Baby Steps.

So I had my first "freelance" article published this week. I don't know if I'm allowed to reprint this without permission, but until I hear otherwise, here it is...

Feels pretty good to be me today.

My Hometown.

By Patrick Canole, (NRHS Class of ’93)

Flashback - Lancaster in the 1980s... Apple orchards... Trees... Wide-open spaces... The only traffic light in town is a blinking yellow light at Five Corners. Growing up here, I thought to myself “Wow, what a boring town.” Now that I’m a little bit older and a little bit wiser, I think to myself “Wow, what a beautiful place to raise a family.”

Twenty years later, there are still a few trees, but the apple orchards and wide-open spaces are on the endangered list. Every time I come back to Lancaster to visit, a few more apple trees have been cut down. There is another open field that has been turned into a housing development. This is not the sleepy little middle-class town that I remember from my youth. Despite all these recent changes, it remains one of the most beautiful areas in central Massachusetts.

I grew up in Lancaster. I love Lancaster. Unfortunately, I cannot afford to buy a house here. Changes in the real estate market and the types of new houses being built have combined to put towns like Lancaster well out of the reach of most first time home buyers.

It does not look like I am going to be able to raise my kids the same school system that I grew up in. Despite a continuous supply of new development, none of these new houses are remotely affordable for the first time homebuyer. Nobody builds small or medium sized houses anymore. It's McMansions for everyone. Twenty years ago, if you wanted a house bigger than 3000 square feet, there were a few places on George Hill Road that could accommodate you. Now they seem to be the rule rather than the exception. A quick scan of the real estate listing for the area show most new construction is happening in $400,000 and up range… That is nosebleed heights for most of us.

According to a recent Boston Globe article, house prices in Massachusetts are 6 times what they were in 1980. But incomes in the area are only three times higher than 1980. Think about that for a minute. That’s a pretty drastic change.

If you bought a house in the area years ago, congratulations. You have probably made a pretty good return on your investment. But if you sold it tomorrow, could you afford to buy something else in the area? Didn’t think so.

If the housing bubble were to burst tomorrow, I am ready to buy a place. But I would really rather not spend $250,000 on a fixer upper right now (and honestly, within an hour of Boston, $250,000 does not buy you that much anymore).

Just to give you a for how much money a quarter of a million dollar mortgage is for the first time home buyer - $250,000 at 6.5% for 30 years is $1,580.17 a month... If you're making $35,000 a year, (a decent salary for your twenties… certainly nobody’s definition of poor), that is more than HALF of your pre-tax income. You would need to take up a second job to be able to eat and pay back your student loans. And we haven’t even talked about property taxes yet.

I grew up in a middle class family. I appreciate the sacrifices my family made to send me to college, and I have tried to show my appreciation by working hard and taking advantage of the opportunities given to me. I work. I have a good job. But I am still worried about where the mortgage payment would come from if I were out of work for any length of time. I have no idea how my friends who teach or work in the non-profit sector are going to buy a house. I stay up at night and worry about these things. Honestly.

And if we are not in the midst of a housing bubble, God forbid, I am prepared to wait things out until the baby boomers all retire and move to Florida. Other than that, it is going to take a winning lottery ticket or a significant inheritance just to come up with a down payment.

I have written letters to my local politicians and newspapers, but frankly, no one really seems that interested. Affordable middle class housing is not nearly as interesting an issue as tax cuts or prescription drug plans for seniors. And my generation tends to forget to vote.

I understand how supply and demand works. But I think we could be doing a better job with the supply. I also understand that change is inevitable. If we’re going to lose our wide open spaces to housing developments anyway, why not consider affordable housing laws and multi-family units whenever possible? While this might have a negative effect your property values in the short term, it will be much nicer than having to fly to San Antonio to visit your kids. It is important that Lancaster maintain its middle-class roots.

I hope that people my age are given a chance to live in this region and not forced to move west simply to maintain the standard of living we were grew up with. We are not looking for a handout or a free pass. We are just asking for the same opportunities that our parents had. Lancaster is not going to be nearly as nice a place to live when your teachers, police officers and newspaper writers cannot afford to live in town.