gjm comments on Rational Home Buying - Less Wrong

99 Post author: Yvain 27 August 2011 12:15AM

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Comment author: gjm 26 August 2011 09:06:13PM 8 points [-]

a neighborhood ... where you'll be relatively high on the social ladder.

That seems to be the reverse of what the research you cited indicates (rich people in rich neighbourhoors of poor counties in America are happy). Don't you want to be in a rich neighbourhood (so you're surrounded by nice things and reminders of your high status) in a poorer region (so you have something worse to compare against) of a rich country (for all the infrastructural benefits that brings)?

Comment author: Yvain 27 August 2011 09:41:05AM 1 point [-]

I've changed the word "neighborhood" to "area" here, but this was actually the point I was least certain about. A lot of the theory and some studies I see mentioned but can't find do tend to suggest neighborhood, but the Firebaugh study, which is the best I could find an abstract for says not neighborhood but region.

I don't know to what degree that contradicts the earlier results, and since I can't even find full text for Firebaugh, I'm not sure whether it means anything more profound than "try to avoid a house in the middle of a loud dirty ghetto, because you wouldn't like that."

I'm also wary of this whole area because of the controversy around the Easterlin Paradox

Comment author: Will_Newsome 27 August 2011 08:28:14AM 6 points [-]

I wonder if college towns are ideal, e.g. somewhere nice in the Knowledge Corridor.

Comment author: MartinB 28 August 2011 07:19:40AM 0 points [-]

Good for mental stimulation. And probably a nice hospital for later usage.