[Vision2020] Rent Prices Was: Sen Schroeder

Fri Feb 20 13:43:46 PST 2009

I am not really sure about how rent controls work--are they based on
percentages on averages, what? On the surface it sounds great, but my
concern would be that if I owned a duplex and wanted to rent it out, would
the caps be so low as to preclude me from a.) making improvements/repairs
and b.) turning a profit. 

But the situation I described is unfortunately fairly common. If you plan to
stay in Moscow over the summer, leasing agencies will often lower the per
month rent but require occupancy over the summer. But, if you wait to rent
the same place in August, the rent is X amount more per month from August to
May. In the situation I described, the landlord had not published the rent
price of this house, but when the girls arrived to look at it told them
several other people were waiting to see it, that they'd have it filled by
the end of the day for sure, if they waited to decide, they'd lose it and
not find anything else in time for school, etc. ---that's a lot of preying
on young people who knew nothing about renting (my friend said she now
regrets being so dumb about it but thinks she's learned a lot from this
rather expensive venture). 

My husband's duplex he lived in before we were married was very reasonably
priced; however, the landlord didn't want or wouldn't rent to undergraduate
students. I lived in a duplex when I was in school where the landlord had
very strict rules involving how late I could have guests, etc.  But I think
all these scenarios are pretty common in college towns. It's not that it's
right or ok, but it is pretty common, and I kind of understand it. My mom
lives in a residential neighborhood and two properties (houses) have become
rentals within the past 5 or so years (my parents bought the house in 1974
when it was all single family homes in the area). The renters park illegally
(wrong facing, wrong side of street, blocking driveways, etc.). Those things
I blame on the renters. The weeds, lack of sidewalk maintenance and
generally declined appearances of these houses, however, I blame on the
property owners and/or managers. Would she rather that an elderly couple or
a family with kids lived there instead of the students? Absolutely, but she
moved to a university town . . . what did she expect?

Jennifer L. Ingalls

-----Original Message-----
From: Tom Hansen [mailto:thansen at moscow.com] 
Sent: Friday, February 20, 2009 8:43 AM
To: jennifer at inlandradio.com; vision2020 at moscow.com
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Rent Prices Was: Sen Schroeder

Jennifer -

Perhaps what we need, until suitable low-income housing is built and made 
available, is rent control on those facilities currently housing low-
income families.

If rent is as outrageous as you reflect, the situation requires that 
limits/restrictions be enacted.

Thoughts?

Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho

> A young friend of mine is a student at Idaho and lives in a house with 5
> other girls. With all due respect to my friend, the house they rent is in
> horrible shape, and they pay more than what my brother pays for a similar
> sized house that overlooks the lake (beautiful views from the wrap-around
> deck) near Seattle in the city of Shoreline. While not all property
> management companies are taking advantage of renters, some are (though I
> suspect that is the case anywhere). College towns seem to be more 
inflicted
> by rent inflation than other areas (fair or not). Comparing Moscow to 
Boise
> or Coeur d'Alene isn't realistic; Boise isn't a college town-neither is 
CDA.
> You pay to live in a town that has accessibility to more cultural events 
and
> entertainment as well as to higher learning. 
> 
>  
> 
> Jennifer L. Ingalls
> 
>   _____  
> 
> From: vision2020-bounces at moscow.com [mailto:vision2020-
bounces at moscow.com]
> On Behalf Of Donovan Arnold
> Sent: Thursday, February 19, 2009 7:58 PM
> To: Chasuk
> Cc: vision2020 at moscow.com
> Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Rent Prices Was: Sen Schroeder
> 
>  
> 
> 
> Here is what is on Craigslist.
> 
>  
> 
> Feb 18 - $950 / 4br - <http://pullman.craigslist.org/apa/1040825616.html>
> Older home 41/2BR 11/2BA - (Public Ave, Moscow)
> 
> Feb 15 - $1395 / 4br - 5 
<http://pullman.craigslist.org/apa/1036354824.html>
> Bath House, Pet/Horse OK - (Colfax) pic
> 
> Jan 29 - $1395 / 4br - 4 
<http://pullman.craigslist.org/apa/1013041656.html>
> Bed, 5 Bath House, Dog/Cat/Horse OK - (Colfax) pic
> 
> Jan 21 - $850 / 5br - <http://pullman.craigslist.org/apa/1001751033.html>
> Large home for rent - (Garfield) pic
> 
> Jan 20 - $1195 / 4br - 
<http://pullman.craigslist.org/apa/1000840245.html>
> 828 N. Grant - (Moscow) pic
> 
> 
> Average the house price for a 4 bedroom home: $1097
> 
> Add in WSG and electricity which most renters have to pay in homes and 
that
> is over $1200. Most the homes in Moscow are really old too, built before
> dirt was invented. 
> 
> If you buy a house, the average mortgage in Moscow is almost $200,000, 
which
> means a monthly payment of $1200 or a month unless your have a high down 
and
> a 720+ FICO.
> 
> The apartments you have lived in Chas, were in all honestly, not that 
nice.
> I have seen them. Some smell like dog sh*t and cat piss even, and plenty 
of
> smokers around, I kid you not. I have been to almost every apartment 
complex
> in Moscow, and unless you are living in subsidized housing, you are 
paying
> at least $550 a month for a large one bedroom or two small bedroom one 
bath,
> or you are living in something small or nasty. Most of them are older
> apartments too, around for my parents or when my sister was a Frosh at 
UI. 
> 
> In the Treasure Valley and Magic Valley, and most other cities in Idaho, 
you
> can rent a newer three or four bedroom 2 or three bath home for $850 and 
in
> some places $700 a month that has a two or three car garage and and about
> 1200-1600 Sq.ft. That is the common rate. Not a beat up 50 year old 
house on
> a gravel road next to a wheat field with a one legged dog that chases 
your
> pickup every time you drive down your driveway. 
> 
> In addition, the average household income in Latah is below $26,000 a 
year,
> although it is slightly higher in the city. This is much lower than in 
other
> parts of the state. So you have higher housing costs, and lower income.
> Which is why so many people in Moscow are living below or just over the
> poverty level. 
> 
> Best Regards,
> 
> Donovan
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> --- On Thu, 2/19/09, Chasuk <chasuk at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> From: Chasuk <chasuk at gmail.com>
> Subject: [Vision2020] Rent Prices Was: Sen Schroeder
> To: donovanjarnold2005 at yahoo.com
> Cc: vision2020 at moscow.com
> Date: Thursday, February 19, 2009, 7:16 PM
> 
> On Thu, Feb 19, 2009 at 18:08, Donovan Arnold
> 
> 
> <donovanjarnold2005 at yahoo.com> wrote:
> 
> 
>   
> 
> 
> > I am sure we have heard more. And so they wonder why rent is $1200 a 
month
> 
> 
> > in Moscow and $700 a month in the Treasure Valley,
> 
> 
>   
> 
> 
> Rent is $1200 a month in Moscow?  That certainly isn't an average, or
> 
> 
> even the mean.  I've never paid more than $600 a month in Moscow, and
> 
> 
> I've lived in some pretty nice apartments.  I'm renting a 4 bedroom
> 
> 
> home now, and I don't pay $1200 a month, or anywhere near it.
> 
> 
>   
> 
> 
> =======================================================
> 
> 
>  List services made available by First Step Internet, 
> 
> 
>  serving the communities of the
>  Palouse since 1994.   
> 
> 
>                http://www.fsr.net                       
> 
> 
>           mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
> 
> 
> =======================================================
> 
>  
> 
> 

"For a lapsed Lutheran born-again Buddhist pan-Humanist Universalist 
Unitarian Wiccan Agnostic like myself there's really no reason ever to go 
to work."

- Roy Zimmerman

---------------------------------------------
This message was sent by First Step Internet.
           http://www.fsr.com/