Housing market

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Cyclonepride

Thought Police
Staff member
Apr 11, 2006
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A pineapple under the sea
www.oldschoolradical.com
Engineered wood is just a marketing term for plywood.
The stuff you find in the box stores, sure. The good stuff has a sawn wear surface similar to solid 3/4" wood, and the advantage of dimensional stability.

LVP has been huge, but I think the demand is wearing down like every other trend. It's great for homes with pets, but has some definite drawbacks.
 

Rabbuk

Well-Known Member
Mar 1, 2011
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The stuff you find in the box stores, sure. The good stuff has a sawn wear surface similar to solid 3/4" wood, and the advantage of dimensional stability.

LVP has been huge, but I think the demand is wearing down like every other trend. It's great for homes with pets, but has some definite drawbacks.
My apartment has this and it feels weird on warm humid days if the windows are open. It's like a stickiness that reminds me of like a hot high school gym floor. Super easy to scrub though.
 

Jer

Opinionated
Feb 28, 2006
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Careful guys, when the words "wood", "hot", and "sticky" all appear in a post, it sets off alarm bells and people flock in like horny 16 year olds.
 

BryceC

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Mar 23, 2006
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I would counter that the huge difference in housing generation to generation is the houses themselves. I have a 1750 square foot home. My parents never owned one this large. Many homes from my parents generations were 700-1000 and a few much smaller. Many had single car, unattached garages, not 3 car attached. Lots were enough to fit the house, not 1/3 to 1/2 acre lots.

I don’t think I’ve seen a house under 1500 square feet built in the town I live in since we moved here nearly 20 years ago. Houses are much different.

My house is probably bigger than er needed when we bought it... but honestly I am so grateful now because both my wife and I work from home. I'm in this house all the frickin' time. If I was in an 1,100 square foot house my wife probably would have murdered me by now.
 

GMackey32

TJ's spy team member
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Ames Via Cedar Falls
My wife and I are locked in at 3% but both commute from Stanhope to Ames for work. We are looking to move to Ames but are going to continue biting the commuting bullet until rates drop. I'm hoping we can time it right to get a decent rate but also have little competition.
 

discydisc

Flag Designer Extraordinaire
Jan 14, 2014
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Ames
My wife and I are locked in at 3% but both commute from Stanhope to Ames for work. We are looking to move to Ames but are going to continue biting the commuting bullet until rates drop. I'm hoping we can time it right to get a decent rate but also have little competition.
Are you prepared to wait 5 years?
I have a hard time believing interest rates will drop any time soon.
 

KnappShack

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My wife and I are locked in at 3% but both commute from Stanhope to Ames for work. We are looking to move to Ames but are going to continue biting the commuting bullet until rates drop. I'm hoping we can time it right to get a decent rate but also have little competition.

Is that about a half hour drive ish?
 

mynameisjonas

Well-Known Member
Jan 19, 2019
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My wife and I are locked in at 3% but both commute from Stanhope to Ames for work. We are looking to move to Ames but are going to continue biting the commuting bullet until rates drop. I'm hoping we can time it right to get a decent rate but also have little competition.
When rates drop we’ll probably see another bump in prices and buyers competing for homes again, because the demand will be high for the low rate. Maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea to keep an eye on the Ames market and see if the prices drop (it will) and by how much. if you can find an opportunity, even if it’s at a higher rate, it can still be worth it if you get the right price. You can always refi down the road. something to think about.
 
  • Agree
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fsanford

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Dec 22, 2007
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Los Angeles
Are you prepared to wait 5 years?
I have a hard time believing interest rates will drop any time soon.
Maybe if it flips to a recession in 2023, it will come back down rather quickly, not to the point of 2.5% but certainly will come back to may that 4-5% range.