Affordable Housing and How To Find It

There was a time not that long ago when anyone with a steady job could be expected to afford a home to live in. Those times, sadly, are long gone in America. Working 40 hours a week at a factory is no longer a guarantee of a decent life. More people than ever are living close to or below the poverty line and it can make finding affordable housing a difficult challenge. To compensate for this, many families choose to pay a substantial percentage of their income towards rent or a mortgage just so they can afford to live in a safe neighborhood. If you've had trouble finding a reasonable place to live, here are some tips on where to look.

The U.S. government and many financial experts agree that a person should not spend more than thirty percent of their income on their rent or mortgage. This advice is salient, but many people spend upwards of fifty percent of their income on their living arrangements. In order to find truly affordable housing, you have to break away from that pack. Figure out how much thirty percent of your income comes to (this is using your household income figure) and use that figure to determine the kind of rent you should be paying.

Affordable housing listings are all over the place, from the newspaper to the internet to rental guides found in the racks in convenience stores. Look through them all. Make looking through these listings a second job. Follow up on promising leads and dismiss those listings that won't fit into your budget. Use your gut and your head in conjunction, but don't dismiss a listing out of hand because you don't like the picture right off the bat. Safety is important in terms of your neighborhood and security, but don't get too hung up on beauty. The purpose right now is to find a secure and reasonable place to live.

You may want to consult with your local HUD office. HUD is in charge of finding affordable housing for low income families and they are exceedingly efficient at their job. It may come as a surprise to you to find out that many high end apartment complexes actually set aside a certain percentage of their apartments for HUD housing. If you've ever wondered, "How do they afford to live there with their job?", this could be the reason why. Of course, to qualify for HUD apartments, you'll have to meet their criteria as it pertains to income and other factors.