What is your Zillow browsing history?

The discussions in class this week brought some painful reminders of our generation and the future of home ownership. As we graduate and move to different cities, searching for apartments, I can't help but wonder how much longer I'll be renting. This has led me to browse Zillow.com to know what the housing market even looks like these days, and it has been a rude awakening.

Compared to the Baby Boomers, Millennials and Gen Z don't easily believe in this "American Dream" of the white picket fence in the depths of suburbia, partially due to mortgage rates. One can fantasize living in a large move-in ready house they found on Zillow, but that becoming a reality will either never happen or take time to come to fruition compared to our parents and grandparents. 

While this may feel disheartening, there are also some cons about homeownership, especially in suburban areas. Not only are these large houses out of our price ranges right now, but I fear it can lead to a culture where material wealth and possessions are prioritized over other values such as community, relationships, and personal fulfillment. Suburban living often involves long commutes, reliance on cars for transportation, and less walkability, which can result in less interaction and connection with neighbors and community members.

Please enjoy this SNL skit about the fantasies of Zillow browsing in today's housing market.

SNL - Zillow

How do you think the internet and Zillow.com have affected our perceptions on suburbia and homeownership?





Comments

  1. This is painfully accurate, Erin. It reminded me of the discussion we had in Building Processes when Vincent brought up why we wouldn't want to store hydrogen in our garage, but all I could think about was how far-fetched it would be for us to even own a house with a garage- let alone the idea of owning hydrogen and needing to store it. We should all just band together and start one of those hippie communes and go off the grid.

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    1. Lol agreed. Although can you even imagine what kind of homestead architectural net zero Utopia we'd all try to design after going through COTE? It'd be a jumble of 3d print house boats with underground farming in mountain sides surrounded by bamboo

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  2. Yeah I agree, this SNL sketch is so funny. It is very relatable for people. I wonder what will happen and if something will change to allow young people to be able to buy houses. Or will everyone move into the city like we talked about in class? Maybe if young people start to only live in the cities the demand for housing will go down or maybe more houses will be built. Anything for housing to be more affordable!

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