Buy a Home in Silicon Valley for $25,000—but There’s a Catch

Anyone who lives here in the Silicon Valley knows housing (both renting & buying) comes at a premium. Last year I think it was when I heard the story of a guy in Mountain View who was renting a tent in his backyard for $800 a month, and I thought that was bad, but now I heard about this. So apparently a guy will rent a van, just to Google employees for $30.00 a day to sleep in their parking lot, since Google apparently doesn't pay some employees enough to afford a place. The employee can use their restroom, cafe, etc. provided they have a place to sleep - that's where the van comes in. Anyhow, seeing things like this speak to the high cost of housing here in the valley.



Psst … want your own place in Silicon Valley for a mere $25,000? Then you should meet Robert Allen, an entrepreneur who’s retrofitted six vans with beds and kitchenettes. His target clientele? Google employees.

This makes total sense: The tech behemoth, based in Mountain View, is justly famous for its amenities that encourage employees to linger in the office around the clock. With cafeterias dishing up a range of delicious free food throughout the day and top-notch exercise facilities where you can shower, who needs to go home for anything but sleep?

That’s where Allen’s vans come in. He initially rented the vans to travelers staying a night or two, via his site Go-Tel.net (not hotel—get it?). But his latest Craigslist ad woos cash-strapped Googlers with the following pitch: “Eat Google food, use their gym, and sleep in the van (CHEAP).”

There is a precedent for this—in one highly publicized case, a 24-year-old software engineer opted to sleep in a box truck in the parking lot at Google to  save on housing costs. The company’s reaction? Shrug.

The vans rent for $30 per day, or you can buy one outright for $25,000. If you’re not lucky enough to be employed at Google, Allen’s ad says, “you tell me where you would like it parked and I do the research to make that happen” (which we infer/hope means he finds legal parking spots for you).

Sure, living in a van sounds cramped and uncomfortable, but it’s undeniably a deal, considering that the cheapest Mountain View apartments on realtor.com® start at $1,625.

Here’s a pic of the place, located at 1970 Latham St.:



And here’s a peek at what we presume is the kitchen and, um, the rest. Cozy isn’t it? But hey, if you’re working around the clock at Google and taking advantage of its immense cafeteria and other amenities, all you really need at your crash pad is a few microwaveable meals in your freezer for the weekends. Assuming there’s room for a microwave, that is.



As for the cheapest house you can actually buy in Mountain View, that’s a whole different animal. The cheapest listing on realtor.com is a mobile home at 191 E El Camino Real, Space 210, going for $99,000.

And according to the listing, it “may need to be a cash deal.” You may even need to bring it in a suitcase.

Once you see the reality of real estate in Mountain View, a van for $25,000 starts looking pretty sweet, doesn’t it?

Source: Realtor,com, Judy Dutton

http://www.realtor.com/news/trends/buy-home-silicon-valley-for-25000/?iid=rdc_news_hp_carousel_theLatest

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