NY Times article: California Dreams Settling for 1 Bdrm apt

[pacific2]

Originally Posted by pacific2

Irvine actually has some of the highest rents in OC. So, $1200/month is very atypical for that city and even the county.

Irvine also has a lot of renters and many, not all, of the $1M homes are owned by investors (a flood of money from Chinese investors has driven up prices). Of course, retirees and working owner occupiers live in others.

Originally Posted by varanj_16

I am not sure where did you see $1200 apartments in IR, a decent 2 bedroom starts from 2400$/mo

..."atypical," as in not typical, unusual, or uncommon.

[thenext88]

I love living in this city, but it's a depressing thought that even making over six figures at 28 and hopefully going up more from here, that I may never be able to settle down here. And by settle down, I probably mean being able to purchase something not too far away from the 405 and the ocean, as I'm engineer so most of what I do now and in the future will likely require that freeway for a commute. Might have $100K in "Roth savings" in another 3-4 years, and even that's hardly money for a down payment in a nicer area.

[pacific2]

Originally Posted by thenext88

I love living in this city, but it's a depressing thought that even making over six figures at 28 and hopefully going up more from here, that I may never be able to settle down here. And by settle down, I probably mean being able to purchase something not too far away from the 405 and the ocean, as I'm engineer so most of what I do now and in the future will likely require that freeway for a commute. Might have $100K in "Roth savings" in another 3-4 years, and even that's hardly money for a down payment in a nicer area.

I suspect that more and more people in SoCal will see less expensive townhouses/condos as good choices.

Look at NYC, almost nobody thinks about buying a SFR inside most areas of the city, and that's the norm.

[Manbearpig4lfe]

I love hearing about how people are saying that native Californians are moving to the Midwest. Yes, i live in Milwaukee and see a few Californian plates (more from TX). I don't get it though... The last month has been a living hell in form of bad weather. We have had freezing rain and snow that ended up accumulating to 9 inches. The roads were not cleared for about a WEEK... Most of the downtown parking spots are on a few inches of snow because the plows obviously couldn't clean up where cars have been parking. The last week it has been anywhere from - Fahrenheit to maybe 8 degrees. We got snow today and its like 14 degrees F. All the parking lots are pure slush, ice and salt chunks. You go anywhere and your shoes are wrecked. If you aren't careful the salt will ruin your nice pair of leather dress shoes when you visit a client or go to work. My car has had snow in it for the last week. Yeah there is snow in the back seat from just opening the door after a snow storm to grab your scraper/brush. There is not any sign of relief in the future. My dad shovels 3 properties (his home, my grandmas home, and his cabin). Those traffic stats never take into account snow storms as well. If it is even snowing lightly Milwaukee WILL turn into a parking lot. People here get snow every year but still can't drive in it.

While typing this I had to keep warming up my hands by sitting on them lol!

There is a huge majority of people over weight here. Everyone is very isolated and not very friendly (IMO there are always exceptions, some people thrive on this weather). The weather here affects your mood. Honestly people don't start being friendly until the first 60 degree F sunny day of spring lol. I will admit I'm one of them lol.

My POINT is: the grass isn't always greener

In the Midwest we have a bucket list of problems (obviously not expensive housing). We also have lower wages. There is a website that the government publishes wage information (bls.gov) It gives you cool maps by job type and will tell you average pay by county in most of the US. It's cool to compare that before making a move. If you like lots of space (the yards are HUGE here) and are willing to go through hell for at least 3 months to save some money then the MIDWEST is for you! If you choose a place in the Midwest i suggest Chicago or Wisconsin. We have access to the most beautiful nature the Midwest has to offer (less than a drive to Vegas from Los Angeles).

There are beautiful women in Minneapolis and Chicago but they know their worth due to the amount of "tundra wookies." Obviously if you are good with women you will do fine but its just a fair warning for the single guys out there.

I'm done with winter so now I'm just getting myself in a good financial position so I can risk the move to the Golden State. I have a great life here in WI but I want a new experience and I must admit those Latino women are simply the best

[NyWriterdude]

Originally Posted by thenext88

I love living in this city, but it's a depressing thought that even making over six figures at 28 and hopefully going up more from here, that I may never be able to settle down here. And by settle down, I probably mean being able to purchase something not too far away from the 405 and the ocean, as I'm engineer so most of what I do now and in the future will likely require that freeway for a commute. Might have $100K in "Roth savings" in another 3-4 years, and even that's hardly money for a down payment in a nicer area.

So get a place downtown or in Central LA which is much cheaper. I think you are being too narrow minded in your choice of location. I'm currently renting an Airbnb room in Chinatown which is comparatively cheap.

I am here on a working vacation and planning on moving back to LA after I finish grad school. But I treat LA like I treat NYC.

Early in 2015 when I was looking for a new place, a lady called me with a ROOM for rent for $2000 a MONTH in Midtown. Yes, just a ROOM. Needless to say I DECLINED. I instead rented a room close to campus for $650 a month in West Harlem. So much cheaper.

It's ridiculous to be that obsessed with the ocean anyway. There are swimming pools both indoor and outdoor all over Los Angeles and there's air conditioning everywhere. Drive to the ocean on your off day and hang out at the beach if you must.

[NyWriterdude]

Originally Posted by pacific2

I suspect that more and more people in SoCal will see less expensive townhouses/condos as good choices.

Look at NYC, almost nobody thinks about buying a SFR inside most areas of the city, and that's the norm.

And I suspect more and more people in SoCal will just consider more interior parts of LA as good choices. Gentrification will continue to take place in areas close to downtown and in other formerly bad neighborhoods.

[NorthOC]

3/2 houses rent for $2,000 in Whittier, just 13 miles from Downtown L.A. That's about the same distance as Santa Monica, in the other direction. Nice historic, walkable Downtown, public transportation, hiking trails, bike path and no wannabe actors. People are too picky and obsessed with trendy neighborhoods like the Westside.