I am not asking that everyone's yard look like somethng out of Good Housekeeping. All I am asking is that the same minimum standards outlined in the housing code be enforced equally across the city. Unfortunately, owning property means that one has to live up to one's responsibilities and one of those responsibilities, in this city, is maintaining that property.
And I'd further explain that "being able to afford to own a home" means more than just being able to afford buying it in the first place, and making the mortgage payments. If a person can't afford to maintain their property, including the yard, to minimum standards, then they can't afford to own the property.
In the business world, they call this Total Cost of Ownership -- it's not just the purchase price, but all costs associated with owning something over the life of that object. For a home, it includes, in addition to the mortgage payment: taxes, liability insurance, property insurance, exterior maintenance, city utilities (water, sewer, garbage), gas, electricity and all types of building maintenance, current and reserve, e.g. replacing the water heater or furnace when it finally dies -- and they all do eventually. Owning a house is never cheap.
Too many people don't see the whole cost before going into something. But I suspect Anne is right: often the problem is not money, it's laziness.
Chris Johnson Fulton
TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. 2. If you don't like what's being discussed here, don't complain - change the subject (Mpls-specific, of course.)
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