0
0

Is Bay Area housing crash over?


 invite response                
2012 Feb 27, 1:41am   96,862 views  406 comments

by fewy   ➕follow (0)   💰tip   ignore  

Like many of you here I have been waiting for the prices in the bay area to come falling back to earth. Over the past year, the things that I'm seeing make me believe that a huge correction will no longer happen and the prices in most area's have already corrected themselves.

The main reason why the Bay Area was spared from the large housing crash seems to come from the fact that the great recession didn't hit us as hard as other places. This let people keep their jobs and save money. Now as the U.S. is coming out of this recession, the stock market is rising, and people in the Bay Area didn't get scared of investing in housing because there was no major housing crash. We might get a good rise in housing prices. The last example that turned my opinion around is the amount of homes for sale in santa clara county. The inventory is half of what it used to be last year and it seems like the inventory that comes onto the market is quickly bought up. What do you guys think?

#housing

« First        Comments 278 - 317 of 406       Last »     Search these comments

278   1sfrenter   2012 Mar 2, 6:29am  

Definition of HOMOPHOBIA, Mirriam Websters

ho·mo·pho·bic adjective

irrational fear of, aversion to, or discrimination against homosexuality or homosexuals

First Known Use of HOMOPHOBIA
1969

Discrimination, clear and simple.

279   1sfrenter   2012 Mar 2, 6:30am  

rootvg says

I don't like them. I think they're subhuman. They're chronically angry at the world, perpetually unstable emotionally and aspire to corrupt everything they touch. They hate middle America and everything it stands for.

big·ot
noun \ˈbi-gət\
: a person who is obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her own opinions and prejudices; especially : one who regards or treats the members of a group (as a racial or ethnic group) with hatred and intolerance
— big·ot·ed \-gə-təd\ adjective

280   freak80   2012 Mar 2, 6:45am  

Anyone can invent a word. If it "catches on", it might even end up in the dictionary.

The word "Santorum" has an alternate definition. Will it make it into the dictionary?

It's a good tactic. Other groups have taken notice. So we now have the term "Islamophobia." I wonder how long before that one makes it into the dictionary.

If our banker overlords were smart, they'd coin the term "Bankerphobia."

Bankers: "you can't regulate us! That's Bankerphobia!"

281   rootvg   2012 Mar 2, 6:47am  

1sfrenter says

Definition of HOMOPHOBIA, Mirriam Websters

ho·mo·pho·bic adjective

irrational fear of, aversion to, or discrimination against homosexuality or homosexuals

First Known Use of HOMOPHOBIA

1969

Discrimination, clear and simple.

First of all, I told you that when this conversation started that I wouldn't be susceptible to your or anyone else's mindscrewing. I've been posting in forums for a VERY, VERY long time. I know what I'm doing.

1969 was just about at the same time Stonewall happened and the counterculture thing started to gel. It was part of the whole sixties thing...and it was also the progressive policies of that era which provided the foundation for the fiscal nightmare we face today.

SF is loaded with aging hippies whose money and influence allow them to make yet another statement of rebellion before they die. They're still pissed off about Nixon and what he did to McGovern in 1972. That's not my problem and it's not going to be.

Why do you think KQED advertises for people to put them in their wills and trusts? Just who do you think has those kinds of resources and would leave them to a fucking public television station?

Did you also know SF was at one time a Republican town? Yes! Before the military started discharging faggots here and the whole sixties counter culture thing happened and the tech boom began in the late fifties, SF was a middle class/working class town. I doubt it will ever be that way again.

282   RentingForHalfTheCost   2012 Mar 2, 6:53am  

tiny tina says

RentingForHalfTheCost says

It's the same as rent. It fit our budget. We like it.

That's all that matters. I wouldn't worry about some guy on the Internet saying buying in 3 years would be better (like he knows the future). Particularly, when he ends with: "I can only hope."

Hmm. Now you are taking comments out of context. I said "I can only hope" in reference to humanity returning as the prices get adjusted back to the historical averages. I am betting my own money on that happening, so it is much stronger than hope. The humanity reference was actually with people like you in mind, that divert the topic from substance to personal attacks. It shows how little you have to substantiate any claim you make.

283   RentingForHalfTheCost   2012 Mar 2, 7:00am  

tiny tina says

RentingForHalfTheCost says

It's the same as rent. It fit our budget. We like it.

That's all that matters. I wouldn't worry about some guy on the Internet saying buying in 3 years would be better (like he knows the future). Particularly, when he ends with: "I can only hope."

If you really get down to it, it is not the same as rent. It has been proven many times by many people here. If someone just doesn't want to listen to the obvious then nothing we can do. The question is if you really don't care about losing savings potential in exchange for not having to be a house renter. There are small changes that happen when you rent money instead of a house, but if these changes affect you psychologically and make your life better then do it. Stop saying you did it for financial reasons (that shows you don't know how to add). Say you are doing it for perfectly valid reasons that you believe in and your life gets better because of them. Just because it costs you more for something doesn't mean it is the wrong thing.

To hammer the point home. If all of a sudden I was put in a 600k house in Danville that can only be rented for $2500/mth, I would immediately put it up for sale and take the money and run. I would rent the equivalent house down the road and be pecfectly fine doing it. Not everyone agrees, and that is fine, we need all kinds and I'm happy people overpay, it keeps the Ponzi scheme going for a while longer. While I wait, I just keep getting in a stronger and stronger financial position. Fine by me.

284   rootvg   2012 Mar 2, 7:07am  

RentingForHalfTheCost says

tiny tina says

RentingForHalfTheCost says

It's the same as rent. It fit our budget. We like it.

That's all that matters. I wouldn't worry about some guy on the Internet saying buying in 3 years would be better (like he knows the future). Particularly, when he ends with: "I can only hope."

Hmm. Now you are taking comments out of context. I said "I can only hope" in reference to humanity returning as the prices get adjusted back to the historical averages. I am betting my own money on that happening, so it is much stronger than hope. The humanity reference was actually with people like you in mind, that divert the topic from substance to personal attacks. It shows how little you have to substantiate any claim you make.

During the Civil War, people said Lincoln could never put Humpty Dumpty back together again. There are still people in the south who are unhappy with the way he did it...but he did it.

During the Great Depression, people said America was over...and it wasn't. We came back to fight a world war on two fronts AND help the British save themselves from Hitler. Even today, it remains a stunning logistical achievement in world history and testament to our abilities.

During the early sixties, Nikita Khrushchev was banging his shoe on a podium and saying they would bury us. Kids were subject to drills where they would crawl under their desks in school while sirens blared around them. Today, the Soviet Union no longer exists and there's even talk of Castro's brother opening up Cuba simply because there's no Soviet sugar daddy for them to lean on anymore.

Winston Churchill said more than once that Americans always eventually do the right thing, when all other avenues have been exhausted. I still don't know if that was a compliment or backhanded insult but in either case, he was right.

I really think we're gonna be fine.

285   RentingForHalfTheCost   2012 Mar 2, 7:19am  

1sfrenter says

tiny tina says

I would disagree. 600k is still basically at a nosebleed level. I say this as someone who makes 6 figures. If using traditional means of measuring affordability, the buyer of a 600k house would need to be pulling in a total of 200k per year and do so consistently. Last time I looked the medians even in the most expensive Bay Area locations is nowhere near that high.

Absolutely agree - but with rents for a 500-600K house running about 3K month, if you have 20% down you are looking at roughly the same cost per month.

Yes, this is too much, but unless rents collapse, this is where we are, at least here.

http://patrick.net/housing/calculator.php?uaddr=%2C+&rent=3%2C000&price=600%2C000

If you mean "roughly the same" as in one (buying) would put you back 35,000 more than renting after 7 years then yes, that is true. Assumption used, 4% (perfect credit and timing), optimistic no price change in house in 7 yrs time (put in 2% depreciation and all hell breaks loose), you only make 3% after-tax on your down payment when you rent.

If you compare 500K buy to 3K rent, now we are talking. Show me that house and I will actually become a buyer.

286   rootvg   2012 Mar 2, 7:22am  

Mick Russom says

rootvg says

Why the fuck would I not do this?

Lol, you dont even think about the carrying costs.

Electric, cable, phone, schools, parcel taxes, gas, medical, cell, water,

sewer, tax, garbage, car insurance, house insurance, repairs, paint, heating, running fans, internet service.

Your topline monthly is nothing compared to the carrying costs of RE. I hope you did some math. Rent stinks, but from what I've seen, its about half the equivalent outlays in most places worth living.

And if you are unemployed, the deductions dont do much for you.

Of what you listed above, the only thing I wasn't paying as a renter are paint, house insurance (I had a renter's policy) and real estate tax. Everything else is the same or will be less because this house is insulated where the other one wasn't.

Again, don't you think I know all this?

287   tiny tina   2012 Mar 2, 7:22am  

RentingForHalfTheCost says

Hmm. Now you are taking comments out of context. I said "I can only hope" in reference to humanity returning as the prices get adjusted back to the historical averages. I am betting my own money on that happening, so it is much stronger than hope. The humanity reference was actually with people like you in mind, that divert the topic from substance to personal attacks. It shows how little you have to substantiate any claim you make.

It's not my fault you weren't clear what you were hopeful for. You had 2 thoughts in the same sentence followed by "I can only hope." If you meant for "hope" being related to "humanity," fine, you've clarified. You still have no idea what prices will be like in 3 years. The person who is buying the MV home for $1.7M (if it goes for that or near that) probably wishes he bought in 2006 for $1.5M, no?

288   RentingForHalfTheCost   2012 Mar 2, 7:29am  

Tina, can you help me buy this place? It rents for 3300/mth so should be in the 550-650K range to purchase. If you can set this up for me I'll cut you a 20K check on top of you usual commission. I will not even report that I gave you 20K cash, it'll be our little secret. Thanks

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/apa/2880049402.html

289   RentingForHalfTheCost   2012 Mar 2, 7:30am  

tiny tina says

It's not my fault you weren't clear what you were hopeful for.

Seems pretty clear english to me.

"When they do come back in the BA, maybe the humanity will return to this area as well. I can only hope."

290   tiny tina   2012 Mar 2, 7:36am  

RentingForHalfTheCost says

Tina, can you help me buy this place? It rents for 3300/mth so should be in the 550-650K range to purchase. If you can set this up for me I'll cut you a 20K check on top of you usual commission. I will not even report that I gave you 20K cash, it'll be our little secret. Thanks

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/apa/2880049402.html

Not sure why you guys think I'm an agent. Or is that just a petty ploy to discredit anyone who doesn't groupthink that prices are collapsing? Talk about personal attacks.

I love your fair price range. Good luck with that.

291   tiny tina   2012 Mar 2, 7:37am  

RentingForHalfTheCost says

Seems pretty clear english to me.

"When they do come back in the BA, maybe the humanity will return to this area as well. I can only hope."

You would hope so...you wrote it.

292   RentingForHalfTheCost   2012 Mar 2, 7:41am  

tiny tina says

RentingForHalfTheCost says

Tina, can you help me buy this place? It rents for 3300/mth so should be in the 550-650K range to purchase. If you can set this up for me I'll cut you a 20K check on top of you usual commission. I will not even report that I gave you 20K cash, it'll be our little secret. Thanks

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/apa/2880049402.html

Not sure why you guys think I'm an agent. Or is that just a petty ploy to discredit anyone who doesn't groupthink that prices are collapsing? Talk about personal attacks.

Not a personal attack. I was hoping you would take the challenge and find me that house you think make sense to buy in the bay area. It would be a win-win. You would be happy because it would prove you have been completely correct all along, and I would be happy because I would pay a reasonable amount of my savings for a house. No one looses except the poor sucker that is paying 1.7m for a 800k in mountain view. So sad...

293   tiny tina   2012 Mar 2, 7:50am  

RentingForHalfTheCost says

Not a personal attack. I was hoping you would take the challenge and find me that house you think make sense to buy in the bay area. It would be a win-win. You would be happy because it would prove you have been completely correct all along, and I would be happy because I would pay a reasonable amount of my savings for a house. No one looses except the poor sucker that is paying 1.7m for a 800k in mountain view. So sad...

Ok. Here's a deal. Get some money - you know, invest in AAPL 10 years retroactively, come up with an offer that is consistent with the current market, and in return I'll go take the agent/broker exam and will represent you. I'll take $10k (half price) for that Monta Vista house you are dreaming about. Deal? If not, keep "hoping" that prices in Monta Vista will fall to $600k.

294   rootvg   2012 Mar 2, 7:51am  

RentingForHalfTheCost says

tiny tina says

It's not my fault you weren't clear what you were hopeful for.

Seems pretty clear english to me.

"When they do come back in the BA, maybe the humanity will return to this area as well. I can only hope."

I can't find the quote, but Michael Bloomberg said something fairly recently that I think also applies to the Bay Area. He said certain places (initially referring to NYC) simply won't be for middle class people anymore. It's a combination of a lot of things: the job base, the preexisting commitment to public employees who support the infrastructure and public education system, overall expectations for living standards and the types of people places like this attract.

My earliest memories go back to about 1968-1970, when my father bought a brand new 1971 Pontiac Catalina (I remember it sitting in the driveway) and had a 1968 Bonneville and 1965 Catalina before that. Middle class America at least in heavily industrial NE Ohio was still alive then. Goodyear, Goodrich, Firestone, General and to a lesser extent Seiberling were all still in business in Akron. Mom didn't work, Dad sold life insurance to blue collar workers in the surrounding area. Life was good.

I'd love to go back to those days but we can't. We've come so far societally and technologically since then and we live a lot longer, too.

I would tell you there are still good jobs out there for the kids in normal times but they aren't in the industries they used to be and they sure aren't where they used to be. The Democratic party and its allies in organized labor had a lot to do with that but no matter, it's all largely water under the bridge at this point.

The Bay Area is expensive. This is a top drawer place to live and it costs like hell. There's no such thing as living the way my parents' Great Depression era friends lived in Ohio. If you want to live that way you have to go over the hill to Tracy and if you have to live that way you probably should relocate out of state. That's the hard fact. That's what Bloomberg was trying to find a diplomatic way of saying. People who are attracted here have money or make money and that's reflected in the cost of everything and even in the surrounding popular culture. People think they're entitled to things (especially bad around Walnut Creek for some reason) and that drives me nuts but we're HERE. I've sort of learned to deal with it. Sort of.

295   rootvg   2012 Mar 2, 8:04am  

RentingForHalfTheCost says

Tina, can you help me buy this place? It rents for 3300/mth so should be in the 550-650K range to purchase. If you can set this up for me I'll cut you a 20K check on top of you usual commission. I will not even report that I gave you 20K cash, it'll be our little secret. Thanks

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/apa/2880049402.html

A lot of things should be but aren't. That's what this conversation is really about.

Why do you think we did what we did? I spent a lot of years pushing my feet under the table of someone who put on a suit and went out every day for forty years and sold people on the idea of giving him money because something bad might happen to them and they should be ready for it. Did I not learn anything during all those years? If you say yes, you're either being horribly disingenuous or I haven't been a good enough communicator since I opened my account here.

296   RentingForHalfTheCost   2012 Mar 2, 8:06am  

tiny tina says

RentingForHalfTheCost says

Not a personal attack. I was hoping you would take the challenge and find me that house you think make sense to buy in the bay area. It would be a win-win. You would be happy because it would prove you have been completely correct all along, and I would be happy because I would pay a reasonable amount of my savings for a house. No one looses except the poor sucker that is paying 1.7m for a 800k in mountain view. So sad...

Ok. Here's a deal. Get some money - you know, invest in AAPL 10 years retroactively, come up with an offer that is consistent with the current market, and in return I'll go take the agent/broker exam and will represent you. I'll take $10k (half price) for that Monta Vista house you are dreaming about. Deal? If not, keep "hoping" that prices in Monta Vista will fall to $600k.

Been there done that. Invested in AAPL correctly, also CSCO, and DELL. The problem is not having the money, it is not losing it. I already have houses that show my good market timing. They are just not here in the BA.

297   tiny tina   2012 Mar 2, 8:12am  

RentingForHalfTheCost says

Been there done that. Invested in AAPL correctly, also CSCO, and DELL. The problem is not having the money, it is not losing it. I already have houses that show my good market timing. They are just not here in the BA.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yet you completely missed out with your timing on where you actually live. If you were as savvy as you think you are you wouldn't be quoting $600k for Monta Vista houses that are are selling for over $1M. I'm pretty sure I've said this before...it isn't 2007 anymore.

298   rootvg   2012 Mar 2, 8:14am  

Again, I would no more hope for that kind of a drop in housing values that close to Silicon Valley than I would slit my wrists.

There's TOO MUCH money here, and too much money in the hands of people who never earned it or earned it too easily or grew up in upper middle class circumstances and take it for granted. You can't beat that with logic. You pay the freight or you leave. We can't leave and we don't want to live in the United Colors of Benetton.

299   RentingForHalfTheCost   2012 Mar 2, 8:17am  

tiny tina says

If not, keep "hoping" that prices in Monta Vista will fall to $600k.

Correct me if I am getting this wrong. Are you saying that it is a much better deal to rent this million dollar home in Monta Vista for 3300/mth than to buy it? I seem like I have been here before, but the answer is starting to change now. I thought it was a great time to buy around here?

300   RentingForHalfTheCost   2012 Mar 2, 8:24am  

tiny tina says

RentingForHalfTheCost says

Been there done that. Invested in AAPL correctly, also CSCO, and DELL. The problem is not having the money, it is not losing it. I already have houses that show my good market timing. They are just not here in the BA.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yet you completely missed out with your timing on where you actually live. If you were as savvy as you think you are you wouldn't be quoting $600k for Monta Vista houses that are are selling for over $1M. I'm pretty sure I've said this before...it isn't 2007 anymore.

I live in a million dollar home already. Just rent it for $3000/mth just like that Monte Vista home. You argue in circles. It is not 2007, that is absolutely true, from a real estate point of view it is almost 2001. This means that Monte Vista house owner doesn't get it. He still thinks it is 2007, and part of the reason he doesn't sell. He then decide to rent while he waits for 2007 to return. However, when he researches the market he realizes he can only get 3300/mth for the place. They are 2001 rents btw. I rented down there in 1998 for $2000 and only got a clean but small 2/1 duplex. So the renting market is aware of the date change because it needs cash (real cash), however, the buying market is still in a manipulation phase that will slowly end with time.

301   tiny tina   2012 Mar 2, 8:34am  

RentingForHalfTheCost says

Correct me if I am getting this wrong. Are you saying that it is a much better deal to rent this million dollar home in Monta Vista for 3300/mth than to buy it? I seem like I have been here before, but the answer is starting to change now. I thought it was a great time to buy around here?

Where did I say it was a great time to buy in Monta Vista? Everything I have said is clearly documented. Please copy and paste it below.

302   tiny tina   2012 Mar 2, 8:38am  

RentingForHalfTheCost says

I live in a million dollar home already. Just rent it for $3000/mth just like that Monte Vista home. You argue in circles. It is not 2007, that is absolutely true, from a real estate point of view it is almost 2001. This means that Monte Vista house owner doesn't get it. He still thinks it is 2007, and part of the reason he doesn't sell. He then decide to rent while he waits for 2007 to return. However, when he researches the market he realizes he can only get 3300/mth for the place. They are 2001 rents btw. I rented down there in 1998 for $2000 and only got a clean but small 2/1 duplex. So the renting market is aware of the date change because it needs cash (real cash), however, the buying market is still in a manipulation phase that will slowly end with time.

You argue based on "hope" instead of reality. Here's a Monta Vista home that recently sold for $1.1M:
http://www.redfin.com/CA/Cupertino/21905-Hyannisport-Dr-95014/home/781559

People ARE buying. Qualified buyers are buying. This isn't funny money of 2007. There is no reason to think the Monta Vista market is going to collapse.

303   tiny tina   2012 Mar 2, 8:42am  

Renting...
Since you seem to be having trouble keeping up, here's part of my first post on this thread:
The best metric is PITI versus rent, and even that is questionable in some of the more expensive cities where people are loaded with money (i.e. Los Altos Hills).

Time for the weekend. Adios.

304   RentingForHalfTheCost   2012 Mar 2, 8:47am  

tiny tina says

People ARE buying. Qualified buyers are buying. This isn't funny money of 2007. There is no reason to think the Monta Vista market is going to collapse.

Is absolutely is funny money. People are not buying in most cases. The fed is buying. They are the ones buying up the bonds to keep interest rates down. It is called manipulation and I can't help the person that looks at the reasonable monthly when they make a purchase decision rather than the actually amount they are paying. Stop the free money (and it will stop) and this ride will come to a pretty awful finale. Anyone telling people to buy is just wrong in my opinion. Time will be the test.

305   RentingForHalfTheCost   2012 Mar 2, 8:49am  

tiny tina says

Renting...

Since you seem to be having trouble keeping up, here's part of my first post on this thread:

The best metric is PITI versus rent, and even that is questionable in some of the more expensive cities where people are loaded with money (i.e. Los Altos Hills).

Time for the weekend. Adios.

I followed and I still think you are incorrect. Use the calculator if you want to cover the math. It is not as simple as you make it.

306   RentingForHalfTheCost   2012 Mar 2, 10:35am  

tiny tina says

RentingForHalfTheCost says

Correct me if I am getting this wrong. Are you saying that it is a much better deal to rent this million dollar home in Monta Vista for 3300/mth than to buy it? I seem like I have been here before, but the answer is starting to change now. I thought it was a great time to buy around here?

Where did I say it was a great time to buy in Monta Vista? Everything I have said is clearly documented. Please copy and paste it below.

Can you please just answer the question? Don't understand the hesitation and resistance. I'll repeat it again

Is it a better deal to rent this place in Monta Vista for 3300/mth verses buying it for the 1million+ it would take? Possible answers are below

1) Yes
2) No

307   thomas.wong1986   2012 Mar 2, 12:17pm  

tiny tina says

You argue based on "hope" instead of reality. Here's a Monta Vista home that recently sold for $1.1M:
http://www.redfin.com/CA/Cupertino/21905-Hyannisport-Dr-95014/home/781559
People ARE buying. Qualified buyers are buying. This isn't funny money of 2007. There is no reason to think the Monta Vista market is going to collapse.

Its not a $1 Million home.. you need to figure out what it was selling before the bubble began.

If you want a $1M home.. go to Silver Creek Country Club where $1M gets a home 3x bigger and more modern.

First mistake is to believe "funny money" created the bubble. More like it was the Irrational Behavior of homebuyers in believing prices go up double digit EVERY YEAR...

In the BA that hasnt changed... everywhere else they learned a bitter lesson. No funny money and no irrational behavior.

308   rootvg   2012 Mar 2, 12:19pm  

Tom, the Bay Area IS irrational behavior and the sick part of it is, it pays.

309   thomas.wong1986   2012 Mar 2, 12:20pm  

RentingForHalfTheCost says

Is it a better deal to rent this place in Monta Vista for 3300/mth verses buying it for the 1million+ it would take? Possible answers are below
1) Yes
2) No

That (rent) wont last long when taxes start going up...

310   thomas.wong1986   2012 Mar 2, 12:21pm  

rootvg says

Tom, the Bay Area IS irrational behavior and the sick part of it is, it pays.

Eventually eveyone goes to rehab.. or they die out.

311   JodyChunder   2012 Mar 2, 3:58pm  

edvard2 says

TX is the same. There are few if any regulations or rules to prevent companies from building new houses like crazy. What happens ANYTIME a housing development is suggested anywhere near the Bay Area? People cry foul, whine, and complain about it. So as a result no new housing gets built. Prices are high as a result. No such thing happens in TX or the other robust growth states.

Ed: the obverse to this is that explosive growth and over development is presage to inevitable bust. Ideally what you want is steady but strong growth rooted in some fundamental private sector growth. Texas is one of the biggest welfare queen states in the union; the number of government jobs and subsidies to corporations in the form of multi-million dollar blandishments is higher than any other state, and the returns on that outlay, contrary to what you might believe, have not always been so robust.

Herds migrating from majors to flyover country in order to enjoy what amounts to wealth effect is really just another form of market speculation. It's great for flyover country only if that capital finds its way into small businesses or some other ventures which generate returns. Otherwise, it can actually have deleterious effects on things like price inflation, infrastructure, traffic and crime rates. Plus, trends shift and those people who moved can just as easily move again in a few years once they get all the sugar they can get out of a place. There is definitely a mentality among many transplants that they will simply park their wealth for a while in a low tax place like TN and wait for the price correction in CA before moving back. I can't find any fancy charts for you, but I would bet most will move back to wherever they moved from within 5-7 years, especially if they came from California. Ask a Californian in NC next time you meet one.

312   RentingForHalfTheCost   2012 Mar 3, 1:32am  

thomas.wong1986 says

Its not a $1 Million home.. you need to figure out what it was selling before the bubble began.

Very true. Considering it rents for 3300/mth and assuming the rental market is more reflective (government doesn't give out handouts for renting) of the current economy, then I would place the value at 600K. Hence, why I offer our staff realtor "Tina Tina" to broker this deal for me. She balked because she probably already called the owners and when she mentioned 600K they hung up. The washer/dryer upgrade they added last year cost them $1500 alone. Not to mention the $6k granite countertops. Why in the world would thy consider 600K when they have spent so much on the place to upgrade. Word.

313   rootvg   2012 Mar 3, 1:34am  

What's with the spam all of a sudden?

314   rootvg   2012 Mar 3, 1:35am  

RentingForHalfTheCost says

tiny tina says

RentingForHalfTheCost says

Correct me if I am getting this wrong. Are you saying that it is a much better deal to rent this million dollar home in Monta Vista for 3300/mth than to buy it? I seem like I have been here before, but the answer is starting to change now. I thought it was a great time to buy around here?

Where did I say it was a great time to buy in Monta Vista? Everything I have said is clearly documented. Please copy and paste it below.

Can you please just answer the question? Don't understand the hesitation and resistance. I'll repeat it again

Is it a better deal to rent this place in Monta Vista for 3300/mth verses buying it for the 1million+ it would take? Possible answers are below

1) Yes

2) No

Before I paid $3300 per month, I'd buy something I could afford.

So, we did.

315   RentingForHalfTheCost   2012 Mar 3, 1:39am  

thomas.wong1986 says

RentingForHalfTheCost says

Is it a better deal to rent this place in Monta Vista for 3300/mth verses buying it for the 1million+ it would take? Possible answers are below

1) Yes

2) No

That (rent) wont last long when taxes start going up...

Not so. I have been renting into these types of places for 14 years now. Good landlords care more about their place than raping people. This rental is having an open house so the landlord can select the proper tenants. As a tenant you need to sell yourself. You are taking care of an asset that is most likely the majority of the owners wealth. If you want to try to find the highest bidder in the BA, you are taking your chances. A persons ability to pay high rent doesn't mean they are great tenants.

To dismiss perfectly good rentals because they don't fit your "buy now" attitude is not fair. I bet you can even get a multi-year lease on this place and lock in for as long as you want. That is if you sell your tenant qualities properly.

It is not unlike selling yourself to the bank to get the mortgage. Everyone is more than willing to jump through hoops to improve their credit so they can go into huge debt, but they feel threatened when another individual would like to know their character before letting them rent their house. Doesn't make sense to me.

316   RentingForHalfTheCost   2012 Mar 3, 1:43am  

rootvg says

#

Before I paid $3300 per month, I'd buy something I could afford.

So, we did.

#

Good for you. You drank the "buy what you can afford" kool-aid. I would still sell immediately and you would come out ahead in 5 years. Enjoy the fake ownership lifestyle while you have it.

317   rootvg   2012 Mar 3, 1:50am  

RentingForHalfTheCost says

rootvg says

#

Before I paid $3300 per month, I'd buy something I could afford.

So, we did.

#

Good for you. You drank the "buy what you can afford" kool-aid. I would still sell immediately and you would come out ahead in 5 years. Enjoy the fake ownership lifestyle while you have it.

No, I bought what I could afford and it's apparently more than you could afford...so therefore I am evil or stupid or both.

I don't come from a place where people think this way. I don't come from a place where people are chronically angry and petty and act like children most of the time. We've done pretty well with those values so far and I'm almost fifty years old.

My lifestyle won't change one bit. I'm still gonna fly once or twice per month. I still have my ham radio toys. My wife and I do work we enjoy and are good at what we do and make low six figures each.

I mean, what the hell's your problem? Can I recommend a good therapist?

Let me be even more frank. If this is what you really believe, you may want to consider relocation. This is what it costs to live here. It's expensive. Some people can't afford it or don't know how to manage their money or whatever but this is how it is. It's been this way for a very long time and now it's getting worse. Living in DC or New York or Boston or even Atlanta (I hear it's starting to get very dense and expensive there in place) are always going to be like this. If you can't afford it, MOVE.

« First        Comments 278 - 317 of 406       Last »     Search these comments

Please register to comment:

api   best comments   contact   latest images   memes   one year ago   random   suggestions   gaiste