the last year?

My brother and I finally, after about 6 years of savings, got enough money together to put a down payment on a new house for our mom. After 6 years of saving, we put together over $80,000 for a down on a new house in Ladera Ranch which is a new city east of Laguna Beach, CA. We came by regularly to watch the house being built. We get the keys for the house on January 4, 2002.

MAN you are good boys! Heres' a good on ya mate!

Hmmm.  Let's see.

South O.C.
Almost smack dab in the center of "The Golden Triangle" (Newport, Irvine, Dana Point)
Close to the beach.

80k down, let's say you got locked in at an even 6%...

Yeah. At $2500 a month you should have it paid off in about 30 years. [:D]  [:D]

Congratulations!  I wish I was in a position to do something that nice for my dad.  You done good.

I take my greatest pride in watching my son grow up to be a respectful young man and know that I had alot to do with it.

It's a pretty nice house. It's around 2600 square feet, 2 car garage, three bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, a den/office/loft, and a great view of the valley with a slight view of the ocean. I want my mom to be really comfortable now that she's retired.
So far the house has been a great investment besides the fact that it's going to be a great house for our mom. We bought the lot in March at $380,000. Before the house was even completely built, it has already appreciated about $30,000. We're getting offers of $430,000 BEFORE the house is even built. Over $50,000 more than what we paid for. We considered selling it and making a nice profit, but houses in the area are going for over $400,000. So we decided to keep it for awhile. Orange County real estate, I just don't get it.

Ranger school: Class 4/94

Hardest 72 days of my life.

I worked for Toshiba in Irvine for several years and commuted from the Inland Empire (Moreno Valley, to be exact).

In the office, I definitely lived with the stigma of being a commuter from "that" side of the mountain.  Us lowlifes from the "909" don't have the property values that the "949" crowd enjoy.

My parents lived in Ventura where property values are also pretty high. When I was able to buy a house, there was no way I could afford to move back to that area.  My dad told me about M.V. and I checked it out.

I bought in '88 and got a 2 story, 1700sq.ft., 3bd., 2 3/4 bath, 3 car garage home with decent sized yards for 102k.  I also had the chance to watch it being built.

There's no way I could have touched a similar home in V.C. for twice that amount.

Even with the recession and everything, houses in this area are still going up like crazy. When we first looked at the place, we were put in a drawing for 30 or so houses. There were over 500 people looking to buy from 30 houses. Demand here is still nuts. I'm really happy with our purchase.

Helping My 78 year uncle who was a Navy veteran of Anzio and Salernio(DUwK driver), and later was given a rifle and fought his way up the boot against Germany's finest mountain troops. He spent most of 1946 in a 'nut' ward in Long Beach,Ca. He escaped because he thought they were going to keep him in forever. He never went back to the VA. His kids had abandoned him, his wife left him, and when I went out to the left coast last year, I paid him a visit. we had a good time, and an understanding of one another, both being combat vets. This spring he flew out east, and I had him worked up by ex-SF 'shrink'. I paid for the work-up because I knew he couldn't. I asked his five sons and daughters to kick in because I thought it was proper...no dice. At times he got discouraged, but we would talk and I would tell him his ship was sailing into port. Last week I got a letter of thanks, and a note that the VA considered him 100% for PTSD, retro to last January. Nice check from Uncle Sammi Claus, and a pension for the rest of his life. He also sent me a Poloroid of himself with a baseball cap on backwards, a big smile(two front teeth missing) and the caption, "I'M A NUT! (AND DAMN PROWD)". I'm damn prowd of him too....Gib

That's great, bro!!! A hell of an accomplishment. Congratulations on a job well done.

Peace,
John

Damn! You're good man.  Haaven has a special place for people like you. Sounds to me he's lot saner than a lot of people I know who is not in the nut house.

You have done well.
check this out
[url]http://www.channel2000.com/news/stories/news-113363420011219-181257.html[/url]

Home Prices Soaring In Orange County
Median Price Rises $12,000 In The Last Month

Posted: 4:21 p.m. PST December 19, 2001

SANTA ANA, Calif. -- There's been another huge jump in Orange County home prices, CBS2 News reported Wednesday.

The median price for a house there is now $322,000, the television station said. That's an increase of $12,000 in the last month and $41,000 in the last year.

According to CBS2 News, the increase was fueled by a big jump in new home sales, which tend to cost more than older homes. Last month, new homes accounted for nearly 20 percent of the sales in the county. Typically, new home sales account for about 10 percent of sales.

Copyright 2001 by Channel 2000. All rights reserved

Kind of hard to pick one when I look at my wife son and daughter, but I can sum it up with one word, my family.

The day me and my dad finished our long-ez 2 months ago. We are now in the flight certification process. No small plane flies like a canard [:D]

Congratulations!!  Will you be flying the project to Oshkosh this summer?

My first thought was my family, but my wife gets half the credit for helping with that one.I would have to say is was the 3 years of my life spent making my baby.
A Jaguar XJ6 with 375 horespower worth of fuel injected smallblock Chevy muscle. I didn't know squat about what I was doing when I started.
Spent 2 years reading Jaguar wiring diagrams,
Chevy fuel injection wiring diagrams, and fuel injection theories of most all foreign and domestic fuel injection systems. The last year was spent assembling the motor myself including porting the intake system, that was a learning experience. Laying out several miles of wiring connecting the engine to the computer then the computer to the car. Learning airconditioning
service and repair to build a hybrid AC system
which uses all GM components. The most amazing thing was the first start. Turned the key on and off a few times to prime the injection system and when I hit the starter it fired on the first crank and has been running for 2 years now without a hitch. Runs mid 12's in the 1/4 and gets 25mpg on the highway and quiet as a mouse. With the knowlege I gained I now have my own repair shop and no longer have to sit behind a desk and have someone tell me what to do.

Taking a leak and not getting any urine in my underwear or studying hard and acing the tests.  I'm not sure which was a bigger accomplishment.  [:\]

[b]-RoadDog[/b]