With mortgage rates so low, it's time to check out some homes I could actually buy... or not.

With rates for 30-year fixed mortgages as low as 4.75%, I'm starting to really hate myself for skimping on my saving program during these past few lean years, though my finance friends assure me that finding a lender right now is barely worth the trouble. So I've started a very preliminary search. While there are few roomy single-family houses at prices within my reach, there are a couple nice condos. But I've gotten very used to my indoor/outdoor rental, so I'm holding out for something with a lawn, a laundry room and a garage, you know, the quintessential American dream.

So I expanded my search around the Bay and found myself visiting some bucolic neighborhoods built upon midcentury dreams gone by: Terra Linda in San Rafael, Linda Mar down by Pacifica and finally a funny enclave in Oakland called Sequoyah Heights. And that is where I found this little gem, a 1960 Ranch House at 25 Donna Way. Read more...