12 votes

North Las Vegas, the epicenter of the housing bust, is booming again. That’s a warning sign

16 comments

  1. [9]
    Akir
    Link
    Whoever designed this page needs to be smacked. When the point of visiting a page is to read, you don't distract from the text!

    Whoever designed this page needs to be smacked. When the point of visiting a page is to read, you don't distract from the text!

    8 votes
    1. [5]
      Pilgrim
      (edited )
      Link Parent
      That's not true and unfair to the authors/photographer/web designer. I'm all for text, but to say that's the only reason people are visiting the page is incorrect. People love pictures and videos...

      That's not true and unfair to the authors/photographer/web designer. I'm all for text, but to say that's the only reason people are visiting the page is incorrect. People love pictures and videos - but less so on Tildes.

      This isn't a breaking news article, but rather a longer piece presented in a "magazine-like" format. Often these types of pieces feature some amazing web design to bring in visuals at just the right moment. This isn't the best example of that, but it's still doing exactly what it's supposed to do, even if it's not your personal taste.

      edit: typos

      9 votes
      1. [4]
        Akir
        Link Parent
        It has white text on top of a photo full of bright near-white highlights. That's the epitome of bad design. If the photos flowed alongside the text, I would be inclined to agree with you. But as...

        It has white text on top of a photo full of bright near-white highlights. That's the epitome of bad design.

        If the photos flowed alongside the text, I would be inclined to agree with you. But as it is, it is extremely disjointed. There are much better ways to achieve a magazine-like layout. The animations don't add dimension, they distract.

        2 votes
        1. [3]
          Pilgrim
          Link Parent
          I believe I misinterpreted your comment as a broader criticism of this particular type of format. After looking at the article again, I definitely see some white text/bright background issues. It...

          I believe I misinterpreted your comment as a broader criticism of this particular type of format.

          After looking at the article again, I definitely see some white text/bright background issues. It looks like they tried to fix this by darkening the screen when you start to scroll - perhaps this isn't working for you in your browser?

          Each photo compliments the text that goes with it - photo, then read, photo, then read. I still think it accomplishes what it sets out to do nicely, and doesn't warrant what I perceive as harsh criticism. So maybe agree to disagree?

          I want to leave you with an example from the NYT of what I think is an exceptionally powerful example of this type of format:
          https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/12/07/world/asia/rodrigo-duterte-philippines-drugs-killings.html

          1 vote
          1. [2]
            Akir
            Link Parent
            I went back and looked at your link and I can see there are some small but impactful decisions that make it work better. The main improvement is that it minimizes how often text is overlayed on...

            I went back and looked at your link and I can see there are some small but impactful decisions that make it work better. The main improvement is that it minimizes how often text is overlayed on the images. The most common text overlay is simply the title of the photo, which also provides the service of disappearing if you leave your mouse still. That allows you to get the full impact of the photo. When a text block appears, the photos disappear entirely, which gives more impact to the text. The only exceptions to these rules are the title screen and a single graphic - and in that instance, the text stays in the 'empty' part of the screen.

            But if you want to know why my opinions are so much better with this piece than the other it's because I looked at the original one on my phone first. This layout does not work the same way on mobile. It was clearly designed with large widescreen monitors as the target, and viewing it on anything else provides you with a sub-optimal experience. My phone actually stopped responding to me trying to scroll the screen at times when viewing your Philippines piece.

            In a more specific criticism of the North Las Vegas piece, the pictures clashed with the article. I'm reading an article that's supposed to be worrying and looking at pictures of luxury houses, impeccable interior decorating, industry, and smiling beautiful people. North Las Vegas is actually one of the more posh parts of Las Vegas; if you can't afford to live there you can likely find a place to live less than 10 miles away.

            1. Pilgrim
              Link Parent
              Aw yes, and I was reading it on a 14'' laptop screen. Totally different experience and reminds me of a modern-day version of Plato's shadow's on the wall. Great observation and something I hadn't...

              But if you want to know why my opinions are so much better with this piece than the other it's because I looked at the original one on my phone first.

              Aw yes, and I was reading it on a 14'' laptop screen. Totally different experience and reminds me of a modern-day version of Plato's shadow's on the wall.

              n a more specific criticism of the North Las Vegas piece, the pictures clashed with the article. I'm reading an article that's supposed to be worrying and looking at pictures of luxury houses, impeccable interior decorating, industry, and smiling beautiful people. North Las Vegas is actually one of the more posh parts of Las Vegas; if you can't afford to live there you can likely find a place to live less than 10 miles away.

              Great observation and something I hadn't considered.

              1 vote
    2. [2]
      Comment deleted by author
      Link Parent
      1. edward
        Link Parent
        Wow, I don't really use it, but it did a pretty good job. I wonder why it tripped up on the videos though.

        Wow, I don't really use it, but it did a pretty good job. I wonder why it tripped up on the videos though.

    3. insegnamante
      Link Parent
      I clicked through thinking it couldn't be that bad, it's the New York Times for crying out loud. It is.

      I clicked through thinking it couldn't be that bad, it's the New York Times for crying out loud. It is.

      1 vote
  2. [7]
    Eva
    Link
    Am I the only one who finds this sentiment really frustrating? Why should you want a house? Have to maintain it, can't leave the area when it gets dull to you, can't live in urban areas...

    Steady growth across the country has lifted the stock market and corporate profits. Those gains, though, haven’t filtered down to most workers. Incomes have barely budged, and consumer debt is increasing again.
    Housing prices in North Las Vegas are rising so fast that many communities are no longer affordable. Much of the new construction is at the high end, keeping out many first-time homeowners. Some cannot come up with money for a down payment, while others are wary of getting back into a market that once burned them.
    For many, the American dream is now out of reach. It is increasingly a nation of renters.

    Am I the only one who finds this sentiment really frustrating? Why should you want a house? Have to maintain it, can't leave the area when it gets dull to you, can't live in urban areas reasonably, etc. I have no idea what these people think the American Dream is, but who would think that was it?

    1. [2]
      Comment deleted by author
      Link Parent
      1. Eva
        Link Parent
        Can't you have the same amount of freedom with a car? (Also, I'd make an argument about your average HOA, but I imagine there are some decent ones, somewhere.)

        Can't you have the same amount of freedom with a car?

        (Also, I'd make an argument about your average HOA, but I imagine there are some decent ones, somewhere.)

        1 vote
    2. [3]
      CALICO
      Link Parent
      Speaking for myself: the autonomy and the land, however little that may be. As much as I love living in the city, and having an apartment with one hell of a view, there's a part of me that just...

      Why should you want a house?

      Speaking for myself: the autonomy and the land, however little that may be. As much as I love living in the city, and having an apartment with one hell of a view, there's a part of me that just wants to fuck off into the woods, build a workshop, plant some tomatoes, and raise some pigs & chickens.

      Part of me isn't sure if I'll ever be a homeowner, and long-term this area will be underwater, but that's my American Dream.

      3 votes
      1. [2]
        Eva
        Link Parent
        That's interesting; at that point why not just buy a bit of land minus the house, though? It's generally a terrible amount cheaper than somewhere "Valuable," like the article's mentioning, from my...

        That's interesting; at that point why not just buy a bit of land minus the house, though? It's generally a terrible amount cheaper than somewhere "Valuable," like the article's mentioning, from my experience.

        (EDIT: We need positive tags already! For whatever reason, I find the way your comment was written superb.)

        2 votes
        1. CALICO
          Link Parent
          The land is what I care most about, actually. I've looked into buying a vintage Airstream trailer—I like the 1950-60's models—upgrading the interior and parking that on a plot of land. I'd be...

          The land is what I care most about, actually. I've looked into buying a vintage Airstream trailer—I like the 1950-60's models—upgrading the interior and parking that on a plot of land. I'd be spending about as much on one of those as a reasonable down-payment on a house. Microhomes are pretty nifty as well; my buddy's partner just bought one of those and loves it.

          I don't need a lot of space. Right now I'm living in a studio of just under 550ft2 and it's almost too much room (especially since I can't utilize any of the space for smithing or such). But I do need a space that I can call mine.

          Thank you for the kind words!

          2 votes
    3. [2]
      Ellimist
      Link Parent
      This is something that I struggle greatly with. I'm 30 years old, in a long term relationship that will hit 10 years in December. We've talked greatly about owning a home as a next step in our...

      This is something that I struggle greatly with. I'm 30 years old, in a long term relationship that will hit 10 years in December. We've talked greatly about owning a home as a next step in our life goals but the more I read about it, the less I want to. The idea of owning a home sounds great on paper but once you factor in all the extra stuff, the property taxes, the home repairs, etc, it just feels like an apartment is the safer option. Yea it's essentially "throwing" money away in that you'll never own the apartment but it seems to offer a greater freedom from the long term consequences of home ownership

      3 votes
      1. Eva
        Link Parent
        Arguably, you'll never "own" the home, either; property taxes are a biiiiitch.

        Arguably, you'll never "own" the home, either; property taxes are a biiiiitch.