Re: Low cost housing
From: dahako (dahakoaol.com)
Date: Wed, 14 May 2008 15:25:45 -0700 (PDT)
Hi-

The data is mixed on whether a small house in a neighborhood pulls down 
property resale values for the big house, all prejudice aside. Neighborhood 
amenities and location desirability can swamp out any effects, as can the 
overall look and feel of the neighborhood (are all the home attractively and 
appropriately set). Another big factor in the US is the quality of area schools 
and the prevalence of violent crime.

My experience of people who worry about what the small house next door wil do 
to their property values is that they are usually worrying about the safety of 
a major investment and they need some understanding and intelligent reassurance 
that there are lots of places where homes hold their values despite their 
little neighbors.

Jessie Handforth Kome
Eastern Village Cohousing
Silcer Spring, MD

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

-----Original Message-----
From: Brian Bartholomew <bb [at] stat.ufl.edu>

Date: Wed, 14 May 2008 14:13:29 
To:Cohousing-L <cohousing-l [at] cohousing.org>
Subject: Re: [C-L]_ Low cost housing



| 'I'm not investing $XXXK over YY years to live next to a Katrina
| cottage.'

> This is why I think low cost cohousing has to be built with the
> whole community as low cost housing because in the end it affects
> resale values to have a $350,000 house next to a $60,000 house, no
> matter how nice it is.

Why would a lower priced house affect resale values?  Oh.  One of
*them* moved in.  There goes the neighborhood.  Have you see the
organic gardening cohouser at the end of the block?  I heard they're
building a straw bale house.  Ewwww!!  Quick, call the sheriff to run
them off.  We don't want their kind here.

The goal of laws which ban low-cost housing is to prevent *them* from
moving in.  Zoning is a violation of civil rights, both in intent and
in practical effect.  The phrase "affects resale values" admits there
is prejudice in society.  We shouldn't enshrine prejudice in law.

-----

> Since most people who buy homes that expensive are also carrying
> huge mortgages. They can't afford a home that is worth less than the
> mortgage, even if the bank loans them money for it in the first place.

Everyone involved is an adult.  Homeowners are at liberty to buy a
loan with a high debt to income ratio, and they are free to lose their
equity if they can't make the payments.

                            Brian
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