What do you do?

OneofOne

Silver Baronet of the Realm
6,626
8,090
After the latest 20% spike in real estate pricing over the last 6 months (over what were already ridiculous prices) I have given up looking in the bay area. This is coming from a couple whose combined salary is 470k/ yr and literally cannot afford a3 bedroom2 bath, 1800 square foot homewith that income level. I didn't get to where I was to compromise on shitty neighborhoods and I am far from asking for a lot of home. Losing out on a home in menlo park because it went for 250k over asking from an all-cash offer by some idiot investor from china is just par for the course at this point.

At prices somewhere around 1200$ per square foot or more at this point, I just have to assume that there has to be a downturn looming. When shit is expensive in beverly hills, malibu, or the hamptoms, atleast we're talking about mansions on huge estates. To pay - or rather, to not be able to afford - a 5k square foot lot that costs over 2mil - well, im just waitin for facebook or one of these other asscracks to implode and start some type of downward tech spiral so I can actually buy a home outside of east palo alto
Where the hell are you looking? San Francisco? Where do you work? If you don't mind a little commuting check out the area north of the Golden Gate, unless you work in San Jose or something.
 

Cad

<Bronze Donator>
24,487
45,378
Naah, we live well within our means.

It's more the shock of how much we need to pay to get our future child into a good school system (Lexington).
Average entry level house is around 600-700.
Shit dude, my house was well over a million in highland park ISD in Dallas. The best school districts cost money because its an arms race, people with money who prioritize education drive up the cost in the best districts. Racial segregation = old and busted. Economic segregation = the new hotness.
 

Vinen

God is dead
2,783
489
Shit dude, my house was well over a million in highland park ISD in Dallas. The best school districts cost money because its an arms race, people with money who prioritize education drive up the cost in the best districts. Racial segregation = old and busted. Economic segregation = the new hotness.
Yeah, not sure about your area... but in MA we have a crap load of wealthy immigrants paying top dollar for falling apart buildings...
 

Cad

<Bronze Donator>
24,487
45,378
Yeah, not sure about your area... but in MA we have a crap load of wealthy immigrants paying top dollar for falling apart buildings...
Don't know what to say, there's Asians here too, and they don't have the same buying priorities as other groups. They value location and schools and community more than a particular building.
 

Pasteton

Blackwing Lair Raider
2,603
1,716
Where the hell are you looking? San Francisco? Where do you work? If you don't mind a little commuting check out the area north of the Golden Gate, unless you work in San Jose or something.
Work in palo alto so the north bay is out of the question. I'd be thrilled to live in sf because its way cheaper but the commute even from there is harsh , like 1hr+
 

prescient

Silver Knight of the Realm
97
5
Shit dude, my house was well over a million in highland park ISD in Dallas. The best school districts cost money because its an arms race, people with money who prioritize education drive up the cost in the best districts. Racial segregation = old and busted. Economic segregation = the new hotness.
Or you could just send them to Phillips Exeter, St Pauls, Phillips Andover, or some other really high end private school, and all but guarantee that they get into an Ivy. You should see the acceptance rates from these schools as compared to even the very best public schools.

http://www.forbes.com/2010/04/29/bes...n_slide_7.html

Also take a look at their endowments. A larger endowment generally means better networking. Even though Trinity for example is sending 41% to the ivy pipeline the networking for your kids won't be as good.
 

Cad

<Bronze Donator>
24,487
45,378
Or you could just send them to Phillips Exeter, St Pauls, Phillips Andover, or some other really high end private school, and all but guarantee that they get into an Ivy. You should see the acceptance rates from these schools as compared to even the very best public schools.

http://www.forbes.com/2010/04/29/bes...n_slide_7.html

Also take a look at their endowments. A larger endowment generally means better networking. Even though Trinity for example is sending 41% to the ivy pipeline the networking for your kids won't be as good.
Not concerned about going to an Ivy, and for the cost of sending my 3 kids to those schools for 13 years, I could endow a fucking wing at a major university and get my kids in for sure.

In TX my kids are either going to go to a top 15 undergrad or they are going to UT/SMU and try to get into a top tier grad school. There are private schools in Dallas with every bit as good of acceptance rates/academics at those east coast academies (St Marks and Hockaday) but the economics of sending them there are just stupid. I can buy a million+ dollar house in the best school district in the state and get outstanding education with amazing peers (and network with business owners at soccer games/school events) and when my kids go to college I can sell the house and get my money back + appreciation. If I send them private, I light 300k+ per kid on fire.
 

Springbok

Karen
<Gold Donor>
9,029
12,609
Except nobody outside of Texas has ever even heard of SMU. Other than that, agreed. /St Marks alumnus in the hizzouse.

The biggest benefit of being a private school kid is growing up with other private school kids. I wouldn't be in business for myself if not for several fortunate connections/relationships built during my formative years. Makes all the difference in the world.
 

Cad

<Bronze Donator>
24,487
45,378
Except nobody outside of Texas has ever even heard of SMU. Other than that, agreed. /St Marks alumnus in the hizzouse.

The biggest benefit of being a private school kid is growing up with other private school kids. I wouldn't be in business for myself if not for several fortunate connections/relationships built during my formative years. Makes all the difference in the world.
No doubt very few have heard of SMU, thats why I said the plan would be to go a top tier grad school if they go to UT/SMU. Nobody cares where doctors or lawyers went to undergrad.

Obviously thats a benefit of going to St Marks, but the same applies to HPISD. The families and kids here are frankly pretty amazing.
 

Tarrant

<Prior Amod>
15,547
8,995
Still waiting to hear back on the job interview for the open management position I put in for a few weeks ago. Just found out yesterday a few members of management about 3 levels up from me are having one on ones with other members of the team I work with on a day to day basis. Hoping that's a good sign.
 

Seventh

Golden Squire
892
15
I get to shop at the commissary, get cheaper gas, participate in the cheap trips and stuff, tax free exchange etc.

It is a decent benefit.
Have you actually noticed the gas cheaper on base? At the base I work at, it's actually a few cents higher than the Mobil station right outside the gate.
 

a_skeleton_03

<Banned>
29,948
29,762
Have you actually noticed the gas cheaper on base? At the base I work at, it's actually a few cents higher than the Mobil station right outside the gate.
I am in Germany, the gas is half the price on base here. It's a huge deal and is rationed.

Back in the states the gas on base was cheaper than most regular gas stations. Costco had it cheaper and Shell also IF you used rewards points from Ralphs or whatever grocery store they linked up with I forget. Not so big a deal back there.
 

Heylel

Trakanon Raider
3,602
429
Some very surprising developments at work today. Apparently my supervisor, who is easily the best boss I have ever worked for, is taking a new position starting August 1. He's not leaving fully, but he's largely just maintaining ties while 95% of his attention begins to focus at a higher level (he's leaving our research center for a high level state agency position).

This is, in theory, good news for me. As a relatively young researcher, I've been tapped to more or less inherit his lab. That should have an immediate and very positive impact on my resume, as I'll be in charge of several of his preexisting projects. It also means I have a LOT to learn about budgeting and other details that were once taken care of above me in a matter of weeks. He'll be here to transition things for a couple of months, but I have to learn a lot of bureaucratic nonsense really goddamn fast.

It should also mean some significant job security, as I am functionally taking his job as lab director. On the other hand, he's been my strongest advocate for years and I am going to be fully responsible for my own future funding now. I'm basically being handed a huge amount of autonomy and responsibility (and trust). It's exciting, but a little scary.
 

Joeboo

Molten Core Raider
8,157
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Heylel is Jesse Pinkman
smile.png
 

prescient

Silver Knight of the Realm
97
5
It should also meansome significant job security, as I am functionally taking his job as lab director.
Maybe it works this way in science, but I've found the exact opposite to be true in the corporate world. The higher up you are the easier it is to ax you unless you are absolutely critical, and no one is no matter what they think.
 

Heylel

Trakanon Raider
3,602
429
Maybe it works this way in science, but I've found the exact opposite to be true in the corporate world. The higher up you are the easier it is to ax you unless you are absolutely critical, and no one is no matter what they think.
It's a matter of funding, which in this case gets easier because our projects are no longer paying his salary and fringe rate. Since these are projects with at least a couple years left on them, it gives me time to leverage these projects into new ones.