Long weekend

Back from Washington state. It was really a good weekend and we didn’t do much. Although I did get to spend some quality time with Avery, something I love to do.

Our flight up was uneventful. Avery went to sleep and didn’t cry at all, a little fussing but that’s her.

Friday: I went fishing and caught a couple small trout with my brother in law. Sitting there watching the fish jump, the mountains, the clouds roll in, the trees and there leaves fall was beautiful and relaxing. I forgot how beautiful it is up there.

Saturday: Sara and I went looking at model houses and were astonished at the prices and size of the homes. Something we still contemplate; whether California is too expensive to live. A “perfectâ€? house for us is in the low 200s and it’s in a great communitee next to a golf course.

Sunday: Went to get some pictures of the kids all together and then looked at some more models that Sara’s Sister and husband were in the process of buying.

Monday: Drove around to waste time before we had to pick up her sister and Jack from the pre-school and found ourselves looking at some other houses and getting lost. On the way to the airport I went to a Casino and learned how to play four card poker for $20. I need to start leavinf when I’m up big.

The flight home was horrible. We left late. It was hot. Avery started screaming because she wouldn’t relax and go to sleep. Primarily because this time some guy sat next to us and I couldn’t lay her down inbetween us to go to sleep. She rarely goes to sleep in our arms, something we started from the beginning because we didn’t want her to become dependant on being held to go to sleep but last night was awefull. It was nerve racking hearing her SCREAM like that. After a while I figured out to just make a tent with a blanket so she couldn’t see the onlookers; one telling me to “use a pacifierâ€?, bitch; underneath the tent with her I swayed her to sleep and she was great.

Soon after she went to sleep we incountered the worst turbulance I’ve ever been in. The pilot told the crew to “prepare for landingâ€? 45 minutes before we were supposed to land. Gratefuly Avery didn’t wake up because she would have seen her daddy look freaked out.

Today: On land at work wishing I was holding Avery; screaming or not.

I also finally got the Bluetooth DUN to work on my powerbook and treo 650 so Sara got to check email on the drive home from LAX. I will post a boring how-to post soon.

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October 18

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About the Author, Dan Cameron:

I'm the owner and solution engineer at Sprout Venture, a web solutions company that specializes in web development including WordPress.

I started my first blog in 2003 and transitioned to WordPress in 2004. Since moving to WordPress I've written a few plugins and themes for public consumption. Lately I'm busy engineering/building/coding and have only been able to share a few code snippets.

If you're in need of some web development, web design or custom WordPress plugins and/or themes contact me, I'll be happy to discuss it with you.

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  • Dan
  • Dan
    Yes, with that logic you might as well rent.
  • nstryker
    but what are you losing? this is something i've been thinking a lot about and i'll change my mind tomorrow, but equity is bullshit. there's no point. you buy a house, pay into your mortgage, your family grows, you buy another house, and what you get from the first makes a nice down payment on the second. your mortgage stays the same, but now you're in it for another 30 years. but in less time than that, your kids are gone and you don't need the room. you down size, get a new mortgage. by the time you actually own the home (not the bank) you're about 10 years from death. woo! you wasted your whole life making bankers rich, just to finally own a small junker. when you go your kids will sell it off and buy a nice car. maybe renting from private parties is the way to go.
  • nstryker
    here are my find your spot results from over a year ago: http://nstryker.blogspot.com/2004_06_01_nstryke...
  • Dan
    I agree with both of you on findyourspot, the site isn't really practical but I agree with Jason B. Higher median income and lower house prices makes much more sense to me.

    Sara and I have been looking for a while and I have talked to a lot of people in the housing business as well as reading a lot. For two reasons: Thinking about the whole property ownership for renting and flipping, and we want to move out of our "small" condo.

    The problem with the notion that the housing market will "correct" itself is wrong it will never actually happen unless some kind of real hardship occurs across the US. Or the definition of correcting itself is not decreasing housing prices.

    Housing prices will never go down. It never has and never will only the appreciation percentage of the house will go down. People in the business think that there is a 7 year cycle and we are turning the corner as we speak. Currently the % of yearly increase is around 4% and in a few years it will fall to one or even zero percent. And then ramp back up. Now you could wait until this "correction" occurs but your still loosing out on the appreciation of the next few years and potential higher APR.

    Percentage rates is a huge factor in housing prices. The recent spike in housing costs were the effect of the ridiculous low percentage rates, 1%. Now that it is up to 4+% housing costs have started to not be so inflated. But if you are a buyer it doesn't matter since you are most likely paying the same; stagnated housing prices but higher APR. And % rates will rise; think about 10% APR in the year 2010.

    Sara and I talked about buying after all those poor saps that bought with interest only loans loose their houses when the the real payments start but I don't think it will make a difference. Yes we will see more homes on the market but it's still the supply and demand that will effect prices and everyone wants to live here or own a house where they could charge a shit load for rent, like us.

    So even though appreciation of the housing is slowing we are in a shitty situation because of percentage rates and S and D.

    Conclusion: I am as confused as anyone. But I believe the best time to buy is today and never tomorrow because even at it's lowest, (appreciation) one point a year, in V town it's 47 hundred a year your loosing .
  • nstryker
    i just look at the out of wackness of the housing and rest assured that it will correct itself. i find the disconnect there brings a nice sense of calm.

    i've played with find your spot a bit in the past. i thought the results were pretty okay, but it seems to think weather isn't nearly as important as i do.
  • why do my links get all jacked? I copy and past them and then it add % after the /.

    "/%3C/p%3E" lame.

    Anyway.

    Yeah Ventura median income is lower, but that only seems to help those that bought a house 5+ years ago for $100,000 and have a house payment of $500. You can't even get a loan for a house making around $50K in Ventura, not that you could afford the $3000 house payment anyway. There is a disconnect.

    Compare the average house price and income for the avaerage vs. Ventura. And these numbers aren't current. The average house price has climbed much higher.

    $477,888 median house price Ventura
    $315,413 median house price (average of best places)

    $56,319 median income Ventura
    $68,092 median income (average of best places)

    So people elsewhere are able to make more money and buy a cheaper place. That sure is appealing.

    A loan for $550,000 (which will barely get you a condo in VC) for 30 years @ 4% interest will be $3000+ a month and you would have to have an income of $130,390.75 No thanks.

    www.findyourspot.com This site rules. It will blow you away. You fill out questions about things that are important to you and certain criteria and it tells you what places in the US were you would be suited to live. It's cool.
  • nstryker
    that list doesn't look to appealing. they're #1 choise has a median income of $86,613. no thanks! the average median income of all their "best places" is $68,092. compare to ventura's respectable $56,319. yeah, i'm where i wanna be.
  • California bums me out. Other than great friends and weather it's far to expensive of a place to live and plan a family, future etc. Everywhere else is the real world. Any home elsewehere is 50% or less the cost of CA. And bears sh*t in the woods too.

    best places to live in the US 2005
    http://money.cnn.com/best/bplive/
  • nstryker
    nice, i love it up there too. i wonder how much it would be "spoiled" when it's not just a place to visit. i know i don't look at the ocean from work quite as much as i should. lots of people here close the curtains on the windows of the break room because it's "too bright." the most beautiful view from any law school is "too bright..."

    nothing sucks quite like strangers giving advice to a desperate parent trying to console their child.
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