PC, can you help? I followed your instructions and have the .jpg file. Err… How do I “post it”? I’ll need each step. Think posting jpgs for dummies.
Gary, I think we all see lots of people who have high expectations, quite often extending beyond their abilities. Seeing someone like you with modest expectations, that appear to be pitched below your abilities, is refreshing. I think we’re all responding to that. I hope that this forum can help get the best possible outcome for you, whatever that is. (And for all our sakes, I hope that’s not any kind of slum.)
My own outlook is not that different from yours, but your expectations are even more modest than mine. I hope to pay cash for a simple 2+1 or 2+2 w/ garage in OC for $300K +/- $100K, even though my income and savings are several multiples of the averages, and I have no debt or other obligations. My guess is that you’re younger than me, and if I were younger, I’d allow myself a little freedom if it got me my own place in a neighborhood where you felt more at home. (I could buy a place right now within my budget in a bad part of Santa Ana, but if I bought I’d be looking to get out as long as I lived there.)
I have lived for years in places where crime was an issue, and it’s wearing. It also costs time and money. It means you can’t own a new car without worry. Now I leave my car and apartment unlocked without a second thought, and never have to worry. That’s extreme, but the fundamental economics says that someone who’s above average should be able to afford at least an average home, and at some point in this cycle that oughta happen.
