Help me understand california life??

[izzy]

Originally Posted by techy2468

i am curious to know how people can afford to spend so much for housing?? in california....

i am from bangalore, india.....i wanted to help my parents buy a house....but the prices have gone so high that it almost looks like california........i am trying to figure out whether i shall ask my parents to move to another city or what??

My understanding is he is trying to help his parents buy a house. Maybe we need a few more facts. Who is the house for? What kind of profession/jobs will any of the family be looking for? Are his parents retired/quiter life style? What kind of area are they use to living in?

My sister in law is a software programer in the bay area...but before we go in that direction...lets find out what this person does for a living

All the info I have given so far works for any most job markets.

Izzy

[fairweathergolfer]

Originally Posted by techy2468
i want to understand why people living in california will not move out to other places........ its almost like californians spend 50% of their income on housing....and atleast 2 hours on commute......is this true??

Why do I live here with the high cost of housing and long travel times? The first is the weather and beauty. It is non-existant (the weather) anywhere else in the United States. Other places have nice weather but there may be other issues such as humidity, a lot of rain, or hurricanes. Beauty can be found all over the U.S., but not with the year round sun and moderate/temperate climate of California.

The second reason for me staying as it specifically refers to the traffic is the professional resources that can only be had here and also the great non- interferring attitude. People do not get 'into' your business here as I have found them to do in other states (I am not saying people don't do this here, I just don't find it as much). Some people like having people burrow into their life and business and others, obviously many others, don't. I also don't commute for work so this makes it very easy. I work from home. But even when I have professional engagements or travel for classes and/or fun it is worth it. They have a lot of schools here with cache and great classes and also unique entertainment events that they don't have elsewhere. I just plan ahead for the worst possible traffic at all times.

I don't spend 50 % of my income on housing though. I spent around 25% which is supposed to be optimal (beyond not paying at all , but as you said many spend a lot more on their housing costs. Best to you and to your family. Good luck techy2468 with finding the right home for your parents. I would like to go to India one day.

[Dennis P]

Originally Posted by fairweathergolfer

I just plan ahead for the worst possible traffic at all times.

Isn't it interesting how we Californians living in the major metropolitan areas all up and down the state plan our events around the worst traffic times, and not even give a second thought about it?

[speedoflight]

I don't know about the market in SD as I don't live there. In the SF Bay Area, it's very, very hard to get a nice middle class neighborhood house for $520k.

Originally Posted by Sassberto

Nope. I live in San Diego. 520k will get you a smaller, but nice home in a middle class neighborhood, or a very large, brand new tract home in a far-flung exurb. I'm sure you wouldn't want to live in any of them, but not everyone has such exquisite standards as you do.

[speedoflight]

The middle class and upper middle class as well as retired people are leaving CA for other states. If they have houses, they are cashing and leaving for other states where they can buy a place and have plenty of money left. These are also people who are educated and have professional skills and have no issues finding well paying jobs elsewhere. In fact, they are in demand in many markets. Also many, have gone on to start their own companies in these other markets. The migration trend for middle and upper middle class Californians have become more pervasive in the past 5-10 years. Most have done their ROI calculation and realize that it is not advantageous for them to stay in a state where they get little back for their money. The middle and upper middle class also have the financial means to relocate away, even if they did not have that house to sell for profit. Ironically, it's the lower class/lower middle class people who are staying on in CA. It could likely be because of a lack of job skills that would make it hard for them to make such an inter-state transition, not to mention how expensive it is to relocate away. The mega rich aren't leaving of course since they can afford to live anywhere in the world. Most have homes in different states.

Originally Posted by Sassberto

In CA the working and lower-middle-class are rapidly being displaced by the very poor and the very rich. A lot of the median income folks have moved to the Inland Empire, Arizona, and Texas in the past few years.

This is especially acute in a place like San Diego where you have a lot of wealthy retirees, and a lot of high-income professionals who took their money from LA or SF and moved to a more desirable and relatively affordable house in San Diego.

[fairweathergolfer]

Originally Posted by dennismpat
Isn't it interesting how we Californians living in the major metropolitan areas all up and down the state plan our events around the worst traffic times, and not even give a second thought about it?

It is pretty odd. I often think about moving to the NW just to get out of this bizarre reality that has become very much the norm for me. I hate it when relatives visit from other states and they are like,"Oh, I want to go here in the morning and here in the afternoon and tomorrow . . . " And guess who is driving? I usually say, well, if I am driving, we'll do one activity/area a day, unless they are close neighborhood wise or general region. But usually they also want to visit a thousand other cities too when they are here. Frustrating and crazy.

With the exception of my elderly mom, I let them fend for themselves anymore. Once my sister visited me with several of her children and went home to her new hotel room 7-10 miles south down the 405. She left my house at 10:30 at night and she said it took her 45 minutes to get to the hotel. I felt bad for her, but said, "welcome to LA." When the traffic turns out to be fine I think my relatives think we lie about the traffic. But after awhile one has to find a way to live sanely around it.

[dusesean1986]

I ONLY KNOW ABOUT SOCAL IT HAS THE BEST WEATHER ON THE EARTH IT STAYS BETWEEN 60 and 75 Degrees AND IT HAS A WHOLE LOT OF DIVERSITY WHICH IS EXCELLENT...THE CONGESTION IS PRETTY BAD...YOU GOTTA LIVE ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF THE CITY...BUT THOSE RUN AT 800,000 dollars IF YOU CAN MANAGE TO HAVE A HOUSEHOLD INCOME OF over 100K you can AFFORD IT...PEOPLE CAN AFFORD HOUSING SO WELL HERE BECAUSE MOST HOUSES WERE BOUGHT IN THE 1980'S WHEN HOMES WERE CHEAPER