Ohlone has a big enough parking lot!

 

fyi ... fremont to emeryville = bad commute... by bad, i mean like an hour or so... i just hate sitting in traffic =/

 

Hey look David is alive!!! Now where's Menech? That fool has fallen off the face of the earth.

 

yoyo!! we've been busy at work... but yea... we've been MIA.

nothing new to our cars... we both got speeding tickets like few weeks apart

besides that... we're both alive.... just been out of CL scene

hope everyone is doing well!

 

lol, with what i heard about the ways you guys drive? i am not surprised

 

It'll be very, very difficult to swing a nice home with a $100k salary. That's the way it is in the Bay Area. After taxes, you're making around $5200 per month. Expect your mortgage payments to be around $3200 for a $600k place (maybe more with property tax). Throw in all your other expenses, and you'll be counting your change in your coin-tray every month.

Now where can you find a "nice home" in the entire Bay Area/North Bay/East Bay/South Bay for $600k?? Not really possible....yeah, it's a sad state of affairs here. If you take it down the entire Peninsula from San Francisco down to San Jose, you won't be able to find a decent home in that range. Maybe some 2bed/2bath townhomes, but finding an actual home (and a home that you've come to expect after living in Missouri) is impossible. So a typical home (maybe 2,000 sf, 2-3 bedroom, average sized lot, decent backyard, nice area) will run you close to $1mm easily.

Be prepared to be surprised.....you'll be shocked to see what $900k buys you around here. Taking the East Bay route, some people have recommended Fremont....again, maybe some townhomes/condos (which if you buy, you'll have to pay HOA), but you'd be very hard pressed to find an actual home.

But again, you'll see some decent townhomes and condos in the $600-$650k range. My buddy just bought a decent loft in SOMA (San Francisco, near the ballpark) for $650k.

Home sales are slowing, but prices are only dropping just a little bit. It's a buyer's market, but in a way, that doesn't mean much, because sellers are simply pulling their homes off the markets. It's not like you'll find a super deal or a seller willing to accept low bids. Still, it's a better environment for buyers than let's say 2-3 years ago.

A $100k salary can go a long ways in other areas (I have friends in Maryland, Oregon, Virginia, Arizona, Texas, etc)....but in the Bay Area, it's tough. Cities like San Francisco, New York City, etc......it's a totally different "financial" experience. So you won't be able to find a nice home, even with a 6 figure salary. Yeah, that statement might sound ridiculous, but it's true. I suggest you go to realtor.com, put in a tight range for home prices you're looking for, and check around.

But your salary would be sufficient to rent a really nice one-bedroom apartment, and there are plenty in the $1200-$1700/month range (if you want to the nightlife of San Francisco and want to live in a great area, be prepared to spend close to $2k). If you're working in Emeryville, you might want to think about living in San Francisco.....I don't know you old you are or what social scene you're looking for, but the nightlife is sweet in the SOMA, Pac Heights, North Beach, etc. Then you can take a quick BART ride to work every morning. I have also seen some nice apartment complexes in Emeryville, but they're still a bit overpriced. But again, it's convenient to your workplace, and convenient to San Francisco. Other alternatives include Walnut Creek/San Ramon/Pleasanton (more family type, suburban scene). Commuting from places like Fremont might be a stretch, but again, you can always take BART from those areas to Emeryville.

East Bay scene is ok, but nothing like San Francisco. From a social standpoint, San Francisco is king....great restaurants, great bars, great neighborhoods, great clubs, nice diversity. If you're single, no kids, no attachments, making decent money.....hell, you'll have a blast in San Francisco. East Bay areas (like Fremont/Milpitas) are more residential, with big, big malls and maybe a few decent restaurants. Other nice "social" areas with decent downtown areas include Palo Alto, Mountain View, Burlingame, Los Gatos, etc. The company I work for is filled with 25-35 year olds (we're located about 25 miles south of San Francisco...they all make decent money, have no kids, etc......and I would say 90% live in San Francisco.

As the other posts stated, there are plenty of opps for adult students....Berkeley, Stanford, Santa Clara, USF, SF State, Cal State Hayward, dozens of local JCs, etc....it totally depends what type of program you're looking for.

My suggestion is to start off renting. Check craigslist and apartments.com for listings (there are hundreds and hundreds every day). Get to know the area. Ask your new co-workers what they think. Get to know all the neighborhoods within San Francisco. Get a good idea what you're looking for (neighborhood, social scene, etc). Get to know the freeway system/public transportation system, and the horrible commute areas. And then start looking to buy 6-9 months later!

 

i agree with hopkinskid, making 100k won't get you anything in the bay area. Not sure how your lifestyle is, but i've always used the 4x multiple in relation to the purchase price of your house. For instance, you can comfortablely afford a $600k house if you make $150k a yr, assuming a 10% downpayment. And with the bay area especially SF, $600k will probably get you a decent condo and that's about it...oh yeah, don't forget the HOA, which runs a few hundred bucks depending on the amenities it offers.

If i was you, i would look around in the emeryville area since i've seen studio or 1 bedroom starting at high 200's and they are brand new..good luck!

 

$150k a year isn't nearly what it's cracked up to be, even in Sacramento.

 

Thanks for the info. The salary will include a bonus and I'd imagine in a year or so it'll go up considerably. I own some property already so would be OK with renting for a while.

I have a paid for M5, a good chunk in savings/the market and no debt so I think I'll be fine. Now I just have to get the job!