Everyone has a housing story. Whether you’ve told it to many people or you’ve kept it private, there is likely a story about where you live now and how you got there. Maybe it’s a feel good story that you are proud of or maybe it’s one you rather wouldn’t share. If you want your story to be heard, we are listening. Please share your housing story in the comments below.
I have lived in so many states all my life. From north to south, middle part of this country. I have never ever encounter rental to be this high for so little space! Absolutely highway robbery!! Btw, I even lived in NYC!! But bham and surrouding area are out of freakong control. Unless, you have to have two full income and over combined of$100,000 to somewhat not struggling and no even a decent size house, maybe 800 square foot only.
My husband and I had been living in a two bedroom apartment near Western for 7 years. We moved there when I was attending Western but stayed after I graduated as moving was not affordable for us at the time. Our rent had increased over $300 in the time we spent there. In 2015 we were paying around $950 for our apartment and it was not in good condition. We had a window that water would pour in from, a heater vent that would get too hot, holes in the drywall from previous tenants, and other minor issues. We had begun fostering and had an infant in our care and I had just found out I was pregnant. We knew we wouldn’t fit well in our apartment for much longer and we could now afford to move. In our search we realized that a mortgage was going to be similar to rent prices we were seeing around town. We started our home search and felt extremely lucky to find a house that fit our needs quickly, we made an offer and it was accepted. The house had only been on the market for about a week. Today we are so thankful to have purchased our home when we did as we have seen houses sell on our street within days of listing for $70,000-$100,000 more than what we paid. We were able to adopt the infant we had when we moved and now our two children have room to grow and play in our home. I worry though for our friends and family that may not be able to buy a home in Bellingham because of the rapidly rising prices and the lack of jobs that pay enough to support a mortgage.