We finally decided to get serious about buying a house here in the East Bay.  It’s tough finding something we like in our price range, but we are confident the right house will come along.  I’ll finally get to use my VA home loan guarantee I earned so many years ago, in the USAF.  That will get us in the door without a down payment.

The timing seems to be pretty good.  Interest rates are great.  Even with lower home values though, price tags are still astronomical to us.  Hopefully whatever we buy will appreciate well over the next 20 years, allowing us to sell it in retirement and maybe bank a little savings.  We are focusing on San Ramon, but scanning everything from Pleasanton, up to Walnut Creek.  San Ramon is a great, central location for us, giving us more commuting options for jobs down the road.

It’s pretty exciting to think of settling down, after so many moves over the last 35(!) years.  It’s especially exciting to be doing it here in the Bay Area, which we’ve come to love.