[quote=millennial]Meanwhile, absorption in my neighborhood in SD is within days, or weeks. Also not sure how much a $50,000 house in SD would get you in 1983, but I guarantee the appreciation would make it a much better investment.[/quote] Maybe, if you could afford the monthly. $50k would not have bought you much in SD in 1983. 1983, Mira Mesa 3 bed 2 bath was about $130k. I was renting a house with a bunch of roomates – house sold in 1985 for $179k. The time to have bought was around 1980 or before. Prices for this home went down to $350k in 2009. They are now back up to approx $560k according to zillow. I suspect these houses will be very sensitive to interest rates.