Tag Archives: debt-free housing

Structural Change for the Public Benefit: A Lesson from Open Source Licenses

Forty years ago there was a political agenda in the US and much of the world that had merit:  fix the issues of ecology, control the expanding power of the multi-national corporations, regulate or phase out nuclear technologies, address the … Continue reading

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Pay it off once, and never again

From a house's point of view, it must seem odd to have to be paid off again and again as if it were being rebuilt anew every few years.    A house could be built and then paid off, then enjoyed … Continue reading

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Can the Home Mortgage Deduction Help our Public Benefit Housing System?

The idea of our Public Benefit Housing system is to have a apartment blocks bought by non-profit organizations which take out mortgage on the property which it then pays off and never refinances.   Then the units are rented and some … Continue reading

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Debt Free Housing

Debt free housing would cost a fraction, and probably a small fraction, of what most of us pay now, whether we own or rent.   As I argued before, most of the monthly cost we pay for our housing goes to … Continue reading

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Mortgages can make our houses cost 500% more

I have been looking for evidence of what mortgages do to housing prices in the United States, which is not easy since mortgages are so widespread they effect almost all houses.  Finding an example to compare how much our houses … Continue reading

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Used Houses

I remember being shocked by the phrase “used house” as in “who would want a used house” since all houses where I grew up with were 60-100 years old– they were all “used”.    But it did get me thinking– why … Continue reading

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Welcome to the Real World, You are Now in Debt

There has been a focus on the exploding problems of student debt, which are sinking a large population a critical point in their lives. But even if you are not under student loans, once you move out of your parent’s … Continue reading

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Cost of Debt in Housing

Is it practical to live debt free?  I would say yes, but it will take being a bit clever.   This is an important topic because I will try to show that for most Americans most of our housing cost is … Continue reading

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