All Forum Posts by: Jon Martin

Quote from @Luke Carl:

It's free isn't it? How can you give a negative review about something for free that doesn't sound cool?

 There are lots of reviews on Yelp for county jails, which fit your parameters above ;)

Quote from @Nicholas L.:

@Brian Schroeder

It's a good question.  I think the WFH revolution was overstated, as a lot of companies are pulling people back into the office.  Even if you're 1 day a week in the office / 4 from home... that means you need to live near the office.  

Not necessarily. If you only have to drive in 1 day/week, a 1-2 hour each way commute is a lot more palatable if you can work 4 days/week at home and live somewhere you really like. Even at 2 days/week I could push 60-90 minutes from the office if needed. Everyone has different thresholds for this sort of thing. 

City rules can still override this, correct? 

If you are in a high property tax state, and those taxes are determined by your purchase price, then it certainly does. Lots of California buyers in the last few years have locked into their property taxes at a high price that they will have a hard time shaking. Whereas if rates go up and purchase price dips, there's a chance to lock your taxes in at a lower price and hope to REFI later. 

In California it has certainly made a difference. Or at the very least, the trend in pricing is in line with the growth of remote work. There has been an exodus of professionals from San Francisco. Cities like Santa Rosa (1ish hour North) that were a bit too far to commute with traffic have seen their average home price double in the last 5 years. Where I live on the Central Coast, what were once the somewhat affordable communities that are a 10-30 minute drive from the primo cities are now close to a million. Farming communities along the 101 that have traditionally been less desirable (Santa Maria, King City, Soledad) are now $500K+, and cities in the Central Valley are going that way too. It's bonkers. 

Quote from @Colleen F.:

@Jon Hundley you have a couple options. Rent as a one bedroom only when you aren't there and lock off your room. Rent as a two bedroom and vacate completely each time you leave. If you are always gone on Weekends could be a good fit. Consider if the association lets you STR and if they let you use electronic locks so you don't have issues getting keys to people.

Absolutely agree with this. Keeps the cleaning simple and cheap, and ensures that your room is exactly how you left it and your belongings safe no matter what happens. 

Plus weekends are going to be your bread and butter anyway, so this strategy could work great. 

Market price is dynamic, not static, and is based on what people are willing to pay at that moment. If more homes than not are showing a similar trend, then that is the new market price.

Just when you thought traffic and congestion couldn't get any worse in Santa Cruz (and every other CA beach community) . .. . . Yikes!

Quote from @Amy L. Pagels:

You're welcome Amy! I ordered my couch and dressers from Living Spaces. Their prices are pretty reasonable (~$1K for a 3-seater, closer to $2K for a larger sectional) and I have not been charged extra for any of the holding costs. They have everything and also have a decent clearance section. Also, I think even Wayfair has the white glove option, might be worth speaking with their pro customer service. 

Yes, the mover I found on Thumbtack has been a huge help and he's been my go to odd job/handyman guy. 

Try to order from companies that actually bring stuff indoors, or at least with the option to upgrade to "white glove" or "over-the-threshold" delivery. Usually this requires the merchant to sub out the delivery to some kind of logistics company that specializes in this sort of thing and allows for exact date delivery, whereas if its UPS delivering for Amazon they will only leave it on the front door at whatever date ultimately works for them. Some of these companies will hold on to your furniture for you until a specific date, even if that gets pushed back. XPO has been holding on to my Living Spaces order for several months and they haven't charged me any kind of fees, and it is easy to reschedule with them. 

If you are ordering random stuff from all over, the best you can do is time the shipments for your arrival and hope for the best. I'd recommend trying to find a mover on Thumbtack to help, and if the person turns out well then maybe you can trust them to drag boxes inside and other set up tasks if anything shows up after you leave. You will also have a mountain of cardboard to dispose of, so you may as well have that person haul that out for you as well.