San Diego - doable or not (Fairfax: for sale, apartment, rentals)

[iok]

Son received an offer in UC San Diego area.
I tries to do some home work for him, quietly (not to be a noisy parent)


His current situation before he accepts the offer and moves : (currently lives in Fairfax County, Virginia)


His daily activities:


Drive 15 minutes to park at the subway station.
Walk 5 minutes to the subway terminal.
Ride 45 minutes into Washington Dc.
Walk 15 minutes to his office.
The parking and round trip subway ticket costs him about $25 per day.


If he drives into DC, it will take one hour and 30 minutes.
Parking in DC, monthly costs $360.


He has a one bed room and one bathroom apartment, 750 square footage.
The market values are about $420k.


The offer at San Diego is about $20k more than his current pay.
He asks me if I can loan/help him for the housing so he can find a place that house price is around $450k, with 1200 square footage, and the commute is within 45 minutes each way, to UC San Diego job site.


He said the polar vortex in this January 2019, 10 degree with minus wind chill make him really want to move.


Is his thought doable, reasonable?

[sfosyd]

Very doable and makes sense.

He would have to be OK with a condo for that price but otherwise his commute and quality of life will greatly improve. If he sacrifices square footage, I can see some 1 bed 1 bath condos (700 sq feet) within walking distance of UCSD for close to that price point.

[Axxlrod]

Easily doable.

But holy over-bearing, helicopter parent! Your son is a grown man; you shouldn't be doing these things for him anymore.

[iok]

Ax - Well I was asked to chip in $30k.


sf- he asks his girlfriend to move with him. She is in medical practice, probably can find a job, not too hard. But need more space, like 1200 sqt, to begin with.

[eastcoastbias]

Doable for sure.

And it is also nice to have experienced input - you have a 20 something starting out and moving across the country. Life can be cruel it is better to be prepared.

[anita house]

What a nice dad for helping with costs! Want to be my dad? hahaha

Rentals with a minimum sq ftg of 1200 in that area (some areas may be good for him, others maybe not so good) will set you back anywhere from 2500.00 on up. Townhouses that are for sale (minimum of 1200 sq ft) in that area usually start at about 550,000 and go up from there. As SFOSYD stated, others for sale within budget are available but he will be giving up square footage. Additionally, some of the condo complexes that he may be interested in have HOA fees that can be quite steep so he may need to take that into consideration as well.
This is a really popular area--- lots of jobs, freeway close, shopping close, dining close. Traffic is crazy in and around there as well. If he wants to stick with the lower budget and larger homes/condos, he may need to look further out but also would not have the commute costs he currently has. Good luck!

[cruitr]

Originally Posted by iok

Ax - Well I was asked to chip in $30k.

Now I get it. I'd be doing the same thing.

[sdurbanite]

Why the rush to buy a house? Your son needs to rent first so he can find a neighborhood that fits him best. One thing for sure, he won't find a house in a very desirable area for $450k. Good luck to him. I love DC

[TacoSoup]

Originally Posted by sdurbanite

Why the rush to buy a house? Your son needs to rent first so he can find a neighborhood that fits him best. One thing for sure, he won't find a house in a very desirable area for $450k. Good luck to him. I love DC

Exactly. Especially since kids and schools aren’t even a factor, not to mention he has no idea where his girlfriend may work. If he wants the relationship to survive he better take her commute into consideration. Besides all this the trolley will be running up that way next year (it won’t from workers I know but that’s besides the point) that can open up many areas not even on the radar now. Best of luck to your son, he’s in a good position and you must be proud.

[iok]

east - yes, a 20 something moving across the country. but hell, he is still young and should face 'good' challenge, my humble 2 cents.


anita - he considers any commute within 45 minutes is ok to him - now he has at least 1 and half hour costly and dangerous commute in DC area, it is extremely brutal, and I could not handle it. Hopeful, he thinks the 45 minutes commute option can help him find a nice place, and cheaper.


sdur - agree about the rent, a great idea to begin. He thinks about both rent and buy choices. I just want to pub the great input from everyone in my back pocket - I know I have to find way to let him understand all the factors/issues.


Taco - agree. His girlfriend has same kind of crazy, dangerous, and brutal commute, plus the exhausted night **** work. They both wish to cut the commute, in DC area, from 1 and half hours to 45 minutes. They both don't enjoy the polar vortex - I would enjoy flying over to San Diego to see them, as my excuse to get away from the bitter winter. (I know some folks love the white snow, at least my co-workers teasing me about it so often)


Thanks all for your kind idea.