Who has tried moving to another state (Pasadena, Orange: real estate, housing)

[sheri257]

Originally Posted by ChocolateTae

But you seem really bitter towards California.

That's an understatement ...

Let me get this straight ... Escape California knowingly pays for a house that's "still too expensive" and wants to make OC money ... but he somehow wants OC to remain cheap. And now because things haven't worked out for him ... the entire state of California basically sucks, according to him.

Well ... I'm not buying it. This is pretty lame.

To expect a place like OC to remain cheap is ridiculous. And to cry over the fact that it will never be cheap again is even more crazy. It's OC for crying out loud. If you want it, you have to pay for it ... like anything else in life. And if you don't want to pay for it then, move on to something else.

That's what we did. But I'm not going to sit here and bash OC because it's expensive. Of course it's expensive ... it's OC!!!

And I don't buy the "there's no money in the sticks" argument either. We moved from OC out to the "sticks" taking a calculated, well researched risk that we could make OC money out here and, lo and behold, we are ...

That is the beauty of California, actually ... the next boom town is the next great opportunity.

[EscapeCalifornia]

Well excuse me for being bitter over the price of housing in the county I call home. I didn't move here and get surprised by the cost of housing. I was born here. My life and my family is here. But because I was born just a little too late, I get shut out of the game.

[GARUFA]

Hi there. I strongly believe , that people left CA for economical reasons. Like somebody saids in a prior message; people get tired of working so hard for so little. In order to live in a decent place. You need to have a job that pay very well, or work long hrs. Regardless , even with all those problems , Southern CA is beautifull.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by GARUFA

Hi there. I strongly believe , that people left CA for economical reasons. Like somebody saids in a prior message; people get tired of working so hard for so little. In order to live in a decent place. You need to have a job that pay very well, or work long hrs. Regardless , even with all those problems , Southern CA is beautifull.

Just because other places are less expensive (in $/sqft) doesn't mean they are ugly, gross and uncomfortable.

Zip Code 80920 Colorado Springs Briargate - Pine Creek – Photo Tour

Near Palmer Lake, Eight miles from my house




Greenland Open Space (one mile from my house)


Pikes Peak from the US Air Force Academy (about eight miles from my house)


Homes in the $350K to $500K range

[Cali4life80]

The same goes for other, less expensive places in CA, Charles. Good point!

[Niners fan]

Renting out rooms? Living with family while saving enough to make the payment affordable? Night jobs? Wife going to work instead of staying home to raise the kids?

There are ways to piece it together. For some people it is worth it. For other is just isn't.

[sheri257]

Originally Posted by EscapeCalifornia

Well excuse me for being bitter over the price of housing in the county I call home. I didn't move here and get surprised by the cost of housing. I was born here. My life and my family is here. But because I was born just a little too late, I get shut out of the game.

It sounds like your life is one big pity party ... and that you spend a lot of time feeling sorry for yourself.

My husband was born in OC too. His life and family was there. But because of a nasty divorce from his first wife he lost his (much cheaper) house there. We didn't want to pay outrageous prices for a new house during the boom ... so we moved.

Is my husband bitter about it? No ... we go back to OC once a month (in fact, we were there this weekend) but he doesn't whine about what he lost. He never even mentions it.

What's the point of crying about it anyway? OC didn't work out so we've built a new life elsewhere and are making plans for the future.

Just because our personal circumstances didn't allow us to stay in OC .... doesn't mean the entire state of California has gone to hell either.

[sheri257]

Originally Posted by Charles

Just because other places are less expensive (in $/sqft) doesn't mean they are ugly, gross and uncomfortable.

Charles ... I know how much you enjoy posting those pretty pictures of Colorado in great weather but ...

Snow makes me VERY uncomfortable .... and there's a lot of snow in Colorado.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by Cali4life80

The same goes for other, less expensive places in CA, Charles. Good point!

But in all reality, to get a home in the $120-$150/sqft range (like I sort of showed above) in California, a I think a person might have a hard time finding a job. Colorado doesn't enjoy California weather so that's one of the reasons the demand is less (which means the prices are lower). Those homes pictured above are really close to jobs in the Springs and maybe 45 minutes from jobs in Denver - with very little or no traffic. It's not California but for some people (like me) it really works. Again, a single person like in his 20s with a good job would find COS boring like he might find Thousand Oaks or Santa Clarita or suburban parts of OC boring. Totally understandable. I guess my message for families with kids who are struggling to get a nice home with good schools in California is to check out other places where real estate is lower (and of course weather isn't perfect but it is good enough). Heck, I'd go to Huntsville, AL before I moved to California or the east coast. Huntsville is the Silicon Valley of the south. I've been there a lot and really is nice. Sure, it's humid but it is very modern, planned, beautiful homes at prices affordable to me as a single breadwinner, etc. HSV is definitely not the sticks or "Deliverance". HSV is a High Tech Mecca. One of the highest percentages of PhDs in the US. Very high quality of life.

Check this out: http://www.hsvcity.com/video_files/brac.wmv




Example: $429K, 3800 sqft, 5BR. Great home for a family in an excellent school district. What a gorgeous home. Brick.

[DawnW]

This is an interesting point and one I have worried about, not for us necessarily, but for my own children. If we move back will my kids be able to afford a house in 15-20 years near us? Of course I understand my kids may want to move away for other reasons, but I would hate for them to HAVE to move away in order to be able to afford a home.

Dawn

Originally Posted by EscapeCalifornia

Well excuse me for being bitter over the price of housing in the county I call home. I didn't move here and get surprised by the cost of housing. I was born here. My life and my family is here. But because I was born just a little too late, I get shut out of the game.