Quote Originally Posted by mcatdog
I'm going to get my Masters degree this winter at California and transfer to a different PhD program next fall.
Where in Cali are you and what are you getting a PhD in?

Quote Originally Posted by mcatdog
If I pull that off, I'm going to blow most of it on a condo wherever I move to, and stop renting like a chump.
People who rented over the past 4-5 years made out like bandits in most markets and it's vastly under-rated IMO. The housing market is on the start of a huge crash right now (at least in SoCal where a lot of terrible loans have yet to implode.) Really do your research before you buy and don't ever take anything a real estate agent says at face value. There is a lot of value in timing the market a little given how much of your net worth is tied up in your house.

If you have very little possessions, look into renting for sale properties at an extreme discount. You can live in some really baller places dirt cheap.