Taxes and government policies can turn the cozy world of homeownership into a rollercoaster ride of headaches and surprises, and that’s exactly what Eric is diving into today. With a keen eye on the Portland metro area, he spills the tea on how local woes, like homelessness and mental health issues, are affecting property values and creating a domino effect on homeowners. You won’t believe the steep discounts investors are taking on commercial buildings—talk about a fire sale! He also gives us the lowdown on Washington’s new income tax and how those millionaires are packing their bags faster than you can say “tax evasion.” So buckle up as we explore how these fiscal shenanigans impact us all, whether we own a home or just dream of one!
Gather around, folks! Eric G. has another juicy mid-week update for us, and this one is packed with insights on how taxes and government shenanigans are turning the homeowner’s world upside down. Eric’s easy-going style makes it feel like you’re just hanging out, but trust me, the topics he tackles are nothing to sneeze at. Starting with a sobering look at Portland’s struggles with homelessness and mental health, he connects the dots between societal issues and housing market trends, suggesting that it’s not just about building more homes – it’s about addressing the root causes of displacement and instability. He then segues into the tax situation in Washington state, where a new income tax has popped up like that annoying ad you can’t skip. Eric’s take on this is both humorous and critical, especially when he highlights how big names are fleeing the state in the wake of higher taxes. It’s a classic case of “tax the rich, and they’ll just take their ball and go home,” which could have serious implications for the local economy and, by extension, homeowners. Eric’s witty banter keeps the mood light while addressing the heavy reality of these issues, reminding us all to stay vigilant about the policies that affect our pocketbooks. As the episode progresses, Eric encourages listeners to be proactive in their communities and to hold local leaders accountable. He shares anecdotes that illustrate how decisions made in city halls can have direct impacts on our neighborhoods, from rising energy costs to quirky regulations that seem to exist just to irritate homeowners. With a blend of humor and earnestness, he drives home the point that we all need to engage with the political landscape – after all, it’s our homes and communities on the line. So, whether you’re a homeowner or just someone who values stable neighborhoods, this episode is a must-listen!
Takeaways:
- In today’s episode, Eric sheds light on how taxes and government policies can significantly impact homeowners, highlighting the need for residents to stay informed and engaged.
- The struggles in the Portland metro area with homelessness and drug addiction are not just social issues, but they directly affect property values and community safety.
- Washington state just passed an income tax that may face legal challenges, showcasing the ongoing debate about taxation and its implications for high earners and local economies.
- Eric emphasizes the importance of local governance and how certain laws, like those restricting fire pits, can seem arbitrary and unfair to homeowners, urging listeners to hold officials accountable.
- The episode discusses how rising taxes and fees are often a result of governmental spending issues, rather than a need for higher taxation, which ultimately burdens homeowners.
- As the weather turns wild with rain and potential flooding, Eric reminds listeners to prepare their homes and stay safe while navigating these seasonal challenges.
Links referenced in this episode:
Companies mentioned in this episode:
- Eric G.
- Elephants Delicatessen
- Starbucks
- Howard Schultz
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Transcript
Foreign.
Speaker B:The House with Eric G. Your go to source for everything home improvement Whether you're a DIY enthusiast or just looking to make your space shine, Eric G. Is here to guide you through the latest tips, tricks and trends.
Speaker B:So grab your toolbox, put on your thinking cap, and let's get to work right here on around the House with
Speaker A:Eric G. Welcome to the around the House show, your trusted source for everything about your home.
Speaker A:Thanks for joining us today day.
Speaker A:I'm Eric G. This is our midweek update.
Speaker A:This is that special episode we put out in the middle of the week that covers the stuff that we didn't carry last weekend's show and we're not going to chat about in this weekend show coming up.
Speaker A:And as you can tell, my cold is getting better.
Speaker A:I'm on week three of this crazy thing.
Speaker A:It just doesn't want to go away.
Speaker A:Almost got it beat down though.
Speaker A:A little bit better and man, it feels good today.
Speaker A:No bracelet.
Speaker A:So a little shoulder update for you guys.
Speaker A:Hit the six week mark.
Speaker A:I was weeks ahead in my physical therapy, so doc said, hey, six weeks, no slings.
Speaker A:Boy, happy to have that gone.
Speaker A:That makes me very happy.
Speaker A:Now I can move both arms.
Speaker A:Tons of weight limits on that left one there though, but that's okay.
Speaker A:It's just nice to not have one arm locked down and now I just have to protect it and be careful with it.
Speaker A:Today I wanted to give you some updates on a few things out there.
Speaker A:One, we're gonna be having a new YouTube channel that's gonna be our new main channel and then the secondary channel which has been our existing one that will be for our podcast and things like that.
Speaker A:So we're gonna have a couple channels going there.
Speaker A:Just because we've got on that one channel like 700 videos going back, I didn't want to get rid of those.
Speaker A:So we're gonna keep that one as our podcast channel that will have the RSS feed.
Speaker A:So if you want to catch up this show over there, you'll be able to catch that.
Speaker A:But we will have a new one coming out here in the next week.
Speaker A:So stay tuned for that announcement.
Speaker A:So many different things going on out there today.
Speaker A:One thing I wanted to talk about, and it's interesting, I'm in the Portland metro area here.
Speaker A:Not in Portland or the city of Portland in Oregon here, but outside in the metro area.
Speaker A:And as we've talked about on the show, just the problems we've had with homeless, homelessness and drug addiction, mental illness, all those things out there we don't have a housing problem here.
Speaker A:As I say it, we have a mental illness and drug addiction problem.
Speaker A:And it's really a mental illness problem that you see people self medicating that turns into a drug addiction problem, thus relating into the homeless problem.
Speaker A:Another great example happened yesterday and it feels so bad for these guys, Elephants Delicatessen in downtown.
Speaker A:Those guys just a really good deli.
Speaker A:And I knew when I turned the news on yesterday, saw the building on fire.
Speaker A:You could see on the side of the building where down at the ground level there had been a fire, it had burned up the side of the building.
Speaker A:And yes, it was one of our homeless slash mentally ill, slash drug addiction.
Speaker A:It was cold.
Speaker A:So they started a fire up against the side of the building and burnt the building down.
Speaker A:Now we keep seeing this over and over again.
Speaker A:It is over and over again, buildings burned down.
Speaker A:We're seeing this happen just time and time again.
Speaker A:And it has gotten so bad in downtown Portland that you're seeing all of the commercial buildings down there get sold at a fire sale.
Speaker A:So when people go to sell their buildings, they're taking 60, 70% hits on these buildings.
Speaker A:And it is absolutely crazy to see how fast investors have been getting out of that downtown core in Portland.
Speaker A:Not only are they not building, it's 10 times worse than that.
Speaker A:The buildings that are beautiful, existing, that are a piece of Portland, are being sold for pennies on the dollar.
Speaker A:And that is not good for the city of Portland.
Speaker A:And we've got a lot of other issues here as well.
Speaker A:Just like up in Washington state has their own issues.
Speaker A:And this is going to affect homeowners out there because people that live in these areas are having to fight the same things.
Speaker A:It's some homeless person trying to start a fire up against their garage that's on the side of their house.
Speaker A:These are not just downtown core issues.
Speaker A:Washington state this last week here passed an income tax.
Speaker A:Now it's going to be interesting because that one's going to have to play out in court because they have no income tax in their state constitution, but they passed it anyway.
Speaker A:And ironically, hours after they passed that, Howard Schultz, the owner, Starbucks, not my favorite guy, just because of what he did to the Sonics.
Speaker A:What that guy did is he went cool, moving to Florida.
Speaker A:So what happens is these guys turn around and say, hey, we're going to tax the people that make over a million dollars.
Speaker A:And the people over a million dollars go sweet, moving out of state.
Speaker A:But they've already spent that money.
Speaker A:So we're seeing the cycle a Lot of you guys are going out there.
Speaker A:I know we're across the country with the podcast and we don't get into politics here, but we're just talking about how this affects homeowners.
Speaker A:You're seeing all of a sudden these things happen where we've got these huge spending problems here and the homeowners are going to get expected to pick up the pieces.
Speaker A:And we're seeing that over and over again, which means higher taxes, more fees.
Speaker A:We're seeing this happen time and time again.
Speaker A:It's just like our energy prices that are going up out there.
Speaker A:When we take out the cheap energy and take down those ways of creating it and go to expensive energy and our bills for our energy bills double, guess what happens?
Speaker A:Yep, this is what happens.
Speaker A:Things get expensive.
Speaker A:And we're seeing that across the country.
Speaker A:So as homeowners, be aware out there of what's going on.
Speaker A:Pay attention, pay attention to what you're voting for.
Speaker A:You can use us out here on the west coast as an example of how these things don't work, because they just don't.
Speaker A:So if someone is trying to legalize drugs in your state, give them a little bit of a square eye and go, that hasn't worked.
Speaker A:If someone is going to be raising taxes again, it just makes some things more expensive.
Speaker A:We generally out there have a spending problem, not a taxation problem, and that's where that's going to end up fighting us when it comes to affordability, those kind of things.
Speaker A:So I didn't want to get too negative on this here today, but we're seeing these problems play out there.
Speaker A:It's just city of Portland here, example, they're $20 million in the hole in their public schools.
Speaker A:They're going to have to close schools.
Speaker A:It's just going to have to happen.
Speaker A:And because parents have been moving out of the city, people are going, I don't want my kids in that hot mess of a school.
Speaker A:So all of a sudden they've got 10 or 10 plus schools they're going to have to close because they don't have enough kids, they don't have enough funding.
Speaker A:So pay attention to what's going out here.
Speaker A:It's a great example of what works and what doesn't.
Speaker A:And we're seeing this more and more.
Speaker A:And I'll talk a little bit about it jokingly here in this weekend show, I'm sure, but great example, just overreaching laws.
Speaker A:And I'm to the point here, like out in Cannon beach, where our Cannon beach house is, they just passed A law that says that I can't have a fire pit at my house.
Speaker A:Why?
Speaker A:Because we rent out from time to people, but my neighbor that doesn't rent out can have a fire pit.
Speaker A:Have there been fire pit fires?
Speaker A:No.
Speaker A:Does the.
Speaker A:Did they just pass an exemption for their own city owned camping area?
Speaker A:Yep, they did.
Speaker A:So you're seeing this stuff happen where we're seeing legislation and maybe it's because they're going after the short term rental people because maybe a lot of the city council is owns hotels in town.
Speaker A:But we're seeing this more and more.
Speaker A:And I think as homeowners, as community members, we need to make sure and hold our elected leaders accountable for doing what they say they're going to do and to make sure that we keep these people reined in.
Speaker A:When election day comes around.
Speaker A:When I see politicians trying to enrich themselves by the laws they pass.
Speaker A:And this isn't a left versus right, this is just a, hey, we need to watch both sides of this.
Speaker A:When we see those things happening, we as the public should stand up and say, not on my watch, not in my town.
Speaker A:So again, this isn't a left versus right argument.
Speaker A:This is a people versus our government problem that we need to keep reined in.
Speaker A:And I hope maybe I can inspire you to be maybe a little more active and pay attention to what's going on in your town, in your city, and stand up for what's right because we need a little bit more of that out there.
Speaker A:All right, enough of my rant on that one, guys.
Speaker A:We've got a great show coming up this weekend.
Speaker A:But I tell you what, here's another one.
Speaker A:No big recalls out there for home improvement products.
Speaker A:You'll see a ton of stuff every day.
Speaker A:There's four or five things that post up.
Speaker A:If you've got children over@cpsc.gov those guys have got always stuff going on over there mostly.
Speaker A:Sheesh.
Speaker A:Could be anything from toys to sleepers to clothing to furniture for children.
Speaker A:It's all over there.
Speaker A:Nothing new on the recall list there, but something to keep an eye on every single week, which we do here on the show to try to help you get through it.
Speaker A:Always check for yourself over@cpsc.gov and you can see what's happening over there.
Speaker A:Other than that, lots of great new stuff coming out here this next couple months.
Speaker A:I'm very excited to see all the stuff we have coming out for new products because this is new product season.
Speaker A:We've got new stuff coming up next week as well that I can't wait to share with you talking about new products.
Speaker A:I'm not going to tease it yet because I can't talk about it to next week.
Speaker A:We'll talk about it then.
Speaker A:But I tell you what, so many cool things happening out there and can't wait to make some great fun announcements as well.
Speaker A:All right, everybody, have a great rest of the week.
Speaker A:Happy midweek.
Speaker A:Happy Wednesday.
Speaker A:Stay safe out there.
Speaker A:Enjoy yourself.
Speaker A:I know the weather's been crazy across the country.
Speaker A:We've got 4 plus inches of rain coming this week.
Speaker A:So I gotta go get ready for that.
Speaker A:Make sure we don't have any flooding here around the house and all of that.
Speaker A:We'll see you soon.
Speaker A:Thanks for tuning into around the House.
Speaker A:I appreciate you guys tuning in.
Speaker A:We'll see you soon.
Speaker B:Make sure to follow us on social media.
Speaker B:Just head to aroundthehousonline.com for all the links.
Speaker B:Make sure you check out our new YouTube channel.
Speaker B:Just type in at around the House with Eric G. And click subscribe and ring the bell for updates.
Speaker B:We will see you next time.