I'm working on getting my first unit, I'm looking at condos South of the bay area (Salinas - Monterey) which I will be living in. I

First, I would identify the average price points of the majority of recent sales in your area that you want to work in.  I

The house had new paint and carpet when they moved in. I

I grew up in Arlington and live in Burlington but my family has some property in Medford and I am very familiar with the area (it's a great place to be and invest in!)I

Getting my glossary together and my knowledge as sharp as I can before jumping in. I

. $250 is just a number I plugged in. I

I realize, in the market I live in, I can possibly get an fha loan and move into a house.

If you want to purchase a home to live in, I suggest getting out of debt first.

I suspect in Omaha you can do very nicely on say 20k a month... and spend say 5% of your income on a toy.. still leaves you 19k a month to live on.. great house in your market probably all in is not more than 3 to 4k a month leaving you 15k for food and cloths.. so you can buy the car  :)

The state is in a recession right now (though the medical/healthcare industry which you are in is doing great) so that means job loss and population decline.