The Dream Is Dead... Or At Least In A Coma

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8502784/

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9078444/from/RL.5/

I had an email exchange with a, probably, incompetant real estate agent when I inquired about a 3 bedroom home for sale in a price range that was possible for us. Of course, it was in a 55+ community - why do only old people get to buy houses anymore! - and so we could not buy it. But he sent me several other listings of totally unworkable houses at totally outrageous prices even though I clearly stated we had two children and a low-ish income. But no, he didn't get it. So, I wrote a lengthy email to him reminding of said situation and railing against the outrageous housing market. His reply was to say that this market, in the Coachella Valley, was not as bad as other parts of California and he hoped our situation changed for the better!!! As if having a low income was a lifestyle choice or something. Patronizing *(&#)&*%^^&%!

But it's not just the home buying market that is out of control. It is also the home renting market! The rents here are like LA except without the job opportunity, culture, nightlife and activity. Jeez! It's like some landlords think their homes are too precious to rent, so they stay on the rental market month after month after month. I know, I've been looking at the listings for months! But will they come down to get a tenant? Noooooooooooooowwwwwaaaaaayyyy! "We aren't ready to lose money on the property" one woman told me in regards to her outrageously prices 2 bedroom condo. Not yet? Aren't you losing money already? In two months you have lost more money than what you would have lost in a year renting to me. But does anyone possibly think the problem might not been in the fact that renters and potential buyers don't have enough money to throw at the market but that the BLOODY PRICES ARE TOO HIGH!?

Not only can we not afford to buy a house but we can't even afford to rent the house that we can't afford to buy which doesn't make any sense. See, if we could afford that much for rent to pay you, lady, we'd just buy the damn thing! The paradigm has gotten inverted. You are supposed to be able to save money by buying a house! We, stupidly it turns out, thought we might be able to buy out here, since we have to be in exhile, might as well. But no dice, man.

And on top of that lousy irritation wages are stagnant. Most certainly mine are. And I am unqualified for anything other than working in the Industry apparently. Which sucks because I spent all this money and incurred all this debt to educate myself, in order to move up in the world. But here I remain, stagnating, somewhere near the bottom of the middle. Why oh why oh why didn't I just become an electrician... (not like they could afford a house now either so...)