OMG, this looks like the house I lived in years ago in the hills of eastern Kentucky! I did have a bit more roof, but not much more in the walls. Great ventilation in summer! And, yeah, you guessed it: Snow really did blow through the cracks in winter. Brr. And now look at me: All grown up and a card-carrying commie (according to YOU anyway). 
I grew up in a working class town in Nassau, and my parents always encouraged me to get my education so that I could have a better life, but my husband (who has a PhD) and I could not afford the mortgage and taxes on my childhood house. I have to laugh at that to keep from getting totally disgusted. I don't know how people do it.
When I bought my house a million years ago, I bought in Queens because it was closer to work and the taxes were lower. I bought a much smaller house than I could have bought if I had moved to Long Island. I gave up county parks, pools, and settled for inferior garbage and less than optimal schools for my children. I'm not sorry I made this decision. My husband and I were both in our early 20's, recent college graduates. We scrimped and saved and pooled our meager resources to buy our home. We did without lots of things that I know kids today would never think of scrimping on. Houses in Queens are still affordable. You might not get your dream house, or land that you want, but you can still own a home, and not one that is anywhere as bad as the one you posted.
Queens needs the young to buy houses here. It can be done. Stop discouraging them.
As I've heard buying apartments in the western part of Nassau where my parents are is worse. My sister checked it out. If they sold their 3 bedroom house, there wouldn't be enough to get two small apartments!
I don't know where "Pissed Off Teacher" thinks these affordable houses are in Queens...please provide the neighborhood. Small 2 bedroom garden apartment co-ops that don't even come with parking spaces are selling for about $300K--and on top of the mortgage, you have to pay upwards of $1000 per month in maintenance....all that for a small walk up with less than 800 sq. feet, little closet space, no washer/dryer and so on. For a house, the most affordable neighborhod--let's say Jamaica--has small attached houses in bad condition starting at 350K.
The problem really isn't just the cost of housing in NY. The problem is that our salaries are not keeping up with inflation and are pathetic to begin with. So many of the young teachers in my school leave teaching because they can't afford to live in NY.
So--Pissed Off Teacher--where are these affordable houses?
When I bought my house in Nassau, it reflected two years salary. Now, though my salary has doubled, it reflects four or five years salary.
I don't mean to discourage anyone, actually. Maybe with two incomes, you could swing it. But I know a few people right now who are "house poor" and may be living on borrowed time.
I know Nani, who writes "Se hace camino al andar," was able to buy an apartment. I was very happy for her. But things are a lot tougher now than they were 15 years ago when I bought. As for "a million years ago," I couldn't say.
I don't really mean affordable, but as affordable as a house in Nassau county. I know houses are expensive everywhere. I also know that people looked down their noses at houses like mine.
I couldn't afford a house in Tucson on my 4th year teacher's salary of 35k, either (maybe a condo in one of the rougher parts of town). Actually we were in USA Today as the most expensive city because of the failure of salaries in general to keep up with the cost of real estate. Hurrah!
I know Iowa isn't probably anyone's first choice as far as desirable places to live, but I was able to buy my historic, 4 bedroom home that has 2600 sq feet for about $150k 2 years ago. I live 3 hours from Chicago, about the same from Madison, WI and only an hour from Iowa City, which is a beacon of light on the prairie.
Of course, I probably wouldn't live here if my family weren't here and had I not grown up here. It's still a nice place to live and raise a family. If we were to move elsewhere, we'd spend all our vacation time coming back here.
retired NYCteach--that was my point!
thanks for the support!
NYC needs it!
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