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I see that there are many of these threads being posted, and I have been browsing through eating up all the information I could that might pertain to me and although some of it does, I would like to have the advise from experienced people to my own particular situation. I have thought of relocating to Colorado, Oregon, Washington, Las Vegas and I stumbled across Boise Idaho while on Findmyspot.com. I then was at the book store in my area and asked one of the employees if he had any books on Idaho (Boise) in particular, he asked if I wanted the book because of potentially moving there. He said that he has family in Boise and it is much like Santa Clarita where I live... That really sparked my interest. After reading about the benefits of entrepeneurial success in Boise, looking at the homes online, and what little I was able to see an read, it sounded identical to where I am living now, if not a bit better.
I currenly live with my girlfriend and her 11 year old daughter, I am 27 and have lived in Santa Clarita Valley (SoCal) my entire life...I have had a thought of moving for the past year or so, and am deciding it might be the thing to do. The community/city I live in currently is about 200 square miles in size with about 175,000 residents. I am about 35 miles north of the city of Los Angeles. Commercial and Residential Real Estate/Construction is mostly new, approx. property age 25years. although we do have some homes as old as 1950's...Reasons for my considering Idaho as a relocation spot.
--I notice that the unemployment rate in Idaho is about 7.9% as compared to CA's 12.1%, big plus as it tells me the economy is strong.
--Sales tax in CA is 9.25%-9.75%
--Weather seems to be less intense in the summer, we typically get up to 110* in summer.
--Traffic just about everywhere you go in Los Angeles is terrible.
--Overall, I think I am just looking for a change, I figure that I am still young and if I don't like the move, I can always just come back, however my Girlfriend seems scared to death of moving, and is very hesitant. (All my family and her family live in So Cal, but I think change would be good, and we are not all that far from Southern California if we had to come back for some reason)
We are currently renting a 2 bedroom apt. in Santa Clarita for $1,700 per month, the lease expires at the end of July, so I was hoping to have all my ducks in a row and if all works out, move to ID by August 1st. What are the current rental rates in Boise, for a nice safe neighborhood?
I am a Realtor in California, I started back in 2006 as the market was on its way down, my first year was extremely difficult, but I made it though and have been doing fine ever since. I would like to continue my career in Idaho but would like some input from natives as to market status, (if there are any agents out there please feel free to educate me). My girlfriend is a Registered Dental Assistant in California which I know will mean nothing in Idaho, however she is also experienced in front office work/management so hopefully that helps. She does have a huge desire to become a dental hygenist, however with the cost of living in CA, it would be extemely difficult for her to attend/complete the schooling here. I guess my primary concern and questions I have are;
1) How difficult would it be for her to find a job? and for me to continue in real estate? Also, I can estimate my income as a Realtor, however what about Dental office positions in Idaho?
2) How are the schools in Idaho/Boise?
3) Quality of life?
4) I was thinking of driving up to Idaho Friday evening & come back Monday making a road trip out of it... This would allow me some time to check out the neighborhoods, city, etc. Any recommendations on where to look?
5) What are the safest areas to consider living? and is there anything important I should know about before hand.
Sorry for the long posting but I wanted to be thorough Thank you everyone in advance for your insight and I appreciate the feedback.
I would agree Boise and Santa Clarita are somewhat similar. Boise itself has more character than Santa Clarita. Particularly the Downtown Area, North End, Boise Bench, SE Boise is made up of cottages, bungalows, tree lined streets...sort of a Pasadena vibe. The remainder of the Metro is very spread out with newer tract homes, strip malls, etc...similar to Santa Clarita. Surprisingly, if crime stats are to be believed, Santa Clarita is safer than Boise...in fact, one of the safest cities in the nation.
Just a note...I'm in real estate down here in Cali as well and had thought about moving back to Boise and trying real estate up there. I decided against it as the market there is a couple years behind SoCal so they are still struggling and probably will take a bit longer to recover. Some recent predictions I saw expected things wouldn't turn around in Boise till 2011. Although unemployment is low it has been growing at a pace quicker than the national average. As you noted things have picked up down here. Boise and Santa Clarita are also similar as they were both overdeveloped. Not saying it is impossible but starting a whole new career in real estate in a new (and slow) market would be very brave.
I'm not in the area anymore but I would guess rents would be half of what you are paying in Santa Clarita.
Last edited by boi2socal; 05-21-2009 at 02:02 AM..
I would agree Boise and Santa Clarita are somewhat similar. Boise itself has more character than Santa Clarita. Particularly the Downtown Area, North End, Boise Bench, SE Boise is made up of cottages, bungalows, tree lined streets...sort of a Pasadena vibe. The remainder of the Metro is very spread out with newer tract homes, strip malls, etc...similar to Santa Clarita. Surprisingly, if crime stats are to be believed, Santa Clarita is safer than Boise...in fact, one of the safest cities in the nation.
Just a note...I'm in real estate down here in Cali as well and had thought about moving back to Boise and trying real estate up there. I decided against it as the market there is a couple years behind SoCal so they are still struggling and probably will take a bit longer to recover. Some recent predictions I saw expected things wouldn't turn around in Boise till 2011. Although unemployment is low it has been growing at a pace quicker than the national average. As you noted things have picked up down here. Boise and Santa Clarita are also similar as they were both overdeveloped. Not saying it is impossible but starting a whole new career in real estate in a new (and slow) market would be very brave.
I'm not in the area anymore but I would guess rents would be half of what you are paying in Santa Clarita.
Boi2Socal,
How much safer would you say boise is than SCV? I have been looking at stats, but I know that SCV does have crimes and instances that take place that might not be recoreded/reported. What area of SoCal are you an agent in?
Well, I've never felt threatened in Santa Clarita. I can only assume car theft is higher in SCV simply because of it's proximity to LA, only an assumption. Boise is safe too and I never really felt unsafe there. Boise is still a "city" compared to Santa Clarita which is a suburb so you'll naturally have higher crime numbers in Boise. For instance, I'm sure bar hopping drunks and hooligans that go out on a Friday night in Downtown Boise account for a number of crime instances that would never occur in Santa Clarita because there really isn't anywhere to do that. Just an example. But in general Boise is safe.
I'm part of a foreclosure team and we do REOs all over the LA area. We just cleared the last of our SCV properties but I spent a few days up there every week for a couple months and became somewhat familiar with the area. I personally will begin farming my own neighborhood but am not holding my breath since the high end market is basically at a stand still.
As someone who currently lives within the Boise City Limits, I can tell you that rent is far cheaper. For a 2 bedroom 1.5 bath residential townhouse with a 2 car garage, I currently pay $725 a month (plus electric, water and gas). It's just under 1200 sq ft. That being said though, wages are significantly lower here in Boise, so be sure you have a decent job lined up before your move. Incidentally I live in the Boise Bench area.
As for weather being less extreme, don't kid yourself, it gets up into the triple digits pretty frequently between July and August. The winters can be pretty chilly as well (regularly in the 20s). It is definitely tolerable though on both ends.
Moved from CA (OC) to Boise before...so I can help you...
It took me 6 weeks to find employment, I was surprised that many employers in Boise didn't want to higher me because in my 20s I had more education and degrees than they had in their 40s..it was strange. I actually had one owner tell me she wouldn't hire me because she was afraid I would take over her job. Um...ok. Just realize that most kids in Boise don't reach adult status until they're in their 30s so you might be treated differently and not taken as seriously...just something personal I ran into (and know others who did as well).
Schools are excellent! Quality of life is VERY good!!! It's a 15 hour drive if you go through Nevada instead of Utah...narrow road though.
Look around Meridian...on the western side...I liked it there for families!
All is safe except Garden City...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Shock976
1) How difficult would it be for her to find a job? and for me to continue in real estate? Also, I can estimate my income as a Realtor, however what about Dental office positions in Idaho?
2) How are the schools in Idaho/Boise?
3) Quality of life?
4) I was thinking of driving up to Idaho Friday evening & come back Monday making a road trip out of it... This would allow me some time to check out the neighborhoods, city, etc. Any recommendations on where to look?
5) What are the safest areas to consider living? and is there anything important I should know about before hand.
Sorry for the long posting but I wanted to be thorough Thank you everyone in advance for your insight and I appreciate the feedback.
Moved from CA (OC) to Boise before...so I can help you...
It took me 6 weeks to find employment, I was surprised that many employers in Boise didn't want to higher me because in my 20s I had more education and degrees than they had in their 40s..it was strange. I actually had one owner tell me she wouldn't hire me because she was afraid I would take over her job. Um...ok. Just realize that most kids in Boise don't reach adult status until they're in their 30s so you might be treated differently and not taken as seriously...just something personal I ran into (and know others who did as well).
Schools are excellent! Quality of life is VERY good!!! It's a 15 hour drive if you go through Nevada instead of Utah...narrow road though.
Look around Meridian...on the western side...I liked it there for families!
All is safe except Garden City...
MommyntheOC,
Are you still living in Boise currently, and what caused you to leave CA? If you are, what are your thoughts regarding the state over CA? How long ago did you leave? How are employment rates and cost of living in comparison? If you are not in Boise anymore, where did you end up going and what caused you to leave? Any insight you can shed on weather patterns?
Can anyone shed some light on the income differntial from California to Idaho? Me being in a real estate agent, I can pretty much figure out what I would make based on the volume of homes sold, leases done, etc. But for my Girlfriend as a Registered Dental Assistant or Dental Office Manager what would she be looking at rate wise in Boise Area?
I moved from Central Cali to Boise last June. Weatherwise--it is FAR SUPERIOR to Central Cali and, though I drove through Santa Clarita 100 times in my life, Santa Clarita seems very high desert-ish. I don't think the Grapevine gets as much snow as Boise does though the elevation is similar. Boise is at 2700 ft.
The air quality alone makes the move worthwhile. Santa Clarita's air doesn't get any beach relief and with all the fires happening in So Cal, the air will only get worse and worse each year.
Sales tax in Boise is 6%, there is no CRV (which actually really adds up), car insurance is 30% less than what I paid in Cali, utilities are 60% less. Gas is always going to be .20-.40 cents less, maybe more. You will hardly run up the miles if you live/work in Boise. Meridien and Nampa simply aren't very far away. Obviously Idaho is a huge state so if you want to go ski at Sun Valley or go to McCall for boating..those are fairly big drives.
My apartment complex charges $750-$825 for 2BDR apartments. A *rough* guess would be professionals could expect same salary--to--less 30%. Would your girlfriend be comfortable making up to 30% less? My only concern with Boise Dentistry is I've noticed MANY dental practices have gone belly up. I see a lot of "OFFICE SPACE FOR LEASE" signs. I think a lot of Boise/Idaho consumers have put off their dental care/car care to save money.
I have no idea about Real Estate or the market but my guess is that Boise's real estate market is still "on the rebound" and will be for the next 18 mo.
Having said all of this--you should seriously think about the move. The Winter is comfortable (yes there's snow, but it melts in a day or two) and we only hit single digits maybe twice this past winter. 30s is very comfortable. The Summer is warmer than I expected it would be. People tan easy up here. We've already set 2 heat records and it's only Spring. This summer could be a cooker here.
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Thank you everyone in advance for your insight and I appreciate the feedback.
