First-Time-Buyer in San Bernardino County- Wisdom (prices, pics, trends)

[jvazjr]

My 2 cents for you *is* to pay attention to the market in SoCal. Prices are falling and will continue in this part of SoCal (IE) . I would strongly suggest you wait at least until the fundamentals that are driving prices down improve, before buying. Anyone with any intelligence would recommend the same. Moderator cut: give it a rest already

[SirVaysa]

<Moderator cut: give it a rest already>
That's right. Play nice you guys. I've learned a lot by reading all of your posts and I thank you for that.
Okay, here's MY situation: My wife and I are moving to the VV area in early April. We sold our house in Florida (in six days) and are heading out there with the hope of finding a home within 30 days, which is the time frame that our moving company will allow free storage. WAIT....DON'T WAIT.......WAIT.....DON'T WAIT.........................We will be buying NOW since our situation, pretty much, dictates that we do. Yeah, we could extend the storage, for a price, and tread water, but we will jump in with both feet, make an intelligent decision (after reading about good/bad areas, gangs, vandalism, yard rubble, etc.) and grab for all the gusto we can ! If___When___ (check your preference !), in 6-12 months, the market continues to decline, we will still be happy with our decision b/c we will have already begun to establish some equity and enjoy the high and dry clime. I'm inserting my post now b/c I feel that this thread is at the "turning point", teetering between information and inflammation.
I'll return here with another post when we are settled in our new place and let you all (that's YOU ALL..........not YA'LL !!!!!) know what's going on in our new life there.
Best regards.
Bob

[acl021]

Originally Posted by frozennortherner

Of course a realtor I talked to in CA is trying to tell me I have to spend at least 300000 now to get a nice home or I will get stuck in an undesirable area. After reading through the posts here it seems the best thing to do is sell here and then either go to FL or CA and rent for a while until the prices get close to the bottom and at that point I can think of buying.

A nice home in this area for 300,000...I would disagree. That is a very low estimate. 500,000 might be more accurate, and even that is low here.

[forgra]

I don't really know about Victor Valley College-a community college. I know some people who lived out that way and they came down the pass to attend San Bernardino Valley College, in San Bernardino, at the same time I attended SBVC. Maybe, it was because SBVC had the program they wanted to attend and VVC didn't.

[calimesapeg]

There are first time home buyer programs. It's a great time to buy and areas you could afford that are decent are Yucaipa and Calimesa. I live in Calimesa. It is a town of only 8,000 or so. Yucaipa is right next door and has new as well as older developements. What exactly are you expecting in a house for $225,000. Did you want a two or three bedroom? Yucaipa and Calimesa are both better areas than Beaumont and you are right about their tax base which is 1.65% with the mello roos. That adds a lot to your monthly payment.

[KabawL]

Been in the house for a few months now. Peace of mind and Im loving it. The commute to Fontana is about 40-45 minutes. Gas prices are ridiculous.

I got locked in at an interest rate of 5.5%, first time buyer no co-signer, my payment came out to $1,597.00 taxes, and insurance included. Its great.

Just painted a few rooms, and installed two ceiling fans. I will have some new pictures up soon. I been wanting to get a fire pit done in my back yard. Heres a pic of my back...

ImageShack - Hosting :: dsci0053ra3.jpg

and heres the pit I want done before winter comes...

ImageShack - Hosting :: dsci0048iu3.jpg

only difference is I want to bring in the steps surrounding the pit about a foot and make the steps higher to allow the steps to become seats.

My advice is to do what you feel is right and learn from it. Study, and ask questions. I definitely know what to expect from my next house. This website was very helpful and I thank all who contributed. I check in periodically and try to help out in return.

[SCgirl04]

I am happy to hear that you are enjoying your new home good luck to you!

[SoCal Bottom Rider]

Congrats on the home. Did you negotiate down from the 220,990 your originally said they were asking? The reason why is that home values, especially in the high desert continue to decline. The less you paid the better you will fare down the road and not be too underwater. If it does continue to drop in value, dont try to rationalize or get buyers remorse. Just enjoy the home. That is not too bad of a rate and payment by the way.

[KabawL]

Originally Posted by SoCal Bottom Rider

Congrats on the home. Did you negotiate down from the 220,990 your originally said they were asking? The reason why is that home values, especially in the high desert continue to decline. The less you paid the better you will fare down the road and not be too underwater. If it does continue to drop in value, dont try to rationalize or get buyers remorse. Just enjoy the home. That is not too bad of a rate and payment by the way.

Nah.. They wouldnt budge. I know they dropped 100,000 before I bought the house. The house was appraised at 225,000 when I bought it. I dont think they will go down all that much. I made the decision to buy this house after looking at what the same cash could have bought me down the hill. It pretty much became a no-brainer.

Living down there, It was just too congested and much more expensive. Dont get me wrong, there were good areas but I couldnt afford it being as picky as we were. After visiting out here a few times, it became something I can get used to. The neighborhood was quiet, clean, and new. I remember being out here years before and immediately recognized the growth I see today in comparision. Tomorrows High Desert has potential. Time to see how well my senses are.

Thanks for the heads up. My wife and I are happy. If it does drop, Ill always know it could of been worse. What matters is being able to make the payment. My payments staying put at 5.5% which shouldnt be a problem.

[thomincleveland]

Originally Posted by calimesapeg

There are first time home buyer programs. It's a great time to buy and areas you could afford that are decent are Yucaipa and Calimesa. I live in Calimesa. It is a town of only 8,000 or so. Yucaipa is right next door and has new as well as older developements. What exactly are you expecting in a house for $225,000. Did you want a two or three bedroom? Yucaipa and Calimesa are both better areas than Beaumont and you are right about their tax base which is 1.65% with the mello roos. That adds a lot to your monthly payment.

peggy contact me...............your brother, tommy.............thomincleveland@aol.com