Bay Area has been one of the most expensive areas in recent years to buy a house.
But there is still a quarter in which it is possible to secure a bargain.
The village of Atchison is on the other side of the San Francisco bay and has some of the cheapest houses on the market.
Due to the average property in the picturesque area scheme, they are reset around 211,000 US dollars, less than the costs for a down payment for a house just above the water, in which a typical residence is associated with a whopping 1.2 million US dollars.
But there is a catch when it comes to buying in Atchison. You will almost certainly have to get the entire sum under control in cash.
As one of the first housing associations of California, most banks and lenders will not receive a loan for a house in the neighborhood of Richmond, which were built for the first time during the Second World War for Schiffbauer and their families.
Buyers can take a personal loan from the neighborhood credit union, but have to deal with an interest rate of 12 percent.
For most people, a house in the area can only be reached if you already have equity in a property you want to sell.
Image: The front of a building with four units in the village of Atchison. A device in the back that was just sold for $ 150,200
Nevertheless, the monthly fees have to pay the inhabitants of Atchison – the insurance companies, property taxes and some supply companies – usually have much lower than the average mortgage payments.
However, the 30 hectare village is not without problems or a healing for the crisis to afford to afford the living space.
The residents report problems with maintenance delays and a rapidly drying Rainy Day Fund.
All of this comes that fewer and fewer people can buy a house in Atchison and tighten the growing financial defection for the cooperative in housing construction.
Apart from the price buyers, the actual residents, many of whom are retired and live from fixed income, are also faced with rising costs.
According to the US Census Bureau, the estimated medium -sized household income in the region is only $ 31,000.
Atchison also provides for itself in other parts of the Bay area, partly confronted in California thanks to the forest fire California.
And since one of the four -placed Atheison burned down in May, many are concerned that the premiums will address even more.
Made: A 4 -bed house with two baths in San Francisco on the market for 1.2 million US dollars, which is roughly the average price in the U -Bahn
Tara Ayres, one of the eleven elected board members of the Atchison Village, said
The increasing values of houses themselves also mean that long -standing residents are affected with ever unaffordable property tax invoices.
Renae Garabedian announced the San Francisco Chronicle that she bought a house for $ 30,000 in 1990. The price for a similar home is now almost nine times more, which means that you and many others have to pay much more in property tax due to your fees.
Casey Bastiaans, a board member of Atchison, told the chronicle that their monthly fees of around 400 to 700 US dollars have risen, while others say that they pay around 900 US dollars.
“Many people have moved out or are in the process of moving out,” said Garabedian.
The village has had a fair trip since the residents bought it from the federal government for 1.5 million US dollars in 1956, which today corresponds to almost 19 million US dollars.
When the US government had Atchison, houses were only available for white workers. Now Hispanic residents make up the majority of the community.
Despite a demographic change, Atchison has remained largely the same over the decades, since the strict rules imposed by the cooperative were imposed.
Many of the houses have their original wooden floors and their outdoor paneling from the time of construction in the 1940s.
Image: an overhead view of Richmond, California. The village of Atchison is the residential area in the middle right side
Most of the 450 Atchison houses, usually 500 to 1,000 square foot, share the courtyards with neighboring houses, so that the residents can organize barbecues or organize a slightly fast chat with each other.
The residents say that the neighborhood is generally inviting and indicates the group who pays dementia after a neighbor.
However, not everyone understands. Tara Ayres, one of the eleven elected board members of the village, said that she and your co -guides would have to compensate for the budget and at the same time act as a “warehouse consultant” when disputes occur.
Months ago, several residents applied for the board to reduce a proposed fees, while other neighbors considered this necessary.
The increase was proposed due to a flooded bathtub that caused damage and led to allegations of negligence in a lawsuit between the co -op and a member.
At the beginning of this year, the board voted to temporarily increase the fees by 24 US dollars a month to regain money from an insurance costs last year.
Bastiaan said the board is considering a number of things to do to tackle the financial problems and increasing fees for members at the same time.
An overhead point of view of the village of Atchison, a community that has not changed much for 70 years thanks to strict rules from the co-op board
The options on the table include how much money you have to save, buy a cheaper fire insurance plan and spread fees between the residents more evenly.
Bastiaan believes that Atchison comes by, but fears that the character of the neighborhood could change if families of the working class find it more difficult to afford there.
“I think the village will be here,” she said. “It will be different.”