Hayward's not so bad at all :)

Get the quake insurance though.

I still wince when I see what the cost of a Hayward condo would buy back in Georgia.

If you moved out of ATL more than about 4 years ago, you'd wince when you see what house prices have done there, too. All those "transitional" historic neighborhoods have "transitioned".

If you live in Hayward, do you happen to know how much the insurance costs?

Hard to get a quote without providing an address. And I don't want to someone to get spammed by an insurance seller because they listed their home for sale and I used it to get an insurance quote.

Not exactly sure because I rent; one site I saw says the average in Alameda County is $1,800/yr

I've actually recommended that strategy to a lot of young people recently. I see victims of age discrimination all the time who were displaced by younger, less-capable, cheaper and easier-to-fool workers. These younger people have a good chance of being in same position. So, best to either avoid debt or have it all paid off in 10-15 years.

Forget the condo. Just dump your money in a Vanguard fund and leave it there until you're 40+