Where's my dream California city? (Temecula: rental, house, to live)

[NYMTman]

Consider Arroyo Grande, Nipomo, and Paso Robles on the central coast.

AG would put you about 5 minutes from the beach. Nipomo would be about 10-15 minutes and Paso would more like 45 minutes. Nipomo and AG are almost always between 65 and 70 temp wise and the area is stunningly gorgeous. All your amenities are there so if you don't need to be near a big city I'd highly suggest it.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by bobbianco

Forgive me all- I'm new to this really. I guess some of you needed more information?

Temecula seems like the perfect place! As you point out- it's within 1 hrs drive to the ocean, it's near amenities, it has the climate I'm looking for, and it's affordable. Thank you!

To be more specific, so that I might get more suggestions-
My wife is in the same line of work as me, so she can take her job with her as well.
I'd like to keep rent near 1500 for a 3bd 2bth house.

Thank you all so much for trying to help me

Temecula does sound like a place that should work for you.

Nita

[EscapeCalifornia]

Originally Posted by nmnita

Temecula does sound like a place that should work for you.

Nita

My only question is whether rents are that low there.

[Curmudgeon]

Let me suggest you go to Rental.com and search Temecula as well as other locations you may wish to explore that meet your criteria in terms of distance from the beach. Then research the locations that seem plasusible. Look at places such as Santa Maria, Fort Bragg, Eureka (some areas) Crescent City and the environs of those.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by EscapeCalifornia

My only question is whether rents are that low there.

I know, it will be hard to find a 3 bedroom rental in a decent neighborhood almost anywhere that will meet the OPs criteria. I don't think people realize how expensive CA still is, but Temecula is a little better than some areas. It is worth a shot. I agree with Curmudgeon, the best way to get an idea is realtor.com or actually renter.com

Nita

[Snort]

I suggest that you scour this forum for threads that list people's favorite towns and cities. Collect a hundred names and then take these to realtor.com or craigslist to get an idea of what the rentals are going for. You'll be able to rule out a lot of places just on cost alone. Then check climate for each place through accuweather or similar website and tripadvisor for "things to do" for each town or city.
When you whittle your choices down to half a dozen or so, take a trip out and have a look around these places. Keep a "B list", just in case you don't like the surprises of the reality.
The only way you'll really know is when you're here in person.
Personally, I don't like Temecula, but yours and others' mileage may vary. It may be heaven for you; too frickin' hot and dry for my tastes.
I'll just add that Google Earth can give you some great views (including street views) of almost everywhere out here. Google images can also show you photos of downtown areas and attractions.

[bobbianco]

Thank you all very much! I can't believe what a tremendous tool this is. I'll definitely be spending more time on this site.

By the way, we did search some of the suggested rental sites and found the ranges to be more around 2k, however we did find a couple of homes for 14, 15, and 17k. We also found a real nice 4bd 3bth home in a place called Liv Oak for 1500, but it looks like it might be quite a to the Ocean?

[stan in san diego]

Snort is so right...there are tons of good places in the state. San Diego County is quite affordable right now and San Diego is one of the 2-3 safest big cities in the country. Don't let the nay-sayers discourage you. CA is still a terrific place to live. We came here in '79 and it was the best thing to ever happen to us...and still is.

[eclipxe]

$1500/mo will get you a 1500-2000sqft 3 bed 2 bath rental in a good neighborhood in Temecula or Murrieta.

classifieds - craigslist

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by stan in san diego

Snort is so right...there are tons of good places in the state. San Diego County is quite affordable right now and San Diego is one of the 2-3 safest big cities in the country. Don't let the nay-sayers discourage you. CA is still a terrific place to live. We came here in '79 and it was the best thing to ever happen to us...and still is.

There are some parts of San Diego county that may seem affordable but not very many, not for $1500 a month.

Nita