“San Diego we still have a problem”

[bearishgurl]

[quote=familyguy][quote=bearishgurl]This “desire” of first time buyers could be compared to a newly-minted military wife of all of 18-22 years old waltzing into town and demanding a unit in Pacific Beach, Coronado or Pt Loma from the Navy Family Housing Office (yes, this happens every day). Never mind they grew up in a double-wide in Kentucky. They have decided they will NOT accept a unit unless it is located in one of those three areas. Hence, they end up taking the housing allowance and paying rent somewhere (likely NOT in one of their desired areas, lol) while they waitlist, often for years. When they can’t manage their rent and utility bills, they give up and move back “home,” wherever that is, to await the arrival of their deployed spouses and also usually their 1st, 2nd, 3rd or 4th child.

It seems there may be a pervasive mentality among first-time RE buyers that it’s all or nothing … exactly what they desire now or no purchase at all. What’s wrong with a “good enough for the next 5-10 yrs” property? How about a sweat-equity fixer in a GREAT location?? How ELSE are you going to buy in that GREAT location??
[/quote]

God forbid a new young wife wants to stay in a desirable housing area. WOW…BG sounds like you have some real anger issues. Since you know this happens “every day” I am assuming you may work in the Navy Housing office? Given how bitter you are, maybe it’s time to find new employment.

Regarding buying a house thats “good enough” thats a whole other discussion.[/quote]

I’ve never worked for Navy Family Housing, familyguy, but know someone who does. In addition, I was a longtime Navy Relief Society volunteer and owned housing unit(s) very close to NAVSTA 32nd St which I rented for years to enlisted families who were often waitlisting for military quarters. Except for Strand (Coronado) and Gateway (Loma Portal) multifamily complexes, the most desirable military housing unit locations are doled out by rank. Many of these new, very young Navy spouses have unrealistic expectations regarding the benefits they are qualified for thru their (vast-majority junior enlisted) sponsors. Granted, the generous active-duty family housing allowance for San Diego has nearly quadrupled since 1995 for ALL ranks.

I understand the risks the military sponsor takes with their deployments but in what other job in the country can a 20-21 year old sponsor with only a high school education or GED support a spouse and child(ren) comfortably, receive free spacious quarters with free utilities (even in high cost areas), free medical care, hospitalization and pharmacy for the entire family, get paid premiums on a $300K or more term life insurance, have 30 days leave per yr (plus stand-down time) and receive educational funds-matching at this initial “station” in life??

If they don’t choose the “free housing,” an enlisted member receives an approx $2000-$3000 month tax-free “stipend” to help them rent suitable quarters. This is over and above their base pay.

I don’t have any “anger issues” over this, familyguy, but we ALL should be concerned. We’re all paying for this exorbitant allowance which encourages 18-23 year old military members to get married ASAP (to anybody) in order to avail themselves of this benefit. I believe the nearly quadrupling of the housing allowance in just 16 years is unjust enrichment to 1st term military members who have (1) not usually begun their higher educations, much less completed any; and (2) have not yet reenlisted at least once or committed to a career with the military. Similarly, their spouses tend to be HS graduates, GED holders and even HS dropouts. Many are still teenagers.

Has any Pigg who graduated from college and begun their first job been offered $2-$3K month by their employer for housing rental/mtg payment assistance?? What about it you had to “relocate” here to work from another state/county? Just wondering.

[kcal09]

[quote=Navydoc]Oh don’t worry, I have factored in the landscaping costs and the maintainance on a large lot. I’m not new to San Diego, I lived there for 4 years during residency, then again in LA during fellowship. I remember being quite shocked at my first water bill as an intern. Every area has costs. I’ll wager my electricity and heating bills are double what they would be on a similar sized property in San Diego. Last year I spent $1300 to remove 4 dead trees on my property, one of which was at least 100 feet tall and I was afraid it was going to fall on the house.

We have strongly considered Poway, and those homes can be on very nice sized lots, but anything we really like on the market right now would need some fairly extensive renovation, and I think I dealt with that adequately in my last post. Also, the commute would be a bit longer. Don’t get me wrong, we havn’t totally ruled out the possibilty of purchasing an existing property, but I’m currently finding the idea of new construction quite attractive.[/quote]

I agree, living in a new house is something priceless. I personally despise the smell of older homes and don’t like to worry about possible problems in an older home. Stonebridge is one of the few places in SD county where you can own a new home with a large lot at a price of less than $1 million. As long as you see your home as a place to live and not as an investment and don’t mind if the value goes down by 10-20% you should be able to sleep at night.

[kcal09]

[quote=Navydoc]Oh don’t worry, I have factored in the landscaping costs and the maintainance on a large lot. I’m not new to San Diego, I lived there for 4 years during residency, then again in LA during fellowship. I remember being quite shocked at my first water bill as an intern. Every area has costs. I’ll wager my electricity and heating bills are double what they would be on a similar sized property in San Diego. Last year I spent $1300 to remove 4 dead trees on my property, one of which was at least 100 feet tall and I was afraid it was going to fall on the house.

We have strongly considered Poway, and those homes can be on very nice sized lots, but anything we really like on the market right now would need some fairly extensive renovation, and I think I dealt with that adequately in my last post. Also, the commute would be a bit longer. Don’t get me wrong, we havn’t totally ruled out the possibilty of purchasing an existing property, but I’m currently finding the idea of new construction quite attractive.[/quote]

I agree, living in a new house is something priceless. I personally despise the smell of older homes and don’t like to worry about possible problems in an older home. Stonebridge is one of the few places in SD county where you can own a new home with a large lot at a price of less than $1 million. As long as you see your home as a place to live and not as an investment and don’t mind if the value goes down by 10-20% you should be able to sleep at night.

[kcal09]

[quote=Navydoc]Oh don’t worry, I have factored in the landscaping costs and the maintainance on a large lot. I’m not new to San Diego, I lived there for 4 years during residency, then again in LA during fellowship. I remember being quite shocked at my first water bill as an intern. Every area has costs. I’ll wager my electricity and heating bills are double what they would be on a similar sized property in San Diego. Last year I spent $1300 to remove 4 dead trees on my property, one of which was at least 100 feet tall and I was afraid it was going to fall on the house.

We have strongly considered Poway, and those homes can be on very nice sized lots, but anything we really like on the market right now would need some fairly extensive renovation, and I think I dealt with that adequately in my last post. Also, the commute would be a bit longer. Don’t get me wrong, we havn’t totally ruled out the possibilty of purchasing an existing property, but I’m currently finding the idea of new construction quite attractive.[/quote]

I agree, living in a new house is something priceless. I personally despise the smell of older homes and don’t like to worry about possible problems in an older home. Stonebridge is one of the few places in SD county where you can own a new home with a large lot at a price of less than $1 million. As long as you see your home as a place to live and not as an investment and don’t mind if the value goes down by 10-20% you should be able to sleep at night.

[kcal09]

[quote=Navydoc]Oh don’t worry, I have factored in the landscaping costs and the maintainance on a large lot. I’m not new to San Diego, I lived there for 4 years during residency, then again in LA during fellowship. I remember being quite shocked at my first water bill as an intern. Every area has costs. I’ll wager my electricity and heating bills are double what they would be on a similar sized property in San Diego. Last year I spent $1300 to remove 4 dead trees on my property, one of which was at least 100 feet tall and I was afraid it was going to fall on the house.

We have strongly considered Poway, and those homes can be on very nice sized lots, but anything we really like on the market right now would need some fairly extensive renovation, and I think I dealt with that adequately in my last post. Also, the commute would be a bit longer. Don’t get me wrong, we havn’t totally ruled out the possibilty of purchasing an existing property, but I’m currently finding the idea of new construction quite attractive.[/quote]

I agree, living in a new house is something priceless. I personally despise the smell of older homes and don’t like to worry about possible problems in an older home. Stonebridge is one of the few places in SD county where you can own a new home with a large lot at a price of less than $1 million. As long as you see your home as a place to live and not as an investment and don’t mind if the value goes down by 10-20% you should be able to sleep at night.

[kcal09]

[quote=Navydoc]Oh don’t worry, I have factored in the landscaping costs and the maintainance on a large lot. I’m not new to San Diego, I lived there for 4 years during residency, then again in LA during fellowship. I remember being quite shocked at my first water bill as an intern. Every area has costs. I’ll wager my electricity and heating bills are double what they would be on a similar sized property in San Diego. Last year I spent $1300 to remove 4 dead trees on my property, one of which was at least 100 feet tall and I was afraid it was going to fall on the house.

We have strongly considered Poway, and those homes can be on very nice sized lots, but anything we really like on the market right now would need some fairly extensive renovation, and I think I dealt with that adequately in my last post. Also, the commute would be a bit longer. Don’t get me wrong, we havn’t totally ruled out the possibilty of purchasing an existing property, but I’m currently finding the idea of new construction quite attractive.[/quote]

I agree, living in a new house is something priceless. I personally despise the smell of older homes and don’t like to worry about possible problems in an older home. Stonebridge is one of the few places in SD county where you can own a new home with a large lot at a price of less than $1 million. As long as you see your home as a place to live and not as an investment and don’t mind if the value goes down by 10-20% you should be able to sleep at night.

[moneymaker]

Maybe my mind set is stuck in the ’50s. I’m pretty sure back then anybody with above average wage could buy a nice 3/2 1200 sq ft house in San Diego. What about all the service members that will be getting out of the military? Will they be able to afford to live here in San Diego? Not unless they have their 20 in and then get a job in addition to that retirement. During that 20 years however what were they doing? Unless getting officer pay my bet is they were renting (I do agree their housing allowance is too high, did it go down when homes prices went down, I doubt it). New housing is too expensive here in San Diego, that is my basic premise. Alot of it is because builders build houses that are too big, and if you look at their books I’m sure they are way fatter than my wallet.

[moneymaker]

Maybe my mind set is stuck in the ’50s. I’m pretty sure back then anybody with above average wage could buy a nice 3/2 1200 sq ft house in San Diego. What about all the service members that will be getting out of the military? Will they be able to afford to live here in San Diego? Not unless they have their 20 in and then get a job in addition to that retirement. During that 20 years however what were they doing? Unless getting officer pay my bet is they were renting (I do agree their housing allowance is too high, did it go down when homes prices went down, I doubt it). New housing is too expensive here in San Diego, that is my basic premise. Alot of it is because builders build houses that are too big, and if you look at their books I’m sure they are way fatter than my wallet.

[moneymaker]

Maybe my mind set is stuck in the ’50s. I’m pretty sure back then anybody with above average wage could buy a nice 3/2 1200 sq ft house in San Diego. What about all the service members that will be getting out of the military? Will they be able to afford to live here in San Diego? Not unless they have their 20 in and then get a job in addition to that retirement. During that 20 years however what were they doing? Unless getting officer pay my bet is they were renting (I do agree their housing allowance is too high, did it go down when homes prices went down, I doubt it). New housing is too expensive here in San Diego, that is my basic premise. Alot of it is because builders build houses that are too big, and if you look at their books I’m sure they are way fatter than my wallet.

[moneymaker]

Maybe my mind set is stuck in the ’50s. I’m pretty sure back then anybody with above average wage could buy a nice 3/2 1200 sq ft house in San Diego. What about all the service members that will be getting out of the military? Will they be able to afford to live here in San Diego? Not unless they have their 20 in and then get a job in addition to that retirement. During that 20 years however what were they doing? Unless getting officer pay my bet is they were renting (I do agree their housing allowance is too high, did it go down when homes prices went down, I doubt it). New housing is too expensive here in San Diego, that is my basic premise. Alot of it is because builders build houses that are too big, and if you look at their books I’m sure they are way fatter than my wallet.

[moneymaker]

Maybe my mind set is stuck in the ’50s. I’m pretty sure back then anybody with above average wage could buy a nice 3/2 1200 sq ft house in San Diego. What about all the service members that will be getting out of the military? Will they be able to afford to live here in San Diego? Not unless they have their 20 in and then get a job in addition to that retirement. During that 20 years however what were they doing? Unless getting officer pay my bet is they were renting (I do agree their housing allowance is too high, did it go down when homes prices went down, I doubt it). New housing is too expensive here in San Diego, that is my basic premise. Alot of it is because builders build houses that are too big, and if you look at their books I’m sure they are way fatter than my wallet.

[bearishgurl]

[quote=threadkiller]Maybe my mind set is stuck in the ’50s. I’m pretty sure back then anybody with above average wage could buy a nice 3/2 1200 sq ft house in San Diego. What about all the service members that will be getting out of the military? Will they be able to afford to live here in San Diego? Not unless they have their 20 in and then get a job in addition to that retirement. During that 20 years however what were they doing? Unless getting officer pay my bet is they were renting (I do agree their housing allowance is too high, did it go down when homes prices went down, I doubt it). New housing is too expensive here in San Diego, that is my basic premise. Alot of it is because builders build houses that are too big, and if you look at their books I’m sure they are way fatter than my wallet.[/quote]

Actually, TK, in the “’50’s,” even working-class families could purchase the average 1000 – 1200 sf new (or used) home. However, I’ve made this offer before here and it is still on offer, “Would YOU move your family into one of these (unremodeled) homes (built 1947 – 1952)??”

Service members who retire from their last duty station (SD or anywhere) will be moved FREE OF CHARGE by the goverment back to the city or town of the MEPPS station where they first enlisted into the military. Some of these areas no doubt are far cheaper than SD to live in and they may be able to survive on their pensions, alone. Retiring service members have 30 days from their official retirement date to vacate their military housing units (any Pigg please correct me here if this time frame has been lengthened). As a “retiree,” they are no longer eligible for a housing allowance or military housing.

TK, you can’t expect a developer today to build entry level housing when their MR bonds and other fees alone (not even incl the price of the lot) could add up to a third or more of the price an entry-level house would bear on the open market! Where’s their profit?? Economies of scale apply here (even if there are already too many “McMansion” developments out there).

[bearishgurl]

[quote=threadkiller]Maybe my mind set is stuck in the ’50s. I’m pretty sure back then anybody with above average wage could buy a nice 3/2 1200 sq ft house in San Diego. What about all the service members that will be getting out of the military? Will they be able to afford to live here in San Diego? Not unless they have their 20 in and then get a job in addition to that retirement. During that 20 years however what were they doing? Unless getting officer pay my bet is they were renting (I do agree their housing allowance is too high, did it go down when homes prices went down, I doubt it). New housing is too expensive here in San Diego, that is my basic premise. Alot of it is because builders build houses that are too big, and if you look at their books I’m sure they are way fatter than my wallet.[/quote]

Actually, TK, in the “’50’s,” even working-class families could purchase the average 1000 – 1200 sf new (or used) home. However, I’ve made this offer before here and it is still on offer, “Would YOU move your family into one of these (unremodeled) homes (built 1947 – 1952)??”

Service members who retire from their last duty station (SD or anywhere) will be moved FREE OF CHARGE by the goverment back to the city or town of the MEPPS station where they first enlisted into the military. Some of these areas no doubt are far cheaper than SD to live in and they may be able to survive on their pensions, alone. Retiring service members have 30 days from their official retirement date to vacate their military housing units (any Pigg please correct me here if this time frame has been lengthened). As a “retiree,” they are no longer eligible for a housing allowance or military housing.

TK, you can’t expect a developer today to build entry level housing when their MR bonds and other fees alone (not even incl the price of the lot) could add up to a third or more of the price an entry-level house would bear on the open market! Where’s their profit?? Economies of scale apply here (even if there are already too many “McMansion” developments out there).

[bearishgurl]

[quote=threadkiller]Maybe my mind set is stuck in the ’50s. I’m pretty sure back then anybody with above average wage could buy a nice 3/2 1200 sq ft house in San Diego. What about all the service members that will be getting out of the military? Will they be able to afford to live here in San Diego? Not unless they have their 20 in and then get a job in addition to that retirement. During that 20 years however what were they doing? Unless getting officer pay my bet is they were renting (I do agree their housing allowance is too high, did it go down when homes prices went down, I doubt it). New housing is too expensive here in San Diego, that is my basic premise. Alot of it is because builders build houses that are too big, and if you look at their books I’m sure they are way fatter than my wallet.[/quote]

Actually, TK, in the “’50’s,” even working-class families could purchase the average 1000 – 1200 sf new (or used) home. However, I’ve made this offer before here and it is still on offer, “Would YOU move your family into one of these (unremodeled) homes (built 1947 – 1952)??”

Service members who retire from their last duty station (SD or anywhere) will be moved FREE OF CHARGE by the goverment back to the city or town of the MEPPS station where they first enlisted into the military. Some of these areas no doubt are far cheaper than SD to live in and they may be able to survive on their pensions, alone. Retiring service members have 30 days from their official retirement date to vacate their military housing units (any Pigg please correct me here if this time frame has been lengthened). As a “retiree,” they are no longer eligible for a housing allowance or military housing.

TK, you can’t expect a developer today to build entry level housing when their MR bonds and other fees alone (not even incl the price of the lot) could add up to a third or more of the price an entry-level house would bear on the open market! Where’s their profit?? Economies of scale apply here (even if there are already too many “McMansion” developments out there).

[bearishgurl]

[quote=threadkiller]Maybe my mind set is stuck in the ’50s. I’m pretty sure back then anybody with above average wage could buy a nice 3/2 1200 sq ft house in San Diego. What about all the service members that will be getting out of the military? Will they be able to afford to live here in San Diego? Not unless they have their 20 in and then get a job in addition to that retirement. During that 20 years however what were they doing? Unless getting officer pay my bet is they were renting (I do agree their housing allowance is too high, did it go down when homes prices went down, I doubt it). New housing is too expensive here in San Diego, that is my basic premise. Alot of it is because builders build houses that are too big, and if you look at their books I’m sure they are way fatter than my wallet.[/quote]

Actually, TK, in the “’50’s,” even working-class families could purchase the average 1000 – 1200 sf new (or used) home. However, I’ve made this offer before here and it is still on offer, “Would YOU move your family into one of these (unremodeled) homes (built 1947 – 1952)??”

Service members who retire from their last duty station (SD or anywhere) will be moved FREE OF CHARGE by the goverment back to the city or town of the MEPPS station where they first enlisted into the military. Some of these areas no doubt are far cheaper than SD to live in and they may be able to survive on their pensions, alone. Retiring service members have 30 days from their official retirement date to vacate their military housing units (any Pigg please correct me here if this time frame has been lengthened). As a “retiree,” they are no longer eligible for a housing allowance or military housing.

TK, you can’t expect a developer today to build entry level housing when their MR bonds and other fees alone (not even incl the price of the lot) could add up to a third or more of the price an entry-level house would bear on the open market! Where’s their profit?? Economies of scale apply here (even if there are already too many “McMansion” developments out there).

[Author]

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