I would just like to point out (credit card, home)

[5thgenSF]

Originally Posted by .highnlite

Are you also one of those people who cannot swing a home purchase and are angry about it?

a) at the moment i live in oregon.

b) i am not renting. (haven't rented in the last 20 years, unless you count space rent in a mobile park. that was 8 1/2 of the 20 years.)

[TNEC_Dad]

Originally Posted by .highnlite

You mis read the math, try it again.

But more to the point is, I used a half million dollar home for an example, no one has to buy a half million dollar home. As I so nicely pointed out, one can get a home in CA for 115,000 and be happy (actually you can be happy what ever you live in, the two are not related).

Now, you will quibble as seems to be your wont.

My friends just bought a 2,000 sq ft house with 6 car garage on 17 acres for 300,000.. and they love it.

Explain how I misread the math. I did not use your ball park math if that is what you are referring to.

As I have stated before, I do not doubt that you can afford a house in CA.

Congrats to your friends! That sounds that a great deal. Why the 6 car garage for that size house?

[nullgeo]

Originally Posted by TNEC_Dad

It is not easy to afford a $500,000 house making $120,000 per year. Well, unless you "ball park" it and squirm around some and then tell others they are being negative when they suggest otherwise. No wait, you still can't afford the house.

Paying 45% of your income for a house is asking for trouble.

Its just that simple. There are no personal attacks in that observations. There is nothing negative about that observation.

Again, you just offer negativity.

I don't mind you at all. I do hate to see someone so tense and defensive.

Maybe you can actually join the discussion sometime rather than shout from the bleachers.

I have contributed a number of interesting comments and perspectives to this thread -- other than my responses to your snarkiness. I am all over this board all the time, and most of it is in real good humor and quite often with helpful information. I reserve my confrontational style for people who really ask for it ... if the shoe fits ...

The first time you showed up on this forum a few months back you were taking supercilious swipes at me and others ... I got in your face ... here now you started up again. You want to "discuss" issues? Watch your own tone and see how quickly mine changes, pal.

[nullgeo]

Originally Posted by user_id

... It was just a quick estimation, here is the data:

Household income in the United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Data isn't collected for "$120,000 and up", it could be more like 12%...but that doesn't change the point. But this is data for all age groups, those in 25~34 cohort make less. Census information is here:

http://www.census.gov/compendia/stat...es/12s0692.pdf

OK, gotcha ... I did a quick look and did find references on a national scale that put the %'s at 17%, 20% and one at 23% for household combined income over $120K. I did not find any good figures for California -- which I suspect could be a bit higher than national. 10% of combined income households isn't much ... 20% is pretty significant.

Anyway, you do seem to be fine tuning your parameters here to narrow specificity ... and I wouldn't argue much if at all with the general premise that new college grads would have a near impossible time affording a home in any of the decent neighborhoods within the major cities' borders.

I would also say it is entirely appropriate to add outlying suburbs and small towns to the discussion -- and that there, in some cases, one can overcome the city limitations.

All that of course still assumes there is a real good driving reason to own a home at all. I can think of lots of solid reasons to not buy.

[.highnlite]

Originally Posted by TNEC_Dad

Explain how I misread the math. I did not use your ball park math if that is what you are referring to.

As I have stated before, I do not doubt that you can afford a house in CA.

Congrats to your friends! That sounds that a great deal. Why the 6 car garage for that size house?

You not only mis read the math (you had to have in order to make the fallacious points you made) but you missed the whole point of my post, and posts. Your last sentence I think probably sums up your world view.

I could answer that question, but the better thing to do would be for you to ask yourself why you would ask it.

Now, moving from this fellow back to the dear general reader. Despite the sling and arrows of outrageous persons of limited imagination (engineers I suppose), I gave you two possibilities for home purchase, one that would set you back $3400 or so each month, and one that would set you back less than a thousand a month. In this great state of California, you can find yourself a fit in either of those two, or anywhere in between.

Remember when Columbus set sail he was jeered at the dock, folks telling him he could not do what he set out to do and that he would fall off the edge of the world.

Aphorisms spring to mind on this thread, I have mentioned a couple:
100% of the shots you don't take don't go in
Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you are right.

I will leave you this one; and hope this thread dies a quick and merciful death;

Those who don't dream will try desperately to destroy yours.

Live long and prosper.

[TrueTimbers]

Originally Posted by user_id

Nope, what's the point? I can visit east LA.

But....I'm not the traveling sort anyways. I wouldn't have "traveled the world" in my 20's whether I had the money or not.... Though I will likely leave the US sooner or later..... I wasn't talking about my owe experiences, rather the realities that face college graduates today.

Yep, the US dollar can buy a lot in some poor nations, but you still have to get their....and you still have to have money. But I could have traveled Southeast Asia for free....never bothered, I get enough of it here.

Understand, one still needs money indeed... I traveled for work, so time off was staying put and not seeing an airport, Why I bought a house in my 20's... To stay home!

[user_id]

Originally Posted by EdJS

By that standard Palo Alto isn't in the Bay Area either. Is that what you're claiming?

Umm..huh? I never said that Union city isn't in the bay area, rather I'm pointing out that "the bay area" isn't a city....its a loosely connected collection of cities.

To say it again, my comments were about the major cities an the immediate areas around them, not other areas. The dynamics change when you leave the major cities......

[user_id]

Originally Posted by nullgeo

OK, gotcha ... I did a quick look and did find references on a national scale that put the %'s at 17%, 20% and one at 23%

Yeah..obviously they are wrong, the census shows that ~16% of households have an income of $100k or greater. They don't report on $120,000, but obviously its going to be less than 16% $150k or more is 7%.

Originally Posted by nullgeo

... and I wouldn't argue much if at all with the general premise that new college grads would have a near impossible time affording a home in any of the decent neighborhoods within the major cities' borders.

Its not just new grads, its younger workers in general. And, for the college educated, living outside of the major city centers often isn't an alternative.......those areas often lack skilled careers.

Major cities aren't densely populated for no reason, industry clusters in them. But one can have their cake and eat it too, they can have a creative career in a major city and not hung themselves financially....by renting. And, as I said, living in California's major cities is a lot more enjoyable if you stop focusing on buying a home....this just makes people miserable.

[TNEC_Dad]

Originally Posted by nullgeo

I have contributed a number of interesting comments and perspectives to this thread -- other than my responses to your snarkiness. I am all over this board all the time, and most of it is in real good humor and quite often with helpful information. I reserve my confrontational style for people who really ask for it ... if the shoe fits ...

The first time you showed up on this forum a few months back you were taking supercilious swipes at me and others ... I got in your face ... here now you started up again. You want to "discuss" issues? Watch your own tone and see how quickly mine changes, pal.

Null, if you want to pretend how tough you are, that is fine. It kinda humors me. If you were in my face, I didn't see you.

Again, try adressing the issues if you want to be respected.

[TNEC_Dad]

Originally Posted by .highnlite

You not only mis read the math (you had to have in order to make the fallacious points you made) but you missed the whole point of my post, and posts. Your last sentence I think probably sums up your world view.

I could answer that question, but the better thing to do would be for you to ask yourself why you would ask it.

Now, moving from this fellow back to the dear general reader. Despite the sling and arrows of outrageous persons of limited imagination (engineers I suppose), I gave you two possibilities for home purchase, one that would set you back $3400 or so each month, and one that would set you back less than a thousand a month. In this great state of California, you can find yourself a fit in either of those two, or anywhere in between.

Remember when Columbus set sail he was jeered at the dock, folks telling him he could not do what he set out to do and that he would fall off the edge of the world.

Aphorisms spring to mind on this thread, I have mentioned a couple:
100% of the shots you don't take don't go in
Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you are right.

I will leave you this one; and hope this thread dies a quick and merciful death;

Those who don't dream will try desperately to destroy yours.

Live long and prosper.

Again, do the math with real numbers and explain how you can reasonably afford a $500,000 house with a $120,000 job.

Otherwise, you are noise.