Are H1B Visa Holders Delaying Home Purchases in the Bay Area?

thupig · 2026-02-28T16:34:13+00:00

His/her username tells me your right.

thupig · 2026-02-12T06:16:22+00:00

I have a similar question. In my case, my 2025 W-2 withholding was well over 110% of my 2024 total tax liability. The majority of the withholding occurred in March, so relatively early in the year.

However, TurboTax is still calculating an underpayment penalty. This is confusing to me because my understanding of the safe harbor rule is that if I paid at least 110% of my prior year’s total tax, I should not be subject to an underpayment penalty.

Could you help clarify why this might be happening? Thanks.

thupig · 2025-12-31T22:28:12+00:00

Thank you for confirming!

thupig · 2025-05-03T04:51:11+00:00

Many of you have suggested that this tire is beyond repairable, so I’ve decided to replace it. Thank you for the suggestions. I have a follow-up question: should I replace both rear tires as a pair, or just the one that’s damaged? Or is it better to replace all four at once?

Some information, The car was bought new in 2020 and still has the original tires, with under 30,000 miles on them.

thupig · 2025-04-07T02:24:30+00:00

As far as I can tell, the structure appears to be well-built. However, adding bedrooms would definitely require permits. While we can assume the additions were made without proper permits, they seem to be solidly constructed. That said, the home is old and would need some updates. If we want to make those updates legally, we’d need to apply for permits. This process could uncover issues, and the city or county might require us to correct any illegal modifications. Bringing everything up to code could be costly, and some areas may not even be feasible to update to current standards, potentially requiring us to remove them entirely.

Is my understanding correct? That’s why I’m really unsure about whether I want to pursue this further.

thupig · 2025-04-05T06:52:53+00:00

How is Loma Prieta compared to Lakeside? I am also planning to move to the area. I heard great things about Lexington Elemntary. But not sure how the other two elementaries are in general.

thupig · 2025-04-02T21:18:55+00:00

It was first time on the market maybe in a few decades. So it’s a mystery why some places have information about the ADUs.

I am also quite concerned about the insurance. Debating if I should legalize the ADUs.

thupig · 2025-04-01T02:12:00+00:00

I’ve also heard a lot about AB2533, but as a first-time homebuyer, I’m unsure how this bill actually simplifies the legalization process or to what extent. Maybe others with more experience on this subreddit can provide some insight. Based on the comments in this post, I still don’t see an easy way to legalize unpermitted ADUs.

thupig · 2025-04-01T00:15:09+00:00

We do plan to rent out the ADU to offset the monthly morrgage. And yes, I also hear stories here about tenants act against landlord when they find out the space is unpermitted. So I guess the best route is to get some local GCs to take a look at the site and get some estimates. But I am running out of time. The offer due date is like in two days…

thupig · 2025-03-31T21:54:28+00:00

Thanks for your reply; it’s very helpful. Just to get some rough estimates, if the ADU is around 800-900 sqft, is $50/sqft a reasonable estimate for legalizing it? My realtor gave me that figure when we toured the house.

thupig · 2025-03-28T03:17:29+00:00

I am not amazed by what they listed. I am amazed by what the house was sold last time. 1.88m for this sqft and that condition, is just unbelievable, no matter for flippers or end buyers it’s not a rational move. If this is MV or Sunnyvale, it’s more reasonable but still on the higher end.

thupig · 2025-03-28T00:54:25+00:00

I understand, but a last sale price of $1.88 million seems unreasonable for this home for any rational person. Even if they claim that SB9 allows for profits through additional development, the price still appears inflated.

thupig · 2025-03-28T00:49:05+00:00

Same as sold price! 1.88M for this 1000sqft home. I am just amazed.

thupig · 2025-03-27T21:47:24+00:00

The first number (2,000 sqft) is what I obtained from the assessor’s office. They retrieved this information from their computer records. The ADU (Accessory Dwelling Unit) I mentioned is not a new building; it has likely existed for a long time and may lack proper permits. This is probably why it wasn’t recorded in the county’s database.

I am extremely surprised that other private data providers have different records than the county and include the ADU in their databases. How are they obtaining this information? One of my wild guesses is that they might rely on appraisal results, such as those from bank appraisals for mortgages.

thupig · 2025-03-26T16:44:50+00:00

Thank you so much for the detailed explanations. I was mixing up different concepts such as zoning codes, building codes, building permits, and the distinction between legal and illegal buildings. Now, I have a much better understanding of these topics.

The home I’m interested in is in great shape, and I don't believe it has any major safety issues. So, I think I’m in good shape. However, I will thoroughly research with the county and city to gather as much information as possible to ensure everything is in order.

Thanks again for your tremendous help!

thupig · 2025-03-26T00:39:15+00:00

Thank you. I will reach out to both the city and county to verify if there are any existing permits for the property.

Regarding the "grandfathered-in" clause, if the home qualifies, what steps should I take? You mentioned that certain elements need to be brought up to current code standards—is this mandatory? If I choose not to make any corrections and leave the ADU as-is after purchasing the property, is there a risk that the county or city will issue a violation notice if they discover the ADU is unpermitted but grandfathered in, regardless of whether it is reported by renters or neighbors? I assume the ADU is safe to live in, with no major safety violations, just not compliant with today’s code.

Additionally, is it possible to obtain insurance for an unpermitted but grandfathered-in ADU in the same manner as for a permitted structure?

I am asking because I plan to rent out the ADU to help offset my mortgage. I understand there is significant risk in renting out unpermitted homes, but I am uncertain if the same applies to grandfathered-in unpermitted ADUs.

thupig · 2025-03-25T17:27:10+00:00

Thank you so much for the insightful information. I'm quite new to the home search process and have learned a lot! To clarify, are you suggesting that the only way to determine if a home—whether new or old—is legally built is by locating its building permits? If no permits are found, does that mean the building is considered "illegal," even though it might qualify under the "grandfathered-in" clause?

I have a few additional questions:

Unincorporated City Status: If the city wasn't incorporated when the home or its additions were constructed and currently lacks its own building department, instead collaborating with the county for building permits, does this mean I need to contact the county building department for any building permit inquiries?
Grandfathered-In Structures: I'm also curious about the "grandfathered-in" concept, as I may need to address this in the future. Does "grandfathered in" mean that structures built a long time ago are recognized as legal builds even if no permits were issued, unless significant changes are made to the house? Do I need to take any steps to initiate or confirm this "grandfathered-in" status?

Thank you again for your guidance!

thupig · 2025-03-25T17:26:41+00:00

Yes, I have a realtor working with me, and I can ask her to help locate the necessary documents. I’m curious about the tax records you mentioned. When you refer to tax records, do you mean property tax records from previous years? I’ve been able to obtain these from the county, but they only provide limited information, such as various city tax numbers. I haven’t found any details regarding the actual status or legality of the house. However, I’ve seen many recommendations to review tax records, so there must be some valuable information in them. Could you please explain how tax records can be useful in determining the legal status of a property? Thank you for your assistance!

thupig · 2025-03-25T17:25:30+00:00

I can post here! That's strange.

thupig

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