San Antonio still overvalued...

[firstclassflyer]

Originally Posted by rupers

Paka

Fairfax County encompasses several high priced areas (e.g., McLean, Fairfax Station) which really spike up the "average" (and I know San Antonio has some of those areas, too). You can "Google" the info you received, but I lived there from 1996 to 2008. We have a very nice home that was at the $500,000 range in value (still trying to sell it), and my wife and I, with our combined income, found the cost of living in Fairfax County as comfortable. Our combined income here in San Antonio won't rival our income in VA, because she has to find a job here, and it's pretty clear to us that she'll be lucky to earn half of what she earned there.

The commensurate decrease in family income we'll face will make it more difficult to live comfortably in a comparably priced home here.

As for personal property tax, it sounds terrible but in reality it was only about $350 per year for us (we didn't own any boats, so the only things taxed by the County's personal property tax were our autos). That was easily made up by the difference in car insurance premiums -- car insurance premiums in SATX are more expensive.

Having said all that (and I'm sure many posters are wondering why we just don't return to Virginia), we really look forward to living in SATX and think it is a vibrant, wonderful city. We want to avoid making a mistake in picking our future home here -- we intend to retire in SATX and want to ensure we'll be happy with the place we choose. We're not too worried about price appreciation since we don't intend to sell anytime in the near future. Besides, we hate the Washington Redskins and have always been avid Cowboy fans -- we loathed all the TV coverage in DC about the "Deadskins" and how they were going to spray a can of Whoop-Arse on the Cowboys.

What type of place are we looking for? 3 or 4 bedroom (expect an in-law or two to live with us for a while, possibly), 3 bathrooms, curb appeal, some mature trees, half acre to acre yard that has potential for gardening and locating a work shop, not too far in the boonies (my wife has a 10-minute rule -- if she wants to buy a six pack of Bud late at night, it shouldn't take more than 10 minutes to find a place where she can buy it (I guess that generally rules out Hays County, lol) -- nice kitchen, avoid septic if possible, nice views, and access to fiber optic comm lines (we got spoiled in our VA home with Verizon FIOS -- internet speed was unbelievable). Price range -- $350 to $ 500 thousand. Oh, and a house that doesn't look like a spitting image of the homes to our left and right.

I imagine a lot of folks who are relocating to SATX from Wash DC and MD and VA suburbs near DC are looking for something similar.

Why would you think that a lot of folks moving from that area are looking for something similar? A lot of us relocated here from CA...and a lot are NOT looking for something similar. Some look for downtown area, some look for 'burbs..some look for large amounts of land in the neighboring counties, some look for lakeside living etc... I would suspect that it depends on family situation, whether or not one needs to work etc...your internet will be fast enough, don't worry.

[the_dimwit]

Look, I don't mean to imply that San Antonio is on par with Northern VA in terms of overall cost of living. But, to be honest with you, I just don't see too much of a difference in my bottom line. I took a 12k pay cut when I moved from Ashburn to SA, so perhaps that has something to do with it.

--Dim

[CelesteDF]

Originally Posted by rupers

We have a very nice home that was at the $500,000 range in value (still trying to sell it), and my wife and I, with our combined income, found the cost of living in Fairfax County as comfortable. Our combined income here in San Antonio won't rival our income in VA, because she has to find a job here, and it's pretty clear to us that she'll be lucky to earn half of what she earned there.

The commensurate decrease in family income we'll face will make it more difficult to live comfortably in a comparably priced home here.

I think you're missing the point that to live comfortably in a comparable home in San Antonio, you won't need to spend NEARLY what you spent in VA. A home/ neighborhood comparable to a $500K home in Fairfax would only cost between $250-350K in San Antonio. You don't need to spend $500K on a house, unless you really really want to. And you don't need to kill yourself earning the income to support that house, unless you really really want to. I worked 80 hours a week to support my $425K condo in Georgetown (which I also can't sell right now)... a condo that is less than half the size and more than double the price of a house I just bought in San Antonio's equivalent of DC's gentrifying Columbia Heights or Shaw neighborhoods.

Best of all, I only have to work a normal 40 hour week in San Antonio and have time to enjoy my life here. Everything is a tradeoff, but in my experience, cost of living is MUCH lower in San Antonio.

[the_dimwit]

If you view cost of living from the price of housing, then yes SA is undoubtedly cheaper than DC (and surrounding metro). However, there are so many other things that go into the cost of living in an area. I won't argue that DC is more expensive (because it is in many ways), but not everyone feels the same "pinch." For example, I was fortunate in that I purchased my townhouse in Ashburn, VA (35 miles from DC) in late 1998, just before the boom hit. My mortgage was much less than most others when I sold it early this year.

So, for me, cost of living increased (at least in housing) when we moved to SA and bought a house with a mortgage 70k higher than what we had in VA. Taxes also increased (rather substantially) for said house, adding to the increased cost of living (again, in terms of housing).

Gas is cheaper, but by perhaps 10-15 cents per gallon. For a 15 gallon tank, that's maybe $2.25 per tank savings. (Yes, that small amount does add up...)

Food is cheaper, but it's a little harder to find some items. (Note: I'm not talking about gyro wraps imported from a little old lady in Greece. I don't do the grocery shopping, but my wife has complained about certain things just not being available unless she drives some distance to the one store in town that carries the item(s) in question.) However, I will still say that careful shopping in the DC area can yield great results--store brands FTW.

Entertainment....well, with two small children (15 months and 4 years) we can't really compare that stuff anymore! Let's just say that Redbox movies are the same price and leave it at that!

Overall, you can save a lot of money here in SA. A lot of stuff is cheaper, but I would suggest that not all people are in the same situation. For some, cost of living has increased in some areas while decreased in others. It's all relative, I guess.

--Dim

[rupers]

Any of the posters on this thread have any info about the Bluffs at Camino (78216)? Even though not all homes are on half acre or larger, the lots are fairly large (third of acre, with some on 1 acre lots), and lot of the homes (most circa 1980s) are interesting.

When I searched in that area, though, there had to be about 20 homes for sale (ranging from $250 to $700 thousand). That seems to be a lot of homes for sale in one neighborhood (albeit the neighborhood is fairly large). AT&T relocation have some effect there?

Any intel anyone can provide on the pros & cons of living in that neighborhood would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance

[Bo]

Originally Posted by rupers

Any of the posters on this thread have any info about the Bluffs at Camino (78216)? Even though not all homes are on half acre or larger, the lots are fairly large (third of acre, with some on 1 acre lots), and lot of the homes (most circa 1980s) are interesting.

Great location. Great schools. I heard they had a minor epidemic of car breakins a few months back. Parking in your garage would prevent that.

Only drawback I've noticed is that it's a bit hilly.

[banker]

Originally Posted by Bowie

Great location. Great schools. I heard they had a minor epidemic of car breakins a few months back. Parking in your garage would prevent that.

Only drawback I've noticed is that it's a bit hilly.

being hilly is a drawback? I think it adds character. Having relatives in Houston - which is flat as a pancake - is boring and dull. I like the fact that San Antonio has hills. I love it that my neighborhood has hills. It is one of the features that gives San Antonio part of its charm.