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The Trombone ForumPractice BreakChit-Chat(Moderators: bhcordova, RedHotMama, BFW) My fellow Americans; Where is our common sense?
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Piano man
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« Reply #100 on: Mar 16, 2009, 08:21am »
Quote from: Exzaclee on Mar 15, 2009, 11:37pm
Okay, here's a trend i'm noticing -

the suburb i'm living in has had 2 or 3 houses go vacant in the last week.  houses cost an average of $110-120 thousand.  Good neighborhood, good schools.  People leaving for cheaper environs - the latest a family of 4.

anyone else seeing this pattern in their neighborhoods?

Z

That's very cheap compared to here, even with prices falling. The last appraisal on my house was over 500K, and it's a forty year old three bedroom. It's no doubt less by now.
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BGuttman
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« Reply #101 on: Mar 16, 2009, 09:30am »
There was a piece on National Public Radio this morning about people having to relocate to tents! :-0

If the family gets caught in the layoff frenzy, they can't pay ANY rent and get dispossessed.  Where do you go?  Homeless shelters are pretty full, and won't let you stay during the day anyway.
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« Reply #102 on: Mar 16, 2009, 12:53pm »
On the San Francisco peninsula, you will still pay about 1,000,000 for a basic house in a neighborhood that you can safely walk around in day any early evening.  I am not talking fancy, granit counter tops, hardwood floors and marble floors, just a basic house about 2,000 sq feet.

Anything below, you get a fixer-upper, or something in a neighborhood that is dangerous at night.

Really.  I have lived on the peninsula since 1956, when we moved here (I was 2 years old then)

My mothers house was sold for 950K.  It was about 1,600 sq ft, and a fixer-upper. Kitchen and bathrooms needed to be demo'd, carpet replaced, closets rebuilt, roof replaced, yard redone.  Good neighborhood.  Not wealthy, mix of blue and white coller people.
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« Reply #103 on: Mar 16, 2009, 12:55pm »
Wow. It's a shame that the California state government has money problems. How much does it take in through property taxes?? Amazed
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evan51
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« Reply #104 on: Mar 16, 2009, 01:03pm »
Quote from: Andrew Meronek on Mar 16, 2009, 12:55pm
Wow. It's a shame that the California state government has money problems. How much does it take in through property taxes?? Amazed
Property taxes normally go to the counties here, not the state. The state takes money from income tax, licenses, sales taxes (shared with counties), tolls, extortion and other sources.
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« Reply #105 on: Mar 16, 2009, 01:14pm »
We sold our nice house in 1975 after my father was killed.  It was sold just before the massive rise in home prices.  It sold for 130k.  6 months later, it sold for 550k.  1 year later 1.4 mil.

It now has an annual property tax of 42k.

My mother purchased a small home for 78K.  It was sold about 1 year ago for about 1 mill, as a very fixer-upper.

So with such high property taxes, and insurance companies always making a profit, who can really affoard to buy on the San Francisco peninsula these days? 

Ok.  a 1,000,000 home.  Assue a reasonable 30 year note, annual taxes fo 1.5% make it 15k annual in property taxes.  So that is about 1,100 monthly.  To get a total of 3k monthly payent, you will need about a 800k down payment.

Who has 800k for a down payment on a 1,000k house?  Finance 200k for 30 years.  It just does not make sense at all to me.
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Exzaclee

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« Reply #106 on: Mar 16, 2009, 01:17pm »
i would welcome all of you guys with open arms to Edmond - good schools, a University sponsored Jazz Club down the road -

housing prices well below the national average.

Gas well below the national average...

we need guys to move into these houses - come one , come all!  we can make it an "Artists" neighborhood!

Z
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« Reply #107 on: Mar 16, 2009, 01:34pm »
Tempting, Exzaclee.

Actually, my wife and I are thinking of moving to Korea (yes, she is from Korea)  We can live very well for very little, a major church there wants me for the English Ministry,(and teach English with computers and with our faith) and I can then get a new horn and play!  We have a big family there, and nobody here...

Sad, but that is probably what we are going to do when my son graduates this June.
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Exzaclee

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« Reply #108 on: Mar 16, 2009, 02:19pm »
is he graduating high school?

always looking for music students at UCO....

Z
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johngsteel
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« Reply #109 on: Mar 16, 2009, 02:27pm »
No, graduating from University of Santa Clara, BS in Engineering and Computer Science, minor in Math.

really a good kid (kid at 23... hehe)
Does not drink, smoke, do drugs, cuss, etc...

Plays piano well.  Wants to learn either the claranet or tenor sax.
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Exzaclee

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« Reply #110 on: Mar 16, 2009, 02:56pm »
good kid - the kid my parents wished i'd turned out to be ;-)
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johngsteel
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« Reply #111 on: Mar 16, 2009, 05:44pm »
No matter what our age is, we are still growing up, making mistakes, and learning from them.

We just know how to hide it a little better   :D
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« Reply #112 on: Mar 16, 2009, 07:55pm »
Quote from: johngsteel on Mar 16, 2009, 05:44pm
No matter what our age is, we are still growing up, making mistakes, and learning from them.

We just know how to hide it a little better   :D

Nicely put.
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"What gets us into trouble is not what we don't know, it's what we know for sure that just ain't so." --Mark Twain
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