Qualcomm engineers are the last ones who should be buying in Mira Mesa or Carmal Valley. The big Q looks good now but if they start to cut back, there is nobody else to employ these guys in SD. You could lose your job and have your house crater on the same day. Those Qualcomm engineers who want to live close should rent.[/quote]
I’m not sure I follow. a fast stock price decline is inherently more likely than a fast home price decline. . For folks who have seen their equity stake rise to all time highs, who haven’t bought a home yet… it probably would be prudent to taking money out of QC (or tech stocks in SD) right now and using proceeds to purchase a home… It’s probably much less likely we’ll see a 20% correction on home prices that happens fast anytime soon, versus it is entirely possible to see a 20% correction in stock prices really quick.
Furthermore, even if a a company’s stock corrects significantly, it doesn’t necessarily translate into layoffs, unless the company is performing poorly (QC is not, neither is the smartphone market, at least not right now).
Also, now’s probably a good time to take advantage of the still low taxes on long term capital gains…who knows what that’s going to look like next year.