It’s November 2017, and we know bay area home prices are not coming down for a long time. There really is no bubble to speak of. There is an upward trend that will persist indefinitely because Silicon Valley is a micro-climate.
If you haven’t bought a house yet, what are you planning on doing.and what’s your game plan? Our budget is probably $900k. For that money I could get a new townhouse in SJ. Or get a starter single family home in San Ramon.
I do want to make appreciation like everyone else has. But I also don’t want to get caught up in the congested busy life. Thinking of Seattle or another city where the ship hasn’t sailed yet…
Thinking of Seattle or another city where the ship hasn’t sailed yet…
Only somebody who hasn’t been to Seattle for quite a while would say this. Amazon growth has Seattle busting at the seams. Traffic is horrendous. Good luck on finding that affordable housing.
If you have kids, go and buy a SFH in Fremont and watch it go up in value. Schools are decent and or on the rise and you should be able to buy something decent for 900K.
I’m just saying before you go shopping in Seattle, spend some time up there. Bay area traffic is relative paradise, imho.
Btw, Southwest Airline has a deal on their credit card for California only. If you get it using the companion pass referral link, then after your first purchase you get a free companion pass that works for all flights during 2018 (not just a single flight). Plus they give you 40k miles after you spend $1k, which is enough for about 4-5 round trips to Seattle for you (and your free companion).
Yes, you guys have what, 90 days of rain every year. Seattle does seem like a logical move from the Bay. Willing to take a beating on the weather in order to buy. Vancouver is too beautiful. But insanely pricey. I visited this year for the first time. Saw a bunch of residences but no companies. It’s just foreign money.
Man, just checked out Fremont for $900k. Glorified shacks at that price point I tell you. Think I’d rather get a new townhouse for $850k. At least you have some quality of life living in new construction. But yeah, Fremont could be an option.
I moved to Seattle in January. $900k is a really good budget here. You can buy a craftsman in the city or get 2,000+ sq ft in the suburbs. It just depends on what preferences and needs are. Traffic on I-5 is terrible most of the time including weekends. I don’t know anyone that took a pay cut for moving here, and there’s no state income taxes. The big employers have company busses just like the Bay Area.
You can also live on an island and take the ferry. There’s also the sounder train which drops off in sodo district. It goes pretty far north and south. Some companies have shuttles that pickup at the sodo station. Light rail is expanding. Right now, it really only goes south. It’s eventually going east across lake Washington.
Where is your work location? Choose the home nearest to your work location. If possible, with your limited funds, try to get SFH so that you do not move out later.
I had a friend who was eligible for 1.4M (with 20%), but wanted to be very safe in mortgage, got a TH for 650k ! In three years, he is trying to get an SFH, but unable to get one.
