for a single second.

      If you've never had a formal class on how to be an effective manager and yet are in such a position, then I'm not sure who to blame more; you or your employer.

      You're right. Managing people isn't easy. That's why you teach people how to do it right. Only idiots would assume that's a responsibility that requires zero training.

    8. Re:This isn't hard to solve. by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      The _worst_ managers have degrees in management. I blame the frontal lobotomy givin business majors, the follow up electroshock for MBAs.

      The problem isn't the things they don't know, it's the wrong things they think they know. Management training is largely a bad joke. Incompetents training the ignorant.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    9. Re:This isn't hard to solve. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If your tech company cannot support remote work in the year 2019, then you're working for the wrong damn tech company.

      There's only one way you're going to get prices to revert to semi-reasonable levels in the Bay area; stop feeding that fucking stupidity.

      I don't know about that. I think one huge earthquake would bring prices down rapidly.

      Then again, they keep burning down entire towns and nothing seems to change.

    10. Re:This isn't hard to solve. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      For many young people city living is far more desirable than remote work. Cities offer a wide variety of social, entertainment, cultural and educational opportunities. My own view is that any sufficiently talented young person is foolish for not trying to make it in a big city.

    11. Re:This isn't hard to solve. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

      "This is what most work at home tech workers do."

      Citation needed. And while you are researching that, compare it with the do-nothings who show up to an office.

      Every employee needs to meet certain productivity levels, local or remote, if you're managing properly.
      I've been working remotely for a decade and am one of the most productive people on the team. The company doesn't have to pay for office space for me which saves a lot of money over time.

      There are a number of books on the subject if you'd like to learn more, rather than perpetuate some sort of stereotype.

    12. Re:This isn't hard to solve. by geekmux · · Score: 1

      For many young people city living is far more desirable than remote work. Cities offer a wide variety of social, entertainment, cultural and educational opportunities. My own view is that any sufficiently talented young person is foolish for not trying to make it in a big city.

      You're right. Cities do offer a wide variety of social, entertainment, cultural and educational opportunities.

      That's also why we built them fucking everywhere. Remote work doesn't mean that remote.

    13. Re:This isn't hard to solve. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Some tech companies don't like you checking your email about 10:00 AM. Let's see wake up in pajamas. Watch some youtube videos, maybe twitter a bit. Maybe some early morning pr0n. Go to lunch. Check some more email about 1:00 PM. Watch some more pr0n. Maybe send some twitters out. Check some more emails. Stop doing anything related to work around 3:00 PM. This is what most work at home tech workers do. Productivity goes to hell yet these types of people manage to stay on the payrolls for months before they are weeded out. Then the cycle continues,

      Obviously you've never worked remotely. Or maybe you did, and that is how you "worked", and you still don't know why you got fired.

      I worked remotely for a while - best job I ever had. Great teamwork, and everyone busted their ass to get the work done. We were the best of four help desks, and the one with the most remote workers. The other three help desk sent their unfixables to us, and we fixed all of it. BUT - when it came time to cut costs, which help desk got shut down? Ours, of course! Because we were about 80% remote workers and the new manager didn't know how to manage remote workers. Typical corporate idiocy, but I digress ...

    14. Re:This isn't hard to solve. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      For many young people city living is far more desirable than remote work. Cities offer a wide variety of social, entertainment, cultural and educational opportunities. My own view is that any sufficiently talented young person is foolish for not trying to make it in a big city.

      Hmmm. I'm guessing you're a city slicker.

      BUT - riddle me this, Batman - why can't someone live in the city AND work remotely?

      Sure, you could drive 5 minutes in to the office, but why?

      Thing is, if you live in the city, you could drive in, OR remote in.

    15. Re:This isn't hard to solve. by Tablizer · · Score: 1

      it doesn't really matter how far away they are; you've already proven to be an incompetent manager.

      Most managers are only semi-competent. Managers competent in every necessary aspect of management are rare. Are you good at everything yourself? Many only know how to manage on-premise, and a change introduces a learning curve.

    16. Re:This isn't hard to solve. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Two words: rent controls.

      The vast majority of rentals in the Bay area are still covered by rent control. Surprising absolutely nobody, this puts ridiculous amounts of pressure on the small fraction that aren't.

      Lift rent controls entirely, and watch as the biggest building boom in US history hits the area.

    17. Re:This isn't hard to solve. by jwhyche · · Score: 5, Insightful

      If your tech company cannot support remote work in the year 2019, then you're working for the wrong damn tech company.

      Isn't this the damn truth. I drive 30 minutes to work every day, to sit in a office, and manage 6,500 virtual machines all around the world. I don't have to touch hardware any where because we rent space in data centers where they have their own tech-monkies do the hands on. I can do my job from my home just as well as the office. Hell, I can do it from the Starbucks down the road, or even the Starbucks mens room if I needed too.

      The only reason that most of us have to drive in is because we have to many PHB that don't understand the how the technical infrastructure works.

      --
      I read at +2. If your post doesn't reach that level I will not see or respond to it.
    18. Re:This isn't hard to solve. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If you have work that is appropriate for remote workers though, why would you farm it out to rural America when you can farm it out to India? That is the real suck. (There are IT people that are quite knowledgeable and good at their jobs in rural America. Some people just don't want to live in a dense nightmare city.)

    19. Re:This isn't hard to solve. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      You're full of shit. We have numerous remote employees on my team (including myself) and each one is generally available within a few minutes all day long. Hell, half of them are available at night because remote employees tend to not to disconnect as much as in office ones.

      In fact the remote employees have actually continuously outperformed the in office employees to the point that many employees near an office have stopped going in. Maybe you have issues not being distracted but for a very large number of adults we know our priorities and are capable of acting professional while working in pajamas.

    20. Re:This isn't hard to solve. by ayesnymous · · Score: 1

      They all support it, they just don't like it, whether it's because they think remote workers will just goof off at home, or because they believe face time is important.

    21. Re:This isn't hard to solve. by geekmux · · Score: 1

      They all support it, they just don't like it, whether it's because they think remote workers will just goof off at home, or because they believe face time is important.

      Face time? That's a laugh. I hardly ever actually see my co-workers. We're all rather busy with our heads down at our desks. And you probably text or chat with those you want to communicate with throughout the day, even though they're only 37 feet away.

    22. Re:This isn't hard to solve. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah if six figs is low income, then pay me a 'fair wage' to work remotely from the Midwest and I can live like a king...

      Where this rent is 3x what I pay for my entire damn house.

    23. Re:This isn't hard to solve. by painandgreed · · Score: 1

      The only reason that most of us have to drive in is because we have to many PHB that don't understand the how the technical infrastructure works.

      I wish that was true. I'm the employee facing bit of IT and it seems more and more the only way I can get things done for people after filling out work tickets, waiting three times the stated SLA, escalating, direct emails, having my manager talk to their manager, etc. is to actually walk over to a person's desk and ask if they can do it. Then it gets done.

    24. Re:This isn't hard to solve. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If your tech company cannot support remote work in the year 2019, then you're working for the wrong damn tech company.

      Isn't this the damn truth. I drive 30 minutes to work every day, to sit in a office, and manage 6,500 virtual machines all around the world. I don't have to touch hardware any where because we rent space in data centers where they have their own tech-monkies do the hands on. I can do my job from my home just as well as the office. Hell, I can do it from the Starbucks down the road, or even the Starbucks mens room if I needed too.

      The only reason that most of us have to drive in is because we have to many PHB that don't understand the how the technical infrastructure works.

      If you don't like it find another job.

  9. Bubble burst in 3 ... 2 ... 1.5 ... 1.25 ... by Tablizer · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I suspect a bubble or two will pop and rents will be almost normal again. For example, the revenue received by AI companies does not justify the investment money pouring into them compared to other industry returns. Either they will start spewing forth great products soon, or investors will get a clue and pop the bubble. We are overdue for a general market and economy correction anyhow, AI aside.

    1. Re:Bubble burst in 3 ... 2 ... 1.5 ... 1.25 ... by HornWumpus · · Score: 0

      Pets.com's business model is back. The fools are trying to sell bags of dry dog food over the net, just like 2000.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    2. Re:Bubble burst in 3 ... 2 ... 1.5 ... 1.25 ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You know nothing about business. Chewy has been growing for years now. You're a moron.

    3. Re:Bubble burst in 3 ... 2 ... 1.5 ... 1.25 ... by lgw · · Score: 1

      You know nothing about business. Chewy has been growing for years now. You're a moron.

      I've been growing for years now, middle age and all, but Chewbacca is the same size as always.

      --
      Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
    4. Re:Bubble burst in 3 ... 2 ... 1.5 ... 1.25 ... by Tablizer · · Score: 1

      What would be the return for somebody who purchased pets.com stock during its heyday? Sure, chewy.com is growing, but pets.com shrunk to junk status before being purchased by Chewy, if I'm not mistaken.

    5. Re:Bubble burst in 3 ... 2 ... 1.5 ... 1.25 ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You know nothing about business. Chewy has been growing for years now. You're a moron.

      Chewy is owned by Petsmart, also known as that old fashioned brick and mortar chain that enabled that business to grow. Educate yourself on your own fucking examples. You might be able to make a point next time, moron.

    6. Re:Bubble burst in 3 ... 2 ... 1.5 ... 1.25 ... by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      So did Pets.com, you fucking genius.

      You must like their 'burn to book ratio'. I suggest you invest your life savings, in a single share.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    7. Re:Bubble burst in 3 ... 2 ... 1.5 ... 1.25 ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You know nothing about investing or business whatsoever.

    8. Re:Bubble burst in 3 ... 2 ... 1.5 ... 1.25 ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Here is the problem for arguments like this. They suppose an ability to predict the distant future - a arrogance I find unwarranted. For those who have confidence in their prediction try the stock market. You might even be able to short sell a company with a large portfolio of San Francisco real estate. Go for it.

    9. Re:Bubble burst in 3 ... 2 ... 1.5 ... 1.25 ... by Tablizer · · Score: 1

      They suppose an ability to predict the distant future - a arrogance I find unwarranted.

      It's a decade-cycle pattern that has existed for about 110 years, and if we accept more irregularity in it, 300-ish. Wars do muck it up, but it's otherwise a pretty strong pattern.

      Now, perhaps something changed such that the pattern "went away", but if it happened for 110 years, then the chance of it happening for yet another decade is strong.

      You might even be able to short sell a company with a large portfolio of San Francisco real estate. Go for it.

      Rather I buy up stocks just after the cycle fall, like Warren Buffett does. He's the richest man* in the world: tell HIM he's wrong. (Unfortunately I didn't have the cash prior decades to do that much.)

      * Or, he would be if he hadn't been giving much of it to charity, knowing his time on Earth is likely short. Also, he started purchasing entire companies, not just shares in them, but same concept: buy low, sell high (or keep).

  10. Re: Thanks to... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Get a haircut and get a real job, AC.

  11. It's beyond ridiculous anywhere in California by Rick+Schumann · · Score: 4, Insightful

    If you live in California and pay rent you know what I mean. If I seriously have to consider downgrading my standard of living and look for a sublet somewhere and live out of a single room in someone else's house, then things have gone horribly wrong around here.

    1. Re:It's beyond ridiculous anywhere in California by jellomizer · · Score: 1

      An honest question. Why don't you consider moving out of the Cites to more Suburban or Rural areas. Are those areas cheaper, and you will just need to increase your commute. I live in Upstate New York, and the cost to Live in the nearby cities, is very high, so I live 30 miles out where I have a good sized home and property. It does take me an hour to get to work, but the higher quality of life, seems to counter act having two hours each day on the road.

      --
      If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
    2. Re:It's beyond ridiculous anywhere in California by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      . It does take me an hour to get to work, but the higher quality of life, seems to counter act having two hours each day on the road.

      How many minutes per day you actually get to enjoy that higher quality of life before going to sleep to wake up early for the commute?

    3. Re:It's beyond ridiculous anywhere in California by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I know here in San Diego it doesn't really work that way. Rent all the way out in Alpine CA is similar to what it is in the city and you'd have a horrible commute. Plus an Uber home after a night out with cost $60 instead of $6.

    4. Re:It's beyond ridiculous anywhere in California by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      San Francisco is a fun place to live, the Silicon Valley is a bunch of boring suburbs. So if you make crazy money, why not? It's like living in the nice part of town, you can't really complain that the nice part of town costs too much.

      That said, any place within an hour of San Francisco is either going to be ghetto or very expensive or both.

    5. Re:It's beyond ridiculous anywhere in California by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ever hear of this thing called "the weekend"? He gets to enjoy every single weekend, as well as a few hours every day of the week.
      And he gets to look out his window while having breakfast and dinner.
      And sometimes the drive itself can be at least partly enjoyable.

    6. Re:It's beyond ridiculous anywhere in California by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Because once you GET to the bay area, your commute is an hour from there. Lets say you live in Tracy. It will take you at least an hour to get to Hayward if there is no accident. Then from Hayward to SF, it's another hour. that means that you will spend 4 hours commuting.There are no rural suburbs in the bay area because every city bleeds into the next city. If you came here and tried to drive around, you would understand how huge the sprawl is..

    7. Re:It's beyond ridiculous anywhere in California by pauljlucas · · Score: 1

      Suburban areas of the Bay Area are virtually as expensive. Commuting from rural areas would take longer than an hour. Many people who both live and work in the Bay Area commute an hour already.

      --
      If you reply, do so only to what I explicitly wrote. If I didn't write it, don't assume or infer it.
    8. Re:It's beyond ridiculous anywhere in California by Rick+Schumann · · Score: 1

      "You live how far away from the worksite? Oh sorry we can't hire you"
      Besides which it's EVERYWHERE IN CALIFORNIA not just the cities, mister.

    9. Re:It's beyond ridiculous anywhere in California by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Rent and home values are indeed insane all over California--except for the parts of the state that aren't the Bay Area or LA. $3900/mo rent in Sacramento is gonna get you a 4000 sq ft house on a riverfront lot, with your own boat dock. You can get a shitty post-war 1bd out here for $900 or less. Or a single family house for slightly over the nationwide market average. Go to Fresno or Bakersfield and you're paying less. There's more to CA than silicon and silicone

  12. Oh My God! by bev_tech_rob · · Score: 4, Informative

    I love this little nugget from the article:

    >>Add in the fact that there isn't enough housing to go around, and prices have naturally skyrocketed. The federal Department of Housing and Urban Development said last year that a family of four earning up to $117,400 qualified as "low income" in the city.

    You got to be kidding me!! That town needs to slide into the ocean. That is nuts! SMH

    --
    You're messin' with my Zen Thing, man.....
    1. Re:Oh My God! by Solandri · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Cities really should be required to approve construction of a certain number of new housing units each year, before their residents are allowed to qualify for HUD low income housing assistance. Otherwise you're just making the problem worse - decreasing supply by awarding housing to someone who otherwise wouldn't have been able to afford a home in the city. Thereby squeezing everyone else into bidding on fewer housing units, driving their prices even higher. At a minimum, you need to construct as many new homes as you're awarding to low income people, just to maintain prices.

    2. Re:Oh My God! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Totally. The problem with such cities' central planning is that it isn't central enough. If someone further away would just make them all adopt a contrary policy, I'm sure all these issues would be solved.

    3. Re:Oh My God! by hackertourist · · Score: 1

      Crowded cities should not allow new business to buy/rent property until the company has shown there's sufficient housing nearby (with a ceiling on commute time) for all of its employees. Amazon wants to put an office for 20k people in New York? They should be required to build 20k houses.

  13. Where's is the rent is too damn high guy? by nealric · · Score: 4, Funny

    Remember the guy who ran for NYC mayor on the sole platform of "The rent is too damn high!" Perhaps he should move San Francisco?

    1. Re:Where's is the rent is too damn high guy? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The rent is still higher in NYC proper (Manhattan).

      3700 is low for a 1BR in Manhattan, and Manhattan alone has twice the population of SF (in half the land area).

      Comparing SF to the entirety of NYC including its boroughs is laughably non-representative of reality.

    2. Re:Where's is the rent is too damn high guy? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      He couldn't afford NYC, he probably can't move to SF.

    3. Re:Where's is the rent is too damn high guy? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Remember the guy who ran for NYC mayor on the sole platform of "The rent is too damn high!" Perhaps he should move San Francisco?

      And pay even higher rent? It was TOO DAMN HIGH already!

  14. Cost of living vs salary by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I pay about $1000/month on a mortgage for a 4 bedroom house (I bought it brand new in Jan 2007) in central America.

    I'm in IT, and work for a state University making a decent slaary for the area. I know I could make a lot more money "elsewhere", but based on all the math I've done, due to cost of living "elsewhere", it would effective be a pay cost even making a lot more money.

    I ask why would anyone live in these how cost areas? So you can say on the Internet you are making tons on money, despite struggling with living expensives?

    1. Re:Cost of living vs salary by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      I work in IT in California and pay $1300 a month on my 4 bedroom house.

      California is a big state of which San Francisco is only a small part.

    2. Re:Cost of living vs salary by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

      When you say Central America, do you mean e.g. Nicaragua?
      or do you mean e.g. Kansas?

      Just asking...

    3. Re:Cost of living vs salary by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I left the Midwest because - like this week - it will be -30 degrees. F*ck that. I'm in Seattle in IT making over $200K, which I would have never been able to do in the mid west either. And, btw, the house I purchased 3 years ago has gone up in value by $200K., which is more than that 5 bedroom house I sold when I moved west.

    4. Re:Cost of living vs salary by Nidi62 · · Score: 1

      I left the Midwest because - like this week - it will be -30 degrees. F*ck that. I'm in Seattle...

      You moved to Seattle for the weather? The last time I was there it was late summer, I had to wear a jacket, the sky was perpetually overcast, and the mountains still had passes closed with 7 feet of snow. Now, eastern Washington had some amazing weather and was actually pretty.

      --
      The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for it to be pitted against a slightly greater evil
    5. Re: Cost of living vs salary by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I've telecommuted my entire career. Who's struggling?

      Of course, not everyone can do that - mainly because the average twat is a lazy ass who will fuck off instead of working, usually while crying incoherently about face time.

    6. Re:Cost of living vs salary by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You moved to Seattle for the weather?

      I live in Seattle and actually hear that a lot to my surprise. I grew up in New England, so I definitely miss it actually ever being hot outside. But the weather is pretty consistently mild year round. (At a previous job, I commuted by bike year round.)

    7. Re:Cost of living vs salary by djbckr · · Score: 1

      The last time I was there it was late summer, I had to wear a jacket, the sky was perpetually overcast, and the mountains still had passes closed with 7 feet of snow.

      That must have been quite a while ago - last ice-age maybe? Mid-late summer is near perfect in Seattle, and there would be absolutely no snow in the passes at that time of year. I live here, and I don't like (more accurately, hate) the weather for 9 months of the year. But those three summer months are spectacular.

    8. Re:Cost of living vs salary by WillAffleckUW · · Score: 1

      I left the Midwest because - like this week - it will be -30 degrees. F*ck that. I'm in Seattle...

      You moved to Seattle for the weather? The last time I was there it was late summer, I had to wear a jacket, the sky was perpetually overcast, and the mountains still had passes closed with 7 feet of snow. Now, eastern Washington had some amazing weather and was actually pretty.

      No, that was smoke from the massive forest fires. I even uploaded pics - the sun was this hazy orange ball and you couldn't see three blocks away.

      --
      -- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
    9. Re:Cost of living vs salary by WillAffleckUW · · Score: 1

      Not for the last two years they haven't been.

      The forests are burning.

      --
      -- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
    10. Re:Cost of living vs salary by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I just take nice winter vacations. But having friends that still pay less rent in their hip, newly-renovated, beautiful downtown lofts in this smaller midwestern city than I did 25 years ago in Seattle makes me wonder if you're still doing the math right.

      Employment is supply-and-demand too, you know. There are quite a few types of physicians that make more here than they would in Seattle.

    11. Re:Cost of living vs salary by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Nicaragua is in Central America.

      Kansas is in central America.

    12. Re:Cost of living vs salary by painandgreed · · Score: 1

      I left the Midwest because - like this week - it will be -30 degrees. F*ck that. I'm in Seattle...

      You moved to Seattle for the weather? The last time I was there it was late summer, I had to wear a jacket, the sky was perpetually overcast, and the mountains still had passes closed with 7 feet of snow. Now, eastern Washington had some amazing weather and was actually pretty.

      I moved for the weather. Forget 100+ weather in the summer, -30 wind chill in the winter, and tornados between of the great plains states. Seattle may require a jacket in late summer, but that's pretty much all it requires all winter too. The passes are relatively a long way away and at altitudes that have no bearing on the rest of the Puget Sound sea level area. I also prefer the soothing overcast to the oppressive, blinding sun. Meanwhile, eastern Washington will get you some of that seven feet of snow that is falling on the passes all winter long, and I don't think it's pretty at all. Much rather have the trees, mountains and ocean than blasted plains.

  15. Most expensive? Or most unaffordable? by mark-t · · Score: 3, Insightful

    There is a difference. While the former can be just an indication of a healthy economy, the latter can be an indication of an imminent housing crisis.

  16. Re:Thanks to... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It really depends on how you look at it. No locality is required to sell out to the highest bidder. In time the “free market” for labor will decide SF is too expensive and tech jobs will spread out of San Francisco, maybe even to the Midwest. Once that happens rents will reach an equilibrium in SF that matches the market value, plus whatever intangible value people see from living in SF.

  17. Real estate is becoming .... by Qbertino · · Score: 4, Interesting

    ... the true scarce resource.

    Same thing here in Germany. Prices are rising and there seems no end to it. I expect this to get worse with climate change.

    --
    We suffer more in our imagination than in reality. - Seneca
    1. Re:Real estate is becoming .... by lgw · · Score: 1

      I expect this to get worse with climate change.

      If sea levels displace the ridiculous coastal cities, it may well cause land values in unpopular flyover country to go way up, but likely to something still a lot lower than the current big coastal cities. Why do we need to live in big cities on the coast, again? Al those jobs in heavy industry that needs water-based shipping?

      --
      Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
    2. Re:Real estate is becoming .... by DogDude · · Score: 4, Informative

      Why do we need to live in big cities on the coast, again?

      Because that's where all of the other educated people live. If you're 100% anti-social, and you don't leave your house, and all you care about is money, by all means, move to the middle of nowhere. That's a great option for a person like that. But if you care to interact with other people, and do interesting things involving other people, you probably want to live on the coasts for now, because that's where the greatest concentration of educated people live.

      --
      I don't respond to AC's.
    3. Re:Real estate is becoming .... by lgw · · Score: 0

      Because that's where all of the other educated people live.

      I can't speak for other countries (I think OP was talking Germany), but in the US that's just arrogance.

      But if you care to interact with other people, and do interesting things involving other people, you probably want to live on the coasts for now, because that's where the greatest concentration of educated people live.

      Bigot.

      --
      Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
    4. Re:Real estate is becoming .... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I expect this to get worse with climate change.

      If sea levels displace the ridiculous coastal cities, it may well cause land values in unpopular flyover country to go way up, but likely to something still a lot lower than the current big coastal cities. Why do we need to live in big cities on the coast, again? Al those jobs in heavy industry that needs water-based shipping?

      You can't possibly be serious. You're proposing to clip off existing land hosting millions of people, and that the coastal areas of the inherently smaller remaining portion of land around which the same population builds ports are going to sell for LESS money?

    5. Re:Real estate is becoming .... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Except that Germany has 230 people per square kilometre. The US has fewer than 40. California is one of the more densely populated states, but even so it has less than 100 people per square km.

      It's amazing how much difference it makes.

    6. Re:Real estate is becoming .... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why do we need to live in big cities on the coast, again?

      Because that's where all of the other educated people live. If you're 100% anti-social, and you don't leave your house, and all you care about is money, by all means, move to the middle of nowhere. That's a great option for a person like that. But if you care to interact with other people, and do interesting things involving other people, you probably want to live on the coasts for now, because that's where the greatest concentration of educated people live.

      Let me quote Will Rogers for you:

      "There is nothing so stupid as the educated man if you get him off the thing he was educated in."

      The "educated" also tend to be liberals, so ... yeah, I'd much rather live in Middle America, where common sense prevails.

    7. Re:Real estate is becoming .... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hah! which states are trying to build a southern wall, but no northern one?

    8. Re:Real estate is becoming .... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Truth teller. FTFY

    9. Re:Real estate is becoming .... by lgw · · Score: 1

      There's no shortage of land. Real estate prices are a measure of the popularity of a specific location. In the 1800s, we had to clump together in huge cities on the water, because that's how 19th century industry worked. Now, not so much.

      --
      Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
    10. Re:Real estate is becoming .... by Scroatzilla · · Score: 0

      "educated": brainwashed socialist political sycophant with no tether to reality; exhibiting an unearned air of superiority for earning a piece of paper affirming an unabashed acceptance of the fictitious reality of "how things ought to be"; characterized by viewing racial minorities as pets to be kept in the inner-part of cities, and dependent upon failed government programs that demote the importance of family and learning.

  18. A house from TV panels by Max_W · · Score: 0

    Why houses and apartments are so expensive? If one builds a house entirely from the TV panels it would still be less expensive than built from the low cost bricks, wood, and concrete.

    1. Re:A house from TV panels by Glarimore · · Score: 2

      It's the location that is expensive, not the building materials. I thought that was pretty clear to everyone...

    2. Re:A house from TV panels by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      As the sibling said, the land is expensive, not the buildings. And San Francisco (and the Bay Area in general) refuses to lift height limitations, so there's limited sharing of the land that more functional cities accomplish by building vertically (towers) or closer together (row houses).

    3. Re:A house from TV panels by Max_W · · Score: 1

      It is not as simple as that. In most cases it is not the price of a location per se, but rather permissions to construct a building at the location. Plus an archaic architecture. Nowadays the technology allows constructing multilevel buildings which do not take public place from a community, but rather add it. I mean a building on pillars where couple of first from the ground layers are public space.

  19. Re:Thanks to... by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 1, Insightful

    This is not a case of free market failure. This is a case of local government putting restrictions on building affordable housing.

    Which is a free market failure, isn't it? Seeing as it, among other things, requires low barriers to entry, which doesn't seem to be satisfied here.

    --
    Ezekiel 23:20
  20. That's six bedroom, 6,500 SQ feet in Dallas by raymorris · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I live in Dallas, in a $3,500 square foot house that costs less than $2,000 / month.

    As far as jobs go, there are a lot of big companies here. A lot of aerospace, technology, financial services ...
    I'm not in management, I'm a techie, and earn well into six figures.

    Of course, here in Dallas they build based on need. When prices went up for a few years 2014-2018, they built like crazy, which kept prices under control. You don't have local and state government saying nobody is allowed to build any housing.

    1. Re:That's six bedroom, 6,500 SQ feet in Dallas by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Enjoy the weather in Dallas this week /s

    2. Re:That's six bedroom, 6,500 SQ feet in Dallas by HornWumpus · · Score: 1, Insightful

      SF is surrounded by water, Dallas is surrounded by shit. Shit is easier to build on.

      SF isn't an independent city. Think Manhattan, it can only exist in context.

      The bay area in general is building out. Just the core is full, the good tech isn't in SF anyhow, just the new bubble companies (Uber etc).

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    3. Re:That's six bedroom, 6,500 SQ feet in Dallas by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      in a $3,500 square foot house

      Damn, things are big in Texas. You measure house size in dollars!

    4. Re:That's six bedroom, 6,500 SQ feet in Dallas by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I live in Dallas, in a $3,500 square foot house that costs less than $2,000 / month.
      As far as jobs go, there are a lot of big companies here. A lot of aerospace, technology, financial services ...
      I'm not in management, I'm a techie, and earn well into six figures.

      Shhhhhhh... You'll draw their attention and they'll start coming here in droves destroying our standard of living. Austin is already lost.

    5. Re:That's six bedroom, 6,500 SQ feet in Dallas by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I live in Dallas, in a $3,500 square foot house that costs less than $2,000 / month.

      $3,500 doesn't sound bad, but a square foot house is going to be pretty cramped. At least at under $2,000 / month, it'll be paid off in two months anyway.

    6. Re:That's six bedroom, 6,500 SQ feet in Dallas by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, the writer is admitting to how expensive and crazy shit is in Texas. He has a one-square-foot house valued at $3,500 that he rents for $2,000 a month.

      It's certainly tough when you can't scrape together the equivalent of 10 days' rent for your possible downpayment on the floor tile you hope to buy someday.

    7. Re:That's six bedroom, 6,500 SQ feet in Dallas by gander666 · · Score: 1

      Great comment. "Shit is easier to build on" and quite true too.

      Add to that the insane traffic that the sprawling "growth" spurs, and you can keep Dallas, and the like.

      --
      Suppose you were an idiot and suppose you were a member of Congress ... but I repeat myself. - Mark T
    8. Re:That's six bedroom, 6,500 SQ feet in Dallas by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well said..and don't forget the Baptists!

    9. Re:That's six bedroom, 6,500 SQ feet in Dallas by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      no one wants to live in dallas with those horrible cowboy fans.

    10. Re:That's six bedroom, 6,500 SQ feet in Dallas by sysrammer · · Score: 1

      There's cheap housing in California if people want to leave all the good, built up places and live in a climate like...Texas :)

      --
      His ignorance covered the whole earth like a blanket, and there was hardly a hole in it anywhere. - Mark Twain
  21. Re:Thanks to... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    No Ivan, getting your ideas from a book written by a drunkard in the 19th century who doesn't understand the capitalism he rails against isn't a valid argument.

  22. General Solution of All Housing Problems!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    IMHO, the general solution of all housing problems, everywhere in the world, is Shipping Container Architecture!!!
    But, it needs to be done in full (industrial) scale!!!

    How?

    Imagine, a giant metal structure building that just provides slots for standard shipping container houses!!!

    Imagine, one side of the building has an automated robotic system that, picks up a shipping container housing unit, from a truck waiting below the building & carries it & inserts it into any target slot in the building, or does the opposite, whenever needed!

    (& imagine, the building itself (of any size) is also build from standard design parts, just like LEGO!)

    1. Re:General Solution of All Housing Problems!!! by lgw · · Score: 1

      Imagine, one side of the building has an automated robotic system that, picks up a shipping container housing unit, from a truck waiting below the building & carries it & inserts it into any target slot in the building, or does the opposite, whenever needed!

      (& imagine, the building itself (of any size) is also build from standard design parts, just like LEGO!)

      I saw that movie! The part where it all fell over was cool. And of course it would - someone would save 50 cents per bolt and falsify the records to meet code, and be long gone when it mattered.

      --
      Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
    2. Re: General Solution of All Housing Problems!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Robot Arms Apartments has a patent on this. Check with them first. ;)

    3. Re:General Solution of All Housing Problems!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Good luck getting that past most city bureaucrats who like to micromanage every little detail of construction. There was a case somewhere in the Northwest (Seattle WA maybe?) where some nonprofit was trying to build a affordable housing project made of modular stack-able housing units but it was sunk due to "code violations", the most egregious of which I believe was that their water heaters weren't the "right size".

  23. Re:You can't repeal supply and demand by jellomizer · · Score: 1

    We need to stop making homes an investment, but a place to live.
    There are too many people who are worried about their homes resell value, because of something being built. Like Low cost housing, As well too many people buying multi-family homes and not living there, but only use them for investment purposes.

    If not build more, at least fix the driving conditions so people can commute from cheaper areas easier, or California based companies, allows for more work from home options.

    --
    If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
  24. Re:Thanks to... by thereddaikon · · Score: 0

    No? If the government puts in barriers that make it impossible for the free market to provide affordable housing then it isn't a failing of the market. Capitalism isn't a charity, no developer is going to provide housing at a loss and its unreasonable to expect them to. The only ones who can do that and survive are the government. If SF wants affordable housing then they have two options, either repeal and replace bad policies that made it impossible for the market to provide them or build the housing themselves at a loss.

  25. Re:Thanks to... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    No, you have no idea what you're talking about.

    You're an idiot... NIMBY and forced government oversight is what brought this nonsense about.

  26. What asshole actually pays this? lololol by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    lololololol

  27. Higher than bay area mortgage by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Why rent when you can own 30 miles away?

  28. Re:Thanks to... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Insightful

    At a loss? What kind of moron are you? You think houses cost $2 million in material to build? You're a fuckwit, developers make HUGE money in his market. You're too dumb to be in this conversation obviously, ridiculous GOP idiots.

  29. Re:You can't repeal supply and demand by Scarletdown · · Score: 1

    Or perhaps the companies can pay a wage to their employees that covers the cost of living for the area they live? If they can't do that, then they don't really deserve to be in business.

    --
    This space unintentionally left blank.
  30. That is not entirely true by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Firstly you are probably speaking of rent control, but to my knowledge rent control does not hit building after the costa act end of 1995. No the problem is mostly that investing into cheap building for family without money does not offer as much return on investment as building expansive apartment, when there is a boom on rent price. This is a definitive failure on free market, NOT because of the restriction as you think, but because there is NO REASON whatsoever for the free market to invest in cheap condo for poor folk at a small ROI when they can have a huge ROI with expansive condo. And this is where the free market will always fail.

    1. Re:That is not entirely true by HornWumpus · · Score: 2, Insightful

      The free market puts the poors where they belong, at the far end of BART.

      Nobody in their right mind builds new slums. You build new high end and existing inventory tinkles down. As always, sucks to be poor, sucks worse to be poor and be waiting for someone else to do something about it.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    2. Re:That is not entirely true by swillden · · Score: 3, Insightful

      This is a definitive failure on free market, NOT because of the restriction as you think, but because there is NO REASON whatsoever for the free market to invest in cheap condo for poor folk at a small ROI when they can have a huge ROI with expansive condo. And this is where the free market will always fail.

      If you ask a developer whether he'd like to build cheap housing with a 20% ROI or expensive housing with a 30% ROI, his answer will be both. If both are clearly profitable businesses, then there's no reason in the world why developers shouldn't do both... except that there is: Artificial restrictions on the number of building permits.

      The "market failure" you cite arises only because the city restricts the amount of building that can be done. Obviously, if the government says you can build only one building, you're going to build the most lucrative one you can. But without that restriction, the free market will build housing for all price points down to a floor that is dictated by natural limits (scarcity of land and cost of building higher). But clearly those natural limits are not creating the ultra-high cost in SFO, because other cities (e.g. NYC) are similarly constrained by the amount of available land, and have similar building costs, and yet have much lower rents.

      --
      Note to ACs: I usually delete AC replies without reading them. If you want to talk to me, log in.
    3. Re:That is not entirely true by Oswald+McWeany · · Score: 1

      The free market puts the poors where they belong, at the far end of BART.

      Nobody in their right mind builds new slums. You build new high end and existing inventory tinkles down. As always, sucks to be poor, sucks worse to be poor and be waiting for someone else to do something about it.

      I think you meant "trickles down"... but I like "tinkles down" more as it is more accurate- the rich piss on the poor.

      --
      "That's the way to do it" - Punch
    4. Re:That is not entirely true by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      I typed what I meant.

      The poors are 'on fire', they should be grateful they get pissed on

      The point remains, nobody in their right mind will purpose build a slum. Slums are the luxury housing of 1910, and that works.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    5. Re:That is not entirely true by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      Nobody builds new slums. When it's time to doze, they aren't going to build crackhouses. Duh.

      Poors get whatever is leftover, sucks to be you, living in clearlake.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    6. Re:That is not entirely true by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Nobody in their right mind builds new slums.

      They do if they don't want doo doos on their shoe shoes.

    7. Re:That is not entirely true by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      But without that restriction, the free market will build housing for all price points down to a floor that is dictated by natural limits (scarcity of land and cost of building higher).

      A free-for-all of construction of new homes will also bring down the value of surrounding homes, which is often why it's opposed.

      Your 10mil condo on the water wont stay 10mil if a ton of econo-boxes get built around you. Noise, traffic, landscape, etc.

  31. That's not how it's "supposed" to work. by skam240 · · Score: 4, Informative

    "This is how it's _supposed_ to work."

    No it's not. How it is supposed to work is that when rental prices start to spike in a community developers see the increasing profit potential of an area and increase development. It's classic supply and demand economics and is literally how all of our major cities formed.

    What is happening in San Francisco (and in many parts of California) is that supply isn't being allowed to increase or increase fast enough by local government. The biggest offender is the valley but their problem has become so severe (with a modest single family homes selling for over a million) that it's spilling over and exacerbating already existing problems in places like San Francisco and beyond.

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    1. Re:That's not how it's "supposed" to work. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Who the fuck cares if the market is a giant racket in SF. If you don't like it, MOVE!!!!!! Otherwise, payout like the bitch you are in that city and STFU. That's my only advice to these silicon valley type nitwits.

    2. Re:That's not how it's "supposed" to work. by Impy+the+Impiuos+Imp · · Score: 1

      The same people that led to this problem are working on the "move" issue. It's a competive race to the bottom, see, and they want a nationwide standard, with them writing it, so it is pointless to "vote with your feet" anymore.

      The solution, in other words, to their terrible situation, is to make every place like that rather than them becoming more like other places, such as much lower and cheaper and faster building red tape.

      --
      (-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
    3. Re:That's not how it's "supposed" to work. by painandgreed · · Score: 1

      No it's not. How it is supposed to work is that when rental prices start to spike in a community developers see the increasing profit potential of an area and increase development.

      Kinda sorta. That's pretty much what has happened in Seattle where it seems one in six buildings has been torn with a newer high rise being built in it's place. The trouble is that nobody is going to build cheap housing*. Even the new studio lofts I looked were not only brand new with all the modern conveinences, but more than twice what a larger, older apartment was going for. Studies have bene done to show that the cost of housing is not rising as fast as it would it these weren't being built, but it's still going up faster than many people and their pay checks can cope. People with decent jobs are still being forced to move away. I was lucky enough to already have been set up ready to purchase and did so with a fixed rate mortgage. I have a decent job that makes enough to actually get more money back with the Republican tax bill this year, but my rent was already getting to the point it was forcing me out of the city center from an old apartment whose owners were trying to keep prices down in favor of long term tenants (I had been there 17 years when I left and several tenants longer than 20).

      *Well, the city is building some. It's still just under 2000 units for mostly really poor families.

    4. Re:That's not how it's "supposed" to work. by skam240 · · Score: 1

      Rent growth in Seattle has gone stagnant and may start decreasing thanks to increased development. https://www.seattletimes.com/b...

      --
      I ignore Anonymous Coward posts. If you want to discuss something, that's awesome. Log in.
  32. Re:Most expensive? Or most unaffordable? by Tablizer · · Score: 2

    Something is out of whack; there are empty houses in the Rust Belt, yet not enough housing in CA. Whenever an industry fades, we throw entire communities under the bus, to be burned at the Altar of Capitalism. We don't just punish individuals for picking the wrong industry at the wrong time, we punish entire regions. Is there no way to rebalance the Country? Should we "just accept" this silliness?

  33. Too many wants and not enough building by pdfsmail · · Score: 1

    This is the danger of making cities overly attractive AND making it hard or expensive for builders to build. Quality of life is great but not planning for infrastructure and taking the people who currently live in these cities in account (as in how they won't be able to afford to live life if people start/keep moving in on them) is a disaster like this waiting to happen. Just like its happening where I am.

    Then, people / companies from expensive cities start taking their money and buying up real estate in cheaper cities, jacking up prices there and messing up the infrastructure in those cities who are not prepared for the population growth... Where I am California is moving here to get away from their "expensive cities" jacking up prices here... locals are tired of it.. Now people who have lived in the cheaper cities can barely afford to rent, let alone get a home in the future. In my opinion the expensive cities are a plague on other cities receiving their refugees. It seems to cause a chain reaction.

    People / cities do not think about the full consequences of their "I/we want(s)" that lead to this attractiveness. There should be a large infrastructure tax you are required to pay based on the offset of the cost of living from where you come from to where you are moving... When someone tries to move to a cheaper market that tax would go toward that cheaper market to help build infrastructure / housing.

    Question remains, how do the cities like SF fix this problem? Maybe you shouldn't be allowed to further promote or allow population growth without making reasonable plans to make more structures for living?

  34. Re:Thanks to... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What barriers? You don't know what you're talking about.

  35. SF has plenty of space to build in by skam240 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    "SF is surrounded by water, Dallas is surrounded by shit. Shit is easier to build on."

    Building "out" is hardly the only option for growth for a community. San Francisco has plenty of vertical space to build into. ...And before people claim "no" because of earthquakes, tall buildings can be safely built in earth quake zones. Japan and many other countries have a long, safe history of doing so.

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    I ignore Anonymous Coward posts. If you want to discuss something, that's awesome. Log in.
    1. Re:SF has plenty of space to build in by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Insightful

      A reasonable height = the height of the existing neighborhood. You're talking about bulldozing a neighborhood to put up skyscrapers. The city infrastructure in those areas couldn't handle it, it's not built like Manhattan because it isn't Manhattan.

      Saying "we can be just like Japan" is a great idea, but it pretty much stops there. There are pragmatic problems to solve, you can't just expect to pop up 100 towers in a residential area without overcoming them first, derp.

      It's idiotic to assume there isn't anyone who knows SF construction and isn't already making as much money as possible building where it makes sense.

      It's also idiotic to assume that the low-income workers who are displaced by gentrification are going to live in brand new glass-wall skyscrapers.

      The fact is SF is not a big place, and it's been developed pretty much to capacity already. Where a tower makes sense, they build them. Those are big dollar projects.

      It's not a realistic expectation that SF is going to become Tokyo nor should anyone really believe it's not happening because of NIMBYism lol. It's retarded Fox News bullshit.

    2. Re:SF has plenty of space to build in by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "SF is surrounded by water, Dallas is surrounded by shit.

      ...and SF is covered in what?

    3. Re:SF has plenty of space to build in by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You can only build so high on sand. Sorry. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/millennium-tower-san-francisco-leaning-tower-of-lawsuits-60-minutes/

    4. Re:SF has plenty of space to build in by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      There are nuts in SF that drop a big old texas in the streets. No denying it.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
  36. Bad Anti WFH Attitude is bad by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Part of what is driving this is the anti work from home attitude of some weird guy still living in the 80's that also calls himself your boss.

    The good news is that guy is frequently being replaced by sensible non weird boss types that understand that most of the people paying these astronomically high rent prices would also rather go to a local coffee shop to do todays meeting than try to stuff it in a cube or small office that we all hate.

    The new guy is hailed an innovator and thinker and bringer of cool 'west coast style thinking' into the company culture. /barf

  37. Texas sucks ass though, lol. No thanks! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    All of Texas is going blue, you're going to have to move back to Moscow, traitors. When Donald hangs you won't have anything left in this country.

  38. Re:You can't repeal supply and demand by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Or perhaps the companies can pay a wage to their employees that covers the cost of living for the area they live?

    That is exactly what *is* happening. The people complaining are not employees of companies paying that wage.

  39. Re:You can't repeal supply and demand by bobbied · · Score: 0

    Typhus is alive and well on the streets and in the halls of City Hall in Los Angeles.

    It's like we are regressing to third world status out west... I wonder why? Well, what do Venezuela and Los Angeles have in common? No, I'm not going to tell you because you should be able to figure it out for yourself.

    --
    "File to fit, pound to insert, paint to match" - Aircraft Maintenance 101
  40. Re:Most expensive? Or most unaffordable? by k6mfw · · Score: 2

    Yes, something is out of whack. The economy is going strong but only at Wall St area and Silicon Valley. Everyone in between is declining. PBS documentary highlighted Dayton OH where population has dropped 50% what it used to be back in the days, manufacturing including NCR have offshored, downtown is modern but ***no traffic***, coroner's office getting overloaded with bodies from drug overdoses, people that are still there making much less and no benefits like they had before.

    Yep, same place where Trump said in 2016 "don't sell your home and move" [I'll bring good jobs back] and Hillary completely ignored these areas on her campaign.

    Getting back to Silicon Valley, it gets creepy seeing phenomenal wealth at same time increasing "development" of tent cities.

    --
    mfwright@batnet.com
  41. NYC outer boroughs decrease the average by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    " nearly 30 percent higher than New York City"

    Only if you count the boroughs. 3700 is on the low side for a 1BR in Manhattan.

  42. These videos explain why: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    The Insane Battle To Sabotage a New Apartment Building Explains San Francisco's Housing Crisis:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

    Bad Laws Cause Homeless Crisis:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

    Theres so many more, that was just a quick search of history.

    hehe:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

  43. NOBODY ASKED FAGGOT WHINER BOBBY BITCH by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    NOBODY ASKED FAGGOT WHINER BOBBY BITCH

    Nobody.

    Asked.

    Faggot.

    Whiner.

    Bobby.

    You.

    Bitch.

  44. Simple solution, live there only if it pays off. by couchslug · · Score: 1, Insightful

    I don't see a problem. There are other places to live. I don't have urban problems because I refuse to live in a city. I planned my career to avoid them.

    If you're smart enough to succeed, you're smart enough to succeed elsewhere. You cannot have affordable housing in many cities. Understand what you cannot have then focus on what you can accomplish.

    --
    "This post is an artistic work of fiction and falsehood. Only a fool would take anything posted here as fact."
  45. Re:Thanks to... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    He's talking about the city requiring rents to be low.

  46. Re: Thanks to... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Also a lot of gay men with Apple products

    If they can afford to buy overpriser Apple rubber dogshit and iDildos

    Then they can also afford to pay high rent prices

    Maybe they can get an Apple iShitRoomba to clean the shit up from the bathroom

  47. I have the solution! by superdave80 · · Score: 1, Funny

    The median rent for a one bedroom apartment in San Francisco has reached a new peak of $3,690

    San Francisco needs to immediately implement a rent control ordinance to stop the rent prices from shooting up so much.

    1. Re:I have the solution! by Striek · · Score: 1

      I hope you're being sarcastic.

      Because rent control only sounds like a good idea until you realize that it is fully able to keep the price of rent below that of mortgage + tax. When landlords cannot collect sufficient rent to pay property taxes or mortgages, you can image what happens next.

      --
      "Government is like fire; a handy servant, but a dangerous master." -- George Washington
    2. Re:I have the solution! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I imagine the landlords defaulting on their loans, the homes are foreclosed and sold at auction, and the new buyers bid based on the net income they can expect from the property. Sounds like a rent control-price control 2fer! Sucks to be the current landlord though, with the rules of the game changed mid-play. But, sometimes rent seeking can generate that sort of political backlash.. It will be interesting to see how it turns out.

    3. Re:I have the solution! by superdave80 · · Score: 1

      Sarcasm. SF already has had rent control in place for decades, and hasn't done a lick of good control rent prices. Other cities in California are (oddly) looking to this as some type of solution for the statewide rental price problem... despite the fact that it is all NIMBY, land use over-regulation, turning a blind eye to illegal immigration and lawsuits that have led us to the housing shortage.

    4. Re:I have the solution! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      When landlords cannot collect sufficient rent to pay property taxes or mortgages, you can image what happens next.

      I know! Wouldn't it be terrible if landlords only made ~6% until the end of time by actually owning their buildings outright? I mean, that's a full percentage point below the long-term average stock market rate of return. You'd think that there'd be way less of a penalty for a non-productive asset compared to shares in companies that make shit and offer services.

      Won't somebody please think of the middlemen?

    5. Re:I have the solution! by Pfhorrest · · Score: 1

      What happens next is that their best out is to sell the rental house, but no other potential landlords will be buying (for the same reasons they're selling), only people who need the housing to live in, and they'll only be able to pay what they can actually afford without relying on someone else to pay their mortgage for them like a landlord wordl, so the former landlords will have to sell at those affordable prices (or else not sell at all and take a total loss), meaning the cost of housing drops back down to reasonable levels.

      Or, looking at the situation the other way around: the existence of rent in the first place inflated prices above what they naturally would have been in a market without rent.

      --
      -Forrest Cameranesi, Geek of all Trades
      "I am Sam. Sam I am. I do not like trolls, flames, or spam."
    6. Re:I have the solution! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That is not what happens at all. Landlords just move into their place further driving up prices because inventory drops further.

    7. Re:I have the solution! by edi_guy · · Score: 2

      Rent control as practiced in SF, Berkeley, etc has absolutely added to the increased price. I know of multiple apartment units on my street that are vacant or only occasionally airbnb'd because the owners are older, their property taxes are like $1000/year, and they aren't willing to risk renting their until for what could be the rest of their lives. Literally they are forgoing $36k per year in income because the rights of the renter are so absolute in SF, the risk isn't worth it. So those rent controlled units are off the market. That's repeated throughout the city.

      The notion of protecting the elderly and handicap from difficult evictions is worthy. My immediate neighbors are all earning $200k and are in rent controlled units...how does that make any sense? Why not make rent control means based? Answer: SF politics.

      And then the new builds, non-rent controlled units. Next time you are crossing the Bay Bridge back into SF at night, look at all the new towers in Rincon, South Beach, SOMA. Notice how many of them are dark. Sure some people might be out, but many of those are investment properties only...again, not available for rent. Why not pull a Vancouver style occupancy tax if this is such a 'crisis'. Answer: SF politics

      A few other Slashdot posters have noted that the run-up in housing prices is not unique to SF, And in fairness SF has always been in the top 5 priciest places to live in the US, since about 1849. So nothing new here. What is new is that the demand for a place in a prime city like SF, Seattle, NYC, DC, etc is now global. And that means the demand is essentially infinite. SF cannot build its way out of this anymore than Hong Kong has. HK has gone full tilt, super vertical, 100,000's of new units and still twice as expensive as anywhere in the US.

    8. Re:I have the solution! by ahodgson · · Score: 1

      With the small problems that no one builds any new or replacement housing, or performs any maintenance on existing housing. Rent control is how you get both slums and high rents (hello New York).

  48. You don't need government. You need Capitalism. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Government is just an organization that tells people what to do—at the point of a gun, no less.

    This issue could be solved by just letting people interact according to their own, personal, voluntary agreements among each other: There are a lot of people who want to develop great housing; there are a lot of people who want to sell their property to those developers. But, the government is pointing their guns at them and saying "NIMBY!"

  49. Re:Most expensive? Or most unaffordable? by DogDude · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Yup, both you and the parent are right. It IS out of whack. But in the US, we've collectively decided that we're a dog-eat-dog country, and we don't let the government intervene to help people (or even regions). It sucks, but wealth concentration is inevitable if you let capitalism go unchecked for long enough.

    I think it's a terrible system (or lack of a system), so I vote to change it, and I'm going to continue to vote to change the system until I eventually leave the country for somewhere more civilized.

    --
    I don't respond to AC's.
  50. Re:Thanks to... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    And they don't! They have a low-income % of new construction LARGE projects that needs to be affordable, it's like 20%. The rest are market rate. Developers made money hand over fist, these morons have no clue.

  51. Re: Thanks to... by floobedy · · Score: 1

    You REALLY need to grow up. Also, it's apparent you know little about this. The house may cost $2 million, and the materials and labor only cost $400k, but that doesn't mean the the remainder was profit for the developer. There is a huge LAND COST in this area. Empty lots zoned for a single family home with a permit to build can cost $1m plus, just for an empty lot. The LANDOWNERS are raking in the money here, not the housing developers. Many developers are only modestly profitable, whereas many homeowners in outlying areas bought their home for 200k (in 2019 $) decades ago and sell it now for $1.4m. They are selling the LOT for $1.4m; the house sometimes has zero value and will be demolished and reconstructed.

  52. Re:Thanks to... by supremebob · · Score: 2

    Wasn't Google working on building a giant floating barge with office space in San Francisco's harbor in order to get around these insane housing prices? What ever happened to that idea?

  53. Re:Texas sucks ass though, lol. No thanks! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Nah. We just need a mini-gun for when the hoards of malnourished communists come shuffling for other "free shit".

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

  54. simple by PopeRatzo · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The median rent for a one bedroom apartment in San Francisco has reached a new peak of $3,690

    Supply and demand. A lot of people want to live here. If you come to California, you will understand.

    The median rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Decatur, Alabama is $599. If you go there, you will understand. As with everything in life, you get what you pay for.

    --
    You are welcome on my lawn.
    1. Re:simple by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      The real shit Decatur is in Illinois. It's where ADM processes 90% of the USA's soy crop. The whole town smells like a tofu eater puked in the corner (of every room).

      You don't even want to be downwind of it.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    2. Re:simple by PopeRatzo · · Score: 1

      The real shit Decatur is in Illinois. It's where ADM processes 90% of the USA's soy crop. The whole town smells like a tofu eater puked in the corner (of every room).

      But the median one-bedroom apartment in Decatur, Illinois is only $670/month! That's why everybody is fleeing San Francisco and moving to Decatur.

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
  55. GET A JOB YOURSELF WUMPUS FAGGOT. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Today is a work day, you're blathering on the internet.

    1. Re:GET A JOB YOURSELF WUMPUS FAGGOT. by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      Yep, that's the thing with clients. They sometimes make you wait. But the hourly rate makes up for it.

      You've been here for the last two years. Basically non-stop idiocy. Get a McJob.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
  56. GET A JOB YOURSELF WUMPUS FAGGOT. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Today is a work day, you're blathering on the internet.

  57. No, it would get better by SuperKendall · · Score: 1

    Prices are rising and there seems no end to it. I expect this to get worse with climate change.

    If the Earth is getting warming it would mean a lot of Northern areas that are currently more undesirable to live in would have a better climate.

    What that means is vastly more livable land areas than the relatively tiny amount of coast lost fo rising oceans.

    If you really think the world is warming the smart move is to buy real estate somewhere overly cold now and reap the benefits later.

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
  58. Re:Simple solution, live there only if it pays off by DogDude · · Score: 2

    If you're smart enough to succeed, you're smart enough to succeed elsewhere.

    I don't think that's in doubt. Highly educated people generally can succeed anywhere. The question is, do you want to succeed in the middle of nowhere? Personally, I don't. I like great universities and great museums and great restaurants. All of those things are generally concentrated in and near large cities or metro areas.

    --
    I don't respond to AC's.
  59. That won't even get a 1BR in Vancouver BC by WillAffleckUW · · Score: 1

    Silly rabbits, you can't afford to live in a real city.

    --
    -- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
  60. Re:Most expensive? Or most unaffordable? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The fundamental belief of the secularist capitalism religion the US is that the "free market" solves all these issues. Those who disagree are often called socialists.

  61. Lol. You win by raymorris · · Score: 1

    A couple of people poked fun at my stray dollar sign.
    Yours was the funniest, imho.

  62. dead last? try again by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

    California is 18th for poverty rate. Beating Oregon, Texas and every Southern state and most of the Southwest.

    For education, California is ranked 26th. Making it pretty typical of the US as a whole.

    1. Re:dead last? try again by _Sharp'r_ · · Score: 2

      He's probably talking about the supplemental poverty measure, which takes into account things like the local cost of living, including cost of housing, rather than your measurement which considers someone in rural Mississippi and NYC as being on the same dollar scale, when $X/year in one is a great living, while scraping by in the other.

      In terms of education quality, you're referencing their US News and World Report ranking. If you take another look at that page, you may notice that's entirely driven by their 4th in "higher education", which includes educating a lot of people who are just visiting to go to college, while Pre-K-12 they're listed as 44th, right between South Carolina (43rd) and Louisiana (45th). In the interest of fairness, a quality only metric (not using spending as a proxy for quality, but rather just based on test results and adjusting for demographics, including race), CA moves all the way up to 34th.

      --
      The party of stupid and the party of evil get together and do something both stupid and evil, then call it bipartisan.
  63. Time scale is important by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    When I first started reading the summary I thought "$3,690" isn't so bad. That's actually a little less than what I pay. Then I realized that, while there doesn't seem to be a "per unit of time" in the summary, the author means that amount "per month", not (as I had originally assumed) "per year".

    I also live in a one bedroom place. So, with this in mind, I estime rent in SF is about nine times higher than mine. That is a pretty massive difference.

  64. Re:Most expensive? Or most unaffordable? by Tablizer · · Score: 1

    Some European countries seemed to have found a decent balance. Too much either direction seems the real problem. Goldilocks.

    socialism is simply theft

    Which deity told you that? I wanna talk to her.

  65. Re:Simple solution, live there only if it pays off by cordovaCon83 · · Score: 1

    The question is, do you want to succeed in the middle of nowhere? Personally, I don't. I like great universities and great museums and great restaurants. All of those things are generally concentrated in and near large cities or metro areas.

    Same. Besides, some parts of the country are not capable of supporting certain industries. For instance, reliable internet is not available in many rural areas. It would be hard to find certain jobs in the first place.

    Social mobility is a big promise of the American Dream. For some that's the Great Plains and for others it's the Big Apple. I wouldn't mind moving to Manhattan - allegedly a recruiter promises me I could get a job tomorrow if I made the move up there. However, by the time I could afford to move to Manhattan, I'll have saved up enough money to make a great down payment on a house down South.

    Of course, I really want to move somewhere the laws are a little bit *cough* greener.

  66. Re:Simple solution, live there only if it pays off by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    And do you visit those places daily? You'd still be ahead if you moved else where then flew into the city every other month.

  67. Re:Most expensive? Or most unaffordable? by tomhath · · Score: 1

    Is there no way to rebalance the Country?

    Occasionally a region is hit hard by a decline in the industry that supported them (coal mining, automobile manufacturing, etc.), but despite the headlines, those are rare events and are solved by people moving away and finding work elsewhere. And sometimes the region recovers by finding another industry (e.g. Pittsburgh after the steel mills closed). Life goes on.

  68. YOU ARE THE WORLD'S DUMBEST FAGGOT KEN DOLL by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Filter error: Don't use so many caps. It's like YELLING.

  69. GET A JOB WUMPUS FAGGOT. YOU KNOW NOTHING by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You have no idea what you're talking about. Slums 20 years ago are being turned into multi-billion dollar megaprojects in SF, as we speak. You're fucking retarded.

  70. So what? by PJ6 · · Score: 1

    I'm playing devil's advocate here, so don't jump down my throat.

    I've never heard a compelling argument against gentrification. People are displaced, the neighborhood changes... this is what happens when you allow property to be rented.

    And it's such a big country, do we really need to pack more and more people into the same places?

  71. But isnt the city covered in poo? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Imagine how much it would be if it wasn't covered in feces.

  72. Re:Thanks to... by DamnOregonian · · Score: 2

    You're not wrong, you just missed the obvious connection between the government and the people who are the real estate market, in that they're not different people. Is that pure capitalism? Of course not. But then again- that's the fucking problem with capitalism.

  73. Re:Most expensive? Or most unaffordable? by k6mfw · · Score: 1

    Those who disagree are often called socialists.

    and nowadays, labeling someone with the S word can be pretty bad. There was a story about a professor who wrote a book titled "Social Action" or something like that and many students refused to read it because it involves socialism. So does that mean there are people who will not learn social studies or social skills because it may lead to ***gasp*** socialism?

    --
    mfwright@batnet.com
  74. Re:Most expensive? Or most unaffordable? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's all the fault of local governance that the fed has no jurisdiction over. They zoned themselves into a nightmare of not having enough living space to support all the business space. At this point a significant number of buildings would need to be torn down and replaced with high density apartments to solve the housing crisis, and good luck swinging that politically. It only got this bad because the CA government is absolutely famous for applying band-aids to symptoms instead of attacking problems at the root, and succumbing to the sunk costs fallacy by doubling down on policies that clearly don't work. In theory the people could stop this, but in practice the average Californian seems to be as ignorant as the leadership is.

  75. Less than $4000 a year? by aybiss · · Score: 1

    What the hell are you complaining about? That's ridiculously cheap. No wonder you guys have such a low minimum wage.

    --
    It's OK Bender, there's no such thing as 2.
  76. That's funny. Lots of climates in Texas. by raymorris · · Score: 1

    Haha that's funny.

    On a more serious note, Texas is 800 miles North to South, so you can live where it stays warm or in a cooler climate. Texans live on the coast, and 600 miles from the coast.

    The Texas panhandle to Brownsville is as far as Death Valley to Oregon, with nearly as much difference in weather.

    1. Re:That's funny. Lots of climates in Texas. by sysrammer · · Score: 1

      All of the places that I've had the fortune to visit in Texas were flat and sandy. The flat screws up my sense of direction. In Cal there's generally mountains or at least some hills in the distance. I never realized how much such landmarks helped me until I got lost at noon around San Antonio. I walked miles in the wrong direction. I lerned me a new way of reckonin' right quick.

      --
      His ignorance covered the whole earth like a blanket, and there was hardly a hole in it anywhere. - Mark Twain
  77. Everybody knows the mountains are in the West by raymorris · · Score: 1

    That reminds me of when we were kids and my brother got in a huge argument with our cousins. My brother, from Denver, knew for certain the mountains are in the West. My cousins, from New Mexico, knew darn well the mountains are East.