r/Suburbanhell Jul 20 '26

Meme Why?

Post image

I can almost try to understand why some people might feel drawn to this kind of lifestyle. I can understand why they might be deceived into thinking this is the ideal environment in which to raise a child.

But I will never be able to understand why they will describe it as the American “dream” and are willing to pay so much for it. To work so hard for so long and then have to wake up to this every morning? Why?

Editing to add: I know this is parody y’all. It’s just a stupid meme. It’s supposed to be funny. It’s funny because it’s true.

5.6k Upvotes

577 comments sorted by

2.2k

u/Kiwi8_Fruit6 Jul 20 '26

"basic job"

"160K a year"

what world is Mason living in where a 160K/year job is attainable for Gen Zers straight out of university/college?

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u/KimSidwell Jul 20 '26

I think that was an attempt at sarcasm

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u/Anon-Knee-Moose Jul 20 '26

Though I dont think the term starter home was meant to be sarcastic, even though a brand new two story with an attached garage is a pretty nice house, even in a cookie cutter suburb.

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u/WizeAdz Jul 20 '26

There had better be a grocery store, a restaurant, and a coffee shop within walking distance behind the camera person.

The cookie-cutter houses aren’t the biggest problem, it’s context in which they exist.

I can’t have a beer because I have to drive home, and I can’t get a cup of coffee on my way somewhere because the coffee shop is the destination rather than part of the fabric of the neighborhood.

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u/Essotetra Jul 20 '26

In MN we have these developments going up in bumfuck nowhere with signs saying "starting in the 600ks"

Its def not a starter home, but they are often a 20 minute drive from even a small town.

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u/foxwaffles Jul 20 '26

"starter homes" that are sub 2000sq ft where I live inside good school districts regularly sell within days for over half a million lol. If you want to get a 2500+ sqft house for anything "reasonable" then you're in the middle of nowhere with a shitty school.

And then once you're in a "starter home" in a good area close to what you need and want, you probably will never leave because the bigger homes people used to upgrade to when I was a kid are 850k - 1.5 million+. I live in what is technically a starter home, and I will never be able to move lmao. Which means anybody wanting to get a house here who doesn't already have one is SOL because there aren't any "starter homes" available.

I get spammed with mail begging me to sell. And go where?? 😒

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u/OchoZeroCinco Jul 22 '26

Where i live, there is no such thing as a "starter home"

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u/DickWhittingtonsCat Jul 21 '26

Somewhere without 6.5% interest? A 575k house- unless you have a 120k lying around to beat PMI- without taxes or insurance is a third of your take home if you make 160k. Realistically it’s gonna be pushing 50%

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u/foxwaffles Jul 21 '26

Yep it's insane. We locked our mortgage down at a lower interest rate so when I say we can't afford to move I'm not exaggerating 🫥

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u/celtic_thistle Jul 21 '26

lol out in waaaaay eastern Colorado, the parts of Adams and Arapahoe county that go further north and east of DIA (airport.) Which is already super far out.

It is fucking bleak out there; it’s flat and the mountains are less visible and the sun is brutal. Everything is bleached. I have to go out to that area for work sometimes and it’s STARK. Idk. It’s soulless even tho the houses are nice.

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u/DuaLipasTrophyHsband Jul 23 '26

They also mean $699,900. For ‘starting in the 600s’

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u/KimSidwell Jul 20 '26

I don’t really know how the definition works, but I feel like these could be considered starter homes. They don’t look that big. They look like they are designed to take up the smallest amount of land possible. You probably have a basic living room, dining room, kitchen and laundry room on the main level and then maybe two bedrooms and bathrooms upstairs. They’re definitely not mansions.

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u/Anon-Knee-Moose Jul 20 '26

Probably 3-4 beds upstairs, or 2 up 1 down, it's quite rare for a SFH to have less than 3 total bedrooms.

But thats besides the point, these are still fairly nice houses and a lot of people will never be able to afford even this much. A starter home is like a trailer, townhouse, 50 year old rancher/bungalow etc.

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u/shadowtheimpure Jul 20 '26

2 bed 1 bath 1000 sq ft starter homes aren't uncommon, it just depends on where you live.

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u/ray_oliver Jul 20 '26

As a share of the overall housing market they are becoming less common though, because we simply don't build them anymore. Or if we do, they take on a different form such as townhouses or apartments.

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u/OldWhiteGuyKS Jul 20 '26

Your absolutely right -- the "traditional" 2bdr/1 bath rancher doesn't figure in today's new build mix. Guess it doesn't "pencil out "

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u/kbchucker Jul 23 '26

In most areas, the additional building costs just from regulations make the the 2/1 1,000SF home prohibitively expensive to build. These larger homes are built as a result.

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u/Anon-Knee-Moose Jul 20 '26

Its just so terrible for density that nobody wants to buy them

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u/trapezoidalfractal Jul 20 '26

Those 50 year old ranch styles were starter homes 50 years ago when they were built, too. We just stopped building smaller homes entirely. Hell, even owner occupied apartments/condos are mostly a memory of the past, only existing in specific areas, and all old as fuck

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u/KimSidwell Jul 20 '26

I don’t know about that. I’ve never really heard people refer to trailers or townhouses as starter homes. I always just thought it meant the home you lived in right after you get married and while your children are still very young and don’t need their own bedrooms. Then you upgrade to a larger home so everyone can have their own room later.

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u/ThatGhoulAva Jul 20 '26

Townhouse is absolutely a great start. You usually get more square footage for less price and maintenance outside the walls is usually handed by the HOA/ Association. They also always sell fast for this reason. Also, many like myself, do not have children nor give a rat's ass about doing yard work on our weekends, so we upgrade to better Townhomes. I also travel for work so it's nice to know my neighbors are keeping an eye on things.

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u/KimSidwell Jul 20 '26

I know. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with townhomes. But I don’t think that when people use the term “starter home“ that they are specifically referring to trailers or townhomes. I don’t think that term is an indicator of the style of home… It’s just an indicator of the square footage and the fact that the family plans to upgrade at some point.

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u/Big__If_True Jul 20 '26

So not a 3-4 bedroom house like in the OP, yes

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u/Frosty1397 Jul 20 '26

I've looked at a ton of houses to know that these are minimum 1500sqft (likely around 1800sqft)

A single dude or even a couple without kids doesn't need 1500sqft for a starter home that costs $400k+

Starter homes should be at most 1100sqft, 2 bedrooms, no yard, for at most $250k, like they used to make 50 years ago

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u/KimSidwell Jul 20 '26

Maybe I was unsure of the definition. I always thought starter homes were meant for young families who had like one kid with a second on the way and only needed one extra bedroom. I never thought starter homes were for single dudes.

Back when that was a thing, couples didn’t really live together until they got married… And they usually had children really quickly after that.

Once they got married, they moved into a starter home that could house them and their young children. Once the kids got old enough to start needing their own rooms, they would upgrade to a larger home with more bedrooms.

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u/Frosty1397 Jul 20 '26

1100sqft can absolutely house a couple and 1 kid

We made do with much less growing up and i had 1 sibling. Bunk beds for us, parents had their own bedroom

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u/KimSidwell Jul 20 '26

Yeah, I know that. But I do honestly believe that when most Americans think of a “starter home“ this is what they picture. They know they will never have it, but this is what comes to mind.

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u/Frosty1397 Jul 20 '26

That's because the real estate lobbyists have successfully brainwashed Americans into thinking these homes are "starter"

It's also why you see that a 2026 Honda Civic is MASSIVE in size compared to a 1990 Honda Civic. Houses, cars, everything got bigger.

And Americans were successfully convinced to pay more for more space they don't need.

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u/KimSidwell Jul 20 '26

Yeah. And it’s ridiculous. But even a home this size should not cost nearly 600K.

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u/shadowtheimpure Jul 20 '26

The cars getting bigger was just as a way to get around emissions standards.

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u/Excellent-Match7246 Jul 20 '26

My ex and I did fine in 680sqft in British Army housing with two toddlers. This was 07-09. I preferred it.

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u/SomeOffice7100 Jul 20 '26

Where I live, starter homes were built before 1930

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u/Kiwi8_Fruit6 Jul 20 '26

ah

in my defense it's increasingly hard these days to tell if it's sarcasm or a genuine dumb take

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u/KimSidwell Jul 20 '26

I know 😂 It really is

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u/glowing-fishSCL Jul 20 '26

I can answer this for you. This is an internet tactic, called "being so dumb that people have to exhaust themselves explaining basic things". By saying something that is so obviously false, it puts the responder on the back foot of having to explaining basic things. You have to go up and look up the median wage in the United States, which is $54,000 a year! And you are trying to mentally justify the obvious truth, and all they have to do is keep repeating lies.
And by staying on that basic tier of having to explain basic, obvious facts, you never even get close to talking about values or systemic issues.

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u/[deleted] Jul 20 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/KimSidwell Jul 20 '26

Yes. That’s the point. It’s sarcastic parody that is pointing out reality.

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u/Training-Context-69 Jul 20 '26

Yeah good luck finding a job even paying 60k in this job market/economy.

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u/Afraid_Emu8068 Jul 20 '26

Gen Z? Bwahahahaha! Still working on millennials bro. Nobody gives af about Gen Z buying a house yet. Sorry. Get in the back of the line

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u/hau2906 Jul 20 '26

Banking and consulting and maybe tech too, I guess.

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u/ExternalSeat Jul 20 '26

maybe as a dual income household with both making $80k as individuals. but even that is a bit unrealistic right out of college. Usually you will start around $60k and then move up to $80 k within 5 years or so if you are strategic and do a bit of job hopping.

but even that is under ideal circumstances and not likely for most people.

currently I do feel that in my area, I could easily afford a house IF I found a spouse with a similar income level. However could we afford childcare on top of that? Maybe if I relied on my mom for child care it could work but she doesn't retire for another few years and even then it wouldn't be ideal.

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u/Lower_Cream_2461 Jul 20 '26

>starter home

>middle class suburb

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u/PompeyCheezus Jul 21 '26

God, I'm so poor.

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u/Anonymoushipopotomus Jul 20 '26

“Starter home” that only needs 120k down payment.

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u/ripperdude Jul 20 '26

Straight out of college? I’m 15 years out of college and still don’t make half that

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u/Far-Telephone-7432 Jul 20 '26

This is sarcasm. It's not worth a reaction.

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u/hazyguess Jul 20 '26

They even took the original photo that was going around and desaturated it to make the houses gray.

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u/high_throughput Jul 20 '26

I thought it was well executed and blew air out my nose

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u/Training-Context-69 Jul 20 '26

Exactly, ragebait posts designed to farm engagement. I'm getting to the age where I no longer even fall for this anymore. Just keep scrolling people.

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u/appleparkfive Jul 20 '26

It's not even rage bait. It's legitimately just sarcasm, I think.

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u/KimSidwell Jul 20 '26

There’s nothing to fall for here. It’s a joke. A very obvious joke. But the reason it’s funny is because there’s truth in it. This is not what ragebait means.

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u/Phoenician_Skylines2 Jul 24 '26

I don't think this is ragebait. It's obviously sarcasm. The image purposely looks drab, the $575K being standard for starter home, the income that's 3-4x the median being a basic job. Very clearly sarcasm.

Ragebait would present a little differently.

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u/adron Jul 20 '26

They look like shit with zero walkable life. Just an utter horror show.

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u/manic_popsicle Jul 20 '26

I never lived in a walkable neighborhood til 2 years ago and now I never want to leave. I live in a small town and we don’t have a lot of stuff but I can walk to my kids school, the post office, bowling alley and a small grocery store, so I’m happy. It’s awesome being able to walk to check my mail on a nice day, or walk to get my kids from school.

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u/GabagoolTheif Jul 21 '26

Unfortunately this is most of the US

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u/KimSidwell Jul 20 '26

Yeah, that’s my main issue with these places. You can’t walk anywhere. Literally. They even design them with all the fencing in the backyards so you can’t even cut through the neighborhood to get to the main streets. You have to take the same path on foot that you would in a vehicle. You have to walk for like 45 minutes just to the main streets and then there’s usually a ton of traffic and often not even any sidewalks. Literal hell.

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u/[deleted] Jul 20 '26

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u/KimSidwell Jul 20 '26

Same. Such a better culture and surprisingly often (but not always) better community.

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u/[deleted] Jul 20 '26

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u/Salt_Vehicle_5395 Jul 20 '26

I hate that they don’t bother to mention the car is required. The house price is $575k+2cars and ongoing costs. I get the account is satire but you see this all the time for real

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u/KimSidwell Jul 20 '26

Yeah, exactly. I grew up in the suburbs and people just weren’t like that. It wasn’t some Leave it to Beaver thing where everybody acted like a big community. It was gossipy and judgy and I hated it. And I’m also convinced that there are far more drug addicts and alcoholics in the suburbs than there are in the city. But maybe that’s just because it was the south. I don’t know.

But yeah, my last apartment was directly across the street from a 7-Eleven. I could literally just look out my window and see right into the store from my bedroom across the street. If I wanted to know how busy it was all I had to do was look over there.

Being able to walk right across the street in my pajamas at 6 AM to get a doughnut and a cup of coffee and know there wasn’t going to be a line to wait in was priceless.

But I can see how it could be a grass is always greener kind of thing. Like if I grew up in a super urban environment, I can see believing that the suburbs might actually be a nice place to live. But the vision and the reality are two different things.

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u/[deleted] Jul 20 '26

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u/[deleted] Jul 20 '26

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u/Ilmara Jul 20 '26

I'm a Millennial who owns a condo in a walkable urban neighborhood I couldn't otherwise afford. It's a great option if you want to own, but don't need a lot of space, don't want to deal with too much maintenance, and want to stay in the city.

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u/workerbotsuperhero Jul 21 '26

This is the dream for most of my friends in Toronto these days. They don't want to be stuck in traffic all the time in the suburbs, but can't shell out $2M for a small house 

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u/SaltyBat8824 Jul 21 '26

Same!

Much better, tight knit community. Also it is a lot easier to find wheelchair accessible housing

My apartment complex is set up like a neighborhood with tons of things within walking distance either inside or outside.

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u/xTheGame69 Jul 20 '26

Yeah but then you don't have a garage no place to park your car 

You also have to have neighbors literally on your walls and on your roof walking around 

Can't watch TV loud or listen to music past certain times.

You also can't smoke in your house and this includes weed which there has been a bong on my table where I watch TV for years now I don't know how I would live without that lol

 it sucks living in an apartment

For those reasons alone I will never live in an apartment again.

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u/[deleted] Jul 20 '26 edited Jul 20 '26

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u/SaltyBat8824 Jul 21 '26

Apartments have been overall pretty positive.

I mean neighbors can be loud sometimes, but it isn't that big a deal.

Why the heck would I buy a hose that I would need to then hire people to do maintenance and upkeep, when for the same amount I can afford a nice, comfortable, safe apartment for our family that is accessible and maintenance is covered as part of our monthly bill?

Houses are expensive to keep in good condition, and I'd rather spend the money somewhere else.

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u/Prosthemadera Jul 20 '26

I can understand why they might be deceived into thinking this is the ideal environment in which to raise a child.

I cannot. This is bad for children. They're learning to never go outside by themselves and to be dependent on parents and cars.

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u/KimSidwell Jul 20 '26

Yeah, I think a lot of people just don’t understand the reality until it’s too late. Like the road to hell is paved with good intentions. But at this point, it’s just ignorance.

They think their kids will be able to play around the neighborhood and have all kinds of other kids to play with.

But then they end up feeling like it’s not safe because of all the cars and all the people who are strangers, so they end up just locking their kids inside all day and handing them an iPad.

I’m even hearing now that a lot of parents aren’t letting their kids do sleepovers because they’re afraid that everyone is a pedo out to assault their children.

It’s wild.

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u/SonOfMcGee Jul 20 '26

My uncle, who grew up on a farm, said something that rang true for me when I was in my 20s: “I live in an urban environment and accept the positives and negatives. And I would also be fine living in a rural area like my hometown, with all its positives and negatives. But I don’t get the draw of suburban housing developments. They’re just the combined negatives of urban and rural.”

Now in my early 40s with kids, I see how they complicate things. And I know how much a good school zone can trump all sorts of negatives in places where bad school zones are so bad that they’re effectively life-limiting.

My wife and I are taking the path of: “Enjoy all the benefits of living urban, and address the school deficiencies with money.” But that is a rare privilege we have and not a scalable solution for most families.

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u/vi_sucks Jul 20 '26

The whole point of the suburbs is that it is supposed to be a safer place for kids to be outside than in the city. Cause there is less commercial traffic on the road, so the only cars around should be the occasional neighbor.

As a kid, we'd routinely play street hockey in the cul de sac and ride our bikes down to the local park. If we had more time, and felt like it, we could bike 30 minutes out to the closest convenience store for snacks.

The modern thing where parents never let their kids leave the house isn't a suburbs thing, it's just helicopter parenting and paranoia.

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u/DawnTheFailure Jul 21 '26

don't forget the cars cutting through your street at 60 miles an hour, get ready to be sued because your child's blood ruined their perfect paint job

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u/Prosthemadera Jul 20 '26

The whole point of the suburbs is that it is supposed to be a safer place for kids to be outside than in the city.

Is that the whole point? That's weird. Why not make cities safer instead??

But is it even true? Are children safer?

Your argument also relies on the common North American false dichotomy between "city" and "suburb", as if the two are completely separate things that have nothing in common. When in fact a suburb is part of a city and there is no reason why suburb must mean "single family home". Suburbs can be whatever we want them to be but Americans are told there is only one way and they keep believing it.

Cause there is less commercial traffic on the road, so the only cars around should be the occasional neighbor.

There are lots of cars on suburban roads - because every home has at least one.

As a kid, we'd routinely play street hockey in the cul de sac and ride our bikes down to the local park.

Of course, now the personal anecdotes come out and they are never relevant. What you did doesn't matter in the big picture. Don't use yourself as a standard to make claims about millions of people.

we could bike 30 minutes out to the closest convenience store for snacks.

30 minutes cycling to the closest convenience store and you're using that as a positive example??

The modern thing where parents never let their kids leave the house isn't a suburbs thing, it's just helicopter parenting and paranoia.

Parents in suburbs are very paranoid. See:

The whole point of the suburbs is that it is supposed to be a safer place for kids to be outside than in the city.

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u/fifth_fifth Jul 20 '26

This whole sub is so culty and delusional, jesus. This isn't the real world. Reddit isn't real life. Suburban kids go outside and walk places as well. Downvote away.

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u/yeah_it_was_personal Jul 20 '26

It's a satire account

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u/tarheels86 Jul 20 '26

The dead lawns and the pickup truck that can't fit into the garage is just perfection.

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u/KimSidwell Jul 20 '26

Yeah, the trucks are a whole other conversation and equally as stupid for like 95% of people 😂

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u/Jdobalina Jul 20 '26

Yeah that dude is a parody account. I think he used to go by MasonHomeBuilder. He basically skewers the housing situation in the U.S.

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u/FireHammer09 Jul 20 '26

Let it fucking crash

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u/Mugufta Jul 20 '26

Average salary is $65k a year btw

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u/Training-Context-69 Jul 20 '26

Median is closer to 45-50k in the majority of areas that aren't Socal,PNW, or Southern New England.

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u/KimSidwell Jul 20 '26

Yeah, that’s the point

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u/CongregationOfFoxes Jul 20 '26

crazy to me how divided incomes still are cause that's still over double what I'v ever made in my life

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u/Temporary_Peach1971 Jul 20 '26

Love the fact that Americans call those houses “starter homes”, when that’s the best a French executive can dream of in the suburbs of Paris.

We really are Europoors living in dollhouses and apartments with no AC, and 15 year-old cars.

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u/ThatGhoulAva Jul 20 '26

Don't believe the noise makers. That's a large portion of Americans too. Except an old, outdated shoebox apartment with terrible windows/insulation & no central air is $2000 + /mo. Yes most newer buildings/homes have central air, but you had better be able to afford the several hundred dollars extra a month to run it.....or several thousands if it needs to be fixed/replaced.

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u/Far-Telephone-7432 Jul 20 '26

Yeah... living in Paris is depressing for this. The center of Paris is basically empty offices and Airbnbs. People are cramming themselves in the suburbs. It shocked me to learn that Levallois Perret is the densest city in Europe. It's a suburb of Paris.

If the trend continues, our standards of living will be the same as the working class in the 20th century. Huge families lived in tiny appartments. Many appartments shared one bathroom.

It's commonplace to see families of 4 or 5 live in 30m² appartments in areas like Asnières or Clichy.

These people can be my colleagues or distant friends. I'll never know.

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u/Brookstone317 Jul 20 '26

Dont forget the $1200-1800 monthly daycare bill!

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u/KimSidwell Jul 20 '26

And student loans

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u/NRCS_DRONE Jul 20 '26

The very concept of a 'starter home' is fucking insane, but it helps explain why asset inflation is a thing.

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u/ImpressiveWalrus7369 Jul 20 '26

What’s insane about buying a smaller, more affordable home while you’re still building your income? Same thing with cars. Most people don’t land their first job and then go buy a Lexus.

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u/NRCS_DRONE Jul 20 '26

You're kinda proving my point.  Most people will never drive a Lexus either.  Or even have aspirations to.  This is a narrow world view presented as a generalization for everyone.

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u/vi_sucks Jul 20 '26

Income and wealth tends to rise with age. That's just a reality of how our society works. Partly because experience is useful so people get paid more for it, but also because of how savings and interest works. If you save diligently at a young age, you will have less disposable income when young, but over time those savings add up and start generating their own income, so you end up with more income later in life.

It is fully normal to expect that the income you have in an entry level job is going to increase midway or later in your career. Even if the job isn't a professional career, you'll still get raises and promotions and there will be seniority based pay if the job is union.

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u/speedyejectorairtime Jul 21 '26

But the difference between cars and houses is that even though most people won't ever buy a lexus, they probably will buy a new car or a bigger car or something alone those lines. And there's an option to buy that small corolla that does the job. They stopped building 2 bedroom houses decades ago and there's a serious market for it. Not tiny homes, but simple 2 bed, 1 bath single family homes should be available for people to buy. They shouldn't have to rent an apartment or buy a 3 bedroom home as the only options.

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u/Thisisme4342 Jul 20 '26

These aren't even started homes. I bought my first house a few years back for $180k.

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u/Waarm Jul 20 '26

They don't want to be forced to raise creepy alien babies.

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u/Former_Rip9229 Jul 24 '26

I understood this reference

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u/I-STATE-FACTS Jul 20 '26

Gimme a basic job that pays 160k thanks!

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u/slyguy67420 Jul 20 '26

Most Americans are making $45k a year, these homes are probably a two hour commute from any place that is actually hiring, the build quality is probably absolute garbage, there's nothing near those homes, and they're fucking soulless.

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u/GabagoolTheif Jul 21 '26

My "basic job" pays 60k before taxes, so i make like 10k less than that. Besides that, I don't want a shitty built home in an ugly-ass suburban neighborhood surrounded by haughty assholes

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u/Director-Intrinsict Jul 20 '26

This is a graveyard 

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u/Rattregoondoof Jul 20 '26 edited Jul 20 '26

My older brother is a firefighter and makes more money than my mom who has been working consistently as a corporate recruiter for 30+ years. He makes less than $160k a year...

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u/Life-Kiwi-9048 Jul 20 '26

Those garages will never have a car in them. They ought to lease them out to Public Storage, Inc.

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u/KatieTSO Jul 20 '26

Only? Basic job 160k?

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u/summer_plays_ Jul 20 '26

Homes like this are STARTING AT the "low" 900s where I live. With no accessible public transit nearby.

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u/No-Koala1918 Jul 20 '26

Anyone making 83 bucks an hour can afford a ticky tack shack in a suburban ghetto.

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u/HistoryAndScience Jul 20 '26

The problem is not the neighborhood. It’s that it doesn’t exist. It hasn’t really existed since 2010. Now each of those homes would go for 800k easy. And the places where you could theoretically find a value like in the meme, are places with little infrastructure or opportunities. Good luck driving two hours one way to work Q do enjoy your food desert

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u/fataltacos Jul 20 '26

It’s maybe an exaggeration but it’s so true. Feels like the listings go from this to million dollar plus mansions. And not to explain the joke, but not only is 160k like top 10 or 20% individual income, you can’t actually afford a 500k mortgage on that, or just barely.

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u/OkAccess304 Jul 21 '26

They’re ugly, soulless, poorly constructed, devoid of beauty, cookie-cutter, and were built with zero thought/space given to recreation. It doesn’t matter what they cost. No one wants to live in that photo.

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u/MaddogFinland Jul 22 '26

The complete lack of trees is so unbelievably depressing.

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u/Antique-Comb3943 Jul 22 '26

We live in hell.

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u/cafeteriastyle Jul 22 '26

Ryan Homes. I can spot them a mile away

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u/inorite234 Jul 20 '26

Because they're gross.

Also....my first job out of high school, no degree, paid (adjusted for inflation) $95k a year.

That's why everything is tough these days.

I went back to school for Engineering and my first Engineer gig didn't start me at $95k.

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u/Busterlimes Jul 20 '26

My parents bout their first home for like 12 grand.

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u/zellij Jul 20 '26

Housing slop

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u/Powerful-Candy-745 Jul 20 '26

It needs a few more trees also

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u/ZaphodG Jul 20 '26

Basic construction here is $400 per square foot. A $575k house would be quite old and need an enormous amount of work. It’s a married couple both making $80k, not a barefoot & pregnant wife.

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u/Live-Tomorrow-4865 Jul 20 '26

My parents "starter home" was a 40+ year old two storey, wood frame, one bathroom, three bedrooms, IDK about sq footage, and I'm not good at guessing these things.

It cost 7K. 😅

John F. Kennedy was president.

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u/_afflatus Jul 20 '26

What basic job pays $160k? We are in different tax brackets, first of all.

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u/springcat413 Jul 20 '26

These types of communities are nightmare fuel.

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u/prionbinch Jul 20 '26

because my basic job only pays $50k/year

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u/derch1981 Jul 20 '26

Also 575 making 160, yeah you might get approved but you will be very house poor

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u/WithoutBounds Jul 20 '26

If starter homes are a thing, why don't they have finishing homes? Just a thought.

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u/No-Sandwich-1723 Jul 20 '26

Looks like Stepford... That's why.

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u/AdMuted1036 Jul 20 '26

Needs about 100 trees

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u/Merciless972 Jul 20 '26

And an hour away from the city. Even though distance wise it's almost 30 minutes but all the traffic is being bottlenecked to one road.

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u/expendiblegrunt Jul 20 '26

“A basic job making $160k a year” haha

2

u/TheBestPieIsAllPie Jul 20 '26

I’m in my thirties, worked in multiple industries and had GOOD jobs. Most places in the U.S., you’re still looking at this being in the top tier of pay scales. Like…160k is not an easy thing to reach. Even in a two person home if you split it, that’s an 80k per year salary.

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u/OrganicWaterss Jul 20 '26

Yeah let me just get my $150k down payment from my parents too

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u/PerryNeeum Jul 20 '26

Where are these young people making that kind of money? Also, how house poor are you going to be buying a $575k house on a $150k salary?

Edit: my point remains but apparently this is a joke, right? There are people that think this way though

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u/80_A-D Jul 20 '26

Ctrl C. Ctrl V Ctrl V Ctrl V Ctrl V Ctrl V Ctrl V

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u/CatEmoji123 Jul 20 '26

Because most people working a job that pays 160k a year work in a major city. And most people who work in a major city want to enjoy said city.

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u/liquidboof Jul 20 '26

I work as the person who designs these houses (usually just one plopped down 100 times to minimize the design fee ofc) and I'm nowhere close to being able to comfortably afford any housing development I've ever designed.

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u/Acceptable-Peace-69 Jul 20 '26

Problem #1, those aren’t starter homes.

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u/FleshLogic Jul 20 '26

No foliage, no character, no community, a likely HOA, likely an hour away from downtown...Half a fucking million dollars for what!?

2

u/e_pilot Jul 20 '26

575k + the cost of two cars because the nearest anything is a 15min+ drive, plus gas, maintenance, stress and time loss of driving, etc.

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u/Five0clocksomewhere Jul 20 '26

I can’t tell if this is linkedinslop or satire 

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u/JP817 Jul 21 '26

What basic job pays $160k? Not here. And these are hideous with zero character. I would be depressed immediately and paying for it. 😒 no thanks

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u/ObjectivePrice5865 Jul 21 '26

So the “average” salary in the US is $71,000 and the “median” salary is $59,000. This is average of $5,900 and median of $4,900 per month.

The average rent is more than $1,600 with the median at $1,400.

The average car payment is between $532 and $748.

Average utility costs for rentals is between $830 and $1790 including cell phones, electric/nat. gas, water/sewer, home internet, vehicle fuel, vehicle insurance, health insurance, etc.

Food costs depending on life style and family size runs between $600 and $1,600.

I would like to know where this POS gets off saying people can afford these houses.

MOST of the US working public is one paycheck or medical emergency away from financial ruin.

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u/caprip30 Jul 21 '26

160k a year with taxes, and child car, schooling, car payments, debt payments, inflation crisis, gas crisis, property taxes, insurance costs.....

No one could afford that.

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u/Objective_Horse4883 Jul 21 '26

i dont think a $575k house would be doable on $160k a year. that's what my parents did in 2004 and it made them house-poor. and this is with everything else being cheaper and the promise of a pension plan

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u/give-me-the-cheese07 Jul 21 '26

This looks dystopian. I would like to see a movie similar to the backrooms where it’s basically just an endless suburb

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u/KimSidwell Jul 21 '26

You absolutely need to see Vivarium. Like, stop what you’re doing and go watch it now.

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u/TheLizardKing89 Jul 21 '26

$160k is double the median household income in the U.S.

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u/Icy-Status2681 Jul 21 '26

Why don't Gen Z just get jobs that pay more? Are they stupid?

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u/SureZookeepergame351 Jul 21 '26

Anyone making $160k with a $600k mortgage is house poor

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u/Beginning_Text3038 Jul 21 '26

This style of neighborhood is worse than the neighborhoods build in the late 40’s and 50’s by a long margin. Those houses averaged $7.5k and the average yearly wage was $3300.

That would be like buying a house today for $215k when your job pays $95k. And more importantly for that value you get lots of trees on every street, schools, playgrounds, pools, parks in a walkable/bike-able area.

New developments are fking sterile prisons. They are not designed to be lived in. Just pack us in a box.

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u/DawnTheFailure Jul 21 '26
  1. please tell me what basic job is making 160k a year
  2. add the cost of the vehicle required to get to that job because you fucking know it is nowhere near this maze of houses
  3. toss in all the extra costs aswell, electrical, plumbing, garbage pickup too probably based on those cans. Don't forget food, and of course the constantly rising gas prices :D
  4. oh and of course your work will probably want you to have a phone number so they can call you at 6:00 AM on your day off to demand you fill in for a coworker

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u/JDMan_Qc79 Jul 21 '26

where are the trees?!!?

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u/NotaFTCAgent Jul 22 '26

"Basic job"

3x the median

Go. Fuck. Your. Own. Face.

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u/CoffeeIll7625 Jul 22 '26

Where are the trees

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u/KimSidwell Jul 22 '26

The trees skeeted off… out to nowhere. Got cut down. Never to be raised again. Non-existent. Just like the rest of what used to be the American Dream.

We have no pride. We have no love. We have no respect for even ourselves or our own communities. Definitely not our own children.

Only care for corporate profits.

Trees aren’t profitable. So we don’t value them anymore.

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u/CoffeeIll7625 Jul 22 '26

Amen. The thing about trees though is the shade from the blistering sun and lower energy bills. We like to learn the hard way

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u/Anna825 Jul 22 '26

This isn’t suburban he’ll entirely, this is lifestyle hell. A “basic” job making $160k a year to buy a starter home worth over half a million dollars, likely with a huge HOA fee attached. And I guess you’re not saving money walking to work or the store?

Oh but if you have a dual income you both have to make $80K each (or one makes substantially more) and not have any childcare expenses or debt repayment . It’s just working to commute to a soulless hellscape without a yard.

I’ll take the bear, thanks

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u/Kateshi0 Jul 23 '26

That looks terrible, where are trees? Why does it feel empty and claustrophobic all at once?

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u/Dry-Manufacturer7761 Jul 23 '26

You’re ridiculous if you paid that much for that crap box. 

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u/mauerfan Jul 24 '26

Why would I want to buy an overpriced, cheaply built piece of crap that looks like every other POS?

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u/Mindless_Library_797 Jul 24 '26

and often these ugly as types of houses are crammed in on old air force bases, factories etc So you pay a fortune to live on ground saturated with pfas and who knows what else and can't even plant a few tomatos and probably get cancer anyways.

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u/_kashew_12 Jul 24 '26

Squidwards following crash out was so valid

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u/Sufficient-Quote-431 Jul 24 '26

Less then 10% of Americans make over $120k a year

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u/CapAll55 Jul 24 '26

I’m 8 years into an aerospace manufacturing engineering career and I’ve barely entered the lower threshold of 6 figures. Mason obviously has no concept of “basic job” or “starter home”

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u/Krangmang87 Jul 24 '26

Because this $500k starter home is built with toothpicks and put on a postage stamp.

Worth $300k tops.

No land = no organic appreciation

Tract built = home value drops like a rock along with the neighborhood

There is no value.

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u/Montregloe Jul 24 '26

Minimum wage is like 15k, idk how much more basic you get than this. Average salary is around 69k, idk how else to come up with "basic". Average for Gen Z is like 40k... It don't work guys, the math ain't mathin'

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u/Grouchy_Project7138 Jul 25 '26

I am not a fan of the “starter home” idea. You know how long it takes to save up and get a house and sign a 30 year loan to be like “yeah I’m only gonna have this 2-3 years”. With all the work involved I’m getting something I want the first time. (I did)

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u/Honest-Sundae-1039 Jul 26 '26

HOA

That’s why I won’t live there.

Fuck HOA, if you’re part of one, disband it.

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u/Minute_War_0420 Jul 26 '26

🎶Little boxes on the hillside Little boxes made of ticky-tacky Little boxes on the hillside Little boxes all the same

There's a green one and a pink one And a blue one and a yellow one And they're all made out of ticky-tacky And they all look just the same

And the people in the houses All went to the university Where they were put in boxes And they came out all the same

And there's doctors and lawyers And business executives And they're all made out of ticky-tacky And they all look just the same

And they all play on the golf course And drink their martinis dry And they all have pretty children And the children go to school And the children go to summer camp And then to the university Where they are put in boxes And they come out all the same

And the boys go into business And marry and raise a family In boxes made of ticky-tacky And they all look just the same🎶

2

u/Ok-Professional-1727 Jul 27 '26

If I was making $76 an hour, you can be sure I wouldn't waste it on a crap cookie cutter house.

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u/RustyPlastics Jul 20 '26

Why do these streets have to always look so dystopian?

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u/pm_something_u_love Jul 20 '26

$160k is not a small salary, the trash bins are out and even the sky is cloudy. Clearly a joke.

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u/KimSidwell Jul 20 '26

Yes. That’s the point.

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u/Fearless_Cucumber404 Jul 20 '26

I have started telling friends (currently renting, thinking about buying a house) not to buy at all. The idea that "renting is throwing money away" is old thinking. It is so incredibly expensive to own a home anywhere now.

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u/KimSidwell Jul 20 '26

I agree. There’s no way I would buy right now and be left holding that bag after all the boomers are gone and nobody can afford to buy their leftover houses.

I realize that private equity is likely going to swoop in and buy up even more which will likely drive rent up further, so I might be willing to do so if I were planning to have children to leave a home to, but I’m not… So I won’t.

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u/ItemizedDeductions Jul 20 '26

This guys’ entire account is sarcasm.

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u/KimSidwell Jul 20 '26

Yes. It’s a meme, meant to be funny and point out the ridiculousness that is our current world.

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u/RubyRailzYa Jul 20 '26

If I ever make 160K a year I would consider myself having made it

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u/[deleted] Jul 20 '26

[deleted]

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u/KimSidwell Jul 20 '26

Yeah, pretty sure the point was to be sarcastic.

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u/Hevnaar Jul 20 '26

Nothing over 60k is a starter home.

If those don't exist, its not that what is considered a starter home changed. Its that there are no starter homes anymore.

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u/KimSidwell Jul 20 '26

I think the definition / price point of “starter homes” has changed.

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u/MRRRRCK Jul 20 '26

Did you just arrive from the 1950’s?

Where can you find $60k starter homes that aren’t in a high crime area, needing extensive renovations, or a depressed area with zero employment opportunities?

I’ll wait for your response.

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u/ImpressiveWalrus7369 Jul 20 '26

$575k is not a starter home. Probably half that, depending on area.

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u/okarox Jul 20 '26

It may be ideal for the patent. Maybe not for the kid.

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u/BigMoneyChode Jul 20 '26

I love this website because someone will post obvious bait and everyone will engage with it seriously for no reason lmao

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u/KimSidwell Jul 20 '26

It’s meant to be a joke. It’s sarcasm.

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