California Bashing ... Enough Already! (San Diego, Huntington Beach: environment, equity, relocate)

[donnam]

Originally Posted by VeronikaW

We moved to WA state thinking we could have a better quality of life here than in CA (I'm a CA native).

None of the pros of WA state are enough to keep us from moving back to CA as soon as we can.

V. =)

Amen! We moved to Idaho thinking our lives would be "better". Now, Idaho is a fine state, but it's hasn't turned out to be a good fit for us. For our family, home turns out to be California, where our friends and family are. We also cannot wait to get back there.

I've heard more than enough about how we're destroying the lifestyle of natives in other states with our fiendish Californian attitudes. We're ready to own up to our mistake in relocating and head home to good old CA!

[sheri257]

Originally Posted by shannon94

Oh.....like Barstow etc? I've been through San Bernardino county several times....no offense ...but has it improved that much in say the last 10 years. To me it is not a very desirable area.....hence the cheap prices. I guess I just dont think of that area when I think of California.

Of course it's not the coast, never said it was ... far from it. But I never found Dallas that desirable either. Either way, it's all sprawling suburb.

The point is where are you more likely to be financially better off? If it's a choice between a cheap home in Texas vs. a cheap home in the California desert ... I'll take the desert because I can make more money out here.

And at least California desert homes did appreciate a lot more than Texas homes again, because there's more money here.

[shannon94]

Originally Posted by donnam

Amen! We moved to Idaho thinking our lives would be "better". Now, Idaho is a fine state, but it's hasn't turned out to be a good fit for us. For our family, home turns out to be California, where our friends and family are. We also cannot wait to get back there.

I've heard more than enough about how we're destroying the lifestyle of natives in other states with our fiendish Californian attitudes. We're ready to own up to our mistake in relocating and head home to good old CA!

Where do you live in Idaho? A friend of mine left the Temecula area a year ago for Boise. They looove it. What kind of problems did you have out there?

[shannon94]

Originally Posted by sheri257

And at least California desert homes did appreciate a lot more than Texas homes again, because there's more money here.

That is not the reason Cali homes appreciated so quickly. Whatever.

[Roma]

Originally Posted by donnam

Amen! We moved to Idaho thinking our lives would be "better". Now, Idaho is a fine state, but it's hasn't turned out to be a good fit for us. For our family, home turns out to be California, where our friends and family are. We also cannot wait to get back there.

I've heard more than enough about how we're destroying the lifestyle of natives in other states with our fiendish Californian attitudes. We're ready to own up to our mistake in relocating and head home to good old CA!

Yes, I agree! We moved to Texas almost 3 years ago to retire and we can't wait to move back to the coast of California or we are thinking of the NC and SC coast. Good luck to all of us!

[monti]

Originally Posted by shannon94

That is not the reason Cali homes appreciated so quickly. Whatever.

Really? Would you be so kind as to explain?

[Charles]

Originally Posted by monti

Really? Would you be so kind as to explain?

I don't know and this has been a question asked on some of the other LA & California forums. Here's just a guess, I am no expert.
Before the run up, there were three types of people, those who could afford California, those who couldn't and those who were sort of marginal. When the cheap loans and wacky ARMs became popular in the late 1990s(?) those people who were marginal suddenly could afford California. (The assumption is that there were lots of people who wanted to move to California and couldn't afford to.) That's why California and other demandable places like the east coast rose so disporportionally to the rest of the country.
Bottom line: California is and has pretty much always been very desireable (whether in reality or perception). Once it became affordable (by virtue of cheap money), more people tried to live there (increasing demand) and with an essentially fixed supply the prices went up.
This is just a guess. After all, California didn't become two or three times more desirable in ten years. That is, available jobs didn't increase in that proportion, the weather was great then and now, etc.
I guess the flip side of the coin is that if it was the cheap money/wacky loans that allowed the prices to rise so much in California, the demise of these financial practices might result in a greater reduction in prices in California than in middle America. After all, the Houstons, St. Louiss, Denvers, Atlantas, Cincinnatis, etc. didn't explode so maybe their homes won't go down as much? Or maybe that is wrong especially if those type towns had about the same percentage of wacky loans??? Everyone will get smacked about the same. Not sure.

[sberdrow]

Originally Posted by sheri257

What's with all of the California bashing?

I've lived in several states all over the country and I personally think a lot of those places suck, quite frankly. That is, afterall, why I continue to live in California. I'm sure this is true of many Californians who've lived in other states as well.

But I don't see a lot Californians going out of their way constantly telling other people that those places suck ... even though they probably could if they wanted to with ample justification.

If you've moved or are in the process of moving ... and it was such a great choice then... you should be happy. But if you constantly feel the need to tell the rest of us that we're idiots and not similarly enlightened then I suspect you're really not happy with your choice begin with ... and maybe, just maybe ... you actually miss California.

The more people bash California, the more I think they actually wish they could live here or still lived here. Because if you are really happy with your choice then ... why would you even care what goes on here?

They only bash it because if we could afford it, we would all want to live in California. You must know that every state gets bashed. I must have bashed Texas 1000 times on these forums. It just makes me feel good. I was born in California, and I have lived in Ore, Wa, TX and Now Colorado. I hate the stupid people who dog states that have never been there however. Only Californians or former Californians should be able to bash it.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by sberdrow

...if we could afford it, we would all want to live in California.

Not exactly. Some of us (who were just plain lucky and purchased before the run up) were affording California and still chose to move. Affordability isn't the only reason to live somewhere nor is costliness a reason to not live there. These forums have produced strong arguments on both sides.

Similarly, I'd debate the statement someone wrote: "If you are very wealthy, then California is the best place to live."

[sberdrow]

Originally Posted by Charles

Not exactly. Some of us (who were just plain lucky and purchased before the run up) were affording California and still chose to move. Affordability isn't the only reason to live somewhere nor is costliness a reason to not live there. These forums have produced strong arguments on both sides.

Similarly, I'd debate the statement someone wrote: "If you are very wealthy, then California is the best place to live."

Sure it would be, what state offers more. Great weather, Mountains, plains, pine forests Forest, Deserts, big cities, small cities, beaches, Movie stars, liberal places, conservative places, awesom choices for food. What state offers all of these...and don't say Texas because the Weather sucks and the pine forests are insignificant. Once again, homes cost so much because of Demand. If you have a lot of money, how could you bash that state. You don't like where you live in Cali, fine, move to another part of cali. YOu have SO many choices. I love the Pac NW but the overcast skys year after year got to me. I could move to Norhern Cali, and get my trees and mountains and leave the overcast behind. It just so happens that I moved to Colorado because I love the arid air, and I can get a 2000 sqft house for under 300k.