During a LINE call last Tuesday, my Aunt Pat revealed that she had signed the agreement on a new Bay Area home. At the time I happened to be watching TV nearby (aka KPIX 5 local news on mute) so I was able to hear all the gory details as she discussed her new purchase with Mom.
The 2-story condominium with 3 bedrooms and 2.5 baths is part of the Woodside Commons in Campbell. The final price Pat negotiated for the place was close to $850k. Pat’s Cupertino Airbnb contract lasts until the end of October, so she won’t move into her new abode until November.
On Friday, another relative reached out to my mom about housing. I overheard my Aunt Cathy chatting with my mom (also via LINE) about how my cousin Frank was looking to settle down in the Boston area and how the places that he has been browsing are all around $400k to $500k.
All that talk about real estate got me seriously thinking about buying a new home again. For the record, the COVID-19 pandemic was what put my previous search on hold.
Anyway, something similar to Aunt Pat’s new condo should do me great. The place she bought has 1,262 sq/ft. That is much smaller than my parent’s place (~1400 sq/ft + 400 extra from the garage turned into a room), but it should be enough to house your typical suburban family with two or three kids; my friends Karthik and Serguey grew up in 1000 sq/ft condos and they both turned out fine. Campbell used to be a bad neighborhood with poor schools, but thanks to gentrification that is no longer the case.
Even if I don’t move in right away, buying a new home could be a good investment. On my lunch trip with Eric on Sunday, he reminded me how the Sunnyvale single family home purchased by our mutual friend Gary has almost doubled in value over the last 7 years. For now, I’m going to keep my eyes and ears open; if something appealing appears, this Scorpio shall strike swiftly.
