Home Ownership and The American Dream

While writing this post I found an amazing mid-century art blog that depicted nicely The American Dream that was planted in my head throughout childhood. copyright Sally Edelstein

I'm writing today only because I don't feel like writing.  This is the first week that I've been distracted and unmotivated to the point where I didn't think I would post anything... but it's way too early in the new year to flake on this goal of putting something out there about my life on a weekly basis.  It's been really exhilarating brainstorming ideas and putting them on paper.  A large percentage of what I come up with will never see the light of day, and that to me is the best part. Since I started this process for a goal in 2016 I feel that my mind is fresh and ideas and hopes are pouring out of me.  This week though I just don't want to write.  Therefore I'm going to word vomit for an hour and do more of what I originally intended with this blog... put my thoughts on paper... feelings and recaps of what's currently happening in order to leave the door open for conversation I'm willing to engage in with whoever is actually reading this stuff.

Over the past couple years my parents have gone through a separation and are now officially divorced.  The timing almost identically lined up with when I moved to California, which on a personal note felt a bit odd at the time.  But it is what it is, as they say.  Well, last week my mom, or parents, or however it works, signed a purchase agreement to sell the house I grew up in.  I'm still figuring out how I feel about that.  In truth I've spent less time living in that house than years I have lived other places combined (I lived there from 4th-12th grade).  Eight years full-time and also bits of some summers... but they were obviously some of the most formative years of my life.  The house on Elm St. was full of the best memories.  I was a fortunate kid with an amazing childhood.  My family does not (did not) have what I would now consider wealth in the financial sense but I surely never felt that way growing up.  I was admittedly spoiled, but based on feedback I get from people I meet nowadays I was raised the right way whatever that means.  I suppose this is the point in time when I should thank my parents.  I did what I wanted, had verbal freedoms that now seem shocking (but allowed me to be a free-thinker and ask questions) and I felt loved.  Not so bad, thanks mom and dad.  So yeah, those good feelings are being sold.  Loss and change have become welcomed events in my life as I realize that when approached with an open mind they can synthesize great growth in life.  The house is not the home to my good memories, they happened there, that's all.  Time to move forward.

**Disclaimer, I had finished another significant portion of writing below this and was about to post... and my computer crashed and only the first half of this post was saved (and some major edits of the first part)... so this is the abbreviated, less refined version.  My apologies for the brevity but I'm a little angry about the whole situation**

On the subject of homes:  Owning a home, staying somewhere for a long time and building family and memories the american way... living the "American Dream" is a topic that comes up from time to out here from people in the middle class (if "middle class" even exists out here).  A few of my coupled-off colleagues own homes.  All have dual incomes of... a lot of money... and none live close to work.  Since it's come up recently I wondered, "what would it take for me to buy a home out here (one not located in Compton or South Central)?" and would it be worth diligently saving for?  According to this article one needs a salary of $95,000 in order to purchase a median priced home in LA, which is $482,000 (I've seen figures indicating closer to $570k).  This stat also assumes a 20% down payment!  Think about how long that would take if you are also trying to save for retirement and have some sort of social life.  After reading this I did a basic search for 3 bedroom homes in what I thought were questionable places to live that maybe I could afford.  Here is a 3 bed, 1 bath home in a neighborhood that I would not feel safe in listed for $529k and would be a 1 hour commute.  Yeah... NOPE.  I then performed a search of homes for sale within a 30 minute drive from where I work and I found 2... TWO!  Both of these listings were 2 bedroom condos costing more than $650k.  Looks like I'm not buying anytime soon.

In Minneapolis proper, which as you know being Minnesotan is much more expensive than the burbs, the median home price is $223k and requires a $50,000 salary according to the experts.  I am using Minneapolis proper instead of 30 minute commute cities like Plymouth or Maplewood so I don't skew the comparison too much.  When you put the numbers down on paper it is absolutely crazy to look at cities like LA, San Fran, San Diego, and New York.  In order to purchase a home in these places you either need a massive salary or an inheritance.  It's just the sad reality.

So the current question then, is do I care about the "American Dream?"  No I don't... not at all.  Until someone asks me about home ownership or other materialistic things I don't care.  If I don't care until someone else imposes the thought on me it can't be that important to my personal happiness.  In that way I feel that Corporate America really controls what we consider happiness more than we'd like to think.  If we are not aware of what messages we are being fed it's very easy to water the seed.  So many of our ideals and things we've been told to pursue or obtain so we will be "happy" are just planted ideas to make others rich.  We are all suckers at some level and one truly American value is consumerism and the belief in upward mobility of the middle-class.  Corporations have long taken advantage of that in advertising and firmly planted this idea in our culture Post World War II.  Evaluating how I have felt over the years in different living situations, and having been a home owner, I feel as though home-ownership may be one of those planted ideas.  If you have the means to own a home and want one... then do it.  Purchasing a home, if you've done your due diligence, is likely better for your finances.  Just don't believe purchasing one will lead you to happiness or stability.  If you can't afford to buy a house, cool.  Think about how much stress you are saving yourself by not having to worry about fixing a roof after a hailstorm or leaks in the foundation.  There are pro's and con's to every situation, bask in both.  Most importantly, remember that when you die none of this stuff really matters.  So to that end, I'm just happy milking my 400 square foot studio apartment for all $1200/month that it's worth...

"...it's called the American Dream because you have to be asleep to believe it."

-George Carlin

**warning: vulgar language**