How much longer to wait before buy real estate?

[mixxalot]

Ultimate choices for a bachelor

JES, great post, I am a single guy in my 30’s so the midwest and cold weather do not mix well with me. I am from New England and do not miss the cold after moving to California 20 years ago. I may buy in Oroville in northern California as I work in consulting and travel quite a bit and prices are quite affordable there with perfect weather except for mild winter and some rain in winter and there is a wonderful lake there for boating and hiking and fishing.

My plan is to buy a small place in Oroville then wait til the ball drops in San Diego and buy a second place in north coastal county- most likely a condo since homes will never be super cheap in places like Carlsbad or Encinitas. I like the Solana Beach area as well. Right now I just renewed my lease in Point Loma for another 15 months as I am too busy with travel and work to deal with moving yet.

If I were to move out of state then I would consider places like Austin or Denver as these have fun outdoor activities and decent nightlife for single guys.

[mixxalot]

Ultimate choices for a bachelor

JES, great post, I am a single guy in my 30’s so the midwest and cold weather do not mix well with me. I am from New England and do not miss the cold after moving to California 20 years ago. I may buy in Oroville in northern California as I work in consulting and travel quite a bit and prices are quite affordable there with perfect weather except for mild winter and some rain in winter and there is a wonderful lake there for boating and hiking and fishing.

My plan is to buy a small place in Oroville then wait til the ball drops in San Diego and buy a second place in north coastal county- most likely a condo since homes will never be super cheap in places like Carlsbad or Encinitas. I like the Solana Beach area as well. Right now I just renewed my lease in Point Loma for another 15 months as I am too busy with travel and work to deal with moving yet.

If I were to move out of state then I would consider places like Austin or Denver as these have fun outdoor activities and decent nightlife for single guys.

[stop_the_bubble_hype]

Eye Pod,

Not sure everyone disagrees with JES (though I do agree some here have strong biases).

For me I’ve been there and done it. Lived in New England (CT to be exact) and we bought a 2800 sq ft home on 1.5 acres back in 2002 for $350K (high taxes $10K per year for house and about $1200 per year for 2 cars). In the end, as JES stated, it was a quality of life issue and we just didn’t find that having the land, cheaper house was worth it for our family, particularly since most of our immediate family lived here in CA.

I do agree though that people should expand their horizons and try living somewhere else — if only to understand where you really want to be. I had neighbors and friends in CT who would never ever leave NE because it was all they knew.

[stop_the_bubble_hype]

Eye Pod,

Not sure everyone disagrees with JES (though I do agree some here have strong biases).

For me I’ve been there and done it. Lived in New England (CT to be exact) and we bought a 2800 sq ft home on 1.5 acres back in 2002 for $350K (high taxes $10K per year for house and about $1200 per year for 2 cars). In the end, as JES stated, it was a quality of life issue and we just didn’t find that having the land, cheaper house was worth it for our family, particularly since most of our immediate family lived here in CA.

I do agree though that people should expand their horizons and try living somewhere else — if only to understand where you really want to be. I had neighbors and friends in CT who would never ever leave NE because it was all they knew.

[ibjames]

I moved from WI, had a nice place, etc. etc. Had a patio set we hardly used because either it was too hot or there were too many bugs.

I go surfing on a regular basis, I have my windows open all the time. I ride my bike year round, my wife jogs year round. We absolutely love it here.

My drive sucks, but I have my windows open, I’m ok with it. We will hopefully move closer to work when we buy anyway.

I could have a great house back home, but my weekends go from riding bikes, laying in the sand, surfing, bodyboarding etc. etc. to trimming hedges, shoveling, and paying my AC bill.

When I have kids though, I might not be so happy. Who knows. The access to different cultures out here cannot be matched, I would hate to rob my children of that. I personally feel robbed. It should not be 30 and just discovering sushi and thai food 🙁

[ibjames]

I moved from WI, had a nice place, etc. etc. Had a patio set we hardly used because either it was too hot or there were too many bugs.

I go surfing on a regular basis, I have my windows open all the time. I ride my bike year round, my wife jogs year round. We absolutely love it here.

My drive sucks, but I have my windows open, I’m ok with it. We will hopefully move closer to work when we buy anyway.

I could have a great house back home, but my weekends go from riding bikes, laying in the sand, surfing, bodyboarding etc. etc. to trimming hedges, shoveling, and paying my AC bill.

When I have kids though, I might not be so happy. Who knows. The access to different cultures out here cannot be matched, I would hate to rob my children of that. I personally feel robbed. It should not be 30 and just discovering sushi and thai food 🙁

[CardiffBaseball]

My wife and kids would move back to Ohio tomorrow if I said I had a good job lined up. In fact I nearly had a 6 figure management job lined up, but it didn’t work out (no relocation). I can’t say I would have pulled the trigger. In the short time I have been here, I am quite active in youth sports, have formed a baseball club team, etc. Our neighbors in Ohio moved in from Des Moines and they loved Ohio as much as Des Moines.

My family likes it here, but the difference is we have close relatives back there, and both my wife and my parents have no hope of moving here outside of someone hitting the lottery. My sons’ growing up years were on a big yard (3 acres about half wooded) where they had a pool and basketball court, room for baseball and football and exploring. We also had a creek running through our front yard (building a new bridge cost me 8K). Thus they became accustomed to being home bodies, and having to go to a park to play (none very walkable here) is a tough adjustment. We have a larger backyard than most, but still it’s not the same.

That said there were downsides, such as gloomy days, rainy days half the week, etc.

[CardiffBaseball]

My wife and kids would move back to Ohio tomorrow if I said I had a good job lined up. In fact I nearly had a 6 figure management job lined up, but it didn’t work out (no relocation). I can’t say I would have pulled the trigger. In the short time I have been here, I am quite active in youth sports, have formed a baseball club team, etc. Our neighbors in Ohio moved in from Des Moines and they loved Ohio as much as Des Moines.

My family likes it here, but the difference is we have close relatives back there, and both my wife and my parents have no hope of moving here outside of someone hitting the lottery. My sons’ growing up years were on a big yard (3 acres about half wooded) where they had a pool and basketball court, room for baseball and football and exploring. We also had a creek running through our front yard (building a new bridge cost me 8K). Thus they became accustomed to being home bodies, and having to go to a park to play (none very walkable here) is a tough adjustment. We have a larger backyard than most, but still it’s not the same.

That said there were downsides, such as gloomy days, rainy days half the week, etc.

[Author]

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