Gov’t establishes task force to tackle housing crisis

| 04/04/2022 | 105 Comments

(CNS): The government has created an inter-ministerial task force to access and address the housing crisis in the Cayman Islands. Premier Wayne Panton, Finance Minister Chris Saunders, Social Affairs Minister André Ebanks, Housing Minister Jay Ebanks, Education Minister Juliana O’Connor-Connolly and Tourism Minister Kenneth Bryan will be working together on the issue, according to a summary of the Cabinet meeting on Little Cayman last month.

No other details were revealed about the aims of the task force, though government ministers have all raised concerns about the numerous problems surrounding housing for local people.

Property prices are now prohibitively high and families with both parents working are struggling to get on the property ladder, pay existing mortgages or move up to larger homes. Families on lower incomes who can only dream of owning their own home are now struggling to find affordable rents.

The significant increase in foreign and absentee owners of local real estate and the gentrification of residential communities from West Bay to East End is leaving Caymanians homeless, while dozens of condos sit empty as overseas investors sit on property portfolios purely for profit.

Last month Minister André Ebanks revealed that the government was working in partnership with the R3 Foundation which was founded by Dart and had provided CI$1.5 million from the budget for the charity to repair the dilapidated housing that so many families are living in.

Meanwhile, as the National Housing Development Trust embarks on a brand new project in North Side, the board is distracted by a scandal over the removal of fill and topsoil from the site, which appears to have benefited the board chair’s family and is now under a formal investigation.

At the meeting on Little Cayman, Cabinet also approved the issuance of a coastal works licence to remove an existing concrete dock offshore on Block 48C Parcel 269 in Pease Bay, Bodden Town, but refused a permit to construct a breakwater off parcel 186 in the same area.

The meeting summary also revealed the approval to sell crown land in the Lime Tee Bay area of West Bay, namely Block 11D Parcels 92 and 94, which are zoned Neighbourhood Commercial and Low Density Residential. No reasons for the proposed sale were given.

Meanwhile, despite the premier’s desire to diversify board membership and introduce new faces, following the resignation of James Gill from the Water Authority Board, Cabinet approved the appointment of former politician Mark Scotland, who is a member of the National Conservation Law Review Committee, in his place.

See the Cabinet Post Meeting Summaries here.


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Comments (105)

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  1. Anonymous says:

    Canada’s federal government announced on Thursday plans to ban foreigners from purchasing homes in Canada for two years in an effort to lower surging home prices within the North American country, the BBC recently reported.
    In addition to banning foreigners from buying homes within Canada for 24 months, the newly announced budget proposal allocates billions of dollars “to spur new construction and proposes new programmes, such as a tax-free savings account for first-time buyers,” according to the BBC.

    “The proposed ban on foreign buyers would exempt permanent residents and foreign students and workers, as well as those buying their primary residence,” the British broadcaster relayed.

    “The proposal builds on actions such as special taxes that some parts of Canada have already taken against non-local and foreign buyers,” according to the BBC.

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  2. Anonymous says:

    What happened to the Dr Frank houses?

  3. Anon. says:

    So what exactly is this task force going to do? Come up with ways to kill the booming real estate market so that Caymanians can afford to buy homes? Are they going to build more low income homes?

    How about this CIG. Why not IMPROVE PUBLIC EDUCATION so that even the most underprivileged members of our society have a shot at higher education, which will lead to a lucrative career which will allow them to AFFORD to buy property here in their own country. We have something that every country on earth would kill to have. A booming real estate market. Rather than take a defeatist mentality by saying “let’s lower things so our people can afford more”, why not LIFT OUR PEOPLE UP so that they can afford more??

    All of these focus groups and committees and task forces are a waste of resources. Improve public education. Period.

    2
    2
    • Anonymous says:

      Lifting people up through education works, of course. But only in conjunction with suitable employment. I invite everyone to try a thought experiment:

      a) List out 5 ‘middle class jobs’ that don’t require a college degree but that people used to be able to do and expect to afford a house (and two kids and a dog) by the time they were lets say 40.
      b) Get the current average monthly salary for those jobs.
      c) Subtract your mortgage, other monthly expenses, and ‘kid costs’ (for the two kids; even in public school there are still costs).
      d) Now do those 5 ‘middle class’ jobs still pay for a ‘middle class’ lifestyle in the Cayman Islands?
      e) If you have both parents working then remember to add in child care costs as well.

      I know the OP suggested that the solution is that we expect that only people with a college education will be able to afford a ‘middle class’ lifestyle in the Cayman Islands these days (and in the immediate future). If you agree with that feel free to repeat the above experiment with 5 college degree jobs. You’ll get a similar result. (Slightly more jobs that pass the middle class threshold, but not all. And only barely in some cases, so hope the dog doesn’t need to go to the vet.)

      The problem is not an inability to get ‘decent’ jobs. The problem is the disparity between what those jobs pay and the lifestyle we think those workers should be able to afford.

    • Anonymous says:

      I agree but how? We already spend more per pupil than every country on earth except one and on average 66% more on our public education than private schools cost. Education budget is $384m over 2022 and 2023!

      • Anonymous says:

        The issue isn’t the amount of money, it is how the money is spent. I teach at a government high school – every year we are given a budget to order resources, every year hardly any of it arrives. But the money is gone! This must be a pool of many 1000s of dollars each year spread across schools.
        Salaries being paid to support staff who don’t turn up, or do and are completely useless (people who should have been retired years ago and literally can’t even stay awake through lessons).
        Exorbitant salaries to the many useless people in the ministry who are never available when you need to get hold of them and frequently make huge errors.
        I could continue

      • Anon. says:

        The “how” is to spend the money on the actual education and stop putting 100s of millions of dollars in brick and mortar schools. Has the 100 million dollars invested into the Clifton Hunter High School resulted in more Caymanian kids qualifying for university? No. It hasn’t. That money was wasted.

        • Anonymous says:

          Well one of the lovely contractors has a beautiful catamaran, jaguar and lovely home. So the money wasn’t wasted

  4. Anonymous says:

    It’s not rocket science.

    If the government ties property ownership to obtain Caymanian status the prices will go up.

    If the government stays addicted to work permits and has to increase the population to stay afloat, then the prices will go up.

    If the government continues to squander and misspend (is that a word? You know what I mean) public funds from work permits and duties, then they will continue to need more work permits and duties to keep up the squandering….. THE PRICES WILL GO UP!

    There are other nations that limit foreign purchase of residential land/properties. Considering we are a small island, with no new land to be found/made, at what point do we consider bold and maybe unpopular decisions for the greater good? History 50 years from now will look back and most likely show how greedy and ridiculous this situation is.

    But the real and bigger issue is those that CAN impact change, the likes of well established business leaders that are actually calling the shots (not the elected officials in a government system that doesn’t work), are only concerned of themselves. The notion that survival of the fittest should rule will have impact to the wider society in the future. We are actually in the middle of the train wreck.

    It is really sad for the future generations.

  5. Anonymous says:

    I’m glad the government is trying to look into housing but please make sure it for Caymanians (born Caymanians). These Islands is over sold to too many people coming here and buying property to obtain PR and go on to becoming status holders (Caymanians) but they don’t have any liking for real Caymanians. The government needs to revisit the law that withdraw the 8 year policy for people to apply for PR. People should not be allowed to come here get a work permit for 6minths and then get a mortgage to apply just to apply for PR. They need to let people work at least for 15 years and if they wish to apply then that is ample time. PACT Government please change this as soon as possible please! Walking a dog or delivering of food or join a club should not be in any point system to get credit for PR.

    • Anonymous says:

      Do t you have to spend $2 million to get PR? If that is the housing price issue for Caymanians, then there really isn’t an issue is there? I would think we need affordable housing for Caymanians. But the Caymanian contractors are not willing to build a $300 thousand home. Can’t steal enough in that price point!

  6. Anonymous says:

    As Aunt Sookie would say ” mi daliin chile ” sounds like you will have fun but at that rate you will never get a house.

  7. Anonymous says:

    ‘Pact-ese’ is a difficult language but translating the substance from ‘PACT-ese would appear to produce something like:

    ‘We would like to announce a nice little scheme.

    Government will buy land from any of PACT’s family and friends who have or can acquire land that can be sold to government at hugely inflated prices, provided of course that the profit from such sales to government can find its way into relevant pockets?

    We will buy votes by turning the above described land into building lots that will be available to family and friends and those whose loyalty is for sale. The people allowed to acquire the lots will be allowed to sell the lots for profit if they want, thereby creating another shortage and another round of acquisition, profit for all (family and friends) and vote buying.

    • watcher says:

      Don’t forget that most of the lot acquisitions will be by high interest loans, of which — due to increasing inflation — many will default on, and thus the lots get resold.

      …….same as the old boss.

  8. Anonymous says:

    One thing is certain. CIG should not be in the business of building affordable housing. How many examples of failure do we need?

    • Anonymous says:

      cig fails at everything it does. we are only economically afloat due to dart and the economy being awash with expat/overseas cash

    • Anonymous says:

      2:17, who else is going to do it then? Which developer?

      • Anonymous says:

        Here is your answer 8:09. Private developers can be manipulated by density bonuses that are controlled by government. Good policy can affect positive change.

  9. Anonymous says:

    How to make sure nothing happens in government. Appoint a task force.

    Need to make doubly sure. Stack it with people who shouldn’t be on it. Like the Minister of Tourism and Education.

    Mission accomplished.

    • Anonymous says:

      You are so correct! They are coming out with all of these headlines pretending that they are doing something. This PACT is is so overloaded with buffoons running around like headless chickens. We are sure in a hot mess.

    • Anonymous says:

      No Bobo; you failed to mention a couple of key points;

      i. once the TF is appointed they have to appoint a Consultant who in turn must provide a USD$2.5M report;
      ii. TF shelves the Consultant Report;

      TF is then successful in the eyes of Govt.

  10. Anonymous says:

    Abolish parasitic CIREBA price fixing.

  11. Anonymous says:

    How can crown land be sold without being advertised? Seems underhanded.

  12. Anonymous says:

    Still no freaking weather radar. It’s been months. Why would anyone think a task force could fix the housing market when nobody can fix the easy stuff.

  13. Anonymous says:

    A free market economy driven by supply and demand. What exactly can this task force accomplish?

  14. Anonymous says:

    “The cost to build then is almost 150% less than it is now.”

    Bargain! You’re in audit huh?

  15. Anonymous says:

    Good God another task force to study what is obvious to anyone with half a brain. Over development!!!!

    • Anonymous says:

      House prices are too high because we’re building too many? I’m afraid basic economics is beyond your half a brain!

      • Anonymous says:

        Stop and think for a moment. Where are the 10,000 construction workers we have brought in to sate the appetite of construction for wealthy foreign investors, living?

  16. Anonymous says:

    I agree with other posters who have noted that unaffordable housing is a problem in many countries and not unique to Cayman. Hopefully rising interest rates will cool the market a little bit in terms of people buying investment properties, but unfortunately won’t stop rich people buying properties for cash. The looming recession will also possibly put the brakes on some of these crazy trends.

    There are multiple factors at play here:

    1. Requiring WP holders to buy property in order to obtain PR – this introduces a bunch of purchasers of property each year that might have otherwise been content to be renters.

    2. The “global citizen” program and PR by investment – the number of rich people moving here and spending CI1M or 2M on residential real estate is not insignificant – this also has the effect of pushing prices up and motivating developers to develop projects to target these purchasers instead of the more reasonable 400K – 800k market which is attainable for middle class (read, government employee) families with 2 working members.

    3. Big developments should not be approved without a commitment from developers to develop a proportion of low-cost housing.

  17. Anonymous says:

    If you want to guarantee that nothing will change, put those six on the task force.

  18. Anonymous says:

    Just wait 6 months, there will be plenty of foreclosures when interest rates are 2% higher than they are now. Trouble with equating empty investment properties with a housing crisis is you can’t expect a local family to buy a SMB condo, or that by having a foreign owner that they are displacing a local family.

    • Anonymous says:

      Wait until 1,000 two bed condos get finished in the next 6 months. Then the construction workers that built them leave. Then the landlords in Bodden town will be complaining their units are empty. Building more cheap sprawl in areas prone to flooding and not served by effective public transport miles from workplaces is NOT the answer.

      • Anonymous says:

        Disagree – judging by the insane interest in AirBnBs and the amount of money people with these units are raking in, assuming that covid restrictions are actually over, all the SMB condos will be used for vacation rentals and expat workers and well-to-do Caymanians will rent the condos in WB, South Sound and Grand Harbour

      • Anonymous says:

        Just wait for a few more mass shootings/ crime to hit certain areas and foreign investors will be leaving quicker than they can say goodbye.

    • Anonymous says:

      interest rate hikes have never had an impact on cayman property market.
      cayman market is being driven by forces that are oblivious to minor interest rate adjustments.

    • Anonymous says:

      This isn’t American in the 2000s – people buying these properties can afford slightly higher mortgage payments. Banks here aren’t giving huge loans to borderline customers.

      What’s not affordable is a pint of strawberries at Kirks.

  19. Anonymous says:

    Tax expacts problem solves

  20. Anonymous says:

    Time to establish the Caymanian Workers Union.

    UDP’s Mac and PPM’s Alden ully control the current PACT government.

    this is further confirmed by the political affiliations of the recycllng of board members.

    There has been nochange of government.

    In the past 20 years all decisions are being made by the same decision makers, with a few new faces implementing those decisions.

    Why did we even bother to votelast year?

    What we got is what we always had,

  21. Anonymous says:

    forget housing crisis…. the bigger issue is the looming rental crisis about to hit cayman in the next 12 months…
    what do you think will happen when possibly 15-20% of rental units switch over to air-b-n-b type arrangments???
    cayman will literally become unliveable and unaffordable for many….plus throw in the traffic crisis….
    thank you for your forsight cig!….but then again what do you expect from cayman governments who for 30 years have thrown their trash in a big pile on the other side of smb?????

  22. Anonymous says:

    Too late. The ship has sailed. The land of luxury real estate is open for business and it never closes!

    No time for losers. All time for maximizing returns on investment properties.

    $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

  23. Anonymous says:

    i have worked in property for 30 years….cayman’s property boom has exceeded anything i’ve seen before.
    scary situation considering the precarious nature of world economy…..
    lucky no-plan-pact are putting thier best people on it…..zzzzzzzzzzzzz

  24. Anonymous says:

    when there is no two bedroom homes/condos available in gt for under CI$400k…you have a problem/crisis that cannot be solved wihtout doing more damage than good.
    another fine mess by cig.
    shame on the media outlets here who get their property market ‘updates’ from realtors, who are only ever interested in their commision.
    shame on the property consultancy firms here who cannot give basic stats and figures with their ‘yearly market reviews’
    shame on the local rics chapter who have stood silently by while watching this crisis unfold

  25. Anonymous says:

    denctralise cig to eastern districts asap.
    this will solve traffic crisis.
    developers will be able to build affordable developments out east too.
    win-win-win.

    • Anonymous says:

      No. Lose lose lose. Win win win would be when you have mixed use developments in George Town so people can live next to where they work and then there is no traffic at all. It is no mystery. It is exactly the basis for Camana Bay, and very historic town in Europe. More housing our East is the last thing we need.

    • Anonymous says:

      No. That is lose lose lose. Win win win is when you encourage mixed use development in central GT. Then people can live where they work. No traffic. No commute. It is called a town. Tens of thousands of places in Europe have done it successfully for hundreds of years. Camana Bay did not invent it.

      • Anonymous says:

        Agree re more mixed use in GT. But the OP is sort of suggesting that out east as well. CIG moves offices, the affordable private homes follow, mixed use out east. Hopefully you can both agree that encouraging more mixed use development in all districts is the solution so that people have to travel shorter distances (preferably by bicycle 🙂 to do their work & shopping, etc. (More small businesses distributed in these ‘walkable/livable towns’ is also a part of this.) As you say there are a lot of old and new examples particularly in Europe where people are working on ways to do this. And the Government can encourage this approach through variations in the stamp duty (especially for rental properties) and other fee variances.

        • Anonymous says:

          So long as we do not end up with people having to commute away from George Town to get to work!

  26. Anonymous says:

    cayman will soon become only viable for the super rich and low paid foreigners who live in cheap rented accomodation.
    middle income caymanians have no futre here…start looking elsewhere asap.
    sorry if the truth hurts

    • Anonymous says:

      I’m a Caymanian, who is not going anywhere, but this is very concerning.

      Caymanians’ opportunities (both in employment and in business) have been intercepted by (much of the time) non-Caymanians, who were failures in the own hometown, but who came to the Cayman Islands and who found success for the first time in their lives here.

      Caymanian leapfrogging by non-Caymanians needs to stop. It’s have significant socio-economic detrimental effects for present and future generations of Caymanians.

      • Anonymous says:

        Both Wayne and Alden are elitists with no clue about what regular Caymanians are going through.

        PPM and PACT are not much different at the end of the day.

        Neither seem to understand, care and get the job done.

        PPM has more narcissism, such as can be displayed by Alden.

        Neat comparison is the George W. Bush and Dick Chaney, where Wayne is Gorge W. and Saunders is Cheney.

        That being said, who is really pulling the strings behind the scenes. The invisible power players?

        Wag the dog. Lodge? Dart?

  27. Anonymous says:

    pass the popcorn…this should be a laugh….just look at the clowns on this ‘task force’. Not one of them has any real qualification or experience to deal with such an issue.
    Cayman property bubble is way past saving….the only thing that could help locals would be a huge international recession and property market collapse….but if that happens, everyone sinks…

  28. Anonymous says:

    Better hide the silverware.

  29. Anonymous says:

    I thought Gilbert McLean was chairman of the board of UCCI?

    CNS: You’re correct. Our bad.

  30. Anonymous says:

    Vote ppm in …they will make it worse…at least PACT trying address it! I have my lil piece of paradise…when developers want come buy my canal lot i ask um to politely leave..this here for my 3 children…

    • Anonymous says:

      You’re right. It’s not hard to say no. We can’t sell our land to developers then complain that it gets developed!

  31. Anonymous says:

    Task Force step 1: mandate that real estate commission changes be 1% for purchases below $499K and 2% for all purchases above.
    These “agents” add virtually nothing to the transaction yet insist buyers pay them 5/6/7% commission rates. Not sure why a seller would even use an “agent” in this age.

    • Anonymous says:

      That is true.

    • Anonymous says:

      You do realize that the commission payments are completely voluntary?
      The buyer pays no commission, it is the seller who pays the commission.

      • Anonymous says:

        Yeah and there’s certainly no way the seller just raises their asking price by 10% to accommodate the leeches, right? Get real.

      • Anonymous says:

        Are you really that naive????
        The “agent” encourages/convinces the seller to set a higher price so that the buyer actually pays the commission and prices continue to rise.
        Property sold directly will have a lower price as no “middle” person.

  32. Anonymous says:

    Board appointments- UDP only

    • Anonymous says:

      If I did not know better it would almost be possible to think that these appointments could generate Insider opportunities for ‘real estate consulting’, back hand commissions, top soil liberation, etc, etc,

  33. Anonymous says:

    Introduce a tax on foreign ownership and provide governmental housing as rental units.
    Money is never the issue.

  34. Anonymous says:

    What housing crisis? Just wait until interest rates start to climb, and 4,000 tourism workers get imported to do jobs the industry has refused to prepare Caymanians for. Then you will have a real problem. All foreseeable and foreseen.

    Meanwhile, keep importing poverty to keep Caymanians wages artificially low.

  35. Anonymous says:

    Sorry for the poor caymanian children who wount be able to get a house unless their parent had one to share .very sad cayman.

    • Anonymous says:

      This is a problem world-wide, not sure what the answer is, but if one saves for a very long time, it may be possible.
      There are things one can do without, such as the latest phone, drinking, brunches, eating out.

      • Anonymous says:

        So why is it the foreigners all seem to be able to enjoy those things and also own their own luxury condo with a beach view ? Something is missing here !!

        • Anonymous says:

          Yes. Lots is missing.

          How many siblings did those foreigners tend to have?

          Were they generally born into and raised in a stable family unit?

          What were the education systems that they benefited from?

          How many hours of competitive slog did they endure to get ahead?

          How long did they live with their parents, after age 18, to save up for a deposit on their first home?

          Was that home a stand alone with its own yard, or a tiny little apartment?

          When did they buy their first new car? What other luxury purchases did they forgo to have extra money to invest?

          How many children did they have, with how many other people?

          These things are how most of them did it. Caymanians can too. Our choice.

        • Anonymous says:

          To be fair, white collar expat workers come with a wealth of knowledge, experience and education. They demand a certain income and come with savings. Please remember that expats also have to pay school fees to enroll children into private schools, which Caymanians can send their kids to public schools for free. I know few expats at a mid level or blue collar who own a house here.

      • Anonymous says:

        LMAO.. If you think the 50 dollars I spent on food this month is the reason why I can’t afford a 450k home then you are delusion to the reality of this garbage financial system we live in. Housing prices are outpacing everyone’s raises and savings.

        You sound like a typical boomer. There is no saving “for a very long time” at this rate. Every year we save inflation hits us from every angle. Gone are the days you used to live in where you can put your money down and have it only lose 1 or 2% per year. We now have record high inflation, record low salary increases, record high bank fees, record low savings/CD interest rates.

        I don’t get why people like you fail to realize the world is not the same as it was 15 years ago, however I understand what you are saying. There are lot of us who go out and spend money unneccesarily… ALOT OF MONEY.. I get that, but I am someone who works in audit and I spent 50 dollars last month on the dinning out. I watch my spending VERY carefully and at this rate I will never be able to build on the land I purchased 1.5 years ago. The cost to build then is almost 150% less than it is now. Almost a 150% increase in construction costs in 2 years.

        Tell me, what should I cut out to make up for it? How long do I need to save in order to afford that, especially when the cost increases faster than any savings rate?

        You’re absolutely delusional.

        • Anonymous says:

          Live with your parents. Live with friends. Invest early, in partnership with others if needed to get on the ladder. Couch surf. Hold off on starting a family. Work overtime. This may all be a shock to you but is what Londoners and Vancouverites have faced for 30 years. While you sit complaining it is just going to get worse.

          • Anonymous says:

            Lets agree that the problems are not unique to Cayman. And that being parsimonious can still result in enough savings (when combined with a good job) to get onto the property ladder and that said ladder may now have to be more multi-generational than it was.

            But all of that, whether in London, Vancouver or the Cayman Islands, begs the question: is it acceptable? Should there be a better socioeconomic system?

            The problem with your answer is that it accepts what appears to be a broken system as being unfixable. At what point will the broken system fail completely and what will that dystopia look like? If we want to avoid that perhaps we should try to fix the systems now as we see them breaking? Which is all the ‘complainers’ are asking for. A better macroeconomic system/situation.

        • Anonymous says:

          The cost to build then is almost 150% less than it is now. – That’s some creative accounting, I like it LOL

        • Anonymous says:

          ok so, yes you’re right that the “boomer” argument about saving a buck here and there will eventually let you buy a house is a bit of a nonstarter here in Cayman.

          However, you’re not right either. Look at what it really costs for example to go to a bar. Let’s say pretty easily its $50 each time you, and let’s say you’re young and enjoying life and go once per week. That’s $200 CI per month= $2400 per year. In 10 years that’s $24000 and would amount to a huge portion of a down payment. I’m 37 years old, have always made good money and financial decisions but it still took my from 22 until 34 to have all my ducks in a row to buy a home.

          That $24k is assuming 0% interest btw. Add on top of that the cost for example of just eating lunch out; that could be $10/day=$50/week=$2600 per year and again $26,000 in a decade (again with zero interest).

          Now of course there is inflation and you’re chasing a market that is running away as well so it’s not easy and there aren’t a lot of easy solutions. But some people make it sound like home ownership should just be a simple easy thing that everyone can have. A home is by far the most expensive thing you’ll ever own and they are by definition hard to save for, hard to qualify for the loans, and generally not an easy thing to do. That’s why it used to be everyone’s “dream” to one day own a home.

          Someone I know foolishly borrowed money for a flashy car and that loan reduces his home buying capacity by almost 100k due to the debt service requirements. You have to be smart with your money and save and invest for a LONG time to see these things add up. You have to grow your income for a LONG time until it outpaces your cost of living. It took me a very long time to do but I did.

          You can’t look at these kids on youtube who own 15 houses because they firstly own them in crappy markets where homes are a dime per dozen and secondly usually have family who funded these operations.

          Anyone anywhere who tells you home ownership is easy, or granted, or a right that everyone should just have at the click of a button is wrong.

          Keep working and you’ll get there.

        • Anonymous says:

          I’m curious what do you do in “audit”? Not to be an ass but you’re displaying a poor understanding of how the land purchase and build timeline works. Most banks will not lend on construction without the land being free of a mortgage. So most people finance the land and pay it off over ten years, during which they save and invest for the rest of the funds required to get the construction loan on the home. The last two years have been the weirdest in 100years due to Covid and now Russia. Basing your long term financial picture on that snapshot is foolish.

        • Anonymous says:

          Shame, with that attitude you will NEVER get there.
          I get it, life is for living, set your priorities. Let’s be honest, there will be some people who will NEVER own a home and maybe they shouldn’t. Owning a home is EXPENSIVE, it’s not just to save enough to get a mortgage, there are endless bills and things break and need repair and maintenance. EVERY. SINGLE. WEEK.
          Not sure it’s worth it for me, I have a great landlord who keeps the rent reasonable and is very proactive with repairs and maintenance. I’ll happily make my rental home until I no longer want to live there and I’ll just leave knowing, I don’t have to pay some realtor an obscene commission for essentially opening the door to my home and knowing that I had fun in the bars and my stomach is full of delicious food that someone else prepared for me. THOSE are my priorities at the moment and when and if they change, then I’ll stop and save as much as I can and work additional jobs if I need to to get there.

      • Anonymous says:

        Please add going to the hair/salon every week! It all adds up.

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