Is the SF Bay Area overrated? (Los Angeles, San Diego: cheap house, safety, to move)

[Finper]

Originally Posted by 2sleepy

I don't want to do this battle of the real estate listings. My point is that there are far better homes for sale in that price range in San Francisco, you picked either by accident or intentionally probably the worst, most overpriced property. You simply can't compare a house in Georgetown Texas with one in San Francisco, it makes no sense. If you want to go that route, why not find an even cheaper state? Here's a 2500 sq ft home on a half acre in Pine Bluff, Arkansas for $155,000. That makes your house in Georgetown Texas look overpriced, right?

Houses sell for big bucks in San Francisco, just like they do in Aspen Colorado because those are places where people are willing to spend large amounts of money to live there. It doesn't mean it's right for everyone, but it's kind of silly to poke at San Francisco without understanding that houses sell for what people are willing to pay for them and it doesn't matter much if you and I agree or disagree with their perception of value.

looking at the title of the post I think real estate is relevant to compare. In my opinion SF used to be a jewel now it's a dump so very overrated. A bunch of really strange people live there too that doesn't improve things at all. What normal person would pay a million for a dump like the above?

[2sleepy]

Originally Posted by Finper

looking at the title of the post I think real estate is relevant to compare. In my opinion SF used to be a jewel now it's a dump so very overrated. A bunch of really strange people live there too that doesn't improve things at all. What normal person would pay a million for a dump like the above?

I dunno about strange..the strangest people I ever met were my Sister in laws friends and neighbors in Missouri. All kidding aside, I think there are strange people everywhere, I have a neighbor with 17 feral cats all of them intact and dropping litters of kittens under the covers of our lawn furniture every few months. I had a neighbor in Reno who set up a listening device on her property line so that she could hear anyone outside, and sat in her window all day watching us with binoculars and taking photos of every car that pulled up in front of our house.

[aslowdodge]

okay here's some examples of homes in my area with Atlanta being about 10 miles down the road

3/2.5/2 2100 sq ft $240,000

https://www.realtor.com/realestatean...-48048?view=qv


4/2.5/2 2600 sq ft $259,900


https://www.realtor.com/realestatean...-23101?view=qv


4/2.5/2 2860 sq ft $322,000

https://www.realtor.com/realestatean...692014&view=qv


Here's one that sold comparable to the first 3 in my old town Pleasanton, Ca in the Bay Area albeit a bit smaller
4/3/2 1978 sq ft sold for $1,027,000

https://www.realtor.com/realestatean...8_M15239-30054




Here's one that sold in my neighborhood recently with lake view
5/5/3 5240 sq ft sold in July for $469,900

https://www.realtor.com/realestatean...6_M52522-80960

Here's one I'd consider comparable back in my old town in Pleasanton, Ca in the Bay Area to my neighborhood

5/5.5/3 4565 sq ft pending $2,395,000
https://www.realtor.com/realestatean...-25986?view=qv

[aslowdodge]

Originally Posted by Finper

that is strange that it's listed for 100,000 less a month after closing. Maybe it's haunted or full of black mold??

Hmmm, maybe they are selling it without the bars on the window, hence a lower price?

I wonder if they paid way lower than list before listing it . Maybe a flip?

[TR95]

Originally Posted by aslowdodge

Hmmm, maybe they are selling it without the bars on the window, hence a lower price?

I wonder if they paid way lower than list before listing it . Maybe a flip?

Listed for $999k, sold for $1.06M in Oct. now listed st $899k. Likely will go over ask. Description also says the 2,200 sf is based on proposed plans so maybe they went through the city with the olans and are selling those with the house. Either way, what a dump and not in an area of SF I would want to live, but as been said to each their own, just like the weather opinions.

[likealady]

Originally Posted by 2sleepy

Or if you'd spent a few minutes you could have found a 2276 sq ft 4 bdrm 3.5 bath house in the outer sunset for $899,000 https://www.redfin.com/CA/San-Franci...operty-history

That home isn't much of an upgrade from the last. Plus, if you're going to be buying in Excelsior or Sunset, you might as well just buy outside the city, imho.

[gizmo980]

Originally Posted by Finper

What normal person would pay a million for a dump like the above?

Maybe they don't count as "normal," but generally someone earning a Bay Area salary would/could. When your income is nearly half a million annually, that's nothing.

[gizmo980]

Originally Posted by aslowdodge

okay here's some examples of homes in my area with Atlanta being about 10 miles down the road

The houses look nice, and I'm sincerely glad you are happy there... but let's not pretend that everyone would be happy in Georgia! I know it would be a terrible fit for me, between the weather, culture, distance from anyone I know, etc. Home prices aren't everything, as there are many more factors one must consider when deciding where to live.

I realize you didn't make that claim, but I see way too many people who think housing costs ARE the only factor, and usually end up miserable and/or returning to CA eventually. A friend of mine (and her husband) just went through this, after relocating to central Oregon because it was too expensive here. They lasted just over a year, before he decided to enlist in the military while she lives with her parents in Santa Cruz. I was tempted to say "I told you so," but they had to discover that for themselves.

[aslowdodge]

Originally Posted by gizmo980

The houses look nice, and I'm sincerely glad you are happy there... but let's not pretend that everyone would be happy in Georgia! I know it would be a terrible fit for me, between the weather, culture, distance from anyone I know, etc. Home prices aren't everything, as there are many more factors one must consider when deciding where to live.

I realize you didn't make that claim, but I see way too many people who think housing costs ARE the only factor, and usually end up miserable and/or returning to CA eventually. A friend of mine (and her husband) just went through this, after relocating to central Oregon because it was too expensive here. They lasted just over a year, before he decided to enlist in the military while she lives with her parents in Santa Cruz. I was tempted to say "I told you so," but they had to discover that for themselves.

I just posted those at the request of another poster.
What does moving to and from Oregon have to do with I told you so? It seems it wasn't that they were unhappy with the area as much as they changed life arrangements and her parents lived in the bay area.

Not everyone would be happy with Ga, but your most legitimate reason would friends and family. I lived in the Bay Area all my life and spent more years there than you've been alive. It's the only place I knew.
I gave Georgia a chance whereas many will not, but they will say how bad it is without really trying it for themselves. They just parrot what some others might say.

The problem is everything else you list is quite subjective and honestly overblown.
Where I live I have noticed absolutely minimal difference in culture. I've met more liberal people here than in Ca. Most people are all transplants and I seldom hear a southern accent. I have all the amenities I had in the Bay Area. I go to Costco every week, Whole foods, Frys electronics, Kaiser health care, everything I had in Ca. No good reptile stores though(I do miss East Bay Vivarium though).
Yes there are some conservatives, but you also have people that are friendlier and more courteous to each other. People hold the door open for each other, say thank you, and let you squeeze in in tight traffic. I was admiring a mercedes SL in the Wendy's parking lot and was talking to the owner as I am considering getting one. It turns out he lives in my neighborhood. He tried to give me Keys to take it for a drive . . . without him going along. That was shocking. I met a couple from England who moved to Atlanta who told me a neighbor a few houses down came and welcomed them to the neighborhood. They told the couple if they needed to borrow a truck to help their move, they were welcome to use theirs. Now this isn't everyday happenings, but I will tell you none of those things ever happened in the Bay Area.

The weather really isn't that extreme in difference. Cold is cold. My friends in the bay area tell me it's cold outside so they don't go outside, same here. It's colder but cold is cold. The summers are hot and humid, so there are three to four months that are a bit unpleasant. I still managed to go outside and do yardwork in the mornings. Our spring and fall is similar to the Bay Area.
Weather really is what you can deal with. To Ca people Ga seems extreme, but some of it is hype. One Ca poster living in San Jose claimed Ga weather is like a tropical humid jungle and when it's not, it's freezing cold and snow. That's the kind of hype that gets repeated and a stereotype is set.
When I lived in Ca I found it too cold to go out in the winter and too hot to go out in the Summer, so really it isn't any different for me here. The funny thing is people adapt ( well some do) . I see more people going out on walks and runs here than I did in Ca, so how bad is the weather really here?

Now for house costs, I agree it's not everything. If you are happy with renting or make a lot of money, it won't matter much. But I have already posted scenarios of how much housing costs can affect your ability to become financially free much. In the course of 12 to 20 years you can have millions of dollars set aside based on the housing cost savings. Many worry whether they will lose their jobs and have interruptions in employment where they cannot contribute to their retirement. Instead of trying to make it to 30 years, it's a nice option to be 15 years out and be able to be financially set for the rest of your life whether you lose a job or not.

In the end everyone can decide where they want to live, but I doubt very many ever run the comparison for life. My cost for 4000 sq ft on just under an acre with 3 garages will cost me $900 a month inc utilities. That dollar amount gets me a room share in the Bay Area. I've also run the scenario on other posts where I can live for free in 1000 sq ft. based on housing costs here and how houses are laid out.

[aslowdodge]

Originally Posted by JoeSmow

Nice. I forgot how woody some areas of the South were.

Yeah, almost too many trees here We are at the base of the Appalachias. Millions of trees, lakes, waterfalls, etc.