Your beginning tells it all, renting is bad. I can’t even imagine an older person on a fix income thinking they’ll be able to pay future rents. Sure property taxes are bad but not like rent. I have a wooded property here in Texas that I could easily convert into a million dollar ranch about 40/50 miles north of Houston but only pay now about 400 in property taxes. But once I convert the taxes would be catastrophic. I’d love to convert it to a nice ranch with steel fencing but they’ll tax the hell out of me for the buildings, meaning barns
Wow! I own a small house on a standard lot in a so-so Oregon town, decent but nothing special, and my property taxes are now over $1900/year! The problem is this is a county with many “entitlement” types renting, but long-term, and anytime these people want anything at all, they just vote in a bond measure. They think it’s like magic.
A new high school, when there was nothing wrong with the old one - some community group just started raising a ruckus about “the best for our children.” The next year they did it again for the grammar school. Then a new community college, with such low attendance it sits half empty! It’s not even fully accredited, it’s hardly even a trade school. Then a new animal shelter which is almost as elegant as Trump Tower, cost a fortune! For about 15 animals at a time We have very low population density here, these projects cannot be justified financially.
Now a new hospital, and they are not even adding medical services, it’s all glamour and larger offices and conference rooms for staff and doctors. But they say “community health” and people vote yes.
Also outrageous things like parks, community swimming pools, meal program, a constant stream of unnecessary things that usually are only affordable in wealthier areas. This is a rural area, it’s absurd to want more attractions than Disneyland!
These bond measures usually pass by a handful of votes; the homeowners are sick of this, but the deadbeats win. Some things do get defeated, but rarely. So consider that $400 a bargain! :-)