joebxr is right, location, location, location. Why? Because the asset is the LAND under your dwelling. That is why mobile homes don't appreciate like regular houses do. ALL houses depreciate, it is the land under them that appreciates. Only not if it is in Schenectady.
That 6-9 thousand in upkeep in the article is highly debatable.

Quoted from Madam X

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That 6-9 thousand in upkeep in the article is highly debatable.

It was based on a $300k house. Let's say it's a $150k house, it would be $3k-5k per year on average.  If you keep your house for 30 years,  one or two roof replacement is at least $10k per, windows another $10k, maintain foundation, replacing flooring, water heater, A/C, furnace, stove, refrigerator, dishwasher,  driveway, garage door, kitchen cabinets, septic service/replacement, plumbing and electrical repairs, replace a deck.  Add to that landscaping costs.  And I'm sure I missed many more expenses.

My rule of thumb when choosing a location, you buy the school district.  School district preserves the property values in this area.

Your rule about the school district is something we agree on. I always pointed that out to people, back when we had good schools and rational taxes. People willingly choose to live in higher-taxed communities, if the taxes are going to something they can use, a good school system. Even people without kids will choose a vibrant, well-kept city of decent families. When you drive the families who can choose where they want to live away, what you have left is way worse for the kids you thought you were helping.
Another thing nobody talks about - our streets are in absolutely atrocious condition, due to years of neglect, for one thing, but there is another factor. How many times have you driven down a residential street and seen a sign, trucks over X tons prohibited, usually 6 or 7 tons? Back in the day, schools like Howe, for instance, had a smallish number of kids attending, who got there on foot, and then a handful of teachers and administrators who usually drove. Now, because of the desire of the social engineers to cram everyone into as few buildings as possible, we have way more kids coming into the schools, and they are coming on buses, and we have large numbers of staff too. Way, way more traffic on streets that were never designed for that much vehicle traffic, and also the average school bus weighs something like 11 or 12 tons empty, or so I've heard. There are plans afoot to reopen Howe school as an elementary school, but to build an addition to make it more "cost effective". Ahem. Having kids leave their neighborhoods and travel by bus across the city costs so much more. Devalued property in areas like the Stockade because there is no school, and to make it worse, horrible traffic, pollution, tearing up the roads, damage to home foundations. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Quoted from CICERO

It was based on a $300k house. Let's say it's a $150k house, it would be $3k-5k per year on average.  If you keep your house for 30 years,  one or two roof replacement is at least $10k per, windows another $10k, maintain foundation, replacing flooring, water heater, A/C, furnace, stove, refrigerator, dishwasher,  driveway, garage door, kitchen cabinets, septic service/replacement, plumbing and electrical repairs, replace a deck.  Add to that landscaping costs.  And I'm sure I missed many more expenses.

My rule of thumb when choosing a location, you buy the school district.  School district preserves the property values in this area.

not only fixing it and keeping it up to date but heating/cooling it.....time out of one's life to clean it...furnishing it.....etc....
that's why low income housing/'free' housing is a misnomer......

selling cheap homes using no interest loans in schenectady still does not fix the day to day issue of home ownership if a person
cannot maintain the home.
$10/hour job means having to work 80hours/week just to get by (and not without government help) if you have 2 kids.

so owning a home has ceased to be the American dream, at least in areas where the jobs suck and are poor paying
service jobs.

I certainly hope the 'savior casino' will be paying more than $15/hour.

Quoted from senders

not only fixing it and keeping it up to date but heating/cooling it.....time out of one's life to clean it...furnishing it.....etc....
that's why low income housing/'free' housing is a misnomer......

selling cheap homes using no interest loans in schenectady still does not fix the day to day issue of home ownership if a person
cannot maintain the home.
$10/hour job means having to work 80hours/week just to get by (and not without government help) if you have 2 kids.

so owning a home has ceased to be the American dream, at least in areas where the jobs suck and are poor paying
service jobs.

I certainly hope the 'savior casino' will be paying more than $15/hour.

We can argue about maintenance on the house, but heating and cooling it isn't part of it.
The heating and cooling is for YOUR comfort... If you lived in a tent and wanted to be comfortable, you would use a heater or some type of coolant... would you could that maintenance on the tent?

If there are good-paying jobs at said casino, you can "bet" (get it) they won't be open to all, and it is also likely to have anything but a very low-level job you will need a degree, likely in the form of a "certificate". Those are degrees for people who want to move up in a particular field that didn't require a degree before, such as one of those "pharmacy tech" jobs, or even if you have say, six years of schooling but are laid off, you will need a certificate to take a job, any job, just to stay afloat.
This started on the West Coast, of course. I was wondering how long it would take to spread, and I noticed in the SCCC booklet of courses, they have one for working in casinos. Will it be required for the jobs? Who knows, but the racket that is Higher Ed today is well prepared.
One hand washes the other, great for those who are in on it. It encourages loyalty to the ruling party, if your kid will lose his job if they do.

The casino will pay as much as the market demands.  The casino isn't going to come in and pay above the market rate just because they are a casino, they will pay what the market rate for the skills they are looking for.  So if I were to guess, it will pay whatever the rate is for hospitality and entertainment labor.  

Quoted from CICERO

The casino will pay as much as the market demands.  The casino isn't going to come in and pay above the market rate just because they are a casino, they will pay what the market rate for the skills they are looking for.  So if I were to guess, it will pay whatever the rate is for hospitality and entertainment labor.  

and who exactly IS the 'market' that will pay what the 'market' demands??
THE RICH/CONNECTED/INFLUENTIAL/GREEDY....arm of the government bast@rds!!!

this so called 'market' determines EVERYONE'S economic/future/life....it's a rigged system!!

Quoted from Madam X

Your rule about the school district is something we agree on.

I'm not sure if we look at the reason behind the school district rule the same way.  A school district is a reflection of the community, the community isn't a reflection of the school district.  IMO...A school districts performance has very little to do with great teachers or how much is spent per pupil, it has to do with the types of families and kids sent to the school.  You can take a high performing school district with a high graduation rate like Niskayuna and drop those same teachers, administrators and classroom amenities into Schenectady, and the graduation rate will be the same as the current Schenectady School District.

Quoted from bumblethru

and who exactly IS the 'market' that will pay what the 'market' demands??

You are the market.  If you hire a contractor to work on your house, who determines how much you will pay?  If a landscaper gives you a quote to mow your lawn for $100, and another quotes you $30...Who do you choose?

Quoted from Madam X

If there are good-paying jobs at said casino, you can "bet" (get it) they won't be open to all, and it is also likely to have anything but a very low-level job you will need a degree, likely in the form of a "certificate". Those are degrees for people who want to move up in a particular field that didn't require a degree before, such as one of those "pharmacy tech" jobs, or even if you have say, six years of schooling but are laid off, you will need a certificate to take a job, any job, just to stay afloat.
This started on the West Coast, of course. I was wondering how long it would take to spread, and I noticed in the SCCC booklet of courses, they have one for working in casinos. Will it be required for the jobs? Who knows, but the racket that is Higher Ed today is well prepared.
One hand washes the other, great for those who are in on it. It encourages loyalty to the ruling party, if your kid will lose his job if they do.

First of all what the hell west coast are you talking about? China  ?

the casino and the Marriott  will show up with experienced management-
Along with the lower paying jobs like housekeeping there is property facilities/engineering wich will include painters/wallpaper, groundskeepers,HVAC, tile and every other type of construction to maintain the properties
There is surveillance/ camera, security- retired military,cops etc , full time EMT staff., marketing,promotions,accounting, etc

SCCC offers an AA degree in casino management which will enable a graduate to move quickly to an assistant management position within the casino / hospitality industry , cruise ships and resort opportunities
NY along with every  other states gaming commission will require a gaming badge- usually level 1-3. Level 3 is the easiest but they will check your criminal record- they dont like thieves or wife beaters and will check if your paying your taxes . ( IRS )
Level 1 top management often have to give their parents SS# too .

Cic, our district used to be a reflection of the community, and NOW the community is a reflection of the district. The social engineers always get exactly what they set out to get, and when the get it, they are always surprised and angry.

What the hell coast would I be talking about, Sombody you angry idiot? What is your problem? Other than that you are a failure at everything in life? Shut up and go away.

Quoted from Madam X

Cic, our district used to be a reflection of the community, and NOW the community is a reflection of the district. The social engineers always get exactly what they set out to get, and when the get it, they are always surprised and angry.

What the hell coast would I be talking about, Sombody you angry idiot? What is your problem? Other than that you are a failure at everything in life? Shut up and go away.

Sounds like you flucked geography  you probably think San Francisco is northern California too..

Quoted from Madam X

Cic, our district used to be a reflection of the community, and NOW the community is a reflection of the district. The social engineers always get exactly what they set out to get, and when the get it, they are always surprised and angry.

I personally disagree.  I believe if you take the student body from Nislayuna school and have those kids attend Schenectady School, and take the kids from Schenectady School and have them attend Niskayuna, the academic performance will follow the kids.  I truely don't believe the kids will perform better or worse based on the district.  Nislayuna doesn't have some secret teaching technique to school the kids, just kids better conditioned to be schooled.

Quoted from CICERO

I personally disagree.  I believe if you take the student body from Nislayuna school and have those kids attend Schenectady School, and take the kids from Schenectady School and have them attend Niskayuna, the academic performance will follow the kids.  I truely don't believe the kids will perform better or worse based on the district.  Nislayuna doesn't have some secret teaching technique to school the kids, just kids better conditioned to be schooled.

My brother taught HS in Schenectady for 15 years and then went to a large suburban district.
In his opinion, the biggest hindrance for the kids is their parents are kids also. He routinely would have kids in his High school class whose mothers were still in their 20's. Another thing that was heartbreaking was how many of the urban girls who aspired to go to college had there dreams dashed by falling into the same trap their mothers did by getting pregnant at 14-15 years old.

IMHO, the best thing the gov't can do improve the situation in urban areas? Make birth control AND abortion free...in the long run, it would actually cost the taxpayer less.