Would a single mid 20s guy fit In in Santa Barbara? (San Diego: condo, mortgages)

[kchui1028]

I'm living in SF right now and considering moving to Santa Barbara & buying a home there. I've made a considerable amount of money as a startup techie during last year and owning a biz so home price pretty much is not a concern for me.

I am more concerned over the demographic in Santa Barbara as it's mostly college students and retirees from what i've heard and mostly white people and i'm asian.

I prefer to live in Santa Barbara due to its beautiful scenery and the city's well maintenance with tax dollars. i don't have a lot of social life and pretty much a private person so i think it's a nice fit for me.

I'm envy to hear that a lot of people that bought their houses there 10 years ago and have made a huge profit already. I'm just lucky enough to have the chance to own a home there and sit on the money that's most likely will continue to raise after the recession.

Do you think it's a wise choice for me?

[Charles]

If this

Originally Posted by kchui1028

i don't have a lot of social life and pretty much a private person so i think it's a nice fit for me.

then why worry about

Originally Posted by kchui1028

Would a single mid 20s guy fit In in Santa Barbara?

?

But yes, it isn't hard to fit in in Santa Barbara. Since (my alma mater) UCSB is there, Asians on the cityscape aren't unusual.

[allenk893]

Originally Posted by kchui1028

I'm living in SF right now and considering moving to Santa Barbara & buying a home there. I've made a considerable amount of money as a startup techie during last year and owning a biz so home price pretty much is not a concern for me.

I am more concerned over the demographic in Santa Barbara as it's mostly college students and retirees from what i've heard and mostly white people and i'm asian.

I prefer to live in Santa Barbara due to its beautiful scenery and the city's well maintenance with tax dollars. i don't have a lot of social life and pretty much a private person so i think it's a nice fit for me.

I'm envy to hear that a lot of people that bought their houses there 10 years ago and have made a huge profit already. I'm just lucky enough to have the chance to own a home there and sit on the money that's most likely will continue to raise after the recession.

Do you think it's a wise choice for me?

I don't think it's a wise choice for you to buy in Santa Barbara for one, cost, being a young man, childless, with no partner, and just starting his life. Unless your going to UCSB I can't see what Santa Barbara would offer you. If you are going to buy a home or consider buying a condo, I would look into the San Diego market. It's less expensive than Santa Barbara and is bigger, livelier, more people your age, more universities, great weather, and the housing market will be in huge demand in the future because of global cooling.

[Brenda-by-the-sea]

You're not in the usual category of dream seekers. You apparently have the financial means to achieve what you're dreaming of. If you have a good amount of experience with Santa Barbara and you know that it sits well with your soul, I'd say go for what you want. Most people aren't in a position to move wherever they feel like living; you are. If you later find that it doesn't suit you, then you can move again. And while those who bought homes 10 years ago may have reaped a good amount of equity, many of those who bought homes 5 years ago have mortgages that are costing them more than their homes are worth, so you may be lucky that you didn't buy earlier. This could be a good time to buy if you do your research and make a careful selection.

[sms1967]

If you truly don't need the typical social life of a young adult. Hard to beat the beauty.

[zitsky]

Originally Posted by kchui1028

I'm living in SF right now and considering moving to Santa Barbara & buying a home there. I've made a considerable amount of money as a startup techie during last year and owning a biz so home price pretty much is not a concern for me.

I am more concerned over the demographic in Santa Barbara as it's mostly college students and retirees from what i've heard and mostly white people and i'm asian.

I prefer to live in Santa Barbara due to its beautiful scenery and the city's well maintenance with tax dollars. i don't have a lot of social life and pretty much a private person so i think it's a nice fit for me.

I'm envy to hear that a lot of people that bought their houses there 10 years ago and have made a huge profit already. I'm just lucky enough to have the chance to own a home there and sit on the money that's most likely will continue to raise after the recession.

Do you think it's a wise choice for me?

Remember, 10 years ago was the end of the last bubble. Folks that made money made it because they bought in 2000-01 and maybe sold between 06-08. You're not likely to make a "huge profit" through buying a house and selling it again in a year or two. What do you define as huge profit anyway? If there is one thing that the last 10 years should have taught you is that that are no guarantees, and prices and values do NOT necessarily go up. If prices always go up, then why are we in this situation where people owe more on their homes than they are worth. I bet they thought that their houses would always go up too. They bought at the end of a recession, just like you plan to do. I've also bought property during this time, and have broken even one one, make a little money on another, etc.

I assume you have visited Santa Barbara before? I think it's a nice place. You could always go down to LA if you needed a little night life. It's a great place for beauty, enjoying nature, etc. I think SB is one area I would consider moving to (I lived south of SF), but I'd feel too cut off from the night life and events happening in LA. Have you also considered places like Carlsbad? It's also beautiful and closer to activities that you might occasionally want to do.

If you really have made a lot of money and can spend/invest it wisely than I suggest going for it and following your dream. Who knows, things could change and you may not be in a position to make this move down the road. If you've already pushed aside so money for retirement, and have a lot left over, then you probably have more than enough left for a down payment on a house. In your case, you might even have enough to buy the whole house.

[LASam]

You made enough in tech in one year to buy a house in Santa Barbara? I'm really wasting my time as a CPA!

[DeusEx]

If you're a typical mid-20s guy, fyi SB's social life is pretty much non-existent. The only real social scene is UCSB which you're unlikely to actually get into, not being a college student (even the students apparently don't hang out anywhere else). Are you retiring? If not, and you're still into the tech scene, why leave SF?

[kchui1028]

Originally Posted by DeusEx

If you're a typical mid-20s guy, fyi SB's social life is pretty much non-existent. The only real social scene is UCSB which you're unlikely to actually get into, not being a college student (even the students apparently don't hang out anywhere else). Are you retiring? If not, and you're still into the tech scene, why leave SF?

i want to leave SF because i feel it's time for me to move on.. I never really get attached with SF even though I grew up here, as most of my friends are leaving, there's little point for me to stay here alone anymore. I would rather start my life anew at somewhere else.

I am looking for a home that has a Mediterranean-feel Spanish style to it. They look very relaxing and inviting to me.. Anyone know where I can find those houses in California?

Also, I am not looking to flip houses so I am really looking for a house that i could settle down for at least 10 years, so location is very important to me.

[Roaddog]

Would a single mid 20s guy fit In in Santa Barbara?

Well I would think if you were in your late 20's or a teenager you would fit in but I'm afraid there are no people in Santa Barbara in their mid 20's.

Ha ha J/K