Report: San Francisco, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties least affordable housing in California

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Do you want to shock someone today? Show them this new report from the California Association of Realtors on housing affordability in California and the Bay Area for the fourth quarter of last year.

According to the report, a household in San Francisco needs to make a minimum income of just more than $303,000 a year to afford the median home price of $1.5 million.

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Next highest was San Mateo County at $302,890 followed by Santa Clara County at more than $256,000. And Marin County with $252,000.

"It's horrendous," said San Jose resident Eliza McLane. "No one has that type of money. Not everybody is a dot-commer and earns that type of money."

Redwood City resident Molly Rose adds, "People can't live. People have to be a really high earner. You have to have an advanced degree and that's killing the middle class and that's killing the people who are working in all the businesses that we love here and make this area so great."

Fellow Redwood City resident Craig Roche agreed, "It's terrible. It's very hard to sustain a way of life with housing costs so high."

ReMax Mid-Peninsula broker Jaime Gonzalez believes the minimum income numbers are inflated.

"I think it's scaring people that probably can qualify to buy a house," he said.

According to Gonzalez, a lot of people are buying homes using interest only loans.

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Cashing in stocks is also helping people put down more than 20 percent, decreasing their monthly payment.

Gonzales's advice - understand the market.

"I think if you can actually get into the Bay Area real estate market and plant some roots you can, you can make a lot of money," he said.

Solano, Contra Costa, and Napa counties are the most affordable in the Bay Area. Tehama and Kern counties are the most affordable in California.

Click here to see the full report from the California Association of Realtors.

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