The cycle I've seen for people 30yo+ in the SFBA is this... 1. Take a job and move, start by renting 2. At 5-10 years, start thinking about buying 3. By year

The cycle I've seen for people 30yo+ in the SFBA is this... 1. Take a job and move, start by renting 2. At 5-10 years, start thinking about buying 3. By year 10, either determine you can purchase a home or not If you can or cannot buy a home will determine your general quality of life. Partly due to owning a home but also because it signals how much wiggle room you have financially. 4. If you can't afford to buy a house then you end up frustrated because there's a life you see others living it and you can't. You end up moving back bitter. 5. If you can afford to buy a house then it's a sign that you could likely have a good life. I warn folks coming to SFBA that if they don't see a path to a $400k yearly household income that they should plan to stay for <5 years before deciding to move.