一. 我真需要买房吗？
2024年8月3日
近来“买房”这个事总是缠着我。它是一种生活理念，一种生活方式，还是一种生活手段，我真有点搞不清，感觉好像这件事和自己隔了一层。父母说我不正常，读书读傻了，说这是常识，是人的本能，还说有点远见的人工作落实后的第一件事就是买房子。我大概需要有更具体的理由和事实来说服自己，因为此刻我似乎并没感到有那种需要。五年前到斯坦福做fellow（专科实习）时，在离斯坦福校园大约3英里的地方租了套一卧室的公寓，住到现在，一点没有感到什么不方便的。我的住房总面积有700多平方英尺，环境优雅，装修很现代化，有游泳池，可以骑车到斯坦福，每月租金不到 $3000。因为我很忙，除按时缴房租外，从不找房东的麻烦，五年里租金未涨过，疫情期间还给我降了几百元。当学生时住这里，工作了住这里，结婚了也住这里，学习，工作，生活的要求好像都能满足。如果长期按这种租赁的方式居住，可以减少多少麻烦，省多少钱啊！
2024年8月10日
xxx在旧金山市区买了套公寓，xxx在纽约曼哈顿的哥伦比亚大学附近买了套公寓，xxx在我们附近买了一套独居房 . . .，同龄好友都在忙着干这个事情，感觉有点不妙。我得认知思考一下买房到底有什么好处。
2024年8月11 日
有一种说法，买房的好处是可以省税。在硅谷，收入中等偏上一点的年轻夫妇，一年交的州税和联邦税会有三十几万。如果借贷款买房，利息部分的免税额度和房地产税的减免，可以把总收入拉下一个税务档次因而少交税，据说这是传统的避税方法。我对此认真地算了一下。如果在这里买一套 $300万的房子，首付 $100万，借 $200万贷款，按7%的年利息，每年付贷款利息14万，付房地产税3万，这些都是可以减免的税务花费，这样一来每年的总收入可以掉下来17万。按美国税法，2025年美国已婚夫妇税率与应税收入共有7个等级，根据收入的不同，赋税率 从10% 到37%：
10% ：$0 - $23,850
12% ：$23,851 - $96,950
22% ：$96,951 - $206,700
24% ：$206,701 - $394,600
32% ：$394,601 - $501,050
35% ：$501,051 - $751,600
37% ：总收入超过 $751,601
很容易算出，我们这个收入水平的家庭，因买房而导致总收入的下降对纳税总量的影响有限，远远小于拥有住房的花费。例如，从上表中可以看出，不管收入处于哪一档的税率，扣掉17万的税务减免，都不可能一下子往下跨越两档税率。如果只跨越一档的话，最多可以在总的税务减免中获得8%的税率下降，那是不超过4万元的总值，如果不巧的话，连下一档的税率都跨不出去，而这17万却是硬当当的付出。所以，买房避税，对于我们来说，不像是一个很靠谱的优点。
2024年8月17日
另一个说法，买房是一种可靠的投资。老一辈的经验告诉我们，工薪阶层的人到老年时财富差别的原因，除了工作的稳定性和升迁机会之外，大多数是归结于房地产投资和股市证劵投资的机会和能力，而前者比后者更安全可靠，特别是在加州这样的地方。例如，2000年美国房地产的中位价格是 $111,960，加州湾区房地产的中位价是 $211,500，到了2024年美国房地产的中位价是 $420,400. 加州湾区房地产的中位价是 $1,316,500。24年中，美国房地产价值增长3.7倍，加州湾区房地产价值增长6.2倍。虽然房地产市场会有波动，但从长远来看，房地产价值的总趋势是向上升的。这个说法被绝大多数人认同。
2024年8月18 日
我知道，在中国，房子对年轻人来说是多么重要。没有房子，结不成婚，情侣分裂的比比皆是。不少人从文化传统，社会压力攀比心理，经济因素，市场和政策的驱动来进行分析。
美国年轻人的想法和做法有很大不同。不要说年轻人，美国很多成年人，老年人都愉快地住在出租房中，他们大多数人并没有感到压力和被歧视。据统计, 在美国租房住的人占总人口的34%。这里有很多原因，下面是从我的角度观察到的一个心理原因。
美国人从小在自由，自我为中心的教育环境中长大，所以他们总以自己的意志为生活的主线，受别人影响的程度不深，而且主观上也不愿意受别人的影响，在不成熟的时候是这样，在成熟了以后也是这样。年轻时，不少人按照自己的想法，从一个工作到另一个工作，一个城市到另一个城市，一个国家到另一个国家，一种思想到另一种思想，有的甚至从一个配偶到另一个配偶，他们认为活得很潇洒，活出了人的个性，这种感觉在很多时候超过了对积累财产的迷恋。然而，在我的阅读中看到，并在生活中也观察到，一个拥有这种想法的美国年轻人如果顺利地越过了中年，或者到了老年，他们中不少人仍然羡慕犹太人，亚洲人在貌似无趣的年轻时代所积累的财富。有一种观点认为，当一个人开始认真考虑买房，是自由派思想转向保守派思想的开始，所以人们说，“当你认真研究你的收入和支出的账单时，你就成了保守派。”从生理学规律来说，人都是要成熟的，那就是说，人最终都要转向保守？那么自由派存在的意义又在什么地方呢？就像脸上的青春痘吗？
2024年8月20日
算来算去，突然感觉到很惭愧。我好像忘记了人生活的基本意义，积累财富到底是为了什么？
对我目前的状态，在买房动机上最具有说服力的，可能还不是对积累财富的考量，而是下面这个看法：拥有属于自己的住房，可以有形无形地提升一个家庭的生活品质。我想，支持这种看法的论据大概有这样几点：
1.拥有自己的房产可以使家的感觉更具体化。那是一个保护你和你最在乎的人的壳，也大概也是世界上唯一的地方，可以进去躲避外部世界对你和家人的干扰。
2.对家庭成员精神层次的益处，例如对儿女。我的学心理学的同学告诉我，有研究表明，住在自己房子里长大的孩子比住在出租房里长大的孩子更有安全感，更容易具有爱心和责任感。
3.有了属于自己的房子，会在生活中增加了一个值得你真正爱的东西。
人在世界上需要被爱，也需要付出爱。然而，不管嘴上的表达得多么漂亮，人在世界上值得你真正去爱的东西其实并不多。除了你的家庭，你的事业，你的兴趣之外，拥有自己的房子会扩大你爱的内容。
2024年8月21日
我们决定买房，争取在半年之内有一个结果。
二. 与世界高科技中心并存的住房条件
2024年8月22日
硅谷大多数房子不但贵，而且旧。租房住还不觉得，买房时才感到和其他城市不一样。就说南加州的圣地亚哥，橙县，甚至洛杉矶地区，中产家庭居住的比较像样点的社区，很多房子都是近一，二十年内造的，房屋结构和屋内的设施布局都比较新，宽大的社区街道，规整的绿化，给人生活在现代的感觉。这里不一样，市场上推出的房产，大多数是1960，1950，甚至1940年代建造的，即使进行过认真的油漆，摆放了很时髦的家具，各处还是透露出房旧的痕迹。有人开玩笑：“这里房子吸引人的地方是那些用作Staging（房屋装潢）的家具摆设。”
硅谷地区的大多数房子建于1950年到1980年之间。这是因为第二次世界大战以后，北加州湾区的科技行业快速发展，同时由于美国经济的增长迅速，在加州湾区出现了郊区居住的热潮，人们都愿意离开城市的喧闹和拥挤搬到郊区居住。为满足需求，成千上万的住房在这个地区很快建造起来，占据了这里的主要建筑空间。以后，由于分区法律（Zoning laws）的严格限制，邻避主义（NIMBYism）的盛行，使新房建造面临重重困难而行动迟缓。同时在这一地区取得建房许可证的麻烦，和劳动力成本的升高，以及住户们追求居住特色和邻里认同心理，一定程度上阻碍了新社区的发展。年复一年，这里建造新房的脚步越来越缓慢。需求大于供给推高了房价，实质上是推高了地价，使这里的土地价格远远高于房子的建造价格。例如，在圣地亚哥，房子的地价占总房价的25%至30%，在硅谷，房子的地价占总房价的75%至90%。在硅谷买房子，主要就是买块地。 同样结构形式和建造水平的普通住房，这里的价格要比南加州要高出1百万到2百万。要知道，南加州的房价在美国也是令人咂舌的！
2024年8月23日
父母对我们买房的决定十分高兴也十分支持，其实也是他们催化了这个决定。他们凭自己的经验，提醒我们选择房子的一些注意事项。对这些经验之谈，我们在自己以往的生活中隐约有所感觉，但要把这些感觉条理化为实际行动的标准，目前我们还做不到。因此我只管记住并执行这些注意事项就行。其中主要的大概有这样几条。
1. 离工作地方不能太远。
不少人希望居住在价格便宜环境优良的高质量社区中，不惜增加每天通勤的时间和成本。他们认为这是最傻的事情。我认同者种观点，希望我的家距工作地点不超过10英里。
2. 越新越好。
这虽是个无可非议的条件，其中有些原因是我们还不能认识到的，如管道，电线线路老化问题，房屋隔热隔声措施，建筑的抗震标准的不同等等。我知道，想在硅谷找到价格适合的新房子难度很大，这要碰运气。
3. 考虑学区。
为了下一代，毋容置疑。
4. 离山，树林，水，高压电线不要太近。
靠山，靠树林近，火灾的可能性大，这是加州特色，很有可能买不到房屋保险。靠水近，除了正常房屋保险，还需要购买水患保险。高压线附近电磁场对人体和家用电子设备的影响，虽然是未知的，但是那架势看起来很吓人。
5. 进出不要有太多不便，最好是南北朝向。
即使房子的条件好，进出住房或小区如果有大坡，危险弯道等，都要认真权衡，因为那是每天都要经历的环境。南北朝向，冬暖夏凉。
我在怀疑，按照这些条件，我们能在这里找到房子吗？
2024年8月24 日
按照“离工作地方不能太远”的要求，我们的搜索范围是，以斯坦福为中心，南北方向都不超过10英里左右的地方。也就是，往南不超过Santa Clara，往北不超过San Mateo。这个范围基本包括了硅谷的所有主要城市。
根据我们目前的经济情况，我们寻找的对象是 $250万左右的独居房。
从这一个周末开始，我们的时间将用来预约看房和看房。心中还是小小地有点激动啊。
2024年9月7日
开始看房两周多了，看了20多处。按照我们的价格和要求，在斯坦福附近4英里左右的地区，也就是现在的住处附近，很难在这个价位上找到比较满意的独居房。在这里，像样一点的房子都是 $400万以上。不少人在这一带（在Cupertino苹果公司总部附近这种情况更多）花 $200万左右买一处难于居住的老旧房，全部推掉重建。这样做要投入很多的时间和精力，好几年的生活内容会受到影响，这不是我们的选择。我们只能避开这一带，往北，往南走远一点。
2024年9月8日
今天试对下面这栋房子正式出价（make offer），虽然对房子并不满意，但是它离斯坦福很近，只有3英里。下面是其简况：
4睡房，2浴室，总居住面积1388平方英尺。建于1951年。要价$210万，我们出价$220万。
2024年9月21 日
昨天出价的房子被拒。该房最后以$230万成交。
今天又看中一处房子。3睡房，2浴室，总居住面积1910平方英尺，建于1951年，要价$170万。性价比好像不错，但离斯坦福有15英里，这是不足之处。我们出价$210万。
2024年9月23 日
上次出价的房子又被拒。该房最后以$240万成交。
2024年10月8 日
今天在房地产网站Zillow广告上看到一栋位于斯坦福附近（Stanford，CA 94305） 的独居住房。这栋房子坐落在斯坦福的地界内，各方面条件都不错，价格却比位于距斯坦福相同距离的同样房子低了近100万，怎么会有这样的好事呢？赶紧去看房出价吧。
2024年10月12 日
一番询问下来才知道缘由。
斯坦福在自己的地界内拥有一些由学校控制的房地产，这些房地产虽然也在市场上公开出售，但需要满足一定的条件并得到学校的批准才能购买。这条件是，买者必须是斯坦福的终身教授。很显然这是斯坦福吸引高端人才到这房价惊人的地方来工作的一个手段。
在询问中我也知道了，斯坦福也有其他一些措施来吸引不具有终身教授以上职位的教师。例如我这类的教师能享受到的福利是，第一次买房可获得斯坦福提供的 $60万贷款。这笔贷款真是像亲娘给的一样：终生无利息，不需要每月付本金，只是在离开斯坦福或者卖房的时候还回所借本金就行。如果你的房子在出售时，或离开斯坦福不出售而进行估价时，房价相对于借款时上涨了，你需要从房子的总收益中交一部分给斯坦福作为贷款的资本收益。这一部分金额其实也不多，是所借贷款的比例对房价总涨幅所贡献份额的10%。这对我买房是个大大的利好。
2024年11月3 日
今天去看了一套房子，在圣卡洛斯（San Carlos），距斯坦福13英里。远了一点，但房子比较大，比较新。4睡房，4浴室，总居住面积2170平方英尺，据介绍是建于2019年。要价$280万。我们进去看了，所有房间都比较暗，设备老旧，完全不像2019年造的新房。询问下来才知道，房子的整体结构是在1946年建造的， 只是在2019年加盖了一个二楼，在那里建了一个100多平方英尺的房间。其优点是面积比较大，后院前院空间也还不错。我们的感觉是，几个月下来也没有看到更好的房子，感觉十分疲乏，情绪有点低落。我们决定就出 $320万试试，如果卖方同意，就要它了。
2024年11月5 日
卖方回复来了，告诉我们要价 $340万。为这套房子，真是不愿再加$20万，就僵在那里。不久被告知，这处房子以 $340万出售。后来父母来看过这套房子后说，这房子$280万都不值，如果当初出价被接受了，宁肯损失10多万的定金也要取消合约。
2024年11月16日
几个月忙下来，还是停留在原地。主要原因是，大部分房子看不中，看得中的房子，争夺很厉害，而且加价也更疯狂。
父母帮我们分析了原因，认为 $250万想在硅谷买到一套我们比较满意的独立房比较困难，因为大部分在这里工作的工薪阶层的经济水平大概就是在这个档次上，使得在这个价位上的竞争尤其激烈。如果把购房的价格提高$100万，情况应该会有很大不同。他们的分析结果是：如果出价 $250万的买房者占总买房者65%的话，出价$350万的可能只占20%，其余15%的买房者是 $400万以上房产的客人。
我们决定把目标房价提高到$350万。
三. 令人惊骇的北加州房屋交易程序
2024年12月1 日
美国绝大多数地区和城市，房地产交易程序都大致相同。 对买房者 ，这个程序一般是：
1. 雇佣房地产经纪人（Hire Real Estate Agent）
2. 选房，看房 （Property Selection）
3. 签定买房合同，商定价格 （Making Offer）
4. 卖方接受报价（Accept Offer）
5. 进入过户交易程序，交定金存入第三方托管公司（Open Escrow）
6. 房屋检查 （Home Inspection）
7. 贷款和估价（Mortgage Loan Processing and Appraisal）
8. 审阅房屋报告（Review Seller’s Disclosure）
9. 白蚁检查（Termite Report）
10. 取消意外限制条款（Contingency Removal）
11. 签字前房屋的最后检查 （Final Inspection）
12. 购买有关保险（Home Insurance）
13. 签署贷款文件，付齐房款，交房 （Close Escrow）
其中最重要的一步是第10条。在取消意外限制条款之前，买方有权利取消房产交易，退出所签订的买房合同而不承担任何责任，所交定金应如数退还。美国大多数地区还规定，交易双方在进入过户交易程序（Open Escrow）后的第14天必须取消意外限制条款。一旦意外限制条款被取消，买房者想要终止房产交易，所交定金归卖方所有。那就意味着买房者一般会有14天的后悔期限。这后悔可能来自于房屋检查，或白蚁检查发现的问题，贷款问题，购房意向改变等。很明显，这14天对买房者来说是很珍贵的，给了他们一个改正先前决定的机会。
在硅谷实施的的房地产交易程序与美国大多数地区和城市，包括南加州大城市圣地亚哥，橙县，甚至洛杉矶都不相同，它是：
1. 雇佣房地产经纪人（Hire Real Estate Agent）
2. 选房，看房 （Property Selection）
3. 签定买房合同，商定价格 （Making Offer）
4. 卖方接受报价（Accept Offer）
5. 签署所有文件，取消意外限制条款（Contingency Removal）
6. 进入过户交易程序，交定金存入第三方托管公司（Open Escrow）
7. 购买有关保险（Home Insurance）
8. 签署贷款文件，付齐房款，交房 （Close Escrow）
其最主要的不同是，一旦签订买房合同，卖方接受报价价后，卖方就要求买方在48小时之内在100多页的《信息披露文件包（Disclosure Package）》上签字，否则你的买房要求从一开始就不会被考虑。需要签字的文件总共大约有近50份，上面提到的100多页中，大部分只是各种文件和表格的签字页，如果把所有的文件和表格原文放在一道，相关文件总计会有1000页以上。这些文件囊括了买房涉及的所有法律要求和交易细节，是卖方中介早已准备好，房产主人签署了的。当买方签了这些文件以后，就表示他同意取消所有意外限制条款，这就意味着，一旦签字，买方立即失去了无偿地取消合同的机会。
试想一下，从看房到签字不过几天，买方如何能了解清楚一栋几百万的房子有些什么潜在的问题？你在白蚁检查报告，房屋检查报告，环境免责报告上签了字，你根本没有时间来验证报告结论的真伪，你只能乞求上苍保佑你看到的那些报告都是诚实的。这样的买卖公平吗？
不公平就别买！后面还有人等着呢！ ―― 这就是强悍的卖方市场。
2024年12月15 日
自从把买房的目标价格提到$350万后，同一所房子的竞标者确实少了很多。
今天是星期日，去看了一栋位于Mountain View 的房子。这是一个周末的Open House （开放参观），今天总共有大约20 – 30 组人来看房。
我的天，这房子几乎满足了我们的所有条件！
要价：$335万；
年代：建于2009年，整个小区都建于该年，没有欺骗和猫腻；
面积：2500平方英尺；
朝向：标准南北向；
位置：4英里到斯坦福，3英里到谷歌；
地点：位于安静的小区中，不靠山，不靠水，没有高压电线，进出十分方便；
学区：中上。
我们决定立即提供出价求买报告。
2024年12月16日
昨天花了一晚上，匆匆忙忙地签好《信息披露文件包》中的所有文件，立即发出。
这真是我们喜欢的房子，多花点钱应该在所不惜。为保证能得到房子我们想出价 $370万，但考虑到下面所述的原因，决定出价 $350万，冒个险。
我们发现，这栋房子曾在今年10月已签合同卖出，后来买方毁约，退回市场重卖。据说退回的原因是买方又看中了一处更适合他们的海边的房产。卖方为此已收到一笔 $10万左右的违约金。因为有人宁可违约罚款也要而终止原先的购房合同，不管真实原因如何，这对房子的潜在价值多少会有一点影响。另外，这套房产位于需要缴纳房屋管理费（HOA）的小区，每月HOA费 $100。我们也了解到，湾区很多人不愿住在这样的小区里，因为在这样小区中进行房屋改建或重建有一些限制，这确实就减少了一些竞争者。至于我们，是不会考虑房屋改建重建的，相反我们认为有HOA的管理，小区会更有秩序，环境会更好一些。基于这些考虑，我们认为 $350万的报价被接受的可能性很大。
2024年12月17日
出价发出了一天，没有回音。十分焦急，还从来没有体验过这样等待的心情。
通过渠道和卖方中介联系，他对我们的职业，经济背景印象都不错。但是谁知道呢。硅谷这个地方藏龙卧虎。
如果这次失败，我真没有劲头在这里买房了。
2024年12月18日
令人高兴的一天。中介一早来电话，卖方接受了我们的报价，房子以 $350万成交！
(2025年5月)
English Version ---------------------------
A young Stanford professor buys a house in Silicon Valley
1. Do I really need to buy a house?
August 3 , 2024
Recently, the issue of "buying a house" has always been bothering me. It is a life philosophy, a lifestyle, or a means of living. I am really confused, and feel this matter is a little far from me. My parents said that this is common sense and human instinct. They also said that the first thing that people with a little foresight would do after getting a job is to buy a house . I probably need more specific reasons and facts to convince myself, because at the moment I don't seem to feel that need. Five years ago, when I went to Stanford as a fellow, I rented a one-bedroom apartment about 3 miles away from the Stanford campus. I have lived here until now and have not felt any inconvenience at all. My house has a total area of more than 700 square feet, with an elegant environment, modern decoration, a swimming pool, and I can ride a bike to Stanford . The monthly rent is less than $3,000 . Because I am very busy, in addition to paying the rent on time, I never trouble the landlord. The rent has not increased in five years, and it was reduced by several hundred dollars during the pandemic. I lived here when I was a student, when I am working, and I lived here when I got married. It seems that all the requirements for study, work, and life can be met. If you live in this rental mode for a long time, you can save a lot of trouble and money!
August 10 , 2024
xxx bought an apartment in downtown San Francisco, xxx bought an apartment near Columbia University in Manhattan, and xxx bought a single-family house near us. . . Friends of the same age are all busy doing this, which makes me feel a little uneasy. I have to think about the benefits of buying a house.
August 11, 2024
There is a saying that one of the benefits of buying a house is that it can save taxes. In Silicon Valley, a young couple with an upper-middle income may pay more than $300,000 in state and federal taxes a year. If you buy a house through mortgage, the tax exemption on the interest and the deduction of real estate taxes can bring your total income down to a lower tax bracket and reduce taxes. This is said to be a traditional way to avoid taxes. I have done some serious calculations. If you buy a $3 million house here, with a down payment of $1 million and a loan of $2 million, at an annual interest rate of 7%, you will pay $140,000 in loan interest and $30,000 in real estate tax each year. These are all tax deductible expenses, so your total annual income can drop by $170,000 totally. According to U.S. tax law, there are 7 levels of tax rates and taxable income for married couples in the United States in 2025. Depending on the income, the tax rate ranges from 10% to 37%:
10% ：$0 - $23,850
12% ：$23,851 - $96,950
22% ：$96,951 - $206,700
24% ：$206,701 - $394,600
32% ：$394,601 - $501,050
35% ：$501,051 - $751,600
37% : Total income over $751,601
It is easy to calculate that for a family with our income level, the impact of the decrease in total income due to buying a house on the total tax amount is limited, and is far less than the cost of owning a house. For example, as can be seen from the table above, no matter which tax rate the income is in, after deducting the tax exemption of 170,000, it is impossible to jump down two tax rates at once. If you only jump over one rate, you can get a maximum of 8% tax rate reduction in the total tax exemption, which is no more than $40,000 in total. If you are unlucky, you can't even jump down the next tax rate, and this 170,000 is a hard-earned payment. Therefore, buying a house to avoid taxes does not seem to be a very reliable advantage for us.
August 17 , 2024
Another way of saying it is that buying a house is a reliable investment. The experience of the older generation tells us that the reason why working-class people have different wealth when they are old, in addition to job stability and promotion opportunities, is mostly attributed to the opportunities and abilities of real estate investment and stock market investment, and the former is safer and more reliable than the latter, especially in places like California. For example, in 2000, the median price of real estate in the United States was $111,960 , and the median price of real estate in the Bay Area of California was $211,500. By 2024, the median price of real estate in the United States is $420,400. The median price of real estate in the Bay Area of California is $1,316,500. In 24 years, the value of real estate in the United States has increased by 3.7 times, and the value of real estate in the Bay Area of California has increased by 6.2 times. Although the real estate market will fluctuate, in the long run, the general trend of real estate value is upward. This statement is recognized by the vast majority of people.
August 18 , 2024
I know how important housing is to young people in China. Without a house, marriage is impossible and couples break up everywhere. Many people analyze it from the perspectives of cultural tradition, social pressure and comparison, economic factors, market and policy drivers.
The ideas and practices of young Americans are very different. Not to mention young people, many adults and elderly people in the United States live happily in rental houses, and most of them do not feel pressure or discrimination. According to statistics, people who rent houses in the United States account for 34% of the total population. There are many reasons for this, and the following is a psychological reason observed from my perspective.
Americans grew up in a free, self-centered education environment, so they always take their own will as the main line of life, and are not deeply influenced by others. They are also subjectively unwilling to be influenced by others. This is the case when they are immature and when they are mature. When they are young, many people follow their own ideas, from one job to another, from one city to another, from one country to another, from one idea to another, and some even from one spouse to another. They think that living a free and easy life is a way of showing one's personality. This feeling often exceeds the obsession with accumulating wealth. However, I have seen in my reading and observed in life that if an American young person with such an idea successfully passes through middle age or reaches old age, many of them still envy the wealth accumulated by Jews and Asians in their seemingly boring youth. There is a view that when a person begins to seriously consider buying a house, it is the beginning of the transition from liberal thinking to conservative thinking, so people say, "When you seriously study your income and expenditure bills, you become a conservative." From the physiological law, people must mature, that is, people will eventually turn to conservatism? So what is the meaning of the existence of liberals? Like pimples on your face?
August 20 , 2024
After all the calculations, I suddenly felt ashamed. I seemed to have forgotten the basic meaning of life. What is the purpose of accumulating wealth?
For me, the most convincing motivation for buying a house may not be the consideration of accumulating wealth, but the following view: owning a house can improve a family's quality of life in both tangible and intangible ways. I think there are several arguments to support this view:
1. Owning your own property can make the feeling of home more concrete. It is a shell that protects you and the people you care about most, and it is probably the only place in the world where you can go to hide from the interference of the outside world on you and your family.
2. Benefits to family members at the spiritual level, such as children. Psychological studies have shown that children who grow up in their own houses have a stronger sense of security and are more likely to have love and a sense of responsibility than those who grow up in rented houses.
3. Having your own house will add something in your life that is worth your true love. People need to be loved and give love in the world. However, no matter how beautifully you express it, there are not many things in the world that are worth your true love. In addition to your family, your career, and your interests, owning your own house will expand the content of your love.
August 21 , 2024
We decided to buy a house and try to get a result within half a year.
2. Housing conditions coexisting with the world's high-tech center
August 22 , 2024
Most houses in Silicon Valley are not only expensive, but also old. You may not feel it when you rent a house, but you will feel it is different from other cities when you buy a house. For example, in San Diego, Orange County, and even Los Angeles of Southern California, many houses in the more decent communities where middle-class families live were built in the past 10 to 20 years. The structure of the house and the layout of the facilities inside the house are relatively new. The wide community streets and neat greening give people a feeling of living in the modern era. It is different here in Silicon Valley. Most of the properties launched on the market were built in the 1960s, 1950s, and even the 1940s. Even if they have been carefully painted and furnished with fashionable furniture, they still reveal traces of oldness everywhere. Someone joked: "What attracts people to the houses here is the furniture used for staging (house decoration)."
Most houses in the Silicon Valley area were built between 1950 and 1980. This is because after World War II, the technology industry in the Bay Area of Northern California developed rapidly. At the same time, due to the rapid growth of the US economy, there was a boom in suburban living life style in the Bay Area of California. People were willing to leave the hustle and bustle of the city and move to the suburbs. To meet the demand, thousands of houses were quickly built in this area, occupying the main building space here. Later, due to the strict restrictions of zoning laws and the prevalence of NIMBYism, the construction of new houses faced many difficulties and was slow. At the same time, the difficulty of obtaining building permits in this area, the rising labor costs, and the residents' pursuit of residential characteristics and neighborhood identity have hindered the development of new communities to a certain extent. Year after year, the pace of building new houses here has become slower and slower. Demand outstripping supply has pushed up housing prices, which in fact has pushed up land prices, making the land prices here much higher than the construction prices of houses. For example, in San Diego, the land price of a house accounts for 25% to 30% of the total house price, while in Silicon Valley, the land price of a house accounts for 75% to 90% of the total house price. Buying a house in Silicon Valley is mainly about buying a piece of land. The price of ordinary houses with the same structure and construction level here is 1 million to 2 million higher than that in Southern California. You know, the house prices in Southern California are also astonishing in the United States!
August 23 , 2024
My parents were very happy and supportive of our decision to buy a house. In fact, they were the catalyst for this decision. Based on their own experience, they reminded us of some precautions when choosing a house. We have a vague sense of these experiences in our past lives, but we are not able to organize these feelings into standards for actual actions. Therefore, I just remember and implement these precautions. The main ones are probably as follows.
1. Not too far from the workplace.
Many people want to live in a high-quality community with a good environment at a low price, even if it increases the time and cost of commuting every day. They think this is the stupidest thing. I agree with this view and hope that my home is no more than 10 miles away from my workplace.
2. The newer the better.
Although this is an unquestionable condition, some of the reasons are still unknown to us, such as aging of pipelines and wires, thermal and acoustic insulation measures of houses, different earthquake resistance standards of buildings, etc. I know that it is very difficult to find a new house at a suitable price in Silicon Valley, and it depends on luck.
3. Consider the school district.
For the next generation, no doubt.
4. Stay away from mountains, woods, water, and high-voltage power lines.
If you live near mountains or forests, the possibility of fire is high. This is a characteristic of California. You may not be able to buy home insurance in such situation. If you live near water, you need to buy flood insurance in addition to normal home insurance. The impact of electromagnetic fields near high-voltage lines on the human body and home electronic devices is unknown, but it looks scary.
5. It should not be too inconvenient to enter and exit, and it is best to face north and south.
Even if the house is in good condition, if there are steep slopes or dangerous bends in and out of the house or community, you should carefully consider it because it is an environment you will experience every day. Facing north and south, it is warm in winter and cool in summer.
I wonder if we can find a house here satisfying these conditions?
August 24 , 2024
In accordance with the requirement of "not too far from the workplace", our search range is centered on Stanford and is no more than 10 miles north and south. In other words, no more than Santa Clara to the south and no more than San Mateo to the north. This range basically includes all major cities in Silicon Valley.
Based on our current financial situation, we are looking for a single-family home priced around $2.5 million.
Starting from this weekend, we will use our time to make appointments and view houses. I am still a little excited.
September 7 , 2024
We have been looking for houses for a few weeks and have seen several houses. According to our price and requirements, it is difficult to find a satisfactory single-family house at this price in the area about 4 miles near Stanford, which is near our current residence. Here, decent houses are all over $4 million. Many people in this area (especially near Apple's headquarters in Cupertino) spend about $2 million to buy an old house that is difficult to live in, and then tear it down and rebuild it. Doing this requires a lot of time and energy, and the content of life for several years will be affected. This is not our choice. We can only avoid this area and go further north or south.
September 8 , 2024
Today we tried to make an offer on the house below. Although I am not satisfied with the house, it is very close to Stanford, only 3 miles away. Here is its brief description:
4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, total living area 1388 sq. ft. Built in 1951. Asking price $2.1 million, we are offering $2.2 million.
September 21 , 2024
The house that was offered yesterday was rejected. The house was finally sold for $2.3 million.
Today we found another house. It has 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a total living area of 1,910 square feet, was built in 1951, and is priced at $1.7 million. It seems to be a good value for money, but it is 15 miles away from Stanford, which is a drawback. We offer $2.1 million.
September 23 , 2024
The last offer was rejected again. The house was finally sold for $2.4 million.
October 8 , 2024
Today we saw an advertisement for a single-family home near Stanford (Stanford, CA 94305) on the real estate website Zillow. This house is located within the boundaries of Stanford and has good conditions in all aspects, but the price is nearly 1 million lower than the same house located at the same distance from Stanford. How can such a good deal be possible? Hurry up and go to see the house and make an offer.
October 12 , 2024
After some questioning, I found out the reason why the price is too low.
Stanford owns some real estate controlled by the school within its own territory. Although these real estates are also sold publicly on the market, they need to meet certain conditions and obtain approval from the school before they can be purchased. The condition is that the buyer must be a tenured professor at Stanford. Obviously, this is a means for Stanford to attract high-end talents to work in this place with amazing housing prices.
During the inquiry, I also learned that Stanford also has some other measures to attract teachers who are not tenured professors or above. For example, teachers like me can enjoy the benefit of a $600,000 loan from Stanford for the first home purchase. This loan is really like a loan from your own mother: no interest for life, no monthly principal payment, just pay back the principal when you leave Stanford or sell the house. If your house is sold, or appraised after you leave Stanford, and the price has increased relative to the time you borrowed the money, you will need to pay a portion of the total proceeds from the house to Stanford as capital gains on the loan. This amount is actually not much, just 10% of the proportion of the loan to the total increase in the house price. This is a big plus for me when I buy a house.
November 3 , 2024
Today we went to see a house in San Carlos, 13 miles from Stanford. It's a little far, but the house is relatively large and new. It has 4 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, and a total living area of 2,170 square feet. It was introduced as being built in 2019. The asking price is $2.8 million. We went in and saw that all the rooms were relatively dark, and the equipment was old, which did not look like a new house built in 2019 at all. After asking, we learned that the overall structure of the house was built in 1946, but a second floor was added in 2019, and a room of more than 100 square feet was built there. Its advantage is that the area is relatively large, and the space in the backyard and front yard is also not bad. Since we haven't seen a better house in a few months, and we feel very tired and a little depressed. We decided to give it a try at $3.2 million, and if the seller agrees, we will take it.
November 5 , 2024
The seller replied and told us that the asking price was $3.4 million and no less. For this house, we really didn't want to add another $200,000, so it was stuck there. Soon I was told that the house was sold for $3.4 million. Later, after my parents came to see the house, they said that the house was not worth $2.8 million. If the original offer was accepted, they would rather lose more than 100,000 in deposits to cancel the contract.
November 16 , 2024
After several months of hard work, we still remain in the same place. The main reason is that most of the affordable houses are not worth our attention, and the ones we like are fiercely contested and the prices are raised even more crazily.
My parents helped us analyze the reasons and thought that it would be difficult to buy a satisfactory independent house in Silicon Valley with $2.5 million, because the economic level of most working-class people here is about this level, making the competition at this price range particularly fierce. If the purchase price is increased by $1 million, the situation should be very different. Their analysis results are: if buyers who bid $2.5 million account for 65% of the total buyers, those who bid $3.5 million may only account for 20%, and the remaining 15% of buyers are customers of properties above $4 million.
We decided to raise our target price to $3.5 million.
3. The Shocking Northern California Home Transaction Process
December 1 , 2024
In most regions and cities in the United States, the real estate transaction process is roughly the same. For the buyer, the process is generally:
1. Hire a Real Estate Agent
2. Property Selection
3. Signing a house purchase contract and agreeing on the price (Making Offer)
4. Seller accepts offer
5. Enter the transfer transaction procedure and pay the deposit to a third-party escrow company (Open Escrow )
6. Home Inspection
7. Mortgage Loan Processing and Appraisal
8. Review Seller's Disclosure
9. Termite Report
10. Contingency Removal
11. Final Inspection of the House Before Signing
12. Purchase relevant insurance (Home Insurance)
13. Sign loan documents, pay full payment, and close the house (Close Escrow)
The most important step is item 10. Before remove contingency clause, the buyer has the right to cancel the real estate transaction and withdraw from the signed contract without any responsibility, and the deposit paid should be refunded in full. Most areas in the United States also stipulate that the parties to the transaction must remove contingency clause on the 14th day after entering the transfer transaction procedure (Open Escrow). Once the contingency clause is removed, if the buyer wants to terminate the real estate transaction and the deposit paid belongs to the seller. That means that the buyer generally has a 14-day regret period. This regret may come from problems found in the house inspection or termite inspection, loan problems, changes in purchase intentions, etc. Obviously, these 14 days are very precious to buyers, giving them an opportunity to correct their previous decisions.
The real estate transaction process implemented in Silicon Valley is different from that in most regions and cities in the United States, including the large cities of San Diego, Orange County, and even Los Angeles in Southern California. It is:
1. Hire a Real Estate Agent
2. Property Selection
3. Signing a house purchase contract and agreeing on the price (Making Offer)
4. Seller accepts offer
5. Sign all documents and remove the contingency restriction clause (Contingency Removal)
6. Enter the transfer transaction procedure and pay the deposit to a third-party escrow company (Open Escrow )
7. Purchase relevant insurance (Home Insurance)
8. Sign loan documents, pay full payment, and close the house (Close Escrow)
The main difference is that once the contract is signed and the seller accepts the offer price here, the seller requires the buyer to sign the more than 100-page "Disclosure Package" within 48 hours, otherwise your request to buy a house will not be considered from the beginning. There are about 50 documents that need to be signed in total. Among the more than 100 pages mentioned above, most of them are just signature pages of various documents and forms. If all the original documents and forms are put together, the total number of relevant documents will be more than 1,000 pages. These documents cover all the legal requirements and transaction details involved in buying a house. They are prepared by the seller's agent and signed by the property owner. When the buyer signs these documents, it means that he agrees to cancel all accidental restrictions, which means that once signed, the buyer immediately loses the opportunity to cancel the contract without compensation.
Just imagine, it only takes a one more days from viewing the house to signing the contract. How can the buyer know clearly what potential problems a house worth millions of dollars has? You signed the termite inspection report, the house inspection report, and the environmental exemption report. You have no time to verify the authenticity of the report conclusions. You can only pray to God that the reports you saw are honest. Is this a fair transaction?
Don’t buy if it‘s not fair! There are people waiting behind you! – This is a strong seller’s market.
December 15 , 2024
Since raising the target price to $3.5 million, there have indeed been fewer bidders for the same house.
Today is Sunday, and we went to see a house in Mountain View. This is an open house on the weekend, and there were about 20-30 groups of people who came to see the house today.
Oh my goodness, this house meets almost all of our requirements!
Asking price: $3.35 million;
Year: Built in 2009, the entire community was built in that year, no deception or trickery;
Area: 2,500 square feet;
Orientation: Standard north-south orientation;
Location: 4 miles to Stanford, 3 miles to Google;
Location: Located in a quiet community, not near mountains or water, no high-voltage power lines, very convenient for access;
School District: Upper Middle.
We decided to provide a bid report immediately.
December 16 , 2024
We spent the whole night yesterday hurriedly signing all the documents in the "Information Disclosure Package" and sent it out immediately.
This is really our favorite house, and we would not hesitate to spend a little more money. To ensure that we can get the house, we want to offer $3.6 million, but considering the reasons described below, we decided to bid $3.5 million and take a risk.
We found that the house had been sold under contract in October this year, but the buyer later broke the contract and put it back on the market for resale. It is said that the reason for the return was that the buyer had chosen a seaside property that was more suitable for them. The seller may have received a penalty of about $100,000 for this. Because some people would rather terminate the original purchase contract than pay a penalty, no matter what the real reason is, this will have a little impact on the potential value of the house. In addition, this property is located in a community that requires a home owner association fee (HOA), and the monthly HOA fee is about $100. We also learned that many people in the Bay Area are reluctant to live in such a community because there are some restrictions on house renovation or reconstruction in such a community, which does reduce some competitors. As for us, we will not consider house renovation and reconstruction. On the contrary, we believe that with the management of the HOA, the community will be more orderly and the environment will be better. Based on these considerations, we think that the $3.5 million offer is likely to be accepted.
December 17 , 2024
We bid for a day but got no response. I was very anxious. I had never experienced such a long wait before.
We contacted the seller's agent through a channel. He had a good impression of our profession and economic background. But who knows. Silicon Valley is a place full of hidden talents.
If we fail this time, I feel, I really won't have the energy to buy a house here.
December 18 , 2024
It was a happy day. The agent called us early in the morning and the seller accepted our offer. The house was sold for $3.5 million!
(May 2025)