Comments on: Los Gatos House Listing Proves The Bay Area Is More Expensive!

By: SHBH

SHBH — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 18:00:23 +0000

Burlingame and Millbrae are actually higher in prices than what my wife and I remember them to be from a year and a half ago.

Asking prices may be higher, but I doubt the sold prices are higher than mid 2008 in terms of $/sqft.

By: R

Sat, 19 Dec 2009 19:56:10 +0000

“True happiness lies in a heightened sense of appreciation regardless of present or future circumstances.”

Well said.

By: Alex

Alex — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 19:55:03 +0000

Herve Estater,

No. California will be a happier place when taxes are lowered, fewer “entitlement” programs are available, government employees are axed and more deadbeats move out. Our state income and sales taxes are ridiculous and yet we are still running a deficit?

Maybe California will be a happier place when all the unhappy people who bitch about everything move back to Tennessee?

By: Real Estater

Real Estater — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 12:05:05 +0000

>>Conversely, to be happier, simply surround yourselves with happy people.

My version of that would be to surround yourself with positive people.

By: MSG

MSG — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 09:21:36 +0000

I have to chime in on this thread. After moving out of the Bay Area after 10 years of living there, I’m MUCH happier! Well, I can’t say I’m completely out of the area, I ended up in Monterey, but, the houses are much cheaper out here, there’s no traffic, it’s much smaller and nicer, no air pollution, and the people seem nicer and more down to Earth.

By the way, I decided to see how the Bay Area home prices were faring after seeing the housing market implode in the past year… pretty shocked! Burlingame and Millbrae are actually higher in prices than what my wife and I remember them to be from a year and a half ago. WTF?? That just made me realize I’m so happy to have finally left that place after 10 miserable years.

By: DreamT

DreamT — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 06:32:05 +0000

I’d argue the opposite. The feeling of control on external factors is an obstacle. It is limiting, misleading and subject to surrounding circumstances. It encourages you to define your happiness as how you can do as opposed to how you can be. True happiness lies in a heightened sense of appreciation regardless of present or future circumstances. You can be disabled but happy, enabled but sad. If you lose your sight, you can become a bitter person or you can grow to appreciate senses you didn’t previously develop as much, and worldly possessions or abilities to achieve goals are not a predictor of the path you would take. The person who “finds happiness” describes an inner journey which involves letting go what’s gone and appreciating what’s there, rather than “feeling in control”.

By: nomadic

nomadic — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 06:14:29 +0000

Happiness is about being enabled. I don’t agree with it but I understand why you would. Happiness is found in the journey rather than the destination.

Yes, but the journey is so much more satisfying when you feel in control of where you’re headed (that is, you’re enabled.) Maybe I’m just arguing semantics there?

By: DreamT

DreamT — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 05:48:20 +0000

I’ll go against the grain and state that bob and RE made statements worth posting.

bob: “Its human nature to feel unhappy when they get a sense that others might appear or actually be considerably better off financially than themselves.”
But bob, why the continued focus on “financially”? And why always focus on negatives? How about you rewrite this with “It’s human nature to feel happy when…”

RE: “happiness is about one’s ability to achieve his/her goals”
Spoken like a Scientologist Happiness is about being enabled. I don’t agree with it but I understand why you would. Happiness is found in the journey rather than the destination.

To me happiness is the wisdom and ability to focus on what feels positive both to you and to others around you. I believe RE when he says he’s fairly happy, the best proof being that it takes a lot to get him off his happy rails. Conversely, to be happier, simply surround yourselves with happy people. Unfortunately my theory would seem to contradict bob’s, wouldn’t it

By: mike

mike — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 04:23:15 +0000

“I would say I’m fairly happy …”

I would have guess that based on top dog’s statement.

By: Pralay

Pralay — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 03:16:33 +0000

I see where you’re going but just because top dog is ignorant it doesn’t follow that he is also happy.
—–

If you apply Top Dog’s logic, RealEstater is ignorant.
If you apply RealEstater’s logic, Top Dog didn’t achieve anything in life.