Palm Springs Why Is It Cheaper Than Other Southwest Vacation Towns? (San Francisco: real estate, rentals)

[Tom Lane]

I'm a single guy currently in Flagstaff, Arizona and trying to get out of here due to the Northern Arizona recession w/ double digit unemployment. In looking at Craigs List, it is readily apparent that Palm Springs has cheaper single occupancy rentals than most other southwest vacation towns, including Flagstaff, Santa Fe, Albuquerque, and Boulder. Amazingly, Palm Springs is even cheaper than Monterey, San Francisco, and Seattle!

Why are rents so cheap, and how long will this continue?

How much of a recession are you in right now?

How easy is it for a newcomer to move there, find temporary housing, and then find a permanent place to live? Is there severe competition for housing in December?


Thanks.........

[esmith143]

It is not at all surprising that Palm Springs is cheaper than some of those places. Monterey and San Francisco are very expensive coastal vacation towns. Albuquerque is a big city with lots of employment opportunities. Palm Springs is a small town in the middle of nowhere. Imagine a town with the size and isolation of Prescott, and with Phoenix climate (4 months with daily highs in 100's).

We have a double-digit unemployment recession of our own here, although I think it's not as pronounced in Palm Springs.

[sheri257]

Simple ... it gets really, really hot in summer ... 110 or more.

And there's not much around there.

[CA4Now]

Originally Posted by Tom Lane

Amazingly, Palm Springs is even cheaper than Monterey, San Francisco, and Seattle!

You can't compare a desert community with Monterey, S.F. and Seattle.
As said above, it's unbearably HOT in the desert for a good five months of the year. Not a lot of young people there. It caters to retired people, and unless you're employed in a service-based business, jobs are scarce.

I lived in P.S. in my twenties (job relocation) and it was beautiful. But it can be an isolating place for a young person.

[bhcompy]

i would bet that as a percentage of available real estate a much higher percentage in palm springs is available for rent than all of those other cities as well. supply and demand

[j760]

Palm Springs never seemed that cheap to me at all, I guess if you compare it to San Francisco or Monterey yeah prices will seem cheap. Overall though it's not.

[AKgirlinCA]

I guarantee your utility bills won't be cheap! I have family out there and I do enjoy visiting. It can be a less overwhelming place to live if you're not used to SoCal. Here are some pros & cons to PS:

Pros:
NO smog!
Beautiful mtn views
Fairly affordable homes/rentals
really no traffic that I've noticed
all the stores you need
seems very safe (except for Indio)
if you like sun, it is probably sunny there at least 320 days a year
lots of golf courses
not too far from Big Bear for skiing
the beach is probably a couple hours
slow pace
not the concrete jungle the rest of SoCal is
wonderful restaurants and resorts

CONS:
VERY hot as everyone has mentioned
HIGH utility bills
this may or may not be a con depending on your lifestyle: very high retiree and gay pop. - doesn't bother me but it may some
No seasons really

this is all I can think of for now...hope this helps!

[happ]

AKgirlinCA summed it up correctly in my opinion. I've always been impressed with the cost of housing in Palm Springs [homes with big yards\ grapefruit\ date palms\ swimming pool are quite a bit less than much of California, esp coastal regions]. I also have some family in the Coachella valley & visit on occasion. Palm Spring is perfect from November to early April but has a very long\ very hot summer that is suffocating & it can get humid as well

[Twinkle Toes]

I just love how *some* people offer up "advice" about Palm Springs - and they have probably never even set foot in the area.

[gizmo980]

Originally Posted by CA4Now

You can't compare a desert community with Monterey, S.F. and Seattle.
As said above, it's unbearably HOT in the desert for a good five months of the year. Not a lot of young people there. It caters to retired people, and unless you're employed in a service-based business, jobs are scarce.

We should also mention, it has become the "hip" place for older gay couples to retire... not that it matters, but I'm guessing they will eventually hike up the real estate prices. So get in while you can!

And yes, I have set foot in Palm Springs more than once - not for long, but I have seen it first-hand. Too hot for my taste, although I did like the scenery.