Fears About Home Prices

On Aug. 7 you carried a front-page story, “The Times Orange County Poll: High Home Prices Stir Fears for the Future.” The story, whose poll questions are not known or defined in detail, related an almost cruel free-enterprise situation in Orange County housing.

The Orange County housing picture is one of a tremendous economy and healthy business climate situated in a wonderful and desirable climate. Of course, the demand for a limited desirable anything is going to drive costs up in a free society. Only socialism would induce rent controls and low-income housing, which is in total conflict with a free market society.

The “poll” implies that 84% of those contacted stated homes would be priced beyond the reach of their children. I suggest that there are three facts behind the issue. People and their children no longer have the will to save and sacrifice now to purchase a future home. Many would prefer to drive a German status symbol, rent near the beach and complain how they cannot afford to buy.

Too many parents who own homes in Orange County are helping children “crack” the down-payment problem, which is great and no doubt necessary.

Three, if you cannot afford to live on the beach, you have no business complaining. Put in the education, sacrifice the extra hours of work and delay the purchase of the German status symbol until you get the house. Or, simply move to Riverside or Ontario where rent and housing are more affordable.

Rent control and affordable housing are high “agree” items too--if you ask anyone not in a purchased home. They could accomplish the same goals as homeowners if they followed the same methods of saving, thrift and hard work as homeowners.

The Times poll should have asked how many of the non-homeowners were aggressively saving for a home and approximately how much they had saved.

I think the liberal ideology of The Times came up with the exact results of the poll The Times funded to support its own philosophy.

THOMAS F. STEELE

Fountain Valley