Explain Like I’m Five

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ELI5: USians, why not buy/rent an office, instead of a home at this point? (lemmy.ml)

submitted 6 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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I'm not from the US, but I've heard about the housing shortage crisis as well as the commercial real-estate vacancy crisis. I'm pretty sure the US government will bail out the rich folks again.

Honestly, people need a cheap place to live, right? Why not just buy a commercial property about as big as an ideally small home and call it a day? Isn't that a win-win situation? Or are there laws that make it illegal?

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (6 children)

Commercial property isn't zoned for use as housing, which can be a legal issue if you try to use it as your primary residence for some documentation.

In addition, the building codes for residential and commercial properties are different, I believe commercial properties don't have to be as well insulated as residential and I'm sure there's some other annoying tidbits that would rear their head as you tried to live in an office.

Edit: I don't think living in a commercial property would be, like, the worst, but I'm remembering trying to fix an electrical issue at work and seeing the breaker box didn't have any 40 Amp breakers. That'd make installing a fridge and other kitchen appliances tricky... but you could probably make do with a decent mini fridge and an induction hot plate.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (4 children)

When you're talking about zoning, do you mean dividing a floor into multiple sections? I'm not sure I understand this, but I saw a video not that long ago, about a school being turned into an apartment. Wouldn't it be ideal for people to come together to create a CHS, plan out the sections and then convert it into a apartment?

Never had insulation in my mind, because we don't have that issue over here lol. The cold can be quite dangerous, it does make sense now. But as you move more towards the southern territories, that doesn't hold valid, right?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 months ago

The cops can remove you from residing in a place that isn't legally residential.

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