OK, that’s it - I’m moving to Texas.
The NAR (National Association of Realtors for you dyslexic folks who might think it’s the gun club) announced that in the last quarter of 2008, the price of homes across the U.S. fell over 12% year over year (since 4th quarter 2007). Apparently, that’s the worst since 1979.
It always amazes me when they start talking about the average price for homes across the U.S. how unbelievably LOW it already is. This is because yours truly lives in mega-expensive Los Angeles. For awhile, the 2 bedroom houses around us were over a half million dollars - and I don’t live in no Beverly Hills. I also get a little ticked off when people from the Midwest are complaining about their gas prices - try move to California (or how about Hawaii!) and pay 30-40 cents above whatever your price is now.
Anyhow, the Eeekconomy with all it’s foreclosure frenzy has dragged the prices down significantly. I guess this might be a good thing if you’re looking to buy a house come springtime. Get your bargain shoes on. In Riverside, which is pretty far east of where we live, the price drop was FORTY percent. Holy H.R. Pufnstuf!
But there was one area of Texas, however, where home prices actually went UP like 17%. But even if it did go up, I know you can get a three bedroom house in some areas in Texas for like Absolut peanuts. And I don’t mean to pick on Texas - actually, I’ve heard that Austin is quite the happening place.
However, before I consider moving there, I’m going to have to see if a short Asian me can get away with wearing a cowboy hat and spurs. Yee-hah?
[Editor’s Note: I wonder if I will also have to be taking the beans out of my homemade chili in order to apply for residency in Texas. See the Cheap Eats poll.]
Source: CNNnnnn
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February 12th, 2009 at 12:01 pm
And my family was trying to get me to buy a house in California in 2005. HA! Even with the way prices have dropped there, they’ve still gone from obcene to merely unaffordable.
I liked Texas, though I only saw the southeast corner of it. I was there a few months, and didn’t have any complaints. Other that the rain. At least in August, near the coast, it pours down rain every day at 2pm for a couple hours. Every day. That’s probably not a problem farther inland.
February 12th, 2009 at 1:47 pm
Texans LOVE beans!!!!! We are raised on them!!!! If you take beans out your chili you might offend a few people!!!
February 12th, 2009 at 1:55 pm
@holly - I have a large amount of friends who are or were considering moving to Austin. I know that job cuts and such are occuring everywhere, but still the housing is just so much more affordable over there. We were lucky and got our house in 1998 when prices were still reasonable. Otherwise, I might be looking to call myself a Texan as well…
February 12th, 2009 at 3:36 pm
I couldn’t stand the weather in Texas because the heat drives me insane. I’d rather be cold, but then that’s because I was born in Pennsylvania.
The mid-westerners complain about their relatively low gas prices because of their matching low salaries. Making $55,000 in California is equivalent to making about $20,000 in other areas. The cost of living is just so high across the board in California, but you do get paid better as a compensation. Of course, that doesn’t actually work to compensate for the insane housing market in some areas, but I’m guessing you’d rather pay to live in California than live cheaply in someplace like Minnesota.
February 12th, 2009 at 5:05 pm
@cristina - yeah, you know what - I believe that is just another stereotype that Texans make only all-meat chili. Every person from Texas I’ve talked to likes beans in it. It’s weird…
@orchid - the one time I flew in for a stopover in Dallas, it was blastingly hot. But I’m sort of used to that from SoCal. I know the pay is supposed to be better here, but the thing is that I don’t work for any one company, so a lot of the pay is not “based on Calif standards”. So I’m sorta screwed there! But yes, I complain a lot about California but enjoy the 60-70 deg F winters when all the other states are freezing. =)
February 13th, 2009 at 7:03 am
@Bryan - I’m glad your house was a reasonable price, and that you didn’t get caught up in all this nonsense. I was too young to buy a house in ‘98, being 17 then, so I didn’t have any delusions that I could buy a house there after prices started going up. I was worried I couldn’t afford to rent something there.
Everyone talks about how you make more money in California, but it really depends on what field you’re in. I have a retail job, so I transferred to another store when I moved. They told me my pay would drop 25 cents an hour, but before I started my annual 50 cent raise kicked in. So I’m making more than I was, but I suppose not as much as I would be now if I had stayed. My husband works in security, and starting pay was higher at his new job in Illinois than starting pay at his old job in CA. In July IL minimum wage will be the same as CA minimum wage, and by next year it will be higher here than there.
BTW, the winters aren’t so bad if you rent a place where heat is included!