Such a deal. Prices are still cheaper in soCal than they are in the Bay Area then. Depending on the town, if that house and lot was within 30 miles of SF, San Jose, or Oakland you'd probably be paying somewhere between $600K and $1.2Mil. It's still so freaking ridiculous around here. <br><br>I know that in our neighborhood, we wouldn't be able to afford your new house. One has a choice around here if they're not rich: Live in a neighborhood you like but not the house, or vice versa. <br><br><pre>** sometimes you win, and sometimes you learn **</pre><p>

<blockquote><font size=1>In reply to:</font><hr><p>Well Waleed, illegal aliens are a dime a dozen around here. It was meant in a humorous vein. I am probably among the minority when it comes to my attitude towards illegal Mexicans in the US. I don't have much of a problem with them at all. We really should have a guest worker program and be done with it.<p><hr></blockquote><p>Actually, many business types DON'T have a problem with the illegal worker industry—even the ones that make noise about it in the government. The way they see it is that if you suddenly had to pay at least minimum wage, had to pay workers' comp and had to pay payroll taxes, suddenly labor costs shoot through the roof. There's always been a wink and a nod kind of attitude about illegal workers in the SouthWest and California. <br><br><pre>** sometimes you win, and sometimes you learn **</pre><p>

<br><br>Pathetic, ain't it? Is it a wonder I have to commute an hour to work just to be able to afford where I live, in Milford?<br><br>[color:red]DaddyMac's MP3 to AAC conversion: left to go...</font color=red>

My sister-in-law does real estate in your area. She lives in Walnut Creek but has listings all around the bay. Modest homes are $800,000. Most listings are in the million and up. And there is such a demand and waiting list that a lot of the properties go before a judge to award the sale.<br><br>[color:red]"... gonna bop you with this here lollipop...!"</font color=red>

Walnut Creek is about 500 miles from here. It's in the SF Bay Area. Yeah, I know -- those prices can be found around here too. I don't know how people afford it. <br><br>

Those are nice homes, but the climate would suck in both places. <br><br>

I grew up in Walnut Creek and don't understand why people pay those prices for that town. It's over crowded and over homogenized, socially speaking (there's not much diversity ethnically, politically, etc.). It was like an awakening when I moved down to San Jose for college and realized that there were all kinds of different people with different ideas walking around.<br><br><pre>** sometimes you win, and sometimes you learn **</pre><p>

Oh oh--you said [color:blue]diversity</font color=blue> <br><br> Alas, poor Yorick. -- Hamlet

Hehe shes only lived there less than 15 years after she married a doctor and got all la di da. She won't tell people there what humble beginnings she has. We are the poor folks. Wait until we come down to visit. We should chew tobacco. <br><br>[color:red]"... gonna bop you with this here lollipop...!"</font color=red>

Well, so you never popped over the hill to Beserkley? Plenty of folks there with different ideas walking around. <br><br>I kind of like the Walnut Creek area, nice landscape with Mt. Diablo in the distance. I used to live on the other side of all of that -- in the Valley. Sacramento, Stockton and Modesto. HOT! Did a stint in Petaluma as well for a few years, nice area. But, I would imagine that these days just about any major metropolitan area has housing prices that are pretty high and difficult for people to afford. I don't know how people can afford the million dollar + ones, let alone anything over 500K. It is pretty insane. <br><br>