Viraj's Weblog

Well it's been a year since I've been in Mountain View and at Google. I can hardly believe it. I have been renting an apartment, and occasionally did some real estate hunting. The prices here are absolutely ridiculous, but I gave in and bought a small condo in Mountain View. The price is correct on that page: 279k. I could've probably got a 3 BR townhouse in FL for that much. Zillow seems to think it's worth 352k, so I think I got a good deal. Honestly, it was the cheapest condo for sale in Mountain View , so I couldn't have done too bad.

I ended up getting an 80/10/10 mortgage. This is basically 10% down, 80% on a 1st mortgage, and 10% on a 2nd mortgage. What's the point of 2 mortgages? Well here in CA if your loan is 80% or less than the home price, you don't have to pay Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI). Many buyers do 80/10/10 here because everything is so damn expensive. I have a 5.8% fixed 30-year on the 80, and like a 9% on the 10. The latter I plan to pay off pretty quickly, so I'm not too concerned about the high rate.

I'm moving this week, which is always fun. As if this weren't enough, I've enrolled in a Compilers course at Stanford through their SCPD program. The plan is to get a Software Systems certificate, and if things go well, maybe transfer to a Masters program. I just have to maintain a B or higher. It will probably be hectic the first few weeks with my move, work, and school, but I think it's a good opportunity.