Re:Where the missing middle of housing isn't missing
by dionidium on Wednesday August 12, 2020 @04:34PM
(#24136610)
This subthread has focused on buying a unit in a multi-family building, but historically owner-occupied multi-families are very common. I'm in the process of buying one to occupy myself. Owners enjoy many of the benefits of ownership, the rental income is a path to wealth (and an opportunity to qualify for a mortgage you may not otherwise have been able to afford), and the city benefits from increased housing supply and landlords who are present and attentive.
Re:Where the missing middle of housing isn't missing
by luckylion on Thursday August 13, 2020 @03:19AM
(#24140779)
That requires a bit more wealth to start with though, right? With 20-30% equity, the number of people who'd be able to afford a multi-family building (at least where I live) is tiny, and has a large overlap with those who can afford multiple multi-family buildings, I believe.
What's somewhat more common in Germany (at least in the rural areas) is having a single small apartment inside a single family home that was usually rented to workers.
I wouldn't buy an apartment in a multi-family home either though, simply because your money is tied for quite a while and it's essentially a lottery whether you have terrible neighbors or not. If they suck, you can't easily leave.
With a detached single-family home, you'll at least have a few meters and two walls between your neighbors and you, and if they can't sleep and walk about and start to sort their books, it won't keep you awake, researching the perfect crime on Google.