I just really don't like throwing my money away to an apartment. I will never see that money again. With a condo or house I will get my money back and then some if the place appreciated. Then I could use my profit to buy a better place. It will all work out if I can find the first place. Do most you guys live in apartments?

 

Your right, but if all my money goes into living expensense then I won't have any money to play.

 

Yeah, I hear you. I'm moving out of Cali because I'm not paying 400k for a condo. That's just retarded. Hello pacific northwest.

 

A lot of people I know have bought a house in Tracy and commute down to Santa Clara area to work. It can be quite a drive depending on traffic. From what I hear, housing is more affordable there as it is a growing city. If you plan to continue work in Santa Clara, you'll probably want to stay away from all the cities surrounding Santa Clara and San Jose and look a little further out.

 

That's why you live in an apt and save save save... or get some roomates and rent a house together make everything cheaper

 

Sacramento FTW!

10% lower pay but 40% lower living cost..... now I just need to find a job up there

 

350K for a condo is crazy cheap. All the condo's/townhouses i looked at last year were 650K+

 

there were decent 2/3BR condos going for ~350k in hayward. pretty much no garage parking though...

 

If you decide to stay out here and get a job in the valley, your salary should go up at a minimum of 15-20k... more depending on your experience. Most people that have houses are dual income, so unless you plan on striking up a "business deal" with your gf you can forget about buying a house. Renting and saving isn't easy, but if you really want to live out here that will be your only option. Maybe find some roomates to lower rent.

The Bay is a great place to live and I could never see myself living elsewhere. Oh, and living hella far from where you work is a killer too... think about that before moving someplace cheaper and doing a crazy commute.

 

Remember if you bought, and depending on where, and how long you can hang with the over 70% of your income going to mortgage, you can be making a decent return when leave the state, sell the condo, and sit pretty in say NM! Or if you can handle it rent in NM (after your time in Cali for a year or two), rent your condo for a couple years and then sell the condo in Cali and have an even bigger return. It can be a wise investment depending on your risk levels. Hope this makes sense

g'luck!

 

Totally makes sense!!! And thats what I would like to do. I would like to turn over some properties in the next 5 years of my life but getting into the first one will be the hardest thing.

 

Wife and I own our home in San MAteo Co (mid-peninsula).

We "got in" by saving our ***** off for 3 years in MI. OUr rent there was $500-$700. We got bye spending less than $1K /month.

So how do you do it?

Sacrifice and save. UNless you have rich relatives, there's no easy way.

 

Yeah, I haven't seen condo's at the $350k price range for over 5 years now. At least not one's where you probably won't get your car stolen.

As nice as the bay is, I personally don't think it's worth it. But I can't move because family is nearby.

If you want to move here, don't commit long term, you can always move out easier. If you find yourself not enjoying the benefits of this area (which is easy to do fighting traffic and paying rent/mortgage) then it's not worth staying. I wish I could get out.

 

You can always buy a house and rent out rooms for a while. As long as your credit is good. Lots of people do interest only.

Up here in the other bay area (humboldt bay) I just paid $247k for a 1200sq ft house that was built in '87 on half acre I basically stole it!

 

^ ...and if you use one or two of those rooms for uh, production, your mortgage payment is paid for.