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Old 11-26-2007, 03:55 PM
 
158 posts, read 599,412 times
Reputation: 32

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I stopped listening to negative opinions a long time ago, and I was considering LA but I was never locked into it. I'd honestly rather go to SF as far as what I want out of a city and how an area looks and feels. I'm in college now, I have over five years of experience in multiple fields, all of which are top paying fields, and I'll have a Bachelor's 3 years from this past June. Not to mention a Master's 2 years after that. My wife will be starting college and will graduate with a Bachelor's in the traditional 4 years. Long term goals? I have them. Willingness to work and do whatever it takes? I have it.

If I were a lazy, worthless, unmotivated teenager, similar to many people close to my age where I live and in many other places, then yeah, CA life may suck. But honestly.. I think I'll be happy the moment I get there.

Thank you all for your help, but my mind is made.
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Old 11-26-2007, 05:55 PM
 
Location: Las Flores, Orange County, CA
26,338 posts, read 93,427,408 times
Reputation: 17827
Quote:
Originally Posted by gizmo980 View Post
But I know plenty of young families here, and they are surviving just fine... my sister had a baby in September, and she & her husband own a beautiful house in Sunnyvale. My best friend is also married with a baby on the way, and they own a house in San Mateo hills.
Aren't those expensive areas to live? What are house prices approximately? Do the house prices conflict with your earlier quote "Almost anyone can afford to live here..."?
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Old 11-27-2007, 11:00 AM
 
Location: Ocean Shores, WA
5,092 posts, read 14,773,937 times
Reputation: 10865
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheStarLiesWest View Post
...So, let me get this straight. Life sucks in CA unless you're rich, or evidently poor...
Life sucks for those who don't know how to live it.
How much money you make has little to do with it.
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Old 11-27-2007, 11:12 AM
 
Location: In the Redwoods
30,286 posts, read 51,736,045 times
Reputation: 23653
Quote:
Originally Posted by Charles View Post
Aren't those expensive areas to live? What are house prices approximately? Do the house prices conflict with your earlier quote "Almost anyone can afford to live here..."?
They're not too expensive, by Bay Area standards... both paid around 1M for their homes, so no, it's not cheap either! I don't need to give their entire financial histories, but my sister & friend aren't millionaires by any stretch. Regardless, my quote was about living here, not necessarily buying a million-dollar home. I live here quite happily and comfortably, despite renting instead of buying - fine by me, since I'm not ready for that commitment yet. If/when I do decide to purchase a home, I'll find a way to make it work, and already have a savings account building towards that.

To answer your question, home prices range anywhere from $500K-1M+, depending on the neighborhood and size/quality... but as I said, my definition of living somewhere doesn't have to equal BUYING a house. And aside from the real estate costs, it isn't much more expensive to live in CA. Especially here in the city (SF), where you can find deals that don't exist in the suburbs or rural areas - $3 lunch buffets, $1 drinks, $1.50 to ride the bus for HOURS, $8 manicures, etc. I just got a leather jacket repaired for only $14, since I went to the cheap Chinese tailor in my neighborhood. After living in the suburbs for a few years, I actually thought she said FORTY dollars - and thought that was a good deal, LOL.

Last edited by gizmo980; 11-27-2007 at 11:20 AM..
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Old 11-27-2007, 11:23 AM
 
Location: In the Redwoods
30,286 posts, read 51,736,045 times
Reputation: 23653
Btw, Charles... not sure if you know this, but I actually grew up in the Bay Area. So to me, it's normal to raise a family here, since my parents & friend's parents all did it! We weren't exactly middle-class, and therefore I can't base everything on our situation - though most of my friends were middle-class or lower, and they had pretty happy childhoods. Of course things have changed since then, but there are obviously still lots of families here! So how do they do it, if only a small percentage could be considered rich?
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Old 11-27-2007, 11:27 AM
 
Location: In the Redwoods
30,286 posts, read 51,736,045 times
Reputation: 23653
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheStarLiesWest View Post
I stopped listening to negative opinions a long time ago, and I was considering LA but I was never locked into it. I'd honestly rather go to SF as far as what I want out of a city and how an area looks and feels. I'm in college now, I have over five years of experience in multiple fields, all of which are top paying fields, and I'll have a Bachelor's 3 years from this past June. Not to mention a Master's 2 years after that. My wife will be starting college and will graduate with a Bachelor's in the traditional 4 years. Long term goals? I have them. Willingness to work and do whatever it takes? I have it.

If I were a lazy, worthless, unmotivated teenager, similar to many people close to my age where I live and in many other places, then yeah, CA life may suck. But honestly.. I think I'll be happy the moment I get there.

Thank you all for your help, but my mind is made.
Good for you, and I wish you the best! As other posters have said, life is what you make of it... sounds like you have a good future ahead, and hopefully this will be a great place for you. Let me know if you need help on SF!
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Old 11-27-2007, 01:58 PM
 
Location: Las Flores, Orange County, CA
26,338 posts, read 93,427,408 times
Reputation: 17827
Quote:
Originally Posted by gizmo980 View Post
So how do they do it, if only a small percentage
could be considered rich?
From what I've read on both the City Data forums and from the general media
I think there are four answers: 1) They bought/owned before the big housing
run up, 2) They relocated from other expensive areas like SoCal, BOS, NYC,
NOVA, etc., 3) They brought money from foreign countries (which is
essentially the same as answer 2), and 4) They used the wacky loans we are
all reading about.

Answer 4 is disturbing and due to it there could be some real estate
corrections. Today's LA Time had an excellent article on this.

Homeowners' big question: How low will prices go?

If you need a login and password for the above link use

Bugmenot.com - login with these free web passwords to bypass compulsory registration
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Old 11-27-2007, 05:02 PM
 
Location: In the Redwoods
30,286 posts, read 51,736,045 times
Reputation: 23653
Quote:
Originally Posted by Charles View Post
From what I've read on both the City Data forums and from the general media
I think there are four answers: 1) They bought/owned before the big housing
run up, 2) They relocated from other expensive areas like SoCal, BOS, NYC,
NOVA, etc., 3) They brought money from foreign countries (which is
essentially the same as answer 2), and 4) They used the wacky loans we are
all reading about.
My friend did number 4, I believe, but my sister & her husband didn't do any of the above... they're just well-educated people with good jobs, who saved and started with a small townhouse in Mtn. View (then traded up to a house). I agree, those crazy loans are scary, and I don't plan to do one of those. I'm actually hoping for this one deal, which they extend to people from certain professions - educators, cops & firefighters in particular. My sister used to teach workshops on this program, so I'd have to ask her to refresh my memory on the details... all I remember is something about a low down-payment, without added interest??
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Old 11-29-2007, 01:18 AM
 
Location: Temecula
24 posts, read 127,324 times
Reputation: 30
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheStarLiesWest View Post
Well, I've had a 100 reply long thread about my quest to determine whether or not my wife, child, and I can relocate to California, and I just wanted to share my findings in a public way that everyone can give me even more advice on.

This is in no particular order. And these are not my opinions, these are what I've been told.

1. Don't come to CA without a college degree.
Understandable. The better the job, the better off you are.

2. Don't live in SoCal or near SF/SJ unless you're a kajillionaire.
I disagree, but many of you say this..

3. Life will suck, undoubtedly, guaranteed, unless you're loaded.
I hear this from everyone, even people who don't live there.

4. NorCal is FAR cheaper.
Studies I've done prove this, and it is tempting.

5. Los Angeles is a singles city that's overrun by gang warfare.
Well I guess that speaks for itself.

6. You're young, move now or you may never have the chance again.
This is the undying motivation that I have.

And this is another assumption I have but wonder about.. I have long hair, tattoos, and outside of my professional career I don't dress in 1000 dollar suits, I don't drive a sports car, and I can only afford to rent for a looong time. Not to mention, I'm not a kajillionaire. Is there a place where people young like me, prefferably some musicians in there somewhere, tend to dwell more often?

I don't know. Any comments are well appreciated.
Well here is my reply to your questions

1. Don't come to CA without a college degree.

True true!!! Unless you plan on not eatingor driving anywhere very often because of gas prises like my family.

2. Don't live in SoCal or near SF/SJ unless you're a kajillionaire.
YES THAT IS TRUE!!! We (my husband and I) are barly making it socal without a child!!!

3. Life will suck, undoubtedly, guaranteed, unless you're loaded.

Yea pretty much unfortunetely

4. NorCal is FAR cheaper.

san fansico area isnt. Central California is the cheapest with the exception of Santa Barbra but it is extremly boring and prices are going up!!!

5. Los Angeles is a singles city that's overrun by gang warfare.
"
Well I guess that speaks for itself." YA YOU RIGHT IT DOES I dunno much about bieng all singles, but the gang warfare is correct!!!

6. You're young, move now or you may never have the chance again.
No matter how old you are you will most likely have a chance to move unless you on your death bead so don't rush it look at your options!!!

And this is another assumption I have but wonder about.. I have long hair, tattoos, and outside of my professional career I don't dress in 1000 dollar suits, I don't drive a sports car, and I can only afford to rent for a looong time. Not to mention, I'm not a kajillionaire. Is there a place where people young like me, prefferably some musicians in there somewhere, tend to dwell more often?

I don't know. Any comments are well appreciated.


Don't move to Socal the job opurtunities will be less with long hair and tatoos unless you thinking of working @ Hot Topic, lol. I have seen it happen people are stuck up for the most part here!!! I don't care about tattos but I overheard this woman the day before yesterday at carl's jr dissing this guy with them. It happens all the time!!!
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Old 11-30-2007, 05:16 PM
 
Location: Eureka CA
9,519 posts, read 14,650,333 times
Reputation: 15067
Dont forget the NorCal includes not just the Bay area but 400 miles NORTH. You can still get houses for $250K up (all the way up) but you have to put up with the usual rural problems : drugs,crime limited resources and jobs.
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