Quote: (05-01-2018 02:28 PM)yankeetravels Wrote:
Quote: (05-01-2018 10:40 AM)Suits Wrote:
Quote: (05-01-2018 06:32 AM)yankeetravels Wrote:
Buying property for anything other than flipping in the US is a chumps move when you can live abroad on a fraction of the price and keep your freedom of movement....
Property costs everywhere in the world are based on their proximity to things that people like.
For example, a condo close to popular nightlife is going to have a higher price tag than a much larger house 200km from the nearest general store.
You'll find that desirable housing in many parts of the third world is actually more expensive than similar housing in the USA.
Sure, living in the 3rd world is cheaper, if you live like an impoverished third world local. And also stupid, because now you're a person from the first world who is surrounded by people who might happily kill you just for whatever pocket change you might happen to have on you.
Again, no it's not. I know my local property market, the third world is A LOT cheaper than where I live.
It's obvious that you read what I wrote but failed to comprehend it. Your local property market is in no way representative of every US housing market.
In an apples to apples comparison, there's a reason why certain places are more expensive than others.
There are plenty of places throughout the third world that are as expensive as fuck. Do you want to live in the part of Nairobi that has a high level of safety and amenities? Guess, what? Now you're paying first world prices for housing.
If you account for all the differences, you'd probably quickly establish that most third world locations are not amazing deals.
Here's a sampling of factors:
- Amount of trash on the streets
- Relative risk of being a victim of crime
- Cost of flying home to see family if they are live in the USA
- Inferior Internet speeds
- Traffic conditions
- Money lost from being ripped off by swarmy locals
- Pollution
- The human component: the quality of the people you can meet and befriend
Quote: (05-01-2018 02:28 PM)yankeetravels Wrote:
You haven't seen the first tier city US market if you think the third world is even close to as expensive. Also, I'm well aware it's more expensive to live in the city center than it is in the middle of nowhere.
So, your argument is that 1st tier US cities are more expensive than 3rd world cities in general?
If we are comparing first tier US cities with first tier cities in the third world, the cost comparison would be closer than you think, especially considering the limited employment options available to an American in those cities.
If we compare 2nd and 3rd tier US cities to 2nd and 3rd tier cities in the 3rd world, you might find that to get the same value, you're paying about the same.
Quote: (05-01-2018 02:28 PM)yankeetravels Wrote:
You don't need to live impoverished, but I get what you mean about some locals wanting to make a move. But honestly, I've had locals want to make a move on me in Japan and the US, so I don't think you can fully escape that anywhere. This is usually neutralized if you stay in the bigger cities and out of the seedy areas of them, where you have a much better chance of being anonymous.
But anyway, the bigger counter I'd give is that this whole forum is about escaping the west, and now you and papaya are saying to stay in it? You've done that yourself and I know China isn't third world...
It is.
Quote: (05-01-2018 02:28 PM)yankeetravels Wrote:
....but it probably came with its own set of challenges.
Most guys who have grand dreams of "escaping the West" never pull the trigger.
Most guys who do escape the West, come back with their tail between their legs well within 4 years.
I guess those lower housing costs weren't all they were cracked up to be.
The reason people think living abroad is cheaper for the value offered is often because they give the foreign location extra value points for local charm. Once that charm becomes the norm, they realize it's a raw deal and head back to the comfortable embrace of the USA.
There are plenty of reasons to live abroad, but doing so because buying a house in the US is stupid is not one of those reasons.
You could solve your local housing market problems by simply moving to a cheaper, lower tier city. But people usually don't want to do that because they'd have to take a pay cut to do so.
I suppose that if someone's income is location independent, there could be a case to be made for moving somewhere where one of the main reasons local housing is cheap is because local wages are so low.
But you might find yourself lonely pretty quickly in a place where the locals aren't known for creative thinking.