what would you cut?

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

what hud program was it?

[kgbsquirrel]

The HUD homes I've personally seen/been inside were in Montana, Colorado and Oregon.

ETA: Though I've also seen some of the worse parts of Virginia as well, I can't assert if those were also HUD subsidized homes or not.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

hud has a variety of programs  were they foreclosed fha homes?  section 8 homes?

[kgbsquirrel]

hud has a variety of programs  were they foreclosed fha homes?  section 8 homes?

I'll have to get a hold of PTK and see if he still has the info sheets from the homes in MT (the most recent I've looked at) for that info. I just scratched those right off the potential purchase list after seeing the condition so I didn't keep the sheets for myself.


ETA: Got that info - Section 8.

[KD5NRH]

hud has a variety of programs  were they foreclosed fha homes?  section 8 homes?

How is it relevant which acronym they were filed under?

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

most curious. how familiar you with how section 8 works?  is it your belief/contention that the gov was paying for fixing a section 8 property?

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

I saw the same fairly often when I worked pest control; filthy house, holes and stains in the drywall, (sometimes not much drywall left if the drug task force had been in before us) burns and stains in the carpet, appliances ripped out, trash everywhere, and yet there was a clean spot where the entertainment center had been.  Usually at that point, the housing agency was paying for us to come out and kill off enough roaches and rats for the remodeling crews to come in.

Often, these houses had started out quite a bit nicer than mine.  It's quite a testament to the skill of the remodeling crews that they didn't just mysteriously burn down, and actually looked habitable after a couple of weeks' work.

what type of program were these in?

[taurusowner]

I saw the same fairly often when I worked pest control; filthy house, holes and stains in the drywall, (sometimes not much drywall left if the drug task force had been in before us) burns and stains in the carpet, appliances ripped out, trash everywhere, and yet there was a clean spot where the entertainment center had been.  Usually at that point, the housing agency was paying for us to come out and kill off enough roaches and rats for the remodeling crews to come in.

Often, these houses had started out quite a bit nicer than mine.  It's quite a testament to the skill of the remodeling crews that they didn't just mysteriously burn down, and actually looked habitable after a couple of weeks' work.

That seems to be a common theme.  I used to deliver pizzas, and as such could often see inside someone's house from the front door.  It seems that the worse the neighborhood, and the more run down the house, the better entertainment center or car the family owned.  It was not uncommon to deliver to section 8 housing only to see babies crawling around piles of beer and liquor bottles, trash, old McDonalds, doors falling off the hinges, stains on the ground, drywall ripped out of the wall, and an odor of cigarettes and rotten food pouring out the door.  And then a 42" plasma TV in the living room, all 3 next-gen consoles, and a Cadillac in the driveway.

[KD5NRH]

That seems to be a common theme.  I used to deliver pizzas, and as such could often see inside someone's house from the front door.  It seems that the worse the neighborhood, and the more run down the house, the better entertainment center or car the family owned.

One of the first pest control calls I assisted on was at the tech's least favorite house; we put on the full chemical gear outside, then went in and did a standard-but heavy treatment, which normally requires no PPE other than normal clothing.

Puppy farm, poop everywhere, holes in the walls, dead puppies in various states of decay in the kitchen and utility room, food rotting in the bedroom, beer bottles full of cigarette butts on every flat surface, brand new big screen TV, state-of-the-art computer with a >21" flatscreen, latest game consoles.  The owner was grumbling about how our fee was going to clean him out because the "damn gubmint ain't got this month's check to me yet."

[PTK]

....and it's because of people like that, that I currently 100% refuse to get HUD assistance, even though I am more than eligible because of very little income and extensive health issues.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

That seems to be a common theme.  I used to deliver pizzas, and as such could often see inside someone's house from the front door.  It seems that the worse the neighborhood, and the more run down the house, the better entertainment center or car the family owned.  It was not uncommon to deliver to section 8 housing only to see babies crawling around piles of beer and liquor bottles, trash, old McDonalds, doors falling off the hinges, stains on the ground, drywall ripped out of the wall, and an odor of cigarettes and rotten food pouring out the door.  And then a 42" plasma TV in the living room, all 3 next-gen consoles, and a Cadillac in the driveway.

how were you able to tell the section 8 homes from the others?

[PTK]

I wish HUD assistance weren't so widely abused. It makes people who actually need it rather hesitant to apply, in my experience, and in my personal opinion.


Sorry to be basically restating that, I'm just so damn frustrated about this issue. :(

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

since the squirrel hasn't maybe you could answer for him?

most curious. how familiar you with how section 8 works?  is it your belief/contention that the gov was paying for fixing a section 8 property?

[PTK]

Familiar enough, in that I worked for a large firm that accepted vouchers for their apartments. As for government, etc. paying for anything maintenance-related, I have no idea. I just fixed the places up after they were torn to bits, which happened all the damn time. Disgusting, overall. :(

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

really? and why did your complex allow that? who was dropping the ball?

and i can take that as a no for the gov picking up the tab for fixing stuff?  that would seem to be at odds with some others impression

[PTK]

Why does ANY business "allow" crime? You've lost me entirely.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

i hear a lot about "section 8"  from folks who make me wonder if their understanding overlaps reality . i've lil experience in multi family dwellings  but a fair amount with rental homes and my experiences are not lining up with some folks rants.  in fact some of the rants make my bs meter go off.  i think folks have a mental image of how they believe things work and then don't inconvenience themselves with looking at the reality. lots of reasons for that  some benign  some not so

[PTK]

Well, please explain what I saw, then. I saw HUD housing, paid for via tax money, being trashed time and again by subsequent tenants (who were then stripped of their HUD benefits).

You can't say I didn't see that. I didn't imagine it. I've seen it all over the country, everywhere I've worked or lived. Mind, I'm not saying that every single HUD beneficiary trashes every single home, just that it's shockingly and disturbingly common. :(

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

so they were stripped of their benefits?  that is more typical in my world.  one of the myths i hear often is that they do it over and over. you can lose your benefits pretty easily. i've seen em taken when a boy moved in for a while to assist momma after surgery.  he stayed past the number of days allocated for a visit and they tried to take moms benefits and boot her.  the tenants i've has that were section 8 were very concerned about not losing there voucher. they were less trouble on the whole than my regular tenants. i was surprised, you see i'f heard the regular line about section 8 and i had low expectations for them. a section 8 tenant is subject to much more monitoring and control than a "plain" tenant.as much as it pains me much of the trouble with section 8 that i run into is a result of the slumlords who have leaned how to game the system. they buy garbage  maintain it a hair above code  take anyone with a pulse as tenants and then don't monitor their properties or maintain em.  then they do a pretend flip and start over again.  lots of money made.  my biggest gripe about section 8 is when the wrong folks get it.  you know how i see that happen?  social workers/enablers.   they act like they get commission for getting folks vouchers and in many cases ultimately they do their client a disservice.  they mean well do much harm. lifes hard  its supposed to be sometimes, you are supposed to work and struggle to succeed.  they seem to feel that amounts to social injustice . i had a young man i counseled that had some issues.  he struggled  but he got better lil by lil and was proud of that. and he shoulda been  that kinda change and achievement is what its all about.  enter the social worker.  she  helped him get section 8 and his own apt.  prior to her help he lived  in a group home with 6 or 7 other guys who  were also in recovery and they treated him like a lil brother. he thrived in that environment.  he worked and did what he was supposed to do.  this all happened during a window in his life when he was sans social worker after he was sexually exploited by the person supposed to be helping him.  this kid had a social worker since birth and the quality , or lack thereof, of his life reflects in part their work. as soon as the system returned to rescue him his life went to heck again. the system made him worthless by rewarding worthless behavior and telling him nothin was his fault.   i've not seen that as much in section 8 when its run right, and to run right the landlord needs to be involved many of them just game the system

[kgbsquirrel]

....when its run right,

There's the rub.

So how much of HUD's $30,000,000,000 is wasted by those gaming the system, both landlord/worker and tenant?

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

hard number to uncover   take a look at some places like dc and you will not be happy.  but on the other hand how many folks own houses today who otherwise might not?  that first time homebuyer worked well for myself and many others

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

First-time home buyers reached the highest market share on record during the past year, according to the latest consumer survey of home buyers and sellers. The study was released here today at the 2009 REALTORS® Conference & Expo.

The 2009 National Association of Realtors® Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers is the latest in a series of large national NAR surveys evaluating demographics, preferences, marketing and experiences of recent home buyers and sellers. Among national surveys, NAR’s Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers is unprecedented in size and scope.

Paul Bishop, NAR vice president of research, said several factors have been at play. “Tax incentives, record high affordability conditions and a pent-up demand brought a record share of first-time home buyers into the market,” he said. “These buyers are critical to housing and a general economic recovery because the market always heals from the bottom up – they absorb inventory, free existing owners to make a trade and stimulate related goods and services.”

The number of first-time home buyers rose to 47 percent of all home sales from 41 percent of transactions in last year’s study, and was the highest on record dating back to 1981. The previous high was 44 percent in 1991. “It’s interesting to note the last cyclical peak of first-time home buyers was during the last noteworthy economic downturn, with first-time buyers starting the chain reaction that led the nation out of recession,” Bishop said.

The profile shows the median age of first-time buyers was 30 and the median income was $61,600. The typical first-time buyer purchased a home costing $156,000, down from $165,000 in the 2008 study, and plans to stay in that home for 10 years.

Fifty-five percent of entry level buyers reported they financed their purchase with an FHA loan, while another 8 percent used the VA loan program.

First-time buyers who made a downpayment used a variety of sources: 61 percent used savings and 22 percent received a gift from a friend or relative, typically from their parents. Six percent received a loan from a relative or friend, 6 percent tapped into a 401(k) fund, and 6 percent sold stocks or bonds. Ninety-six percent chose a fixed-rate mortgage.

First-time buyers often make financial sacrifices to purchase a home: 39 percent cut spending on luxury items, 38 percent cut back on entertainment and 30 percent cut spending on clothes.

Only 12 percent said financing their first home was more difficult than expected, but 13 percent of successful buyers said they had experienced a purchase agreement that was canceled, terminated or fell through; and 8 percent had been rejected by a lender. “This raises the question of how many potential buyers were unsuccessful because of problems with appraisals or loan qualifications,” Bishop said. “The market would be even stronger without these problems.”

[sanglant]

how were you able to tell the section 8 homes from the others?

in NC there in a complex(apartments) with a sign out front.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

the whole complex is section 8?! or the sign says they accept section 8?

[sanglant]

the whole complex.