SLH, when we bought our house 3 years ago it was a step up into a bit better neighborhood and a little bigger house with a much bigger lot. We bought it from the nephew of a friend that had passed so he sold it to us for about 50k less than the market at the time as is. We have since added about 500 sq feet on to the house. It started as 3 bedrooms (one very tiny w/no closet) and 1 bath and a very large basement. older Ds lives in a somewhat finished part of the basement. We converted W's room to a handicapped bathroom, then added a bedroom for him and an upstairs bedroom/bath for a future caregiver. The house is now worth close 900k. Even without the addition it would go for 600k. It is sickening really. I think only about 24% of californians can afford to buy a home these days.

SLH, I suggest getting to know the place before you buy a house if you can. Even though moving twice reeks.

Maybe SiS or FIM can give you some tips.

GC

Or Appy. I think he's in WA.

FF is right. Prices around here are bark stonkers. We bought our house as a foreclosure in '97 for 290K. Previous owners paid 625K for it. There's an UGLY duplex across the street from us with a current asking price of 700K. No lot to speak of, garage door is right on the sidewalk. Allegedly 2200 sf. Less than half ours, and our lot's a half acre. Plus, we've got a 3-car garage with a one bdrm apt on top, and a "carriage shed" at the bottom of the hill. Last time I checked, even without finishing all the rebuilding, we were easily over 1.5M.

If we had 2 buy something now, we couldn't afford 2 buy anything bigger than one of those Rubbermaid tool sheds you see at Home Despot. <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/eek.gif" alt="" />

-ol' 2long

I'd laugh if it weren't so true! <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" /> You have a fabulous place because it is historic. There is a place around the block from us that used to be a winery up for sale. They want just under 1.2M for it. 3000 sq ft, 6 bedrooms 4 bathrooms, pool/spa, 2000 sq ft basement but NO YARD. Totally only pool fits in the yard. I figure about 200k to fix it up too. <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/eek.gif" alt="" />

Say 2long, there's an idea. I know of a lot for sale very close to one of the Mpls. lakes. If I lost my house, I could afford the lot and a shed I think.

Scrambling now. I have the rest of today, Sat., and Sun., and I have to be ready for the appraiser. Yikes.

GC

Ap has been really great about reccomending realtors and areas to look into (Thanks, Appy, if you're lurking!). Otherwise I would have written the place of totally.

He also said the median home value reported recently in the papers is $350K, easy.

Ouch.

I just don't see how anyone can live up there if the medium household income is $49,372 annually. Boggles the mind.

{included the link in case anyone wants to look up their respective cities, etc}

Now that I think about it, that average home price isn't too far off the median home value here.

Hoping for the best for you, GC. Please let us know how it goes -- and take pics, if you can.


slh

Cool, I could spend all day looking at those stats. If you look up Los Angeles you will see the median income is lower than Seattle but the housing is higher.

I looked at that CNN link. You have to remember Seattle is only about 30%, of the urban area here (the actual core urban area in fact). If you look at the burbs, say Kent or Renton or Tacoma, South of Seattle proper, the numbers are much easier to digest. Bellevue and Mercer Island, OTOH, are Seattle’s answer to Beverly Hills and Bel air.

Seattle is a nice city. But, there are only a few neighborhoods that I would want to live in inside the city limits now. Rural King county is much nicer.

You could keep horses, SLH. Minimum lot sizes to control sprawl are an acre, now; which is one reason prices went up so fast a couple of years ago.

But depending on where you work, the commute can be a bear. Mine is 15 minutes, tops.

Hey Appy, didn't know you were a left coaster! I would love to live up north. Ah, some day maybe...

BTW, your post to Bob on Pep's thread was really well written.

"Seattle is a nice city. "

But I hear tell that you guys don't tan, you rust! <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

At my W's OOSP, you can still get a decent house for well under $100K. She paid $500/acre for the first 31 acres for her site 6 miles out of town, in the flats. Next 17 cost more like $1100, though. ...but no water rights.

-ol' 2long

Tukwila is where the job offer was, Appy.


slh

Right next to Kent. You can find it exactly using Google Earth.

We have no wrinkles or leathery skin either. At 70 a native still looks 35. Really.

The mold between the toe webs can be irritating though.

I wouldn't live in Seattle again if you gave me all the caffeine at Starbucks. And I would need it.

If you -are- going to live in that area, I really agree that you shouldn't buy until you're out there. Go find a little apartment for three months and scope out the area, then figure out what to buy and where. You don't want to buy in SeaTac only to find that Ti will be working in Lynnwood.

Me? I want to catch a flight to Ohio tonight. Or just point my car in that direction and drive. Whimper.

**poking at the fire** and looking for marshmellows. I need chocolate!!! Chocolate drowns out sorrow, right?

Chocolate has lots of good properties. And I've got a package of the instant kind (with marshmallows) right here. You're welcome to it, FF.

*hug*

Thanks, J <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Great! Thanks for asking.

I hope Ti get's an offer down here too. Could he call and 'splain the situation to the AL guys - to see if there is something in the works maybe speed it up a bit?

-AD

Hey kids. My (almost) roomie's girlfriend invited me to her uncle's house for dinner tonight. She made duck confit that she recently brought back from Fronce. I think I might have been the only one who realized I was eating something special. I'm very impressed with this girl. Not because of the confit, just 'cause she appears to be an exceptionally good person.

When you eat confit, you have to be very mindful. Drink of wine, bite of confit, drink of wine, bite of confit.

So forgive me for being BOMBED.

It was my first evening in a long time where I didn't kill myself on the house and collapse in exhaustion.

My house is almost ready for appraisal. I just hope my ex doesn't take me to court. She'll make an [censored] of herself if she does, I'm afraid.

Game on. I should hear on my refi this week.

I hope everyone's groovy. As you can see, I'm no good to anyone at the moment. Glug, glug.

GC

I was exaggerating. I'm not actually wasted.

At dinner tonight my friend's GF who I will call Giraffe said something about a girl she knows, made me think she wants to do a fix-up. Anyway...

Like SS and Binder were saying not so long ago, a man who knows better does not want to be alone. And let me tell you, being a man with nobody to care for is certainly peculiar.

But not as strange I think as having your beloved sh*t on you. Good god, how does anyone ever do that to anyone? I'm lucky to be immunized. Don't bother doubting that I am. I'd rather die than hurt someone that way.

A drought of affection and intimacy is peculiar, no doubt.

But these ain't things I'm miserably deprived of. Just things I look forward to.

And music is like life support sometimes.

GC

I like that quote! Glad you had a good evening with good friends and good food! <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />