I feel like all of Cali is unattainable , but I don't want it to be! (San Diego: house, to buy) - California (CA) - City-Data Forum

Sweetbottoms · 07-20-2012, 08:00 AM

My husband and I have never lived off th east coast we currently live in south Florida and previous in Maine and NH. We want out of florida ( schools are always on the bottom and we r sick of humidity/heat etc.) we have a two year old so her safety and schools are high on our list. We make combined 90k I work as a chef for Waldorf Anout to start school for digitl conematography as a second career and he's a 911 dispatcher former officer in school for accounting. Every time I look at Cali I feel overwhelmed and discouraged with prices. We would like to buy a home eventually and with a budget of $250,000 make I can't seem to find anything that does t require bars on the windows. My brother lives in Santa Monica but that's way out of our range. I don't know if I can deal with shoveling 6 feet of snow again but I don't want the constant stifling heat of Florida. Any suggestions on where to look? Help me narrow down some places maybe please

nullgeo · 07-20-2012, 08:28 AM

Small town or city?
Lifestyle interests?

Sweetbottoms · 07-20-2012, 08:40 AM

Oh sorry not a small small town def over 30,000 we enjoy parks , swimming , movies and anything age appropriate for my daughter. We aren't big on bars or night clubs (we r 29 btw) just like the regular things families our age do.

nullgeo · 07-20-2012, 09:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sweetbottoms

Oh sorry not a small small town def over 30,000 we enjoy parks , swimming , movies and anything age appropriate for my daughter. We aren't big on bars or night clubs (we r 29 btw) just like the regular things families our age do.

OK ...
btw: there are "regular" things rural families do too

... including hunting, fishing, hiking, skiing ...

California towns over 30,000 population and in your stated price-preference range are VERY few ... none in the coastal areas. Since coastal California is where I lurk, I'll have to defer to others on this board who furtively "lurk" in the IE ... Sacramento also comes to mind as a maybe.

Mind you though: the mild sunny weather is limited to coastal California ... as soon as you go inland you will deal with triple digit summers ... that said, the humidity is very low, so many people find it bearable ... winters are fairly mild everywhere except in the mountain communities.

Good luck.

SunnyTXsmile · 07-20-2012, 09:32 AM

I agree with Nullgeo.

Have you also considered NC, SC, or GA? Much less snow than New England, much less heat than FL. Much less expensive than CA. Just a thought.

Mr5150 · 07-20-2012, 09:55 AM

Gosh. $250K for a house is very doable for 80% of CA (area-wise). The secret is to avoid the coastal areas and the urban areas such as SF bay area, Greater LA and San Diego.

Auburn comes to mind for 30K sized town. I also think the Placerville area is very nice.

And bear in mind that inland CA summers, while hot are also dry and things tend to cool off at night. We don't get the stiffling-sticky heat that one experiences back east

Tex?Il? · 07-20-2012, 09:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sweetbottoms

My husband and I have never lived off th east coast we currently live in south Florida and previous in Maine and NH. We want out of florida ( schools are always on the bottom and we r sick of humidity/heat etc.) we have a two year old so her safety and schools are high on our list. We make combined 90k I work as a chef for Waldorf Anout to start school for digitl conematography as a second career and he's a 911 dispatcher former officer in school for accounting. Every time I look at Cali I feel overwhelmed and discouraged with prices. We would like to buy a home eventually and with a budget of $250,000 make I can't seem to find anything that does t require bars on the windows. My brother lives in Santa Monica but that's way out of our range. I don't know if I can deal with shoveling 6 feet of snow again but I don't want the constant stifling heat of Florida. Any suggestions on where to look? Help me narrow down some places maybe please

Where are you looking???

$250,000 is plenty to live on, but just don't expect to be within walking distance to the beach or have a LARGE house.

You can EASILY find a small, 1960s/70s era tract home with a very small yard in a hotter more inland part of California that is perfectly safe. For example look into parts of NORTH Orange County or the better parts of the Inland Empire, Ventura County areas like Simi Valley, etc. .

This is not even including other cities in the central valley. For example Sacramento is a great centrally located city, where the state capital, where cost of housing is closer to average in the US.

When people talk about California being expensive, they are talking about a specific California unnatainably expensive. lifestyle (walking distance to the beach, hilltop home, etc.)

Do you have kids? Are you looking to have kids? If you don't have kids or aren't planning on having any anytime soon, then you really don't have to worry about California being unnattainable.

SunnyTXsmile · 07-20-2012, 09:58 AM

If you're going to go to inland CA in order to afford a $250k home, aren't you also losing why many (possibly even the OP) would want to be in CA (for the great weather, proximity to beach, etc). In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with inland CA, however, myself and many on this board will also say, if you're going to live inland CA (and don't already have family ties you're trying to maintain by living there), you might as well just as easily live in another State that's cheaper.

If the OP wants hot (which those on this thread even said inland is hot), why not just stay in FL where COL is so much lower? I'm just sayin'...

Back to my original recommendation. Either the parameters need to change (ie. expectations, budget, etc), the OP can go inland CA (where it's hot and more expensive than other hot land locked areas), or the OP should consider the southern eastern coast (NC, SC, GA, etc.). Those are really the only three options.

Tex?Il? · 07-20-2012, 10:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SunnyTXsmile

If you're going to go to inland CA in order to afford a $250k home, aren't you also losing why many (possibly even the OP) would want to be in CA (for the great weather, proximity to beach, etc). In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with inland CA, however, myself and many on this board will also say, if you're going to live inland CA (and don't already have family ties you're trying to maintain by living there), you might as well just as easily live in another State that's cheaper.

If the OP wants hot (which those on this thread even said inland is hot), why not just stay in FL where COL is so much lower? I'm just sayin'...

No. You can still very easily drive to the beach where its cool. Besides there are mountains inland, other beautiful scenery. If you are single or a couple without kids then California has truly endless things to do, no matter what ones interest is.

And California is not humid. Makes a big difference.

However, if you prefer to just stay in one place and not explore the state, then yeah, I guess I can see how California would seem not worth it. Me, weekend exploring is my life, and California is worth living in a tiny space.

I prefer a state I can explore, as long as I am not busy with a family to raise. States where the COL is cheap is great for when one is at that stage of life, but one would likely be bored and lonely if one is still unattached and without family responsibilities.

SunnyTXsmile · 07-20-2012, 10:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tex?Il?

No. You can still very easily drive to the beach where its cool. Besides there are mountains inland, other beautiful scenery. If you are single or a couple without kids then California has truly endless things to do, no matter what ones interest is.

And California is not humid. Makes a big difference.

However, if you prefer to just stay in one place and not explore the state, then yeah, I guess I can see how California would seem not worth it. Me, weekend exploring is my life, and California is worth living in a tiny space.

I prefer a state I can explore, as long as I am not busy with a family to raise. States where the COL is cheap is great for when one is at that stage of life, but one would likely be bored and lonely if one is still unattached and without family responsibilities.

We are not on different pages, however, I was answering the OP's question. The OP is married, does have a child, and is looking for specific things in the new place they call home on a certain budget. Given what the OP is looking for and given the OP's budget, something has to give. Since money doesn't grow on trees, the OP likely needs to decide between the wish list or the location. It's as simple as that, really. I gave in on my wish list so I didn't have to give in on location. Others feel the opposite. Neither is wrong. It's really what works for the OP.