Thinking about purchasing a $380K home, UPDATED: Not buying it.

[SCSIfreek]

I have searched high and low around the entire bay area (Northern California) and this is what I came up with. Builder's Homepage Thinking about paying 10% down and financing the rest .

The Canyon
One Story
4 Bedrooms or 3 Bedrooms plus Retreat or Study
2 Baths
2 Car Garages
Approximately 1,865 sq. ft.
From $375,950

Wish I could afford homes near work but their prices are way out of my ledge (550K-600K). If I were to purchase this home, I'll have to drive at least 45 minutes to work thats like 30 miles from where I'm living now, plus GF will have to ride the BART for 1.5 hours to work. I'm a little hesitate to jump in on this deal due to the commute time.


--Scsi

 

[BDawg]

OMG! That house is very close to the size of my house, but cost double +!

 

[StageLeft]

My God it's not cheap where you live! In Birmingham 45 min out of the city (rush hour and less normal hours) that would get you a pretty sweet house.

 

[Shockwave]

OMFG!!
My house under construction is 3 bedroom, 2 car garage, 2 bath, vaulted ceilings, sunroom in basement and around 1400 sq feet. It came in under 150K.....Wow, glad I live in ass-end-of-the-Earth Kansas........

 

[Alienwho]

Haha yeah that sucks, in Utah you could buy a damn nice 5000 sq ft. + house on several acres for that much.

My house is 4500 sq. ft on 1/2 acre for 280k

 

[WarSong]

Are you in an apartment now? Dude, communting sux bad. I did it for 5 years. I live around the corner from work and <10 minutes from school now and I will never commute again.

 

[SCSIfreek]

I know the housing prices in northern california is ridiculous high but there aint anything below 350K unless you're willing to drive 2 hours.

--Scsi

 

[conjur]

pic

W:QW! Just under $400k? Glad I don't live in Cali!!

 

[Red Dawn]

Originally posted by: SCSIfreek
I have searched high and low around the entire bay area (Northern California) and this is what I came up with. Builder's Homepage Thinking about paying 10% down and financing the rest .

The Canyon
One Story
4 Bedrooms or 3 Bedrooms plus Retreat or Study
2 Baths
2 Car Garages
Approximately 1,865 sq. ft.
From $375,950

Wish I could afford homes near work but their prices are way out of my ledge (550K-600K). If I were to purchase this home, I'll have to drive at least 45 minutes to work thats like 30 miles from where I'm living now, plus GF will have to ride the BART for 1.5 hours to work. I'm a little hesitate to jump in on this deal due to the commute time.


--Scsi

That's why I moved away from the Bay Area. The cost of housing is to much considering the lower quality of life one must endurewith the commute and overcrowding.

 

[spacelord]

holy crap.. $380 for that? gotta love California.
in michigan you could get that, in ALL brick, with premium interiors for $280 or less.
even cheaper if you live in the sticks.

 

[SCSIfreek]

Originally posted by: conjur
pic

W:QW! Just under $400k? Glad I don't live in Cali!!

thanks conjur for the link

 

[conjur]

Originally posted by: SCSIfreek

Originally posted by: conjur
pic

W:QW! Just under $400k? Glad I don't live in Cali!!

thanks conjur for the link

Best of luck to ya! I'm moving to an apt in a few weeks that will be 2 miles from where I work. 3Br townhome with 1550sq. ft. plus basement for $899/mo. High for this area but fresh out of a divorce and sold my house my options are limited

 

[vi edit]

Christ. That house would go for $150k here :Q

 

[palad]

I'd suggest using a few thousand of that to move to the midwest, find a great home for $100-150K, and give me the rest.

 

[Red Dawn]

Originally posted by: spacelord
holy crap.. $380 for that? gotta love California.
in michigan you could get that, in ALL brick, with premium interiors for $280 or less.
even cheaper if you live in the sticks.

You can get it for around 200K here in Merced (maybe a little more) and you wont have to deal with living in a Rathole state like Michigan

 

[Haircut]

I know exactly how you feel, prices here are ludicrous too.
Anywhere near to London has stupid property prices.

For what you are looking to pay for your house I could buy something like this (Yes, it's just the bit on the end)
Bear in mind this is 20 miles out from London, the closer you go the more expensive it is.

I'm paying a fortune in rent because I can't afford anything decent at the minute.
Even a 600 sq. ft. 1 bedroom apartment would cost around £150K ($240K)
I'm just hoping prices come down soon.

 

[EvilYoda]

Seriously, that's amazing...I thought the cost of land/housing in the Detroit suburbs was high, but sh*******t. Anyway, I don't think that much commuting would be worth it for you...what does your g/f think about the 1.5 hours there and back? That's 3 hours out of her day, and assuming she sleeps 7 hours and works 8, that's only 6 hours left awake and able to do something during the day! Not to mention routines, eating...

Doesn't sound good for you, if you can't find anything closer, but that much driving a day would be killer...and your gas prices are really high too in Cali, aren't they?

 

[SCSIfreek]

Originally posted by: vi_edit
Christ. That house would go for $150k here :Q

I know exactly what you mean unfortunately, I have to suck it up or else uncle sam is pocketing a large chunk of the pay check if I dont purchase a house. Due to the stock market bellying over, everyone here is purchasing homes as a investment options which in turn causes the housing prices to skyrocket. and I see no ends to it.


--Scsi

 

[spacelord]

depending on what you want.. I have seen somewhere years ago.. a comparison of rent to buying.. and unless you really want a yard and stuff, in some cases renting is better... assuming that housing values aren't going up more than inflation. although tax breaks are extremely nice.

 

[Parrotheader]

This reminds me of why I told a firm I'm consulting for in Hawaii that it would take "a hell of a lot" for me to consider moving out there - even though the prospect of living in Hawaii is obviously EXTREMELY compelling.

In Birmingham I don't make overly impressive numbers if you look at my raw salary, but coupled with a dual household income and the cost of living here I can live VERY comfortably for a fraction of the cost of places like California, Hawaii or New York. Our house and yard are good bit bigger than that, about 20 minutes from downtown, (~20-30 minutes each way on my daily commute), 2-10 minutes from any shopping/restaurant needs imaginable and we bought the house for well less than half of that price (although it's worth close to half that now thanks to appreciation. ) I personally don't mind the commute time, but if I had kids I definitely wouldn't want to have a commute much longer than 40 minutes each way. That would eat up a LOT of my time with them.

 

[Shockwave]

For 142 n change

House Front.jpg

Inside looking over living room.jpg

Basement Sunroom.jpg

 

[Alternex]

I interned in the Bay area a few summers ago and had to take the BART to work for about 1.5 hrs each way. It was only a summer but I nearly lost my mind - nothing like being stuck in a crowded train with the constant smell of BO.. It makes work really depressing - you come in and it's arleady late and you're already tired and you can't leave work too late cause then you'll never be home.

 

[sciencetoy]

OTOH, we bought our house for 205K ten years ago and a house down the street just like ours sold for 650K. You tell me where else I could make that kind of money.

Of course, my daughter-soninlaw-grandson are still living with me because the can't afford their own place, but what the hey.

 

[HeroOfPellinor]

Originally posted by: Red Dawn

Originally posted by: spacelord
holy crap.. $380 for that? gotta love California.
in michigan you could get that, in ALL brick, with premium interiors for $280 or less.
even cheaper if you live in the sticks.

You can get it for around 200K here in Merced (maybe a little more) and you wont have to deal with living in a Rathole state like Michigan

My wife and I picked up and went to Sacramento. Nice timing too since house prices here went up an average of 25% last year. My friend's house went up 25% in 4 months!

Isn't Merced out by Turlock or something?

I used to live in an apartment by those Seeno homes in Clayton. My mortgage payments are hundreds less than the rent there was.

 

[vi edit]

In Birmingham I don't make overly impressive numbers if you look at my raw salary, but coupled with a dual household income and the cost of living here I can live VERY comfortably for a fraction of the cost of places like California, Hawaii or New York

No kidding! $120k a year dual income where I am gets you A LOT! I could have a nice 3000 square foot home with a couple of acres of property for $300k. That leaves me a 15 minute drive to get to work and a 10 minute drive to get to the shopping mall.