[joec]

[quote=Scarlett]

Not that it matters, but yes we have a lease until late spring, after which we’ll go month to month. Right now we are going when we have time – a couple days a month – to advertised open houses or to explore different neighborhoods. We’ll start looking more actively very soon though and if we find something that we like and it’s a good deal, we may break the lease a couple months early, no more. As a matter of fact I am still wondering if we should continue to rent for another year or two- and save more (if we put now 20% down we won’t have any cash reserves) and have a sweet commute in the mean time – and let the house market dust settle. I believe that the housing market will be lower in a couple years, even if rates will be higher. I am not trying to argue this or connvince anybody, just my gut feeling. I am wondering if I should be waiting for a true bottom, not necessarily for the lowest rates, which I believe we’ve seen already. Not that I want to time the bottom, I’d rather have the housing bottom behind us rather than possibly ahead, that’s all. On the other hand, we got to get on with our lives, settle in a nice house with yard and good schools, risks and stretching be damned. And who know with all this government intervention if the true bottom will even be reached in a couple years, if it’s not there already. It could be a slow decline over 10 yers.

But, to your point, in a few months we will be ready to pounce on a good deal that we LIKE as well. So far we haven’t seen something that we both loved as a deal as well as a home. Quite a few ok, but they weren’t calling our names.[/quote]

Over the years, I’ve looked at plenty of houses in the bay area and here and finding a place you actually want to live in is incredibly hard.

I’ll just add that this issue will probably be the biggest problem so if you are lucky enough to find that place, I’d jump on it since there are plenty of “regret” messages here already for those who missed their dream home.

In regards to when the bottom is, again no one knows, but enough piggies have bought already to make me feel it’s close enough and I’m sure plenty of the folks here are smarter than me.

I’m sure after looking at a ton of homes, you sorta know within 1-3 minutes of walking into a place if you can even consider a place home so if you’re ready, start looking now and just find a place you really like for the long term.

Good luck.

[joec]

[quote=Scarlett]

Not that it matters, but yes we have a lease until late spring, after which we’ll go month to month. Right now we are going when we have time – a couple days a month – to advertised open houses or to explore different neighborhoods. We’ll start looking more actively very soon though and if we find something that we like and it’s a good deal, we may break the lease a couple months early, no more. As a matter of fact I am still wondering if we should continue to rent for another year or two- and save more (if we put now 20% down we won’t have any cash reserves) and have a sweet commute in the mean time – and let the house market dust settle. I believe that the housing market will be lower in a couple years, even if rates will be higher. I am not trying to argue this or connvince anybody, just my gut feeling. I am wondering if I should be waiting for a true bottom, not necessarily for the lowest rates, which I believe we’ve seen already. Not that I want to time the bottom, I’d rather have the housing bottom behind us rather than possibly ahead, that’s all. On the other hand, we got to get on with our lives, settle in a nice house with yard and good schools, risks and stretching be damned. And who know with all this government intervention if the true bottom will even be reached in a couple years, if it’s not there already. It could be a slow decline over 10 yers.

But, to your point, in a few months we will be ready to pounce on a good deal that we LIKE as well. So far we haven’t seen something that we both loved as a deal as well as a home. Quite a few ok, but they weren’t calling our names.[/quote]

Over the years, I’ve looked at plenty of houses in the bay area and here and finding a place you actually want to live in is incredibly hard.

I’ll just add that this issue will probably be the biggest problem so if you are lucky enough to find that place, I’d jump on it since there are plenty of “regret” messages here already for those who missed their dream home.

In regards to when the bottom is, again no one knows, but enough piggies have bought already to make me feel it’s close enough and I’m sure plenty of the folks here are smarter than me.

I’m sure after looking at a ton of homes, you sorta know within 1-3 minutes of walking into a place if you can even consider a place home so if you’re ready, start looking now and just find a place you really like for the long term.

Good luck.

[joec]

[quote=Scarlett]

Not that it matters, but yes we have a lease until late spring, after which we’ll go month to month. Right now we are going when we have time – a couple days a month – to advertised open houses or to explore different neighborhoods. We’ll start looking more actively very soon though and if we find something that we like and it’s a good deal, we may break the lease a couple months early, no more. As a matter of fact I am still wondering if we should continue to rent for another year or two- and save more (if we put now 20% down we won’t have any cash reserves) and have a sweet commute in the mean time – and let the house market dust settle. I believe that the housing market will be lower in a couple years, even if rates will be higher. I am not trying to argue this or connvince anybody, just my gut feeling. I am wondering if I should be waiting for a true bottom, not necessarily for the lowest rates, which I believe we’ve seen already. Not that I want to time the bottom, I’d rather have the housing bottom behind us rather than possibly ahead, that’s all. On the other hand, we got to get on with our lives, settle in a nice house with yard and good schools, risks and stretching be damned. And who know with all this government intervention if the true bottom will even be reached in a couple years, if it’s not there already. It could be a slow decline over 10 yers.

But, to your point, in a few months we will be ready to pounce on a good deal that we LIKE as well. So far we haven’t seen something that we both loved as a deal as well as a home. Quite a few ok, but they weren’t calling our names.[/quote]

Over the years, I’ve looked at plenty of houses in the bay area and here and finding a place you actually want to live in is incredibly hard.

I’ll just add that this issue will probably be the biggest problem so if you are lucky enough to find that place, I’d jump on it since there are plenty of “regret” messages here already for those who missed their dream home.

In regards to when the bottom is, again no one knows, but enough piggies have bought already to make me feel it’s close enough and I’m sure plenty of the folks here are smarter than me.

I’m sure after looking at a ton of homes, you sorta know within 1-3 minutes of walking into a place if you can even consider a place home so if you’re ready, start looking now and just find a place you really like for the long term.

Good luck.

[joec]

[quote=HiggyBaby]SD, YOY up, MTM Down….

“There is no good news in the report,” said David M. Blitzer, chairman of the index committee for Standard & Poor’s. “Home prices across the country continue to fall.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/dec/28/case-shiller-test/

Metro area Oct/Sep% Sept/Aug% 1 year%
San Diego -1.5% -1.0% 3.0%

“Only four cities in the report — Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. — reported home prices that were higher in October 2010 then they were in October 2009. In San Diego, prices were up 3 percent year over year.”

Great time to sit and watch in Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, or Phoenix…..

😉

San Diego? Hmmmm……[/quote]

I think getting back to numbers similar to inflation would be nice. For most folks who have a mortgage, seeing 3% growth when you have 10 or 20% down in a low inflationary environment is pretty awesome (the leverage works out to 30% or 15% gains on your money?).

Who knows what’ll happen next year…

[joec]

[quote=HiggyBaby]SD, YOY up, MTM Down….

“There is no good news in the report,” said David M. Blitzer, chairman of the index committee for Standard & Poor’s. “Home prices across the country continue to fall.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/dec/28/case-shiller-test/

Metro area Oct/Sep% Sept/Aug% 1 year%
San Diego -1.5% -1.0% 3.0%

“Only four cities in the report — Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. — reported home prices that were higher in October 2010 then they were in October 2009. In San Diego, prices were up 3 percent year over year.”

Great time to sit and watch in Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, or Phoenix…..

😉

San Diego? Hmmmm……[/quote]

I think getting back to numbers similar to inflation would be nice. For most folks who have a mortgage, seeing 3% growth when you have 10 or 20% down in a low inflationary environment is pretty awesome (the leverage works out to 30% or 15% gains on your money?).

Who knows what’ll happen next year…

[joec]

[quote=HiggyBaby]SD, YOY up, MTM Down….

“There is no good news in the report,” said David M. Blitzer, chairman of the index committee for Standard & Poor’s. “Home prices across the country continue to fall.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/dec/28/case-shiller-test/

Metro area Oct/Sep% Sept/Aug% 1 year%
San Diego -1.5% -1.0% 3.0%

“Only four cities in the report — Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. — reported home prices that were higher in October 2010 then they were in October 2009. In San Diego, prices were up 3 percent year over year.”

Great time to sit and watch in Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, or Phoenix…..

😉

San Diego? Hmmmm……[/quote]

I think getting back to numbers similar to inflation would be nice. For most folks who have a mortgage, seeing 3% growth when you have 10 or 20% down in a low inflationary environment is pretty awesome (the leverage works out to 30% or 15% gains on your money?).

Who knows what’ll happen next year…

[joec]

[quote=HiggyBaby]SD, YOY up, MTM Down….

“There is no good news in the report,” said David M. Blitzer, chairman of the index committee for Standard & Poor’s. “Home prices across the country continue to fall.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/dec/28/case-shiller-test/

Metro area Oct/Sep% Sept/Aug% 1 year%
San Diego -1.5% -1.0% 3.0%

“Only four cities in the report — Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. — reported home prices that were higher in October 2010 then they were in October 2009. In San Diego, prices were up 3 percent year over year.”

Great time to sit and watch in Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, or Phoenix…..

😉

San Diego? Hmmmm……[/quote]

I think getting back to numbers similar to inflation would be nice. For most folks who have a mortgage, seeing 3% growth when you have 10 or 20% down in a low inflationary environment is pretty awesome (the leverage works out to 30% or 15% gains on your money?).

Who knows what’ll happen next year…

[joec]

[quote=HiggyBaby]SD, YOY up, MTM Down….

“There is no good news in the report,” said David M. Blitzer, chairman of the index committee for Standard & Poor’s. “Home prices across the country continue to fall.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/dec/28/case-shiller-test/

Metro area Oct/Sep% Sept/Aug% 1 year%
San Diego -1.5% -1.0% 3.0%

“Only four cities in the report — Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. — reported home prices that were higher in October 2010 then they were in October 2009. In San Diego, prices were up 3 percent year over year.”

Great time to sit and watch in Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, or Phoenix…..

😉

San Diego? Hmmmm……[/quote]

I think getting back to numbers similar to inflation would be nice. For most folks who have a mortgage, seeing 3% growth when you have 10 or 20% down in a low inflationary environment is pretty awesome (the leverage works out to 30% or 15% gains on your money?).

Who knows what’ll happen next year…

[joec]

Is this merely a seasonal drop? In Oct, kids start school and the holidays are coming, cold, rains, who wants to move?

4.4% up since April 2009…

Didn’t see year over year numbers in the article. What “great” news.

Same goes for the seasonal bounce that shows up in April/May.

[joec]

Is this merely a seasonal drop? In Oct, kids start school and the holidays are coming, cold, rains, who wants to move?

4.4% up since April 2009…

Didn’t see year over year numbers in the article. What “great” news.

Same goes for the seasonal bounce that shows up in April/May.

[joec]

Is this merely a seasonal drop? In Oct, kids start school and the holidays are coming, cold, rains, who wants to move?

4.4% up since April 2009…

Didn’t see year over year numbers in the article. What “great” news.

Same goes for the seasonal bounce that shows up in April/May.

[joec]

Is this merely a seasonal drop? In Oct, kids start school and the holidays are coming, cold, rains, who wants to move?

4.4% up since April 2009…

Didn’t see year over year numbers in the article. What “great” news.

Same goes for the seasonal bounce that shows up in April/May.

[joec]

Is this merely a seasonal drop? In Oct, kids start school and the holidays are coming, cold, rains, who wants to move?

4.4% up since April 2009…

Didn’t see year over year numbers in the article. What “great” news.

Same goes for the seasonal bounce that shows up in April/May.

[joec]

[quote=yellowS2K]

Thanks for all the tips on this from the various posts above – we’ll probably put ourselves on the wait list first thing Monday am – even if we didn’t end up living near (like La Jolla Scenic Dr), might make sense to have daycare as close to wife’s work as possible.

They take infants as young as 3 months. Probably wouldn’t want to start at 3 months – wife will take as much time as she can, and then I’ll follow that by taking as much time as I can (maybe even contemplating unpaid leave for a few months if I can work that out with my employer).

Now we just have to find/buy/move-in-to a house before the little one arrives![/quote]

Just thought I’d add that in CA, dads can also take “Paid Family Leave” so if you do take time off from work, you could get paid for it as well. Just google it and the CA site should pop up.

I think it’s all funded from CA SDI.

The school overcrowding issue is really strange to me. I think it’s only logical to give priority to people who can actually walk to the school or is right next to the school a higher placement since it seems like a no brainer for everyone. Having to drive 10 miles when you can walk across the street sounds like a pretty stupid way to do it.

[joec]

[quote=yellowS2K]

Thanks for all the tips on this from the various posts above – we’ll probably put ourselves on the wait list first thing Monday am – even if we didn’t end up living near (like La Jolla Scenic Dr), might make sense to have daycare as close to wife’s work as possible.

They take infants as young as 3 months. Probably wouldn’t want to start at 3 months – wife will take as much time as she can, and then I’ll follow that by taking as much time as I can (maybe even contemplating unpaid leave for a few months if I can work that out with my employer).

Now we just have to find/buy/move-in-to a house before the little one arrives![/quote]

Just thought I’d add that in CA, dads can also take “Paid Family Leave” so if you do take time off from work, you could get paid for it as well. Just google it and the CA site should pop up.

I think it’s all funded from CA SDI.

The school overcrowding issue is really strange to me. I think it’s only logical to give priority to people who can actually walk to the school or is right next to the school a higher placement since it seems like a no brainer for everyone. Having to drive 10 miles when you can walk across the street sounds like a pretty stupid way to do it.

[Author]

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