Your morning commute~

[Evan]

Yes, the context of the discussion was living together someday. Sorry if that wasnt clear.
I guess the idea of co-habitating with a female is a foreign concept to RJ

RJ I think if you spent more time in DC you would see how much it sucks to live there. Anne lives in the most un-suck part of DC in upper NW but even it still blows ass.

[.RJ]

Kids are very expensive and so is living in the nice part of a city.

Yeah, but you dont have to raise your 2.5 kids and a dog in a 1/4 acre white picket fence either. Perhaps not the ideal situation but if you make decent money there's no reason its not feasible - my uncle has 3 kids living in Manhattan.

RJ I think if you spent more time in DC you would see how much it sucks to live there. Anne lives in the most un-suck part of DC in upper NW but even it still blows ass.

How so? Just curious... the idea of a good public transit system, lots of stuff to do, etc, appeals to me. Its not as good as NYC, but its significantly cheaper.

[Apoc]

Kids are very expensive and so is living in the nice part of a city.

Yeah, but you dont have to raise your 2.5 kids and a dog in a 1/4 acre white picket fence either. Perhaps not the ideal situation but if you make decent money there's no reason its not feasible - my uncle has 3 kids living in Manhattan.

Way to take it to extreme. No one said anything about being stereotypically suburban, just not cramped in a city. Sacrifices are made to live in the city and most choose not to make them. Of course you can do it, it's just that what most people want (grass, good schools, space) isn't within most budgets downtown.

edit: If people could afford the same lifestyle, I think most everyone would do it. If I could get a nice house downtown, with a yard and a 2 car garage in a nice, quiet neighborhood I'd do it in a heartbeat.

[HAULN-SS]

man, 7 blew ass this morning. I think i heard a blip about a motorcycle wreck. had it tied up for miles and miles

So how long did it take you Mr. I Don't Mind About A Long Commute?

my average day is 1:15

took about 1:40 this morning because of the wreck.

with no traffic, like late at night or somethig - 1 hour flat.

[Mike]

so what... leave house at 730, return at 7? ew. nice life.

[.RJ]

If I could get a nice house downtown, with a yard and a 2 car garage in a nice, quiet neighborhood I'd do it in a heartbeat.

Garage space is what kills the 'living in the city' idea for me

[HAULN-SS]

Leave the house at 5:30, get home at 5. Plenty of time to take care of my yard, work on stuff in my 2 car garage, or think of all the crap i'll be able to put in my full basement.

And then still have time leftover to do stuff on the weekends!

[Mike]

i have a yard and garage as well... don't think your location is the only one with those.

leave house at 530 = wake up at 4 something? = go to sleep at 8 something to get 8 hours? = 3 hours a day for your life (or you're sleep deprived).

i wake up at 830, leave for work at 845, get there at 9, leave at 5, home at 515, go to sleep at 12. me = 7 hours a day for my life.

is losing 800 hours a year (4 hour difference in free time x 200 work days) really worth owning a home? plus gas costs? plus the frustration of having an insane commute? plus having nothing to do in your area?

[HAULN-SS]

What frustration? 95% of days i average 60mph into work. Do you own your garage and yard? My house payment is LESS than the townhouse I had in herndon. No yard, tiny garage, one additional parking spot.

I wake up at 5:10, I go to bed about 10 - 10:30. gas cost is/will be more than offset by deducting the interest i'm paying on the house from my taxes - and more than double offset if I rent a room. I'm working on that now, which is more for the company than the income.

[.RJ]

I'm working on that now, which is more for the company than the income.

Maybe DJ can move in with you?

So your looking for a gay lover or just FWB?

Sorry i had to....

[Mike]

Do you own your garage and yard?

I don't, but I get to use them as I did. I'm not in to the "I own this" feel-good mentality.

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[WRXtranceformed]

The big drawback for me about living in a city is that you're pretty much going to be in a condo, which doesn't appeal to me. If you can afford a townhouse in a big city, it's either going to be REALLY expensive or REALLY shitty. As far as bringing up kids, cities statistically tend to be a lot more dangerous than suburbs / outskirts (no, I'm not going to go search for studies on this... but that should be a no-brainer). Living in the city is great for being single IMO, but once you have a family having the extra space and peace of mind that your family is a little bit safer is important to me. Plus, I like being able to walk outside at night and go for a walk or something without having to worry about being mugged or shot at.

[Mike]

oh, derrick, don't try to pull the "i'm making so much money by buying a house" angle.



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[Evan]

is losing 800 hours a year (4 hour difference in free time x 200 work days) really worth owning a home? plus gas costs? plus the frustration of having an insane commute? plus having nothing to do in your area?

the fundamental concept of this debate/argument is that everyone wants different things. Maybe I want to live in the mountains? Maybe I hate suburbia or hate the city? Maybe I want a big peice of quiet property?
To someone like that, the commute is worth it.

Obviously, if you love the city you will hate living out west.
If you love the country you will hate living in the city.

but your workplace is not as easily selectable as your living place, so your commute bridges the gap.

which is why for example, RJ telling me that living in the city for the rest of my life is just great doesnt make any sense.

[.RJ]

If you can afford a townhouse in a big city, it's either going to be REALLY expensive or REALLY shitty.

I hate misconceptions about property prices. Do some research... this took 30 seconds. There's ritzy areas in DC that will cost you $1+ mil to buy, just like there are in the 'burbs too.

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None of those places are particularly cheap in the grand scheme, but the prices are comparable to arlington/fairfax county. You give up parking and space but do you really need a 3000 sq foot pad?

Plus, I like being able to walk outside at night and go for a walk or something without having to worry about being mugged or shot at.

I've spent quite a bit of time in DC, seeing as how I've grown up here - including some seedy spots from time to time when I was less smart. Never been mugged/shot/etc and never once felt like I was in some sort of danger. But I've been held up at gunpoint twice in the middle of vienna - cookie cutter suburbia. Go figure.

[.RJ]

which is why for example, RJ telling me that living in the city for the rest of my life is just great doesnt make any sense.

If thats not what you want to do, then dont do it - but your fantasy land comment was a bit 'mikey rules' (i.e., i dont think its a good idea so its bad for everyone).

[HAULN-SS]

See, when I filled out that chart, I come out on the plus side by the end of 1.9 years. This is not counting that the house appraised well over purchase price already. Also - you had in half a million for the house on there, which i agree is an OK price for a house around the beltway, but I don't know if any one of us can afford that on a single income. If i can more than break even for the next few years, and let housing market around DC correct even more..maybe i'll buy my next house a lot closer in, all the while having "saved" the money in my house which I get back when I sell.

[HAULN-SS]

oh, derrick, don't try to pull the "i'm making so much money by buying a house" angle.



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You know what the rent investment looks like? --- <-something like that, right along the X axis

[.RJ]

Also - you had in half a million for the house on there, which i agree is an OK price for a house around the beltway, but I don't know if any one of us can afford that on a single income.

You cant. And you cant do it with 2 incomes unless you're rolling equity in from another house. The market is much tougher to get 'in' than 5+ years ago on one income. Realistically, I cant afford a place over $300k, which rules out everything with a reasonable commute, and I refuse to do that.

I think that buying a house is a poor financial investment in a fairly flat market - but thats not why I'd buy.

[HAULN-SS]

Right, that's my point. I can't buy around here on one income, so I sacrifice 2 hours of my day driving. I would probably still do that even if I COULD afford half a mil mortgage, because to me saving the money is worth more than saving the time. If i bought the same house around here, it'd probably cost 300k more. Also - for hours, i'd call it more like 3 * 200 = 600 hours. 600 hours times say...4 years that I stay there. = 2400 hours. So basically keeping the math simple, I'm paying myself 125$/hour to make the drive. Not including equity being built into the house.