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Just moved here from Bay Area. Love, love San Diego area but I get why you want to leave. After just going through the home search and buying process my best advice is don't buy in Kuna or Nampa. I was told the same thing and so glad we didn't. Next best advice is don't buy in a flood zone. Every home we looked at my husband would look up to see if it was in a flood zone. He lived through the 100 year flood in AZ and now look at those poor people in Louisiana. It happens and with the Boise River and all the canals that run through here, it could easily happen here. Flood insurance only pays a max of $250K. You will love how far your money goes here. There is plenty of water...LOL. You mentioned Meridian which is nice, but also look at Eagle. Everywhere here has a HOA. The weather is not that perfect San Diego weather, but it's not bad. The four seasons are beautiful. Best of luck to you.
Just moved here from Bay Area. Love, love San Diego area but I get why you want to leave. After just going through the home search and buying process my best advice is don't buy in Kuna or Nampa. I was told the same thing and so glad we didn't. Next best advice is don't buy in a flood zone. Every home we looked at my husband would look up to see if it was in a flood zone. He lived through the 100 year flood in AZ and now look at those poor people in Louisiana. It happens and with the Boise River and all the canals that run through here, it could easily happen here. Flood insurance only pays a max of $250K. You will love how far your money goes here. There is plenty of water...LOL. You mentioned Meridian which is nice, but also look at Eagle. Everywhere here has a HOA. The weather is not that perfect San Diego weather, but it's not bad. The four seasons are beautiful. Best of luck to you.
I was told not to look/buy in Nampa or Caldwell, nothing said about Kuna.
But, I ended up buying in SE Nampa, and LOVE it! Be careful about stictly adhering to what people tell you about certain areas, go see for yourself. Nampa is the 2nd largest city (after Boise) in Idaho, there is lots of space and many different neighborhoods...or, no neighborhood at all but open space/fields and houses on big lots.
A big advantage to Nampa, is that due to an old reputation (yes, we have crime, but so does Boise), many people buy into the "don't buy in Nampa" mantra) which keeps the cost of housing a bit lower. Good!
I was told not to look/buy in Nampa or Caldwell, nothing said about Kuna.
But, I ended up buying in SE Nampa, and LOVE it! Be careful about stictly adhering to what people tell you about certain areas, go see for yourself. Nampa is the 2nd largest city (after Boise) in Idaho, there is lots of space and many different neighborhoods...or, no neighborhood at all but open space/fields and houses on big lots.
A big advantage to Nampa, is that due to an old reputation (yes, we have crime, but so does Boise), many people buy into the "don't buy in Nampa" mantra) which keeps the cost of housing a bit lower. Good!
Actually, a lot of people specifically look for Kuna, because, from what I have heard, they have a better than average school program.
Nampa has definitely gotten a LOT better crime-wise over the last decade, but you are right, a lot of us "old timers" still have trouble getting past the stigma. But for me, the primary reason I wouldn't want to live out there is the commute into Boise every day. If I didn't have to commute in, I'd at least consider Nampa these days.
If a prospective home has french doors, make sure to inspect closely for water damage and previous leaks. If you are on a septic system make sure that is serviced and the back flow is inspected as part of the transaction.
Almost every subdivision done in the Boise area in the past 20 years will have some HOA dues associated with it since the cities and counties are requiring open space, landscaping, storm water retention ponds, etc.
Many people moving here initially say don't want CCR's or HOA's but they are indeed hard to avoid in newer homes. The main thing is seeing if you buy into the conditions or not. Some are extremely limiting and others are not. The big issue here is what you can do with your toys (RV's, boats, snow mobile trailers, etc.) Are they allowed, if so - do they need to be enclosed or just screened, etc.) Keep in mind that common sense CCR's and HOA's are a good thing so you don't build a $500k custom home on a lot and then two months later someone doesn't put a 1969 single wide mobile home on the lot next door.
We are trying to add new fields to the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) that shows potential buyers what services are included in the HOA. For example, does it include pressurized irrigation or not; are there subdivision open space parks, etc.. I encourage buyer's to look at HOA's to see the budgets to make sure they are planning ahead realistically so that you avoid any "special assessments" down the road.
Thanks for the pointers! We were up there a couple years ago for a week and really liked what we saw. I would prefer to be in a outlying area like Kuna or Meridian but my wife would opt for being closer in, so we will cross that bridge when we get there.
I have 3 more years to retirement, if I make it. I cannot believe how crowded this town has become. The bumper to bumper traffic even at 5am is getting really old and the drive home is even worse. One day last week it took me 2 hrs. to commute 30 miles.
People ask me why I would want to go to such a cold climate, and my answer is that I can handle a little weather a lot easier than I can handle living in an overcrowded environment where people act like total idiots most of the time. The thought of a living slower pace and being around people with some common sense and courtesy is my idea of perfect retirement.
And one of the great things about retirement is that you don't have any commute any more. At most you might occasionally have a doctor's appointment in the early morning or late afternoon and then get caught up in the so-called rush hour, but other than that it's smooth sailing.
I was told not to look/buy in Nampa or Caldwell, nothing said about Kuna.
But, I ended up buying in SE Nampa, and LOVE it! Be careful about stictly adhering to what people tell you about certain areas, go see for yourself. Nampa is the 2nd largest city (after Boise) in Idaho, there is lots of space and many different neighborhoods...or, no neighborhood at all but open space/fields and houses on big lots.
A big advantage to Nampa, is that due to an old reputation (yes, we have crime, but so does Boise), many people buy into the "don't buy in Nampa" mantra) which keeps the cost of housing a bit lower. Good!
I definitely agree with boiseBound2012.....people told me to avoid Nampa, but I spent time looking in Boise and Meridian. Eventually we decided to look in Nampa and that's where we bought. Nice quiet neighborhood, friendly folks, and most people don't even lock their cars or house at night. We go anywhere in this town, hit the restaurants downtown occasionally, and haven't had any problems in the 5 years we've been here. The 'gangsters 'n drugs' reputation was a decade or two ago, not up-to-date at all.
If someone is telling you to avoid Nampa, ask when the last time they were there, how long did they live there, and what event(s) made them leave. Chances are they're basing their aversion to Nampa on heresay or the "everyone knows it's a bad place" automatic response.
I definitely agree with boiseBound2012.....people told me to avoid Nampa, but I spent time looking in Boise and Meridian. Eventually we decided to look in Nampa and that's where we bought. Nice quiet neighborhood, friendly folks, and most people don't even lock their cars or house at night. We go anywhere in this town, hit the restaurants downtown occasionally, and haven't had any problems in the 5 years we've been here. The 'gangsters 'n drugs' reputation was a decade or two ago, not up-to-date at all.
If someone is telling you to avoid Nampa, ask when the last time they were there, how long did they live there, and what event(s) made them leave. Chances are they're basing their aversion to Nampa on heresay or the "everyone knows it's a bad place" automatic response.
Give it a look when you're home shopping.
Didn't know you lived in Nampa! You guys should come by Brick 29 tonight, meeting a friend (date?) there for their 2 for $29 tonight! Look for the blonde with shoulder length hair, turquoise print top/black pants. Would love to say hello!
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