Colin Dunn
Supporting Actor
Todd -
I'm actually looking in the $125K-$155K price range, not up to $175K ... so that rules out many of the existing homes on the market here (priced from $170K-$250K). There are plenty of $100/sq. ft. neighborhoods here, but I'm avoiding them like the plague. If I made twice as much, I'd have a billion choices in houses right now...
It isn't just semiconductors, but the whole information-technology industry that has collapsed. In retrospect, I wish I'd bailed out of this industry when times were good; all investment bubbles end up destroying the industry that boomed (oil in the early '80s, aerospace in the early '90s). I really have no way of increasing my earnings. Either I will hang on to my current job and stay put, end up in a lesser job, or end up driven out of the industry altogether. So I'm looking to downgrade to a smaller place and a longer commute to improve my cash flow by about $500-600 per month. The higher-end options at $155K would only save me $350 per month.
At least I made my last car payment this week ... another $350 per month I can hang onto...
It's tempting to go for option #3 because it costs essentially the same as option 1, but has lots of room to spread out. However, I don't think I could take in roommates to defray expenses, since the house is way at the outskirts of the metro area. (And not to mention, I like my privacy...)
I'm actually looking in the $125K-$155K price range, not up to $175K ... so that rules out many of the existing homes on the market here (priced from $170K-$250K). There are plenty of $100/sq. ft. neighborhoods here, but I'm avoiding them like the plague. If I made twice as much, I'd have a billion choices in houses right now...
It isn't just semiconductors, but the whole information-technology industry that has collapsed. In retrospect, I wish I'd bailed out of this industry when times were good; all investment bubbles end up destroying the industry that boomed (oil in the early '80s, aerospace in the early '90s). I really have no way of increasing my earnings. Either I will hang on to my current job and stay put, end up in a lesser job, or end up driven out of the industry altogether. So I'm looking to downgrade to a smaller place and a longer commute to improve my cash flow by about $500-600 per month. The higher-end options at $155K would only save me $350 per month.
At least I made my last car payment this week ... another $350 per month I can hang onto...
It's tempting to go for option #3 because it costs essentially the same as option 1, but has lots of room to spread out. However, I don't think I could take in roommates to defray expenses, since the house is way at the outskirts of the metro area. (And not to mention, I like my privacy...)