That sounds like great advice @Sam Craven, whenever I watch those flipping shows on TV they always want to estimate cheap and accomplish the job in like minutes, why don't they estimate high and try to finish the job in something more realistic.

You might also check on CL as sometimes builders buy stuff and have too many and sell cheap.

For some cheap entertainment read some of the comments.

Buy a cheap "beater" for a few thousand then unload it for cheap when I'm done?

Colleges, especially college housing, are very skewed by financial support figures and cheap Government money.Additional housing in your area wouldn't hurt rents as much as it would decrease dorm occupancy.

In my area, the median price for all housing is roughly $90K.The cost of the mosaics is cheap enough that it's hardly NOT worth doing.

Houses are cheap.

We also have areas where land is cheap and you can build sprawling homes relatively cheap.

That said... if you can pick something up on the cheap for your personal residence in La Jolla, Birdrock, or North PB... you will be very stoked.

I guess you can't expect a cheap switch from China to last forever.