Why are houses more inexpensive in Houston and Austin?  Those homes are gorgeous and I have seen cheesier looking homes here in the Valley for the same price, if not MORE??????
209488
what he said...check the location...is it near schools, places where ppl work...or near bars...nuclear power plants etc...things that can raise the value of your home etc are good like schools...power plants bad.
610662
i believe Honolulu, Hawaii has the highest cost of living for the USA.. I believe San Francisco is second......i live in the Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX area..we have a very reasonable cost of living here as does most of TX, because we have no state income tax, and because real estate taxes are pretty low, compared to the rest of the USA.. we generally have no snow days here either--i have been here 32 yrs, and have not shoveled snow in that time ..32 yrs..WOW
406331
I ran a search on houses for rent right now in those areas. Fresno is looking to be around $1000, maybe a bit less. Monterey is looking to be around $2000 +
341538
Thanks for posting this.  I live in the Houston area.  Do you live there too?
649664
Tempe and Scottsdale are not that far apart from each other, so there should not be any real difference except that Tempe is probably a little less expensive.  Chandler is off in the other direction going south and seems to be away from the action in my opinion.  If you're looking for a place that is unique but still affordable and the cost of living is a little bit less, try Arrowhead Ranch in the Glendale area.  More specifically, look into Arrowhead Lakes where I have my home.  It is one of the few areas in Maricopa County where you can have your own boat on your own private lake with fishing (catch and release), hiking trails nearby, the Loop 101 at your back door and have the prestige of living in a well kept community (Homeowners Association) without the hassles of a gated community.  It is quiet since it's tucked away from the main roads but still close to everything you'd want as far as shopping, malls, businesses, etc.  It's located north of the Loop 101 and is bordered on the west by 59th Ave. and on the east by 51st Ave (which more or less dead-ends into the mountain).  Anyway, that's my input! :)
59271
Here are two resources that might be useful to you: 1) for job, check out jobrobots.com, It has over 600,000+ fresh job listings posted within last 3 weeks aggregated from multiple career sites in the US including monster, hotjobs and careerbuilder etc. so you can compare austin and bay area 2) House. Checking out housingrobots.com, it will give you an idea on house price and features. Good luck.
192505
Cost of living rates do vary from state to state, or should I say region to region. When I lived in Boston, Mass, I paid $680/month for a 2 bedroom apartment, and made $9.00/hour as a clinical assistant at an HMO. I moved to South Carolina, and they were willing to pay me $6.5/hour to do the same job, but only if I became certified as a nurse's assistant. At the same time, a 2 bedroom apartment could be had for around $400.00/month. The housing costs here are very varied, depending upon the area. We've had a major growth in population and industry over the past few years, and the cost of living has changed also. I paid about 3/4s of what my sister paid for her house outside of Boston, Ma, and I have more land, and more square footage. It's all relative. As to ebay, it's all about capitalism. Is it fair that I can purchase something for $20.00 and then sell it for $30.00 to someone who lives in a rural area with no Wal-Mart? I guess that it all comes down to the old notion of supply and demand. If I want something badly enough, I will pay whatever is asked for it. That is what capitalism is all about. America, ya gotta love it.
598997
A buyer's market?? I think it depends on the housing market you are in. In some markets, sales are still going strong, while in others, there is more inventory on the market than willing and able buyers. So I would say it depends on the market It appears you are in Dallas Tx, I think Dallas is at an equilibrium right now, but what I would do would be to do what a buyer does when they are about to buy a house and look at CMA - comparable market analysis to see what similar homes sold for, I would also look at what similar homes currently on the market are selling for. In doing this, I would see how my property stacks against those currently on the market, price per sq ft of my property to the others. I would also do an  add/subtract on price with other properties. So if I have a pool and the current market cost of putting in a pool is 60K, then to compare my property to others, I would take that out of my cost. Finally I would look at the days on market for each of the homes currently on the market. Based on the information uncovered, then determine if its a buyer or sellers market. Hope this helps and best wishes with your home sale if you decide to go ahead with it.
74598
Go to Texas.  Much more reasonable cost of living.
96930
Keep checking the local listings, I have a friend who got an awesome 1 bedroom that was just off campus, and it was cheap.  Unfortunately he still lives there so his place won't be for rent any time soon.   You will love Chapel Hill and Franklin Street.   Just watch out for the crazy Jeep drivers.
52630
I'm in Dallas (well, Irving actually), but I love Austin.  The music scene is much better there, and the nightlife is great. A little pricier than life in Dallas though.
267260
Hi 90802!\nNow that the housing market is finally looking up, it's the perfect time to seek out a new place to live. This summer you need to shake off that "lucky I even have my folks to live with" mentality, polish up your shoes, and explore your living quarters options! There are fun, flexible, fantastic places out there just waiting for someone like you!\nNow, get out there and pound the pavement. Beat on some doors until you latch onto that incredible tree house or fort you always wanted!\n(I heard the LongBeach area is a great place to find a cardboard box near a dumpster behind the pizza joint?)\n-Kenny
616046
Ever see "Flip This House"?  Good money. Good investment...if you're in the right neighborhoods.  I would look more towards the rural areas where city growth is being pushed...especially around lakes, within reasonable drive to cities. Buy the houses instead of working for someone else & making them the real profit.
632832
I was just in VA last week and picked up a paper, I thought it was free. I don't remember the name but it has thousand of classified ads in there. The paper was all over different businesses. I seen an ad in there for a farm house with 7 bedrooms for 800.00 a month. I was going to Winchester and I believe that paper covered the Fredericksburg area. Not to mention, I walked out with the paper and seen the  1.35 cost for it uuukkk! I thought those classified papers were free.It did have a lot of rentals, if you're seeking a mobile home try to buy it with owner financing it.for you. You'll;; be better off , going that route..
202741
Phoenix would be cheaper and more fun. Southern Cali is a zoo. Traffic is largest downfall and rent/property is outrageous. We recently moved to central California and is nice yet is too getting expensive. We are back here in Arizona for a break from the rat-race of California.Have relatives we often visit in Southern Cali and are looking forward to moving up near us in the sacramento area for better traffic,cheaper homes,and less smog. Best advice is take some time to explore before settling in.
15305
I have been mulling over the same question. I have decided that the bubble is more hyped up then it should be and that if anything prices will drop a bit or rmain the same over the next year or two. I'm just going to bite the bullet and buy a half million dollar property, i'm probably going to buy in Glendale in the next two months.\n\nGood Luck finding the right house!
40970
Hello Tathagat,\n  I got this link from Googling, "Chateaux I II III", I suggest you follow up with Rent.com. I would also do a Mapquest, find nearby businesses and call them directly to ask what type of area it is. Good luck\n\nhttp://www.rent.com/apartments/texas/houston-and-vicinity/houston/442888/