I'm several years behind both of you. I chose a small place near public transportation options, it was waaaaaay the heck below market value of similar units at the time. Messy, cluttered, crowded, unpainted ... the sellers had done nothing to stage the joint. Their agent was a moron not to tell them what to do (at least de'clutter, fix, clean and paint).

So here I am.

:::sigh::: I missed the housing bubble. I coulda done this remodel and sold the joint for over twice what I paid. Silly me. I did back to back to back to back CA AIDS rides, recovered my health and fitness, met Knott and had some great rides. No regrets.

Meanwhile to my peers/coworkers who chose bigger places in Vacaville, Sacto, Modesto ... with matching huge commutes .... I <3 my tiny 1.5 miles to BART condo.

I think people will always want to live in CA, the housing market will recover slightly somehow at some time. All I need is one person or family who's learned the lesson of living closer to work/transit.