Leadfinger Posted July 16, 2015 Member ID: 4888 Group: ***- Inactive Clan Members Followers: 56 Topic Count: 69 Topics Per Day: 0.02 Content Count: 2020 Content Per Day: 0.45 Reputation: 3795 Achievement Points: 26312 Solved Content: 0 Days Won: 3 Joined: 01/12/13 Status: Offline Last Seen: July 29, 2023 Birthday: 08/29/1962 Posted July 16, 2015 My gf's sister put an offer on a house... we went to go see it. - Bad side of Palo Alto - 1/8 acre maybe? - windows busted out and boarded up - landfill front "yard" - all uneven wood floors and all buckling up by 6" - some walls rotted out and drywall falling away - 2 bedrooms - cubicle bunk rooms setup in garage for renting out (lots to tear out) - layout was very reminiscent of cheap military housing - corner liquor store 200yards away - ALL the cars parked on the street had anti-theft locks on the steering wheels (concerning much?) - TOTAL SHIT HOLE Listed at $450k with 29 offers. WHAT THE ROYAL WHOHUH? To compare, this is the house my parents sold in VA not long ago... http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/2140-Flint-Hill-Rd-Powhatan-VA-23139/108013910_zpid/ Location location location. I'm sure there are plenty of factors that go into what a home is priced at . . . . . For me I would rather live in a mobile home (a nice mobile home without the wheels on it . . .lol ) in Montana than live in a very nice house in California. If only you could pull down the salary you do in California and live in a place like Ohio or Virginia. I know here in Montana where I live that salary you get in Cali would go a long way. The bottom line is take the plunge and buy something . .. .. maybe not that pos you mentioned in your post but buy something and stop making your landlord rich. Yeah its gonna hurt to make those huge payments but you will feel so much better knowing that the house is yours and the payments are better than a deposit in the bank. Down the road you will look back and say "damn that was a smart thing to do I should have bought 2" I got a house in San Bernardino I will sell you for $225k but that 400mi commute is a bitch . . eidolonFIRE, little_old_man and 1lost1 3 Awards
eidolonFIRE Posted July 16, 2015 Member ID: 2759 Group: **- Inactive Registered Users Followers: 17 Topic Count: 199 Topics Per Day: 0.04 Content Count: 3496 Content Per Day: 0.70 Reputation: 3021 Achievement Points: 26464 Solved Content: 0 Days Won: 3 Joined: 08/22/11 Status: Offline Last Seen: June 16, 2017 Birthday: 07/27/1990 Posted July 16, 2015 Location location location. I'm sure there are plenty of factors that go into what a home is priced at . . . . . For me I would rather live in a mobile home (a nice mobile home without the wheels on it . . .lol ) in Montana than live in a very nice house in California. If only you could pull down the salary you do in California and live in a place like Ohio or Virginia. I know here in Montana where I live that salary you get in Cali would go a long way. The bottom line is take the plunge and buy something . .. .. maybe not that pos you mentioned in your post but buy something and stop making your landlord rich. Yeah its gonna hurt to make those huge payments but you will feel so much better knowing that the house is yours and the payments are better than a deposit in the bank. Down the road you will look back and say "damn that was a smart thing to do I should have bought 2" I got a house in San Bernardino I will sell you for $225k but that 400mi commute is a bitch . . I actually did a thorough looking into getting a 21' rv. I calculated that I'd save about $20k/yr (post-tax). It would require too much of a lifestyle change though. Leadfinger 1
djMot Posted July 16, 2015 Member ID: 3189 Group: *** Clan Members Followers: 98 Topic Count: 357 Topics Per Day: 0.07 Content Count: 5257 Content Per Day: 1.09 Reputation: 11146 Achievement Points: 48948 Solved Content: 0 Days Won: 114 Joined: 02/11/12 Status: Offline Last Seen: 26 minutes ago Birthday: 12/24/1957 Device: Windows Posted July 16, 2015 My gf's sister put an offer on a house... we went to go see it. - Bad side of Palo Alto - 1/8 acre maybe? - windows busted out and boarded up - landfill front "yard" - all uneven wood floors and all buckling up by 6" - some walls rotted out and drywall falling away - 2 bedrooms - cubicle bunk rooms setup in garage for renting out (lots to tear out) - layout was very reminiscent of cheap military housing - corner liquor store 200yards away - ALL the cars parked on the street had anti-theft locks on the steering wheels (concerning much?) - TOTAL SHIT HOLE Listed at $450k with 29 offers. WHAT THE ROYAL WHOHUH? To compare, this is the house my parents sold in VA not long ago... http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/2140-Flint-Hill-Rd-Powhatan-VA-23139/108013910_zpid/ So offer for $2.5M as a flipper then, right? From your pics, I just can't deal with how crispy SoCal looks these days. I lived in the Inland Empire for a while as a kid in the late 60s. It was crispy then, but now it's just toast. eidolonFIRE, Millpucky and Leadfinger 3 Awards
eidolonFIRE Posted July 16, 2015 Member ID: 2759 Group: **- Inactive Registered Users Followers: 17 Topic Count: 199 Topics Per Day: 0.04 Content Count: 3496 Content Per Day: 0.70 Reputation: 3021 Achievement Points: 26464 Solved Content: 0 Days Won: 3 Joined: 08/22/11 Status: Offline Last Seen: June 16, 2017 Birthday: 07/27/1990 Posted July 16, 2015 So offer for $2.5M as a flipper then, right? From your pics, I just can't deal with how crispy SoCal looks these days. I lived in the Inland Empire for a while as a kid in the late 60s. It was crispy then, but now it's just toast. It's all a beautiful green during winter and spring. It only dries out like that during the summer. Leadfinger and djMot 2
little_old_man Posted July 16, 2015 Member ID: 1194 Group: ***- Inactive Clan Members Followers: 40 Topic Count: 436 Topics Per Day: 0.08 Content Count: 6692 Content Per Day: 1.21 Reputation: 11691 Achievement Points: 53094 Solved Content: 0 Days Won: 76 Joined: 02/27/10 Status: Offline Last Seen: April 16, 2023 Birthday: 04/15/1960 Posted July 16, 2015 I actually did a thorough looking into getting a 21' rv. I calculated that I'd save about $20k/yr (post-tax). It would require too much of a lifestyle change though. There are a lot of great things about living in the Bay Area, most of which is the weather and the beauty of it all. But sometimes the price for that is just too high unless you're a millionaire or more. Silicon Valley and San Francisco are experiencing some real problems right now trying to attract talent that can afford to live in the area. Money is no object for many of these tech firms, but even sky high salaries aren't enough if there simply isn't anywhere to live, and who the Hell wants to get paid a half million a year to live in a place that doesn't reflect such a salary? Many of the tech firms are looking north to my area. Fireman's Fund has been doing poorly for the last decade and is moving out of their 700k square foot campus in northern Novato and moving into a much smaller office in my town. That's 500 new workers for Petaluma which is great, but what's better is the tech firms that are fighting over their old space. So far Google, Facebook and several others are trying to get the space, and that means about 3,000 new workers just 8 miles from me. That's going to force real estate in my area to skyrocket, but I doubt if I'm going to hang onto my house long enough to take advantage of the boom. Sonoma county just put in a new rail system and they're putting the finishing touches on a freeway expansion that will help the commute a lot. I expect that there will be quite a few tech firms moving up here over the next 10 years and I don't want to be here for the explosion. I may join leadfinger in Montana. eidolonFIRE and Leadfinger 2 Awards
eidolonFIRE Posted July 16, 2015 Member ID: 2759 Group: **- Inactive Registered Users Followers: 17 Topic Count: 199 Topics Per Day: 0.04 Content Count: 3496 Content Per Day: 0.70 Reputation: 3021 Achievement Points: 26464 Solved Content: 0 Days Won: 3 Joined: 08/22/11 Status: Offline Last Seen: June 16, 2017 Birthday: 07/27/1990 Posted July 16, 2015 There are a lot of great things about living in the Bay Area, most of which is the weather and the beauty of it all. But sometimes the price for that is just too high unless you're a millionaire or more. Silicon Valley and San Francisco are experiencing some real problems right now trying to attract talent that can afford to live in the area. Money is no object for many of these tech firms, but even sky high salaries aren't enough if there simply isn't anywhere to live, and who the Hell wants to get paid a half million a year to live in a place that doesn't reflect such a salary? Many of the tech firms are looking north to my area. Fireman's Fund has been doing poorly for the last decade and is moving out of their 700k square foot campus in northern Novato and moving into a much smaller office in my town. That's 500 new workers for Petaluma which is great, but what's better is the tech firms that are fighting over their old space. So far Google, Facebook and several others are trying to get the space, and that means about 3,000 new workers just 8 miles from me. That's going to force real estate in my area to skyrocket, but I doubt if I'm going to hang onto my house long enough to take advantage of the boom. Sonoma county just put in a new rail system and they're putting the finishing touches on a freeway expansion that will help the commute a lot. I expect that there will be quite a few tech firms moving up here over the next 10 years and I don't want to be here for the explosion. I may join leadfinger in Montana. Many people have told me that it's a good idea to just jump in head first and buy a crappy house for an outrageous price. However, I want to look for an alternative option. Cities change and in 10 years like you say, tech can go elsewhere. Think of detroit when the car companies moved out. My supposed $1mil house would then be worth it's real value of $40k. Right now there are some big cities in texas that are REALLY booming and expanding with tech. In some cases there's no tax and there's always tons of cheap land. In 10 years an awful lot can change. The dotcom era is over and there's no guarantee that the bay area will continue to hold it's value for any longer than the companies stay here. Anything from a company leaving to a big earthquake could change things drastically. Buying a crappy house at super inflated prices to me is like buying stock when it's at it's highest. Like I said, I would rather look for an alternative that isn't such an expensive risk. Probably I'll buy something as far out as I can reach with a daily commute. At least then I could get a few acre's of land and a house that reflects the price more accurately. little_old_man and Leadfinger 2
little_old_man Posted July 16, 2015 Member ID: 1194 Group: ***- Inactive Clan Members Followers: 40 Topic Count: 436 Topics Per Day: 0.08 Content Count: 6692 Content Per Day: 1.21 Reputation: 11691 Achievement Points: 53094 Solved Content: 0 Days Won: 76 Joined: 02/27/10 Status: Offline Last Seen: April 16, 2023 Birthday: 04/15/1960 Posted July 16, 2015 Many people have told me that it's a good idea to just jump in head first and buy a crappy house for an outrageous price. However, I want to look for an alternative option. Cities change and in 10 years like you say, tech can go elsewhere. Think of detroit when the car companies moved out. My supposed $1mil house would then be worth it's real value of $40k. Right now there are some big cities in texas that are REALLY booming and expanding with tech. In some cases there's no tax and there's always tons of cheap land. In 10 years an awful lot can change. The dotcom era is over and there's no guarantee that the bay area will continue to hold it's value for any longer than the companies stay here. Anything from a company leaving to a big earthquake could change things drastically. Buying a crappy house at super inflated prices to me is like buying stock when it's at it's highest. Like I said, I would rather look for an alternative that isn't such an expensive risk. Probably I'll buy something as far out as I can reach with a daily commute. At least then I could get a few acre's of land and a house that reflects the price more accurately. That's a smart way to look at things. The trouble with Texas is that they've seen more booms and busts than anyplace else in the US. I've known guys down there that have lost everything in real estate. My town (Petaluma) went through the same thing before the dot.com bubble burst. They built a few million square feet of commercial space in town in anticipation of broadband companies expanding, and wanted to compete with SF and Silicon Valley for office space. It was a bad gamble and a lot of that space has sat empty for the last 15 years because AT&T and Comcast have dominated the broadband market. Needless to say there have been some screaming deals on office space in my area for the last 10 years which kind of sucks because my family owns a commercial building where my company used to be, but we lucked out and found a printing company that took out a long term lease. But I did have my artifact business in 1500 square feet of class A office space for about .50 cents per foot for a few years. That was a sweet deal. I do think that buying a fixer upper in the current market would pay off in the short-term if you can afford it because the market is expected to boom for at least the next couple years. With a fresh coat of paint, knocking down of walls to turn small rooms into big ones, and drought resistent landscaping, you could double your money quickly in that area. I think most of the well known tech firms are here for at the next decade as things in the bay area get more expensive and crowded. California doesn't make it easy for firms to do business here with high taxes and expensive real estate. It's always been that way, but it's going to get much worse. If the weather wasn't so damn nice I would have moved a long time ago. eidolonFIRE and Leadfinger 2 Awards
Astronomer Posted July 26, 2015 Member ID: 2069 Group: ***- Inactive Clan Members Followers: 24 Topic Count: 214 Topics Per Day: 0.04 Content Count: 2411 Content Per Day: 0.46 Reputation: 2409 Achievement Points: 18298 Solved Content: 0 Days Won: 7 Joined: 12/25/10 Status: Offline Last Seen: October 2, 2023 Birthday: 08/08/1966 Author Posted July 26, 2015 (edited) We were under a Tornado Warning about an hour ago. My wife went to the basement with the pups. I was outside with my camera: Edited July 26, 2015 by Astronomer JohnnyDos, KillerKitty, djMot and 2 others 5 Awards
Astronomer Posted July 26, 2015 Member ID: 2069 Group: ***- Inactive Clan Members Followers: 24 Topic Count: 214 Topics Per Day: 0.04 Content Count: 2411 Content Per Day: 0.46 Reputation: 2409 Achievement Points: 18298 Solved Content: 0 Days Won: 7 Joined: 12/25/10 Status: Offline Last Seen: October 2, 2023 Birthday: 08/08/1966 Author Posted July 26, 2015 From last weekend a supercell thunderstorm rolled in, with the shelf cloud to the left. It had serious rotation happening. Here's a full image and a crop. It occurred to me as I was standing near a tree with a metal tripod beside me, and lightning crashing all around and thunder rumbling continuously, that I wasn't in the safest place. eidolonFIRE, Olive, Leadfinger and 3 others 6 Awards
Astronomer Posted July 26, 2015 Member ID: 2069 Group: ***- Inactive Clan Members Followers: 24 Topic Count: 214 Topics Per Day: 0.04 Content Count: 2411 Content Per Day: 0.46 Reputation: 2409 Achievement Points: 18298 Solved Content: 0 Days Won: 7 Joined: 12/25/10 Status: Offline Last Seen: October 2, 2023 Birthday: 08/08/1966 Author Posted July 26, 2015 Caught these three butterflies putting on a performance while I was on a 15km hike in Nova Scotia, Canada. little_old_man, JohnnyDos, Olive and 2 others 5 Awards
Astronomer Posted July 26, 2015 Member ID: 2069 Group: ***- Inactive Clan Members Followers: 24 Topic Count: 214 Topics Per Day: 0.04 Content Count: 2411 Content Per Day: 0.46 Reputation: 2409 Achievement Points: 18298 Solved Content: 0 Days Won: 7 Joined: 12/25/10 Status: Offline Last Seen: October 2, 2023 Birthday: 08/08/1966 Author Posted July 26, 2015 This dragonfly briefly stopped to hover about 3 feet from me. I had time to manually focus, but no time to change the shutter speed to capture the wings. Still, I like this shot. KillerKitty, Leadfinger and JohnnyDos 3 Awards
Astronomer Posted July 26, 2015 Member ID: 2069 Group: ***- Inactive Clan Members Followers: 24 Topic Count: 214 Topics Per Day: 0.04 Content Count: 2411 Content Per Day: 0.46 Reputation: 2409 Achievement Points: 18298 Solved Content: 0 Days Won: 7 Joined: 12/25/10 Status: Offline Last Seen: October 2, 2023 Birthday: 08/08/1966 Author Posted July 26, 2015 Here's a better shot of the dragonfly: little_old_man, Olive, Merlin007 and 1 other 4 Awards
Astronomer Posted July 26, 2015 Member ID: 2069 Group: ***- Inactive Clan Members Followers: 24 Topic Count: 214 Topics Per Day: 0.04 Content Count: 2411 Content Per Day: 0.46 Reputation: 2409 Achievement Points: 18298 Solved Content: 0 Days Won: 7 Joined: 12/25/10 Status: Offline Last Seen: October 2, 2023 Birthday: 08/08/1966 Author Posted July 26, 2015 (edited) My mom's cat caught yawning. I used a macro lens, with focus on his eyes. Edited July 26, 2015 by Astronomer KillerKitty, JohnnyDos, Olive and 3 others 6 Awards
Astronomer Posted July 26, 2015 Member ID: 2069 Group: ***- Inactive Clan Members Followers: 24 Topic Count: 214 Topics Per Day: 0.04 Content Count: 2411 Content Per Day: 0.46 Reputation: 2409 Achievement Points: 18298 Solved Content: 0 Days Won: 7 Joined: 12/25/10 Status: Offline Last Seen: October 2, 2023 Birthday: 08/08/1966 Author Posted July 26, 2015 Halifax Harbour in Nova Scotia, Canada. Taken form the best and cheapest ride on the continent: $2.50 ferry ride. The area shown is Historic Properties and downtown. Citadel Hill is in the background. Merlin007 and JohnnyDos 2 Awards
PimpedOutPete Posted July 27, 2015 Member ID: 174 Group: +++ COD2 Head Admin Followers: 130 Topic Count: 387 Topics Per Day: 0.07 Content Count: 15027 Content Per Day: 2.63 Reputation: 8042 Achievement Points: 92203 Solved Content: 0 Days Won: 59 Joined: 09/02/09 Status: Offline Last Seen: 5 hours ago Birthday: 04/23/1970 Device: Macintosh Posted July 27, 2015 My brother in-law took this pic of the city. The guy has an awesome camera. JohnnyDos, eidolonFIRE, Spartacus and 8 others 11 Awards
eidolonFIRE Posted July 27, 2015 Member ID: 2759 Group: **- Inactive Registered Users Followers: 17 Topic Count: 199 Topics Per Day: 0.04 Content Count: 3496 Content Per Day: 0.70 Reputation: 3021 Achievement Points: 26464 Solved Content: 0 Days Won: 3 Joined: 08/22/11 Status: Offline Last Seen: June 16, 2017 Birthday: 07/27/1990 Posted July 27, 2015 My brother in-law took this pic of the city. The guy has an awesome camera. That's not the camera mate... that's skill and patient timing. djMot, little_old_man and KicknDatAzz 3
Blaze Posted July 27, 2015 Member ID: 2702 Group: ***- Inactive Clan Members Followers: 9 Topic Count: 105 Topics Per Day: 0.02 Content Count: 1088 Content Per Day: 0.22 Reputation: 965 Achievement Points: 8625 Solved Content: 0 Days Won: 4 Joined: 07/27/11 Status: Offline Last Seen: March 29 Birthday: 11/26/1978 Device: Windows Posted July 27, 2015 Some clever splicing on there I think. Awards
Blaze Posted July 27, 2015 Member ID: 2702 Group: ***- Inactive Clan Members Followers: 9 Topic Count: 105 Topics Per Day: 0.02 Content Count: 1088 Content Per Day: 0.22 Reputation: 965 Achievement Points: 8625 Solved Content: 0 Days Won: 4 Joined: 07/27/11 Status: Offline Last Seen: March 29 Birthday: 11/26/1978 Device: Windows Posted July 27, 2015 (edited) These were taken on my phone. (Galaxy Note 3) Queen Red Tail Little mouse popped out from under the flower pot 2 feet next to me. Stared at me for a while as if to say "What?"... Little bugger may has well have shrugged its shoulders at me. Edited July 27, 2015 by Blaze Astronomer, JohnnyDos, little_old_man and 2 others 5 Awards
Astronomer Posted July 28, 2015 Member ID: 2069 Group: ***- Inactive Clan Members Followers: 24 Topic Count: 214 Topics Per Day: 0.04 Content Count: 2411 Content Per Day: 0.46 Reputation: 2409 Achievement Points: 18298 Solved Content: 0 Days Won: 7 Joined: 12/25/10 Status: Offline Last Seen: October 2, 2023 Birthday: 08/08/1966 Author Posted July 28, 2015 (edited) Taken on the west coast of Cape Breton Island, on Canada's east coast, early in July. Smoke from forest fires in western Canada, 1000's of miles/Kms away had drifted over, enhancing the reds of the sunsets. Edit: the full-resolution images are sharper and stunning, if I can be allowed that conceit. Edited July 28, 2015 by Astronomer JohnnyDos, Merlin007, Leadfinger and 3 others 6 Awards
PimpedOutPete Posted July 28, 2015 Member ID: 174 Group: +++ COD2 Head Admin Followers: 130 Topic Count: 387 Topics Per Day: 0.07 Content Count: 15027 Content Per Day: 2.63 Reputation: 8042 Achievement Points: 92203 Solved Content: 0 Days Won: 59 Joined: 09/02/09 Status: Offline Last Seen: 5 hours ago Birthday: 04/23/1970 Device: Macintosh Posted July 28, 2015 Taken on the west coast of Cape Breton Island, on Canada's east coast, early in July. Smoke from forest fires in western Canada, 1000's of miles/Kms away had drifted over, enhancing the reds of the sunsets. Edit: the full-resolution images are sharper and stunning, if I can be allowed that conceit. Its funny that you mentioned that for thats why the sky over Calgary was orange as well at dusk. Astronomer and Leadfinger 2 Awards
SexPanther Posted July 28, 2015 Member ID: 1510 Group: ***- Inactive Clan Members Followers: 39 Topic Count: 43 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 613 Content Per Day: 0.11 Reputation: 774 Achievement Points: 5333 Solved Content: 0 Days Won: 0 Joined: 06/18/10 Status: Offline Last Seen: January 21 Birthday: 06/03/1987 Device: iPhone Posted July 28, 2015 Making you rethink how you imagine a one eyed monster lol Astronomer, Leadfinger, KicknDatAzz and 2 others 5 Awards
SexPanther Posted July 28, 2015 Member ID: 1510 Group: ***- Inactive Clan Members Followers: 39 Topic Count: 43 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 613 Content Per Day: 0.11 Reputation: 774 Achievement Points: 5333 Solved Content: 0 Days Won: 0 Joined: 06/18/10 Status: Offline Last Seen: January 21 Birthday: 06/03/1987 Device: iPhone Posted July 28, 2015 This is probably my favorite photo of this year. I love how it doesn't look real Leadfinger 1 Awards
Sammy Posted July 28, 2015 Member ID: 3036 Group: ***- Inactive Clan Members Followers: 32 Topic Count: 219 Topics Per Day: 0.04 Content Count: 9419 Content Per Day: 1.92 Reputation: 7515 Achievement Points: 62539 Solved Content: 0 Days Won: 21 Joined: 11/29/11 Status: Offline Last Seen: March 17 Birthday: 04/26/2008 Device: Windows Posted July 28, 2015 I would hope that isnt real. Brrrrr.......... Awards
Gam3rGurL Posted July 28, 2015 Member ID: 22408 Group: ***- Inactive Clan Members Followers: 22 Topic Count: 34 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 381 Content Per Day: 0.10 Reputation: 750 Achievement Points: 3956 Solved Content: 0 Days Won: 3 Joined: 02/16/15 Status: Offline Last Seen: January 11, 2024 Birthday: 01/08/1986 Posted July 28, 2015 pics from my trip to Toronto Island Yesterday KillerKitty, PimpedOutPete, Leadfinger and 1 other 4 Awards
djMot Posted July 28, 2015 Member ID: 3189 Group: *** Clan Members Followers: 98 Topic Count: 357 Topics Per Day: 0.07 Content Count: 5257 Content Per Day: 1.09 Reputation: 11146 Achievement Points: 48948 Solved Content: 0 Days Won: 114 Joined: 02/11/12 Status: Offline Last Seen: 26 minutes ago Birthday: 12/24/1957 Device: Windows Posted July 28, 2015 Nice ones GurL! I feel like a boat ride now. Awards
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