How do people in the Bay Area LIVE?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know several decent families who share bedrooms with their school age kids.

I live in SF and have lived here over a dozen years. I don't know ANY parents who share bedrooms with school age kids. I shared a studio with DD when she was born, but we moved to a one bedroom when she was 5. I know a couple handfuls of families where the siblings share bedrooms with each other.

So you probably bought before it was so expensive and associate with friends with similar background.

Bought? Lol, I can't afford to BUY. I rent, in a rent-controlled building. I associate with people who work at Google and other tech firms, partners in law firms, bartenders, graphic designers, public defenders, non-profits helping homeless transgender young adults (yup, there's a non profit for that), public school teachers, editors, etc.

[Anonymous]

I know a lot of younger families (i.e. people in their 30s with babies through school aged kids) who live in the bay area.

If they own, some live in condos or small 2 bedroom houses with their kids sharing a room. Some send their kids to schools that don't have the best test scores, doing their research and finding a diverse school that has otherwise attractive qualities, like an involved PTA. Some rent. If you can lock in on rent control, it can be a good deal.

A lot of people with kids who aren't in school yet live all the way out in Pittsburg/Baypoint where you can rent a 3 bedroom house for less than a 1 bedroom apartment in San Francisco/Berkeley/Oakland.

Some commute 1+ hours a day. A lot of people at my work who live further way come in after 10-11 to avoid traffic, since we are a pretty flexible workplace. Some people work from home, or only come into the office a few times a week depending on the nature of their work.

Lots of people have two tech salaries (or other high professional salaries) and buy their house through stock options.

[Anonymous]

You’re competing with people who make the same amount or more in base salary plus six or seven figure cash bonuses on the regular. That is where the all cash offers are coming from. Come on, you must know that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You’re competing with people who make the same amount or more in base salary plus six or seven figure cash bonuses on the regular. That is where the all cash offers are coming from. Come on, you must know that.

Actually, a lot of the cash offers come from overseas buyers (mostly Chinese) and form people who made a ton of money on their last house.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You’re competing with people who make the same amount or more in base salary plus six or seven figure cash bonuses on the regular. That is where the all cash offers are coming from. Come on, you must know that.

Most techworkers are not regularly making high-6 or 7 figure cash bonuses. Though low 6 figure isn't unheard of. To the extent that non-executive tech workers are getting that kind of compensation, they are getting some fraction of it in stock. But the number of people making those salaries, even in the Bay Area, is relatively small.

The problem is there isn't enough housing for all of the people who live here, and almost everyone feels stretched thin. I am literally the only person I know who doesn't feel this way, and I have a $700K HHI and bought during the downturn with a lot of amassed savings.

[Anonymous]

700k hhi. My.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know several decent families who share bedrooms with their school age kids.

I live in SF and have lived here over a dozen years. I don't know ANY parents who share bedrooms with school age kids. I shared a studio with DD when she was born, but we moved to a one bedroom when she was 5. I know a couple handfuls of families where the siblings share bedrooms with each other.

I live in SF & know literally zero kids with siblings who have their own bedrooms.

[Anonymous]

It's all relative OP. I felt that way about DC when I moved here from OH.

[Anonymous]

The food alone is worth the less space.

[Anonymous]

Waiting for the Big One? No thanks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not that different form here Op. the middle class people in this area do drive from Prince William county or Frederick or even PA or WV. Dual income
Couples making $350k are living in very ordinary $1 million 3 bedroom 2 bath homes in Bethesda, Arlington or DC.

SNORT

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not that different form here Op. the middle class people in this area do drive from Prince William county or Frederick or even PA or WV. Dual income
Couples making $350k are living in very ordinary $1 million 3 bedroom 2 bath homes in Bethesda, Arlington or DC.

SNORT

I know, right? For a million in the Bay area you might get a studio apartment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I live in SF. I make under six figures and live in a tiny one bedroom. Rent control, though even with that I'll be priced out in a few years. Do you go on vacation a couple of times a year? I don't. I don't really even leave the city. I don't buy fancy things.

But sometimes I reserve one of the conference rooms at work that faces the Bay Bridge and I look at it and am grateful I'm here. Or I go to the Ferry Building on my lunch hour. Or I go for a little hike through GG Park. Three times a week in winter there's a farmer's market I can easily get to.

While sure, I wish to hell I had a bathtub and a dishwasher, I'm not wishing for a McMansion. I'm satisfied shopping at Old Navy and Target's clearance racks. Would I like to have a 2 bedroom condo? Yes. Would I like to be able to shop at Macys? Yes. But I'm okay with how things are. I can do what I want, and not worry one bit about what's popular. People like me for who I am here, not how I dress.

Your life sounds sad.

[Anonymous]

My friends who live there all have a combined HHI in the mid to high six figures (most also come from well off families). My best friend and her DH just bought a 3 bedroom condo for like $2.8mm. It's crazy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I live in SF. I make under six figures and live in a tiny one bedroom. Rent control, though even with that I'll be priced out in a few years. Do you go on vacation a couple of times a year? I don't. I don't really even leave the city. I don't buy fancy things.

But sometimes I reserve one of the conference rooms at work that faces the Bay Bridge and I look at it and am grateful I'm here. Or I go to the Ferry Building on my lunch hour. Or I go for a little hike through GG Park. Three times a week in winter there's a farmer's market I can easily get to.

While sure, I wish to hell I had a bathtub and a dishwasher, I'm not wishing for a McMansion. I'm satisfied shopping at Old Navy and Target's clearance racks. Would I like to have a 2 bedroom condo? Yes. Would I like to be able to shop at Macys? Yes. But I'm okay with how things are. I can do what I want, and not worry one bit about what's popular. People like me for who I am here, not how I dress.

Your life sounds sad.

It sounds sad to you because you prioritize different things than I do.