[bell-cot]

Notice how the article rates Flint absolute worse for Maintenance Affordability. Then mostly ignores that problem. And that Detroit is both #2 for Housing Affordability and second-worse for maintenance.

Obvious question: Is their affordability metric badly skewed by cheap-looking fixer-uppers - which churn through owner after owner, each re-discovering that they can't actually afford the ongoing costs of living in their "cheap" house?

[panny]

Maintenance affordability largely depends on if you're paying someone to do the work vs doing it yourself. Until you own a fixer-upper yourself, you don't really realize how bad the regulatory capture on home repairs has become.

[bell-cot]

True. OTOH, the great majority of potential modern-day homeowners lack the necessary strength, dexterity, aptitudes, attitudes, skills, tools, time, timeframe, etc. to DIY a real fixer-upper.