mtrycrafts

mtrycrafts

Seriously, I have no life.
...

I have been hearing about HOAs in some areas doubling their fees in many areas- that's not something I want to deal with.
One only has to read the news feeds what Florida governor is doing there with HOAs in high rise, especially after that collapse not that long ago.
Fees are $60k or more to catch up. Wow, glad I have a detached home HOA here.
 
davidscott

davidscott

Audioholic Spartan
The HOA on my condo has almost doubled since I moved from TX to FLA 4 plus years ago. The good news is even with the increase I'm still paying less for a 3 bed 2 bath condo than I was for a 1 bed 1 bath apt in DFW. And I have some equity now. :)
 
haraldo

haraldo

Audioholic Warlord
In Milwaukee, lots of high-end apartment and condo developments have been built, but the city's population has been dropping for many years- actually, decades. These are mainly in places where they're easy to see from Lake Michigan, Milwaukee River or the highways and i t makes the city look new and fresh, but one or two blocks from the highway in some areas, the city is dilapidated, crime-ridden and falling apart. Also, many of the newer developments are only partially filled, not living up to the plans of the developers who often request funding from the city for construction/land development/environmental remediation, so lacking rental/purchase revenue doesn't hurt as much as it would if they were only using their money.

Even in the pricey apartments and condos where I have installed AV systems, the noise from neighboring units made me not want to live in one. While it can be a nice place and people may be very sociable/friendly, extraneous noise is annoying, at times. Not having to do the maintenance is an attractive aspect, though.

I have been hearing about HOAs in some areas doubling their fees in many areas- that's not something I want to deal with.
Hmmm .... how can these properties be relevant? are people just stupidly moving into overpriced apartments that are not even built towards a proper standard; I don´t even see how people would accept flats like this over here.

Or is the property market so scr#$## up in parts of Mulwaukee that people just take and accept whatever there is ...... that is flats I certainly would not want to live in :mad:
 
haraldo

haraldo

Audioholic Warlord
The credit on the apartmernt would cost me about $1400 per month before the war started, now with the crazy economy and multiple interest raises, I am up to $2500 just to server the credit.... $1100 extra per month just to serve the credit is something that hurts, indeed!!!!
And everyone is in the same situation

With all expenses that flat cost me now $3500 per month and that is burning in the wallet!

So say if a Norwegian has around $11.000/mth gross salary, after taxes that would be around $6500/mth, the difference being taxes to the state and the county. We also pay a significant tax on simply owning a flat, that is not really mine, but mainly owned by the bank......
 
Last edited:
highfigh

highfigh

Seriously, I have no life.
Hmmm .... how can these properties be relevant? are people just stupidly moving into overpriced apartments that are not even built towards a proper standard; I don´t even see how people would accept flats like this over here.

Or is the property market so scr#$## up in parts of Mulwaukee that people just take and accept whatever there is ...... that is flats I certainly would not want to live in :mad:
Well, they look OK, but people who have lots of money don't necessarily see the flaws, for whatever reason. I have worked in some of the apartment developments and they cut corners to save money, then spackle over the flaws.

One thing the renters/buyers of these new places gain- distance from the areas in the city where crime is increasing. Locked lobbies, security guards, close to the lake, nice view (unless someone builds a taller building within less than 50' away, completely blocking any view of half of the lakefront- this actually happened, after a tower was already occupied).

The city's skyline was recently rated as the 15th best skyline in the world by Architectural Digest. That's astounding. It's better than it was, but I'll have to read the article because I don't understand that and in order to see it, someone needs to be on the water because it's very close to the lakefront. 'Skyline' tells me that the buildings should be tall and these, generally, aren't.

The last two Mayors had visions for the city but Milwaukee has only elected five Mayors since 1948- think about that. MKE keeps things for far too long and then, people complain about nothing changing unless it becomes worse.

The Mayor who left after he had an affair with an aid saw himself as a great urban planner and he didn't get along with the Police Chief he appointed, even though that guy had been one of the Mayor's bodyguards- he was in office from 1988-2004. That Chief was hated by the officers and more than half of them quit while he was in that position. The next Mayor, in office 2004-2020, wanted a trolley and he got it, but left office before his term had finished, to become the Ambassador to Luxembourg. That trolley has never been profitable, overran the budget, was finished late and the last two were because of bad planning and work. It serves part of the downtown area and nothing else, but was very expensive, disrupted traffic for several years and has caused parking to be worse that it was before and that's quite an accomplishment. He was clueless on crime and had several Police chiefs, but neither of these two Mayors would let the chiefs do anything on their own. The current Mayor has been in office since 2020 and talks about the changes he caused, but at 37 years of age, he doesn't seem to understand what the city was- clean, safe, a nice place for families and a large manufacturing hub and that has changed- manufacturers are leaving and if they return to the area, it's on the outskirts, partly because of taxation, and the city still has large parcels of land that have old buildings or are vacant.

Safety needs to be Job #1- I didn't watch the DNC, but the Mayor of Milwaukee spoke- his name is Cavalier Johnson. He thinks crime is down. Some crimes have decreased, but nobody should consider the city 'safe'.
 
G

Gilbert Lopez

Junior Audioholic
Well, they look OK, but people who have lots of money don't necessarily see the flaws, for whatever reason. I have worked in some of the apartment developments and they cut corners to save money, then spackle over the flaws.

One thing the renters/buyers of these new places gain- distance from the areas in the city where crime is increasing. Locked lobbies, security guards, close to the lake, nice view (unless someone builds a taller building within less than 50' away, completely blocking any view of half of the lakefront- this actually happened, after a tower was already occupied).

The city's skyline was recently rated as the 15th best skyline in the world by Architectural Digest. That's astounding. It's better than it was, but I'll have to read the article because I don't understand that and in order to see it, someone needs to be on the water because it's very close to the lakefront. 'Skyline' tells me that the buildings should be tall and these, generally, aren't.

The last two Mayors had visions for the city but Milwaukee has only elected five Mayors since 1948- think about that. MKE keeps things for far too long and then, people complain about nothing changing unless it becomes worse.

The Mayor who left after he had an affair with an aid saw himself as a great urban planner and he didn't get along with the Police Chief he appointed, even though that guy had been one of the Mayor's bodyguards- he was in office from 1988-2004. That Chief was hated by the officers and more than half of them quit while he was in that position. The next Mayor, in office 2004-2020, wanted a trolley and he got it, but left office before his term had finished, to become the Ambassador to Luxembourg. That trolley has never been profitable, overran the budget, was finished late and the last two were because of bad planning and work. It serves part of the downtown area and nothing else, but was very expensive, disrupted traffic for several years and has caused parking to be worse that it was before and that's quite an accomplishment. He was clueless on crime and had several Police chiefs, but neither of these two Mayors would let the chiefs do anything on their own. The current Mayor has been in office since 2020 and talks about the changes he caused, but at 37 years of age, he doesn't seem to understand what the city was- clean, safe, a nice place for families and a large manufacturing hub and that has changed- manufacturers are leaving and if they return to the area, it's on the outskirts, partly because of taxation, and the city still has large parcels of land that have old buildings or are vacant.

Safety needs to be Job #1- I didn't watch the DNC, but the Mayor of Milwaukee spoke- his name is Cavalier Johnson. He thinks crime is down. Some crimes have decreased, but nobody should consider the city 'safe'.
 
highfigh

highfigh

Seriously, I have no life.
The credit on the apartmernt would cost me about $1400 per month before the war started, now with the crazy economy and multiple interest raises, I am up to $2500 just to server the credit.... $1100 extra per month just to serve the credit is something that hurts, indeed!!!!
And everyone is in the same situation

With all expenses that flat cost me now $3500 per month and that is burning in the wallet!

So say if a Norwegian has around $11.000/mth gross salary, after taxes that would be around $6500/mth, the difference being taxes to the state and the county. We also pay a significant tax on simply owning a flat, that is not really mine, but mainly owned by the bank......
That's a lot of money- can you remodel, if you want to make changes?

How is that particular tax used?

So, apartment buildings aren't owned by private firms? Here and in many cities, publicly-owned housing exists but it's almost always for low income residents, with controlled rent, utilities are usually included and for the largest cities, too many people on small land parcels- I can't post one of the reasons for problems with high population density without some here calling me racist, but it's true- when a large number of people without higher education, without decent income and without many job skills are crammed into a small area and they were unhappy before they moved in, tempers will flare and problems will occur. That doesn't apply to the nice, new places along the lake.

I don't know if you have followed the elections here, but Mitt Romney said that 47% of American adults pay no income tax. Well, that number is low and Politifact rates is as true. He said other things that would have made people mad but as the link shows, that number means the promise of low taxes means nothing to those people- they already pay nothing and it won't change their financial situation. So, that leaves 53-54% of the country paying for everything, minus what's not contributed by commerce or other sources.

 
highfigh

highfigh

Seriously, I have no life.
One only has to read the news feeds what Florida governor is doing there with HOAs in high rise, especially after that collapse not that long ago.
Fees are $60k or more to catch up. Wow, glad I have a detached home HOA here.
Is part of that because of the insurance companies dropping coverage in FLA?

A friend moved into a 55+ community with manufactured housing- OK, mobile homes. Nice area, nice amenities, nice hurricanes. His wasn't damaged badly but some were lifted and landed on their side, many had the roof and contents sucked out and others left with moderate damage. Now, new construction in some areas requires that the dwelling be elevated, to minimize flooding- they're talking about 10 feet in some areas that are close to the water. Ft Myers Beach was basically removed- he said the last time anyone saw the Hooters restaurant, it was floating into the gulf. He said the HOA fee for the place he owns but isn't living in are now in the $1500/month range and he's not getting any bites with asking price of $75K- this is after all repairs from the storm were completed. He's also saying that he hates the weather. It was more tolerable before, but he moved there because his mom and brother and SIL were nearby and now, it's just his brother now that mom has passed. He said "If he wants to see me, they can fly".

I don't want to deal with an HOA, ever. Even if they aren't abusive, it's too expensive. For that matter, the small city where I live is becoming ridiculous and with the close proximity to Milwaukee, I plan to escape as soon as I can.
 
D

David_Alexander

Junior Audioholic
Is part of that because of the insurance companies dropping coverage in FLA?

A friend moved into a 55+ community with manufactured housing- OK, mobile homes. Nice area, nice amenities, nice hurricanes. His wasn't damaged badly but some were lifted and landed on their side, many had the roof and contents sucked out and others left with moderate damage. Now, new construction in some areas requires that the dwelling be elevated, to minimize flooding- they're talking about 10 feet in some areas that are close to the water. Ft Myers Beach was basically removed- he said the last time anyone saw the Hooters restaurant, it was floating into the gulf. He said the HOA fee for the place he owns but isn't living in are now in the $1500/month range and he's not getting any bites with asking price of $75K- this is after all repairs from the storm were completed. He's also saying that he hates the weather. It was more tolerable before, but he moved there because his mom and brother and SIL were nearby and now, it's just his brother now that mom has passed. He said "If he wants to see me, they can fly".

I don't want to deal with an HOA, ever. Even if they aren't abusive, it's too expensive. For that matter, the small city where I live is becoming ridiculous and with the close proximity to Milwaukee, I plan to escape as soon as I can.
How are Trump's policies helping in this interesting thread diversion. It could be a thread in and of itself.
 
haraldo

haraldo

Audioholic Warlord
That's a lot of money- can you remodel, if you want to make changes?

How is that particular tax used?

So, apartment buildings aren't owned by private firms? Here and in many cities, publicly-owned housing exists but it's almost always for low income residents, with controlled rent, utilities are usually included and for the largest cities, too many people on small land parcels- I can't post one of the reasons for problems with high population density without some here calling me racist, but it's true- when a large number of people without higher education, without decent income and without many job skills are crammed into a small area and they were unhappy before they moved in, tempers will flare and problems will occur. That doesn't apply to the nice, new places along the lake.

I don't know if you have followed the elections here, but Mitt Romney said that 47% of American adults pay no income tax. Well, that number is low and Politifact rates is as true. He said other things that would have made people mad but as the link shows, that number means the promise of low taxes means nothing to those people- they already pay nothing and it won't change their financial situation. So, that leaves 53-54% of the country paying for everything, minus what's not contributed by commerce or other sources.

Lots of money going out there ..... but we don´t have a choice, and I guess this is what makes IMHO Norway the best country in the world, I visited 45+ countries and I don´t wanna change. but thyat tax level is too high. I heard from an economy expert that if everyone around the country would pay 15% flat tax, the income for the state would by far exceed whet we do havce now where most normal people pay 40 to 45%+ tax. Some very rich guys having too much break.

Not much opportunities to remodel ..... tax loophoes, there are none that works for regular workers....
but if you do have $10.000.000, there is plenty of loopholes :-(

Lots of tax but that goes for a security umbrella, if something happens in your life, government steps in and there are zero bills..... still think it´s worth it. The idea of zero income tax .... well, what happens when some guy lose their job, or is unable to work, or get seriously sick ....

People pay tons of tax, but we do live happily over here :))

Everyone own their flats and houses here, mee too; when I say that it´s not mine but the bank´s, it´s because there is such a high credit, so basically my bank owns 70% of the flat ;)
 
mtrycrafts

mtrycrafts

Seriously, I have no life.
Is part of that because of the insurance companies dropping coverage in FLA?

A friend moved into a 55+ community with manufactured housing- OK, mobile homes. Nice area, nice amenities, nice hurricanes. His wasn't damaged badly but some were lifted and landed on their side, many had the roof and contents sucked out and others left with moderate damage. Now, new construction in some areas requires that the dwelling be elevated, to minimize flooding- they're talking about 10 feet in some areas that are close to the water. Ft Myers Beach was basically removed- he said the last time anyone saw the Hooters restaurant, it was floating into the gulf. He said the HOA fee for the place he owns but isn't living in are now in the $1500/month range and he's not getting any bites with asking price of $75K- this is after all repairs from the storm were completed. He's also saying that he hates the weather. It was more tolerable before, but he moved there because his mom and brother and SIL were nearby and now, it's just his brother now that mom has passed. He said "If he wants to see me, they can fly".

I don't want to deal with an HOA, ever. Even if they aren't abusive, it's too expensive. For that matter, the small city where I live is becoming ridiculous and with the close proximity to Milwaukee, I plan to escape as soon as I can.
I am pretty sure the new law applies to condo building more than 3 stories high.
All because that 2021 collapse of a high rise that killed a number of people.
The HOAs don't have enough money to inspect and repair poor design and construction.
Some fees are over $1000/per mo.
Those high-rise prices are collapsing.
 
mtrycrafts

mtrycrafts

Seriously, I have no life.
How are Trump's policies helping in this interesting thread diversion. It could be a thread in and of itself.
Well, it is like this. One small comment a bit off kilter, responses follow. :D
Hard to resist, especially in the steam vent.
 
D

Dude#1279435

Audioholic Spartan
Think I'll pass on those irritating HOAs and just take my chances. ;)
 
highfigh

highfigh

Seriously, I have no life.
Lots of money going out there ..... but we don´t have a choice, and I guess this is what makes IMHO Norway the best country in the world, I visited 45+ countries and I don´t wanna change. but thyat tax level is too high. I heard from an economy expert that if everyone around the country would pay 15% flat tax, the income for the state would by far exceed whet we do havce now where most normal people pay 40 to 45%+ tax. Some very rich guys having too much break.

Not much opportunities to remodel ..... tax loophoes, there are none that works for regular workers....
but if you do have $10.000.000, there is plenty of loopholes :-(

Lots of tax but that goes for a security umbrella, if something happens in your life, government steps in and there are zero bills..... still think it´s worth it. The idea of zero income tax .... well, what happens when some guy lose their job, or is unable to work, or get seriously sick ....

People pay tons of tax, but we do live happily over here :))

Everyone own their flats and houses here, mee too; when I say that it´s not mine but the bank´s, it´s because there is such a high credit, so basically my bank owns 70% of the flat ;)
This is much easier in a smaller country- Europe got the 'Wild West' out of its system a long time ago and I think people need to think about the fact that the US is a punk kid compared to most of the world in terms of how long it has existed in anything of its current form. Think about the time when Scandanavia and Europe were tribal- that's more than 2000 years ago, in many places. The colonists left and revolted because they didn't want to be controlled by someone in a far away place and that rebellious nature still exists.

The tendency to think in terms of "Me, me, me" needs some thoughts of "Us, us us". Part of the problem with the US is the high cost of living and high cost of labor- people want low cost goods, but if the corporations move production offshore, that cost is gone, but other problems arise, like unemployment and lack of decent paying jobs.

Our political system has become far too confrontational and adversarial to think that change will occur quickly and easily. Politicians and voters need to consider working with 'the other side', for the good of the country.
 
highfigh

highfigh

Seriously, I have no life.
Lots of money going out there ..... but we don´t have a choice, and I guess this is what makes IMHO Norway the best country in the world, I visited 45+ countries and I don´t wanna change. but thyat tax level is too high. I heard from an economy expert that if everyone around the country would pay 15% flat tax, the income for the state would by far exceed whet we do havce now where most normal people pay 40 to 45%+ tax. Some very rich guys having too much break.

Not much opportunities to remodel ..... tax loophoes, there are none that works for regular workers....
but if you do have $10.000.000, there is plenty of loopholes :-(

Lots of tax but that goes for a security umbrella, if something happens in your life, government steps in and there are zero bills..... still think it´s worth it. The idea of zero income tax .... well, what happens when some guy lose their job, or is unable to work, or get seriously sick ....

People pay tons of tax, but we do live happily over here :))

Everyone own their flats and houses here, mee too; when I say that it´s not mine but the bank´s, it´s because there is such a high credit, so basically my bank owns 70% of the flat ;)
You don't have a choice- would you like to have more choices?
 
Trell

Trell

Audioholic Spartan
I don’t claim to have the answers, but it seems to me under current administration, we’ve done nothing but funnel tax money, and weapons to two wars and haven’t done shitt. Not to mention the cluster F that was the US leaving Afghanistan.
We get that Trump is your hero but he won't stand up to autocrats and history shows that.

Here's a clip of a real patriotic American stance against autocrats:

 
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