Can a family of four live in San Jose on a $65K income? (San Diego: appointed, condos)

[JohnSoCal]

Originally Posted by 80skeys

Hi there's a few mobile home parks in Sunnyvale and they are very nice. Clean, well maintained. Definitely safe. They're located right smack in the middle of very nice upscale neighborhoods.

There's also something else you might look into. In Santa Clara county, if you're household income is less than $85k, you qualify for low-income housing, which means that either

(a) you can rent a large house in a good neigbhborhood for much less than usual

or

(b) purchase a house for way below market value in certain neighborhoods where there are a certain number of these houses set aside for that purpose. I can't remember the term for this. Maybe someone else here will

That is interesting to know. I doesn't affect me at all but it is certainly good info to pass on to others.

[butercup]

I don't live in San Jose yet, so take this with a grain of salt - and hopefully other real posters can help here - but what about something like this?

$1695 / 2br - 1001ft² - FANTASTIC APARTMENTS AT BLOSSOM HILL GARDEN (san jose south)

As far as I know that's a very decent area and as cheap as the Fremont rent with a much lesser commute. I looked on cl for 2 beds under 1800 a month and a lot of decent options showed up. I know you were originally thinking to buy but it sounds like you're considering renting at that price point instead.

Good luck - we're on our way out there too!

[tempest411]

Originally Posted by butercup

I don't live in San Jose yet, so take this with a grain of salt - and hopefully other real posters can help here - but what about something like this?

$1695 / 2br - 1001ft² - FANTASTIC APARTMENTS AT BLOSSOM HILL GARDEN (san jose south)

As far as I know that's a very decent area and as cheap as the Fremont rent with a much lesser commute. I looked on cl for 2 beds under 1800 a month and a lot of decent options showed up. I know you were originally thinking to buy but it sounds like you're considering renting at that price point instead.

Good luck - we're on our way out there too!

I know that neighborhood. It's a dump. Lots of illegals live there, just like the place I live in, except I have a white trash crack ***** for a neighbor thrown into the mix as well. Goddamn section 8 program...

[easybay]

Rent!!! Whatever you do don't buy a home or trailer. On top of a mortgage you will have taxes, insurance, and maintenance - you can't afford it. Move here and get to know the area before buying. Good luck!

[Fata Morgana]

Originally Posted by butercup

I don't live in San Jose yet, so take this with a grain of salt - and hopefully other real posters can help here - but what about something like this?

$1695 / 2br - 1001ft² - FANTASTIC APARTMENTS AT BLOSSOM HILL GARDEN (san jose south)

As far as I know that's a very decent area and as cheap as the Fremont rent with a much lesser commute. I looked on cl for 2 beds under 1800 a month and a lot of decent options showed up. I know you were originally thinking to buy but it sounds like you're considering renting at that price point instead.

Good luck - we're on our way out there too!

Originally Posted by tempest411

I know that neighborhood. It's a dump. Lots of illegals live there, just like the place I live in, except I have a white trash crack ***** for a neighbor thrown into the mix as well. Goddamn section 8 program...

Being suspicious due to the low rent, I looked up their reviews and it sounds pretty awful:

Blossom Hill Garden Apartments Ratings, Reviews, Map, Rents, and other San Jose apartments for rent from ApartmentRatings.com

Blossom Hill Garden Apartments - San Jose, CA

Rats, mold, paper thin walls, slumlord landlords. To quote one of the reviewers: "I would advise staying away from these apartments especially if you have children."

[mazerunner]

Originally Posted by 80skeys

Hi there's a few mobile home parks in Sunnyvale and they are very nice. Clean, well maintained. Definitely safe. They're located right smack in the middle of very nice upscale neighborhoods.

There's also something else you might look into. In Santa Clara county, if you're household income is less than $85k, you qualify for low-income housing, which means that either

(a) you can rent a large house in a good neigbhborhood for much less than usual

or

(b) purchase a house for way below market value in certain neighborhoods where there are a certain number of these houses set aside for that purpose. I can't remember the term for this. Maybe someone else here will

This post has intrigued me. I looked up "affordable housing" in the San Jose/Santa Clara areas and found a nice, long list of properties. I called a few up and ran into huge problem (not even considering the waiting lists involved): MY FAMILY INCOME WILL BE TOO HIGH TO LIVE IN THESE SPECIALLY DESIGNATED PROPERTIES.

I found a promising complex in San Jose and they said the maximum income for a family of four was $67,400. If you make less than that, you can live there. I would be making about $500 more than that maximum limit. So I can't live there, and the agent was very clear about that.

I called another such complex in Hayward and the maximum allowable income there was about $56,000.

So basically, I would make too much money to qualify for the tax-credit/affordable housing, but I wouldn't make enough money to ensure that my family would not be in dire straits each month.

One term I kept hearing was 60% AMI. I think AMI means "area median income" and any family who makes 60% or less of the AMI for a given neighborhood is eligible to apply for one of these properties. So in order for me to qualify, I'd have to find one of these special properties in an area with a really high AMI or I'll have to adopt a bunch of kids real quick.

...

Then I started looking at the reviews for the regular apartment complexes. The reviews from one property said it was across the street from a complex that housed ex-cons and registered sex offenders. That's not going to work. I guess you get what you pay for...

Now I'm looking at manufactured homes. I found a few nice ones, but I have no idea what kinds of communities they arelocated in. I read that the largest one was called "Casa de Amigos," but that there are others. I took the recommendation of looking at pictures of such a community in Sunnyvale and saw that the area looks pretty clean. My thinking is that if I'm going to pay almost $2000 a month, I might as well have a bit more space and not be trapped in an inflexible lease. But I have to consider everyone's safety. I sure hope they don't let just anyone into these trailer parks!

This is a bad situation all around. But I'm not giving up.

Thanks, 80skeys!

[easybay]

My thinking is that if I'm going to pay almost $2000 a month, I might as well have a bit more space and not be trapped in an inflexible lease.

So you are going to buy a used manufactured home for what $200,000? And have a depreciating asset, you won't own the land and then you have to pay rent for the spot that it sits on? Don't you think that is a TRULY inflexible lease??? You have to abide by the rules of the trailer park, AND you are totally stuck with your neighbors. Whatever you do NOT buy a mobile home. You are much better renting in a nice area - your wife can meet other young families and maybe bring in some extra money by babysitting.

[easybay]

Now I'm looking at manufactured homes. I found a few nice ones, but I have no idea what kinds of communities they arelocated in. I read that the largest one was called "Casa de Amigos," but that there are others.

Ok - I was so curious, I had to check on RedFin - Rent on a mobile home lot is $928/month. Your "investment" in a mobile home, with depreciate every year, because you own a trailer - Looks like the new ones are going for $200,000, older ones, $159,000, down to $69,000 for a really old one. Use your PhD and do some research to see what a bad idea it is to buy one of these.

[80skeys]

Anywhere in Sunnyvale is going to be pretty nice.

Regarding the affordable housing, I can't remember at all what the term is. It's an unusual word, it doesn't come up in everyday conversation. Hopefully someone else here will be able to mention it. Anyway, my understanding of it is that you can actually end up buying a house, for example in a very nice neighborhood for way less than than what you would normally pay, and then there are some stipulations that when you sell it later you have to sell it for the same price you bought it or something like that. The upshot is that you end up living in a desirable area at a fraction of the cost.

I'm not sure how they choose who gets in. Probably some initial qualifications along with a lottery.

[80skeys]

I think this is the same thing that I'm talking about, except they don't use the term I was trying to remember:

Housing Authority of the County of Santa Clara | Below Market Rate and Below Market Price Purchase Programs