Left or plan on leaving California, why? (Fresno, Laguna: environment, real estate)

[CA central coast]

I know this question has been widely documented on this forum. I'm looking for short, specific answers here. The straw that broke the camel's back.

[impala666]

I think a big issue is property tax,when I sold a house in London my annual property taxes were around $6000. For the same priced property in CA I would be paying over $100,000 per year.

[rkb0305]

left Fresno because of the air quality and weather. Left the state because everyplace else in it was too expensive.

[DMenscha]

Originally Posted by impala666

I think a big issue is property tax,when I sold a house in London my annual property taxes were around $6000. For the same priced property in CA I would be paying over $100,000 per year.

That would have to be a $10 million dollar home +/-. Property taxes are actually much higher in many states across the nation.

Thanks Prop 13!

[L-88]

Originally Posted by DMenscha

That would have to be a $10 million dollar home +/-. Property taxes are actually much higher in many states across the nation.

Thanks Prop 13!

I purchased two 1000 square foot condos in Laguna Woods in 1998 for $140,000 for the pair. My property taxes on both were about $1600 last year. The properties are presently valued at about $235,000 each.

[CA central coast]

Originally Posted by DMenscha

That would have to be a $10 million dollar home +/-. Property taxes are actually much higher in many states across the nation.

Thanks Prop 13!

I was going to say the same thing. Impala666 has a home in Big Sur, I think that explains it. You need that kind of money to purchase real estate there!! May be going out on a limb, but I'm thinking Impala666 is a very wealthy man.

[Niners fan]

I think if you like the liberal atmosphere of the state government and all that it brings then you like California. If you don't then you will likely be happier somewhere else. Most of what people complain about when leaving California can be directly or indirectly tied to the leftist position of the government. I know that is a broad statement and I don't mean it pejoratively.

With the liberal government you get higher taxes and an attempt to redistribute income, restrictions on growth which drives up real estate, lax attitude towards illegal immigration which also drives up real estate, and lots of laws. On the other hand you get lots of consumer protections, worker protections, and social programs that other states don't have. I'm not looking to start a political debate here so I will leave it at that. I think that summarizes why some people are itching to leave and others think it is the only place to live.

For me the straw that broke the camel's back was wanting to build a warehouse for our manufacturing company and not wanting to make such a substantial commitment in California. I figure a warehouse will tie us somewhere for a couple of decades and every year there is talk of raising taxes and implementing new regulations in California. I didn't want to be tied to what I perceived as an unstable business environment.

[EscapeCalifornia]

I want to own a home in a safe neighborhood that doesn't require 50% of two full-time incomes and isn't 50 miles from the nearest job center.

[sheri257]

Originally Posted by EscapeCalifornia

I want to own a home in a safe neighborhood that doesn't require 50% of two full-time incomes and isn't 50 miles from the nearest job center.

Is this true today?

As I recall you bought your house at or near the peak of the market but with lower housing prices that continue to fall ... this may not be the case the many areas.

I don't think we'll really know until the bottom of the market hits but, at the very least, housing prices are getting more affordable.

[Moose Whisperer]

Unfortunately, the poll didn't include an option for my main reason:

ALL OF THE ABOVE