Posted on 04/21/2007 12:33:33 PM PDT by WayneLusvardi
I would hate to see what kind of a dump one gets for $400.00 a month in SF.
That must be $402. per person.
No one can take the “housing crisis” in SF seriously unless they talk about rent control, which is the real cause of the high cost of new rentals.
The $402 figure is actually for housing without a mortgage. The figure for housing with mortgages is $2558.
U.S. Census Community Survey reports $402 per month median housing cost in San Francisco - the link at the U.S. Census is too long to post. But check it out. Even at $800 per month, which is more like reality, or say $1,000 per month, is this really an affordable housing crisis? U.S. Census also reaports 28% of San Franciscans are low income (household income below $29,999). So about a third of the populace are low income and by definition must live in affordable housing.
I don’t see in the census data this guy is getting his figure of 44% “low income”. Can anyone help me find this?
Here’s the link to the $402 month housing cost figure from the U.S. Census
The link below from the U.S. Census shows about 26% family poverty in San Francisco
But another link shows 28% low income households (below $24,999 income/year) here:
So the 44% number should be corrected to 28%. But the point still holds. About a third of SF’s populace is low income and by definition must live in affordable housing. Rental listings are not a good indicator of housing costs for units which are never advertised or put on the market for various reasons.
I love SF but I wont live there because of the impending “Big One”. According to a report last night on The Weather Channel, the Marina district is built on landfill and will turn to quicksand. Most of the housing was built years ago when there were no earthquake standards. The fire that devastated The City in 1906 is nothing compared to the fires that will ensue when The Big One hits which will be in the next 10 minutes or 30 years from now.
If you follow the “show more” link under Housing Characteristics, you’ll find the $402 figure is for housing units without a mortgage, of which there are 37,043. For the 85,560 housing units with a mortgage, the median monthly costs are $2,558.
Notwithstanding, the fundamental point you make is a good one. I do wonder to what extent age distribution has an impact, however. For example around 70,000 (corresponding roughly with the “low income” population) SF residents are on Social Security. They may (or may not) be living in some of that older housing in less desireable parts of town which would otherwise be available for younger families. (Don’t tell the liberals or else they’ll propose draconian “assisted suicide” laws to free up “affordable” housing on the cheap!) However, my point is that “snapshot” data may not give a nuanced enough picture, here -— you really need to consider how the population is distributed in terms of stages of life.
The author is wrong about the shell game: After the con man finishes shuffling, the ball isn’t under ANY of the cups - he’s palmed it.
How’s that for an analogy to the SF housing market?
In the places I’ve lived, “low income housing” initiatives (when you really looked into it) were about ensuring housing stock for maids and lawn boys to live in, while ensuring they were “comfortable” enought to stay maids and lawn boys -— and to do this on the public’s nickel.
I can tell you how that figure is realistic. We are apartment owners, and have people paying 1/3 of what the market rent could be, due to rent control. We, as property owners are required to only raise rents at a rate the city allows, which last years was about 1/3 the rate of inflation. It doesn’t take too long for one to get affordable housing, simply by staying in your apartment, your rent increases, far less than inflation. We are forced to subsidize the “poor”. The politicians have figured out that there are far fewer landlords than renters, so they pander to renters. The upside is that through legal means, landlords are able to remove their rental stock from the market and convert them to condominiums, or the lates fad, “TICS” which are “tenancy in COmmon”. Unfortunately, rent control is going to force us to sell, convert, or remove our units from the rental market. In the end, San Franfreako will be left with little or any rental properties, due to the unintended consequences of rent control. It simply does not make economic sense to rent apartments to people in this city. Sure does wreak of a takings clause argument, however the Supreme court heard a case recently, where they denied the claim under the takings clause. I guess the city government is allowed to come into my wallet every month, and force me to subsidize those poor renters. It might be noted, that there are many surgeons on rent control, who pay 500 / month, in a city where their apartment could easily rent for 1500 - 2000 per month. Frankly, we are done with these idiots and are selling our building, probably to a condo conversion corporation.
High crime centers around a skyscraper city core provide two “benefits” to liberal politicians: a body of dependent, low income voters who suck up services conveniently provided by an army of social workers, and who always pull the “D” lever; and a perpetual source of scary crime incidents guaranteed the gentry from even dreaming of moving back close to the core of the city, even with low home prices.
Like the mafia guy who both owned the overloaded truck that ruined the roadway as well as the contract to fix the roadway, politicians reap the rewards of neglecting their cities to death.
Look at all it has done for Detroit, which will now never be rehabilitated. It’s a permanent shell of its former self.
But, but,....
"From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs!"
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
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