How would you make money ?

[kandrathe]

...13 double payment a year on a 20 year loan?!?
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My wife and I both had pretty good jobs right out of college. Our first house was about equal to one of our annual salaries. We stayed in that one about 5 years and the value went up about 50%, so when we bought our second and current home we were able to put a sizable chunk down (1/3). The remaining loan was a little larger than on our first home, but not much. During that time our careers took off and we both became pretty high up in management. Anyway, with the house paid for and our retirements pretty much set, she quit and we had a couple kids. She will return to work part-time once the kids are both in school. It worked out for us that way, but everyone has different values and we were lucky to be investing in our house when its value was appreciating.

I think California real-estate is insane, BTW. I looked at houses around Palo Alto (near our corporate headquarters), and the smallest little cracker box house on a 50' x 50' lot was selling for 1.5 to 2 million. I think the secret would be to get a nice conversion van, work hard earning the big bucks, live out of your van for a few years, then move to Georgia, or northern Arkansas and retire.