Today, our happy home wants to cover the area where Cherry digs in the lawn. It seems that Cherry finds it cooler and more fun to touch the stems rather than dig. So, she keeps reaching out her hands to play, and then an idea seems to have come to her. Don't do it, don't buy it. Oh dear, I worry that Dad might be struggling in the heat, but no matter how much I refuse, our Cherry is diligently trying to be considerate. Our Cherry, who is being thoughtful, is being watched from afar by animal friends who are puzzled. It seems that the way we spend our time together looks truly joyful and happy. Look at this! The Simpsons writer, Ralph Sosa, even drew our family. Wow, it’s an animation I loved when I was young, and it’s both amazing and an honor, as well as touching. Hanging it on the wall, it feels like there’s no perfect family like ours. Perhaps while watching us...

Have you ever thought about this? Looking at Oliver Sam, life in America seems really appealing. I think we would be happy if we lived in a house like that in America. In fact, I found out that the number of Koreans immigrating to the U.S. is steadily increasing. In the last five years, 17,000 people have left for immigration, and the most popular destination among them is the United States. Among those, it seems that many Koreans are becoming interested in Texas. Especially since there are no state taxes, no corporate taxes, and the cost of gas and housing is reasonable. Major Korean companies like Samsung are also coming, and Oliver Sam and Cherry live here too. It sounds like a great place to live. For those interested, I have prepared a special house in Texas for $700,000, which is about 1 billion won. I’m sure you are also very interested in education, so...

It's a nice place, and the interior is quite good too. The room looks very spacious, and the kitchen is also very nice. It's big and wide, so it will be enjoyable to cook. If you want, I can tell you right now. So, do you say yes or no? Once you answer, you can't cancel it. What do you say? You say yes. Congratulations, you have a house now! 

Now, let me talk to you about some important things. First, you have become a homeowner, so you need to think about property taxes. In Korea, people pay taxes to the government, but here in the U.S., you pay taxes to both the federal and state governments. For example, if you own a house worth 100 million won in California, you would have to pay 20 million won to the federal government and 10 million won to the state government. But 10 million won is a lot of money, right? If you didn't have to pay that, it would be a great deal. 

Well, I have good news for you: there is no state tax in Texas! With that 10 million won, you could have a really fun trip.

You could go to Las Vegas, or you could buy a decent used car. But everyone, here's the catch. Today's expression is catch. It means a hidden downside. What is it? It's property tax. Property tax is a tax that goes to the local area. It funds schools, police stations, fire stations, and sometimes hospitals. Usually, in Texas, property tax is around 1.8% to 2.2%. So if you buy a house worth $700,000, you would have to pay about $9,000 in property tax for the year. But that's okay, right? After all, houses in Texas are quite affordable at this level. However, the problem is that house prices are skyrocketing. House prices in the second most popular state in the United States, Texas, have doubled since 2010. So in just ten years, house prices in Texas have increased twofold, and they are expected to rise even more due to factors like the economy and weather.

It's getting hot. In 2019, there were 28 million people; in 2021, there were 29 million; and in 2020, there were 30 million. The population has been increasing by 1.5% each year, and based on current trends, more companies are continuing to come in. As companies come in, employees are also coming in, and as employees come in, houses are being built continuously. It's just growing and growing. The housing prices are going up, which is nice, right? When housing prices go up, it feels good, doesn't it? But, everyone, property taxes are also going up. In fact, many people are struggling because of this. Some people are even leaving because of property taxes. Texas residents are facing outrageous property taxes. But fortunately, there is a limit related to property taxes; they can only increase by 10% per year. Still, if it goes up by 10% every year, oh my, property taxes can become very large. How much did you say property taxes are? 13,000.

You mentioned the dollar. A year from now, it will be 1,399 dollars, then 10,800, and after that, it will rise to 17,422. It keeps going up, and in ten years, it will be 3,865 dollars, which is about 50 million won in Korean currency. Even if you just sit still, you might have to pay 50 million won. But you shouldn't regret it yet because there's more interesting information. It's about home insurance. If you own a home in the U.S., especially if you have a mortgage, you absolutely need home insurance. This is because if there’s a fire or something, you might have to rebuild your home, right? The problem is that in the last five years, home insurance has skyrocketed by 201%. This is not related to property taxes; this is purely market-driven. Due to inflation, labor costs, and the cost of materials used in home construction have all increased, so naturally, insurance costs have gone up significantly.

I went up, but everyone, some of you might think, I’ll just live dangerously without insurance. If you watch things carefully and take care of your house, it should be fine, right? But everyone, Texas and the surrounding areas have gone completely crazy. Tornadoes, typhoons, wildfires, extreme cold, hail—it's all insane. So, you must get insurance, right? If you don’t, your 1 billion won house could be gone. So, how much does it cost? The average home insurance cost was 387%. That means you have to pay about 5 million won a year. Honestly, if tornadoes don’t come, it feels like you’re just throwing money away. And in the future, insurance will keep going up depending on home prices. But the important thing is, even if natural disasters happen, it should be okay, right? You shouldn’t have to worry about other things, right? Surprisingly, insurance covers it.

The repair costs can be quite high if not addressed. First, let's talk about air conditioning. For those who have been to Texas, you know it can get extremely hot. In the summer, temperatures can rise to 40 to 42 degrees Celsius. So, without air conditioning, it's unbearable. However, unlike in Korea, where air conditioners are usually smaller units, similar to refrigerators, or can be mounted on the wall, in the U.S., most homes have a central air conditioning system. This system cools the entire house efficiently and surprisingly doesn't consume as much electricity as you might think. But there is a downside. The downside is that the system itself is very expensive. When we built our house five years ago, we installed a central air conditioning system.

We had to install two of them, each costing about $7,000, so the total was around $14,000, which is almost 20 million won. This is for a Hyundai vehicle. However, the problem is that it doesn't last forever. If well maintained, it can last 15 years, but sometimes I've heard it only lasts 10 years. So, like us, you will need to spend at least 20 million won every 10 to 15 years. Of course, you could live without air conditioning, but as I mentioned earlier, the weather in Texas can reach up to 40 to 45 degrees Celsius. So, yes, it's quite intense. But there’s something even scarier: the foundation of the house. This refers to the base of the house. In Korean, it’s called the 기초 바닥. Here in the U.S., single-family homes are always built on a concrete foundation because concrete foundations are the strongest and the cheapest. But the problem is...

The soil in Texas is very, very unstable. What does that mean? Texas soil has a lot of clay. Look at this; the orange part is all clay. When clay gets wet, it expands, and when it dries out, it contracts. So, it keeps shifting back and forth like this. As a result, the cracks in the concrete foundation develop. When cracks appear, the house's structure can really be compromised. Additionally, the plumbing inside the house can also get damaged. This means you have to deal with that, fix the foundation, and the costs can easily reach around ten thousand dollars. The scariest part is that, at some point, it will definitely become a major issue. Yes, everyone, but it's not over yet. Yes, termites are a big problem. Termites are the most popular pests. They are suddenly coming in large numbers from other states as well. But why should we worry about termites? As you know,

Houses in the United States are usually made of wood, so naturally, the wood is very appealing to termites. This can lead to significant damage, and as a result, the cost of treatment can be around $300 if caught early, but if missed, it can exceed $10,000. Additionally, this is not typically covered by insurance; it falls under the homeowner's responsibility. The homeowner is expected to manage this issue, and if something goes wrong, they cannot simply say, It's not our problem. Research has shown that Texas has the highest repair costs. 

In the end, even if a house worth $1 billion is built, over ten years, if we calculate property tax at a 10% compound rate, it amounts to $28,621. If we assume insurance costs also increase by 10% over the years, that would be $6,758. Furthermore, an air conditioning unit, which needs to be replaced every ten years, costs around $15,000 and is likely to fail within that timeframe.

If you combine all the foundation funds, it amounts to $29,537, which is about 400 million won. So, in this house received through this arrangement, just by breathing, you would need to pay 40 million won over 10 years, which means 4 million won a year, or about 334,000 won a month. So, what do you think of today's video? Were you a bit shocked? Yes, I was also shocked while finding this information. However, some of you might think that I am criticizing Texas, but that's not the case at all. If you are planning to move to Texas, just be aware of this. That was the point. I believe there are many advantages to living in Texas. Many people struggle with insurance and property taxes, but, well, the population has exploded over the last 10 years, so there are some issues that come with that, like when it grows rapidly, it can be a bit overwhelming.

I think so. I believe that balance will improve a lot later. Anyway, everyone, today's expression is chinne. You all might learn this, but there is another meaning as well. It has many advantages, but among them, if someone gives credit to others, you can ask that person like this. So, there will be examples at the end, so make sure to check them out. 

Hello, it's almost 40 degrees. Do you remember the Jin-do six siblings I introduced last time? All of these children have been adopted to the United States and Canada. However, we have not been able to find someone to help with their relocation, so they are still in a situation where they cannot meet their families. If there are any people moving to the United States or Canada, please help the Jin-do six siblings find their families. I will be waiting for your contact. Thank you. 

Don't stop, Dad. Don't stop, Dad. Today's expression is hamjeong.

Catch for free, what's the catch? I thought Texas would be a great place to move to, but then I realized there's a major catch. I should have known there would be a catch when my boss paid for my lunch. I should have known there would be a catch when my boss paid for my lunch. Why do you want to help me so much? I feel like there's a catch or something. Why do you want to help me so much? It's scary. Please stop.

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