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cowboy
ParticipantI have heard a few people say Denver is pretty expensive.
ParticipantFor the most part, I thought HOA in Houston and Austin were cheap. $50/month typical and $200/month maximum. Some included trash. I consider $150/month in SD cheap.
ParticipantI just came back from Texas. First time ever in or near Texas. I visited both Houston and Austin. I have lived in Cali my whole life and have heard only terrible things about Texas so my expectations were well…ZERO.
After visiting for the first time I was pleasantly surprised. Surprised in terms of how nice some of these areas actually are. The west side of Austin near Lake Austin and Lake Travis are very nice. Rolling hills and lush. Definitely didn’t feel like I was in Texas.
In Houston Uptown is all new and done very nice. They basically have like (2) downtowns. Plenty of shopping, fine restaurant’s, etc. It feels like Cali at time. In terms of living in Houston, The Woodlands are simply incredible. Best master planned community I have ever seen. Hands down. Dense forest. I sure didn’t feel like I was in Texas.
Home prices I would say are 1/3 to 1/4 the prices of California when comparing area and house. Texas makes their homes much better than Cali. All rockwork on the outside standard. Property taxes are higher than Cali at 3-4%. Texas has no state income tax so you save there. Gasoline is about 35% cheaper than Cali.
Overall, Texas is definitely livable. I learned my lesson in terms of listening to people say how good/bad a place is. Do this, go see the place with your own two eyes and experience it for yourself.
Two thumbs up for Austin and the Woodlands in Houston. I wouldn’t be surprised if I lived in either of these places in a year.
ParticipantI would move out of SD. If you don’t own a home now you really have nothing to lose. You can always come back. There are nice places around the country that are 1/4 the price of California real estate. You can even help your tax situation out by going to Texas, Oregon, Washington, etc. Where there are no sales tax, state income taxes, etc.
I mean if you don’t have a home you have to ask yourself, are these outrageous California prices really worth it? Quality of life in Cali is horrid if you didn’t buy a home 10 years ago. Why deal with it?
ParticipantAhh, the whole sales versus engineering topic. An interesting topic. Through experience and observation around me I can say the following. Engineers work hard and actually earn every dollar and cent they make. They are put through the grind. At least the engineers at the forefront of technology, etc. In my opinion, engineers are not given enough credit in what they do. Sales guys make more money period. And I mean lots more. Why? Because corporations feel it is more important to have a good sales/marketing team than a good engineering team and weak sales/marketing team. That is the way the game is played. That is how Wall Street sees it. They will go with a good sales/marketing team and weak product anyday over the weak sales/marketing team and good product. Heck, just look at all the stupid crap they sell on TV!! Liek the says goes, if you can’t beat em, join em. You want to make money? Become a good sales guy.
To me, sales guys DO NOT deserve what they make. They are over glorified. That is just my opinion.
ParticipantIf you really look at San Diego overall, it’s not worth the price. It’s a debt trap. The house owns you. Its a speculative investment jungle. Nobody in their right mind would buy a postage stamp tract home for $1Million UNLESS they believe they will make a FORTUNE on it. Psychology drives California Real Estate Period in my opinion. 1+1=1,000 here in Cali. Like the CEO of Qualcomm said, “The only part that is really nice in San Diego is the first 5 miles from the ocean”.
ParticipantI must say that I did not like 4S Ranch one bit. Del Sure much better.
ParticipantThis past year in San Diego the weather was bad. There was about 3 months of 90 degree humid days near the ocean. We had the few weeks of ice cold (like 20 degrees). Not very San Diegoish weather. All those people that I saw in homes with no AC who claimed they would never need to use AC? Watch out if this past year’s weather is the norm. I read an article somewhere on that subject. I’m not saying that the weather in SD last year was horrible but bad for San Diego standards.
ParticipantI have noticed that the quality of a home here in SD in poor. Some homes don’t even come with rain gutters. $1M for a home and no rain gutters? Poor construction. The homes in Texas are made much better in my opinion. Built of stone, etc. Other homes in colder areas of the country also built much better than SD homes. Out here the wind blows through the homes. Pathetic.
ParticipantI think rents for homes (at least in Carmel Valley) in the past 6 months have defintely gone up by a good 10% if not more. In the middle of last year in the carmel valley area, I was looking at homes int eh 1800 to 2100 sqft range for $2000 to $2500. The same now can not be touch for the same price. More like $3000. Rents have definitely gone up. Not many homes for rent either.
ParticipantI agree with Rich. The only thing people care about is their monthly payment. I believe most people feel they never will pay their homes off, nor do they want to. I think most people see their California home as an investment more than anything. Get in at any cost, make tons of money on the way up (it never goes down), and then just before retirement dump the place at huge profits. They then move out of Cali with their fortunes and live happily ever after.
This 50 year loan and the housing market is sounding more and more like Japan. They had 100 year loans. Look at where the housing market in Japan is today….
I think the inevitable will come, its just all these creative loans will push that day further out.
ParticipantI agree with Rich on this one. I read Hot Commodities by Jimmy as well. He is a guy that tells you how it is – no hidden agenda. One of my favorite guys to follow. Another interesting book is “The Oil Factor” by Leeb. Leeb is a firm believer there will be run-away inflation. He recommends buying stocks tied to Chindia (China and India), gold, oil, and other commodities. I am liking gold more and more for more than just one reason. Silver looks good as well. Other than that – short retail (consumer) and housing.
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