Properties: I've always known Bay Area was expensive, but holy moly.

Zeze

Lifer
Mar 4, 2011
11,395
1,188
126
ATOTers in Bay Area, how do you do it?

It didn't hit me until I visited a friend in CA. His dad is moderately successful, runs an import gig between HK and owns a couple of properties. He and his wife are living rent-free at one of the house while they save up to buy a place of their own. Both the guy and his wife make about 100-150k I presume, so 300K combined.

They live in the suburbs of San Jose, I think 15 min drive from Barking Crab. The area was nothing special to me- houses after houses, they don't particularly look luxurious.

The property they lived in was a 2 bed? I think it was 3. It is probably about 1500-1800 SF, no basement. All 1 floor (typical CA style). Also a nice humble 800-1000 SF backyard.

I thought the house would cost 700-800k, adding 200k premium. Or maybe even 1 million. They're 50 mins from SF afterall and it's not busy by any means.

It's 1.6 million dollars!
:eek:

A similar place like that in NJ (where I live by Hudson River), with similar commute to a major city (NYC / SF) costs 500K.

How do people own homes up there? How do you do it ATOT?
 
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Slew Foot

Lifer
Sep 22, 2005
12,379
96
86
San Diego or San Francisco?

the Sf peninsula is stupid expensive because people who own businesses in china buy up tons of places as a tax dodge and rent them out.
 

Zeze

Lifer
Mar 4, 2011
11,395
1,188
126
San Diego or San Francisco?

the Sf peninsula is stupid expensive because people who own businesses in china buy up tons of places as a tax dodge and rent them out.

Meant to say San Jose, fixed.
 

K1052

Elite Member
Aug 21, 2003
52,062
45,011
136
Edit: see you corrected

How do we do it? Pay out the ass in rent...that's how.
 

K1052

Elite Member
Aug 21, 2003
52,062
45,011
136
San Diego or San Francisco?

the Sf peninsula is stupid expensive because people who own businesses in china buy up tons of places as a tax dodge and rent them out.

Also cash buyers from tech paydays preying upon limited supply.
 

MongGrel

Lifer
Dec 3, 2013
38,466
3,067
121
I've seen houses in the neighborhood here sell for 800K that seem pretty overpriced.

Got me.
 

maddogchen

Diamond Member
Feb 17, 2004
8,903
2
76
we save, save, save, save....and hope to cash out on our tech stocks. If your friend is staying with his parents and making 300k, hopefully he's saving 150-200k a year
 

Ken g6

Programming Moderator, Elite Member
Moderator
Dec 11, 1999
16,638
4,568
75
Yikes! From the description, I would guess a house like that here in Colorado would be about $160,000. No, I didn't forget a zero.
 

funboy6942

Lifer
Nov 13, 2001
15,362
416
126
LOL I got me a 2400 sqft home, 4 br, 2b, 2 living room, computer room, 2 work space, full basement, 2 1/2 car garage, on .6 acre of land, in a great neighborhood, great schools, great people, for $49.5K. Houses here a SILLY ASS cheap! Check it out 38330 for yourself and see......country living, nothing like it in the world ;)
 

jdoggg12

Platinum Member
Aug 20, 2005
2,685
11
81
Bought my place in the East Bay - I rent out 2 of the 3 spare rooms to cover about half my mortgage. It's not ideal but it's just an investment. It's up about $160k since I bought it in 2013.

I'll be leaving the Bay once my daughter turns 18. It's just too expensive to live here on a normal salary. I have friends in other states making 2/3 what I do with brand new 3k sq/ft homes and nice, new cars... and still have more spare cash than I do.
 

Ns1

No Lifer
Jun 17, 2001
55,420
1,600
126
LOL I got me a 2400 sqft home, 4 br, 2b, 2 living room, computer room, 2 work space, full basement, 2 1/2 car garage, on .6 acre of land, in a great neighborhood, great schools, great people, for $49.5K. Houses here a SILLY ASS cheap! Check it out 38330 for yourself and see......country living, nothing like it in the world ;)

it's cheap because nobody besides you wants to live there.
 

RossMAN

Grand Nagus
Feb 24, 2000
78,950
405
136
LOL I got me a 2400 sqft home, 4 br, 2b, 2 living room, computer room, 2 work space, full basement, 2 1/2 car garage, on .6 acre of land, in a great neighborhood, great schools, great people, for $49.5K. Houses here a SILLY ASS cheap! Check it out 38330 for yourself and see......country living, nothing like it in the world ;)

I just put in an offer for a house, looks like we're gonna be neighbors!
 

jdoggg12

Platinum Member
Aug 20, 2005
2,685
11
81
I just put in an offer for a house, looks like we're gonna be neighbors!

4.2k sq/ft house for under $500k?!
4.2k sq/ft house with only 3 BR and 2 Bath? Those rooms must be stupid large... like typical Bay area apartment sized

As a lifelong Californian, I've never seen anything like that.
 

Ns1

No Lifer
Jun 17, 2001
55,420
1,600
126
4.2k sq/ft house for under $500k?!
4.2k sq/ft house with only 3 BR and 2 Bath? Those rooms must be stupid large... like typical Bay area apartment sized

As a lifelong Californian, I've never seen anything like that.

You can still find cheap homes/land in the BFE sections of California.

Yep went through checkout, used coupon code SUCKAH and paid for it with my Amex :thumbsup:

I have a bridge to sell you, if you're interested?

RossBURN
 

K1052

Elite Member
Aug 21, 2003
52,062
45,011
136
4.2k sq/ft house for under $500k?!
4.2k sq/ft house with only 3 BR and 2 Bath? Those rooms must be stupid large... like typical Bay area apartment sized

As a lifelong Californian, I've never seen anything like that.

Have you never been to the Central Valley?
 

CraKaJaX

Lifer
Dec 26, 2004
11,905
148
101
Yep went through checkout, used coupon code SUCKAH and paid for it with my Amex :thumbsup:

I have a bridge to sell you, if you're interested?

PWN3D!

I was going to say.... that interior. D: You can do better than that.
 

EliteRetard

Diamond Member
Mar 6, 2006
6,490
1,021
136
and now they're selling for almost 9x as much?

Must be hella meth stash or improvements to justify that asking price.

The only way I can even imagine that being remotely feasible would be if it sold as a bare property before, and they built the house on it. I'm tempted to walk over there and hand them $100,000 cash for it (seriously).