[quote author="Geotpf" date=1253597433][quote author="no_vaseline" date=1253575647][quote author="Geotpf" date=1253571130]My worthless opinion is that we are at bottom now, and we are going to stay here for quite some time.</blockquote>
I think your Riverside neighborhood is (it is below rental parity).
I think Irvine has a LOOOONNNGGG way to go (it is above rental parity).
Why do you think Irvine is different than your neighborhood?</blockquote>
Whether or not an area is below rental parity has only a minimal relation to whether or not that area has hit bottom. There are other reasons why demand for rentals is higher or lower than normal in relation to demand for purchases.
For example, poorer areas have more people with no down payment, unsteady or undocumented income, and poor credit. This is less of a problem when banks are giving loans to anybody with a pulse; more so when they return to traditional, conservative lending standards. Rich people are more likely to have large or 100% down payments, good credit, and documented, steady income. They are also more likely to believe renting is "beneath" them.
Therefore, poor areas will be more likely to have renting being a worse proposition (vs. owning) than expensive areas. Irvine, being an expensive area, may never hit rental parity.
Another factor would be number of people living in an area for a short period of time. College towns would have lots of those types of people. Of course, both Irvine and Riverside have a UC, so that's probably not a factor, except in neighborhoods very near such.</blockquote>
Thank you for going to the trouble to respond, but it's doesn't explain Santa Ana vs Riverside. Santa Ana still is at a big premium over Riverside, but with none of the positive atributes (no university) it's not alone - Cypress and Anacrime come to mind without much trouble. I'll look up the census data for those cites here shortly.
On edit: shortly is here now.
<a href="http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/06000.html">US Census cite, look up any city you want!</a>
Riverside
Median household income, 1999 $41,646
Per capita money income, 1999 $17,882
Santa Ana
Median household income, 1999 $43,412
Per capita money income, 1999 $12,152
The facts show that Santa Ana is poorer per capita (more kids) but higher median than than Riverside.
Current Data Quick Info
SANTA ANA 295 $245,000 $310,000 -20.97%
RIVERSIDE 580 $175,000 $265,750 -34.15%
The facts show that Santa Ana is a premium to Riverside.
<a href="http://www.dqnews.com/Charts/Monthly-Charts/CA-City-Charts/ZIPCAR.aspx">Data Quick Cite</a>