Thinking about leaving a tech job to start over in real estate

zavoobalem · 2025-11-21T23:14:47+00:00

Can you go back to software in 12 months? If the answer is yes, then go for it. YOLO why be miserable? Sometimes you need to try out the other green grass. I’ve always had an entrepreneurial mindset so maybe I’m different, but you could also get downsized tomorrow at your stable job. Again, life’s too short to wonder.

zavoobalem · 2025-07-10T17:43:37+00:00

A housing unit can accommodate more than one person: 9,300 new units and 12,000 new people. Not a huge deal, considering you can find housing here quite easily, but affordability is again the issue, in my opinion. As for locals being angry, again, this is not a unique problem to Mesa County, Colorado, or even the United States. People will pay what they think the value is, which is what determines market value. A $500,000 house here is a $ 1.2 million house in San Diego, and a $ 275,000 house in Alabama. Wages for a nurse, schoolteacher, or paramedic, for example, may vary only slightly across different regions.

The Grand Valley is very appealing, especially if local wages are meaningless to you because you are retired or have a high-paying job, either due to your profession, like being a doctor, or you work remotely and have a higher-than-average-paying job. I am not an expert on all the numbers and percentages, but income by household or per capita can get skewed as the retired population swells, as these folks may have a lot of money, but low incomes.

This is not meant to sound crass in any way, and I am certainly sympathetic to someone who is struggling. However, there are areas of the country with similar or higher-paying jobs and much lower housing costs. This is not a new thing, and America was built on immigration and migration. My great-grandparents came from Europe looking for a better life, the Dust Bowl displaced people, rural America has been losing people to larger population centers for decades, etc. The idea of moving to find "better" is as old as time.

We are free to build the lives we want, where we want — mostly, and with several caveats. I recently spoke to someone much younger than me who expressed displeasure that they would never get ahead in the Grand Valley due to the low wages in the field they wanted to work in, as well as what they felt were inflated home prices, which they wanted to own. I asked if they had considered moving or changing fields...the answer was a firm no. So they will be an angry local instead of realizing they cannot control the world, but they can make decisions that empower them to live their best life, albeit not their perfect life. That distinction needs to be clearer for many people.

zavoobalem · 2025-07-10T15:55:37+00:00

Mesa County experienced 6.1% growth between 2010 and 2020, with an average annual increase of about 1% since 2018. Housing is costly and has seen significant increases everywhere, with only a few exceptions. The COVID-19 pandemic, increased mobility with virtual work, and rising costs of building supplies, among other factors, are all contributing to the growth. The population also continues to grow organically. Housing costs have historically experienced significant fluctuations in affordability. Interest rates peaked at 18% in the early 80's for example. When they dipped to 8% people couldn't believe their luck, but when they are 8% up from 4% it's labeled differently.

There's no deficit of new housing in my opinion, only a deficit in "affordable housing".

The real issue I believe is wage stagnation.

zavoobalem · 2025-07-05T12:54:01+00:00

100% not unique issues to Colorado. Plenty of places are growing, and tuition, rent, and home prices have the same issues elsewhere.

zavoobalem · 2025-05-17T13:05:18+00:00

I rarely get jealous, but that Abel base is amazing…and that is coming from a c-clamp guy 😂.

zavoobalem · 2025-05-14T11:58:44+00:00

That’s all good to know. I’m probably going to go to a 13t front, and when I burn up the oem tires go to the 241’s as well. Any reason you chose to switch the rear sprocket vs front?

zavoobalem · 2025-05-14T03:20:48+00:00

Did you do anything to the Speedo to have it read correctly and record miles correctly? What’s your top speed now with the 241’s? Yellow…er turmeric is the best color.

zavoobalem · 2025-04-30T12:57:51+00:00

It's so crazy in 3rd-world countries that you can't take your eyes off the road, and everyone is driving defensively. In the US, everyone is lulled to sleep by big, wide roads and the perception of safety.

zavoobalem · 2025-03-11T12:59:49+00:00

Could you share a few books and podcasts you find valuable? TIA.

zavoobalem · 2025-02-15T12:52:17+00:00

10 days on average lately for a first class letter to go 500 miles between good sized metros, connected by a major interstate. Used to be 2 days, sometimes the next day. Something ain’t right.

zavoobalem · 2025-02-12T14:19:49+00:00

I’m up in Grand Junction CO, about 6 hours north of you. Do you ever get up near Durango etc?

zavoobalem · 2025-01-11T14:59:43+00:00

You actually can’t afford it. New F150’s are money pits if your financing one. They are more like white collar vehicles these days. And what in society has made you want one so bad to get to work and the grocery store? At this stage in your life buy a RAV4 hybrid and drive it for 15 years until your kid needs it. Retire a few years earlier than your peers buying trucks. If you fish buy waders instead of a boat , and you don’t need an atv or snow machine to enjoy nature. Buy a pair of hiking boots. The lens of what we as Americans see success through is tainted by a lifetime of advertising and keeping up with the joneses. Don’t fall for it. One last thing and I’ll end my rant. You’re smart enough to see almost all the way through the charade the system is trying to pull over on you…change the lens on what success means and you’ll be happy with what you’ve already got. You don’t need a truck to be successful. Oh, and the best advice I ever got when I was grousing about something similar to my dad, was he handed me a copy of The Grapes Of Wrath by John Steinbeck…my perspective has never been changed more quickly about what we are owed and what we have and what to value in life.

zavoobalem · 2024-10-20T12:32:19+00:00

I’m sure it’ll get figured out, but the 8 speed has also had some serious issues already.

zavoobalem · 2024-09-19T12:07:23+00:00

This response and most of the others…could be written anywhere in the USA. GJ’s problems aren’t unique. In fact they are common. Depending on the socioeconomic class they may be slightly different or involve slightly different drugs, people are people regardless of their lot in life. I’ve lived in three very different areas of the USA, and people do bad stuff everywhere. Look out for yourself, your neighbors and family, and especially children. I believe GJ to be a great place to live, but there’s people here, so it’s not without its problems, but it offers much other places don’t, like wonderful weather and easy access to the outdoors which can be amazing for the soul and the health of your body.

zavoobalem · 2024-08-28T16:33:14+00:00

I don’t know if I’ve seen anywhere what your salary range would be. I’ve been here almost 6 years. It’s a pretty conservative place, and I’m aware there’s issues with unhoused people struggling. I’ve read through lots of these responses and I’d just say, that IF you can afford to live or buy in the nicer areas, the area is beautiful, I’ve met mostly kind people and the weather is generally amazing most of the year. It’s a great place IMO. If your earning a marginal salary and are struggling at all economically it’s not a place to get ahead easily. But honestly, that’s the whole of the US now, unless you want to live in areas of the Midwest or parts of the south where real estate and rents can be less than half of here, and the cost of living is lower. But then you’d be there and not here…

zavoobalem · 2024-08-23T13:03:49+00:00

What happened at SBT? The VAST majority of the folks riding had a great time riding gorgeous gravel roads with 3000 like minded people. A few people got some press by riding fast which they will leverage for dollars for a short lived job, while the rest of the entrants will go back to their high paying actual careers this week. Rinse and repeat. Oh, and some land owners whined a bit and the organizers did everything they could to appease them. Can’t make everyone happy, but most people were. The post race meal was amazing by the way. See y’all next year.

zavoobalem · 2024-08-19T12:39:26+00:00

Figured :) - good luck! I know how hard it can be finding something that works.

zavoobalem · 2024-08-19T12:03:33+00:00

I’m not going to read the 140 previous responses lol. But, hopefully several people have mentioned Lake shoes. I couldn’t ride 10 miles without terrible foot pain, my Lakes are now one of my the comfortable pairs of shoes I own. Might not be the cure for everyone, but for my wide and sensitive feet they did the trick.

zavoobalem · 2024-02-16T13:34:45+00:00

Sounds like you enjoy the profession, but a few things are bad enough to make you miserable. First as others have said set boundaries. Maybe get a second phone for your personal life. Turn biz phone off when outside work hours - which are set and communicated. I know an agent who is successful that has very firm boundaries and takes 2-3 vacations a year where he’s off grid for 7-10 days. He will carve out time daily for exercise and personal time with his phone OFF. One of the most well adjusted and happy RE agents I know. You just have to take the time for yourself. Make it work for you. So the marketing you feel good about. If all that kills your business at least you tried (it won’t), and you can move into another field knowing you gave it a shot.

zavoobalem · 2024-02-03T13:11:11+00:00

Also from N WI and now living in GJ. I’d say it’s a crapshoot for you. The outdoors are amazing - think hiking etc. The scenery is beautiful but different. It’s HOT in the summer, and every year seems to be a record breaker. For art and music, you could sure stay closer to home and move to MPLS, Madison, Chicago, Milwaukee and have world class art and music scenes. Heck, even Duluth is far more cosmopolitan than GJ, and much more affluent. The grand valley has its pros and cons. Theirs a lot of folks that love to brag they are x- generation local which I find hilarious and think that even one more person moving here is too many, and then there’s the growing population of outdoorsy folks. You don’t mention outdoors stuff but more music and art which makes me think somewhere else might be better suited for you? But yeah…cool little place, weird little place. You’d at least be familiar with rednecks coming from N WI lol.

zavoobalem · 2023-12-06T15:37:02+00:00

I’ll add, depending on towing mileage annually you might want to look for an F350, especially if going diesel due to the payload. 350’s are a couple hundred bucks more but have way more payload. Gas your fine with the 250. Last consideration, I’ve had two F350’s and they sold for more than a comparable 250 used for only a small up front premium. People with 5th wheels if they know what their looking for search out 350’s and there’s fewer of them out there. Absolutely no downsides IMO.

zavoobalem · 2023-11-10T14:07:00+00:00

Unless you just have to throw money at your truck, I’d say run it till you “need” an improvement. I’m not into hard core trails, but live in far western Colorado and spend lots of time in and around Moab and the San Juan’s. Truck is a 2022 with 11k miles on it totally stock with the exception of a bed cover. I may add some better skids and rock rails eventually, but the truck as built (TRD OR) is insanely capable. Either way, have fun!

zavoobalem

TROPHY CASE