Transferring to LA Air Force Base (renting, mortgages, house)

[aemedic]

I was looking and it appears that the green line ends in Norwalk, what is Norwalk like? Riding the Green Line?

[aemedic]

Originally Posted by BRinSM

if you think you can handle that commute then more power to you, we're just trying to give you an idea of bad it will be. if you leave any time after 6am it will take you at least 30 minutes just to get to the orange county border. from there traffic probably won't be too bad until you get to the 105. it could easily take you an hour to get from one end of the 105 to the other during morning rush hour. considering you have a pregnant wife, do you really want to be on the road for 4 hours everyday? a vanpool may help so you don't have to drive by yourself everyday, but it won't help the travel time (the carpool/HOV lanes are as slow as the regular lanes at the hour).

since you asked for opinions, here's mine: norco should only be a consideration if you can start before 7am and get off before 3pm.

Thank you! That is the kind of info I need! I have a motorcycle as well, but not sure I want to commute on it...

[DowntownVentura]

Originally Posted by aemedic

If there are tons of places that are closer I wish they came up on the MLS...

medic, I have to apologize, when I read Norco, for some reason, I thought Boron. I just couldn't understand why one would look there to commute to El Segundo.

To your question, have you thought of getting a real estate agent involved in El Segundo? They really know the area and might be able to guide you.

[aemedic]

Originally Posted by DowntownVentura

medic, I have to apologize, when I read Norco, for some reason, I thought Boron. I just couldn't understand why one would look there to commute to El Segundo.

To your question, have you thought of getting a real estate agent involved in El Segundo? They really know the area and might be able to guide you.

I was working with a guy in El Segundo but he was not willing to look outside the immediate area. I need to look at all areas that could work. I guess I'm looking for another realtor...

[JohnG72]

61 miles each way. 1 hour drive at 5am. Doable, but barely. Impossible after 6am...you are looking at a 2 hour commute in and assuming a 8 hour work day with 30 minute lunch, 3 hours + on the way home.

IMO, you really need to ask yourself these questions:

1.) How much commute am I really willing to tolerate?

2.) Is time lost to commuting really worth keeping the RV?(IMO your housing requirements as stated are extremely incompatible with living in LA County where houses are in the $400K range)

3.) Why am I buying a house instead of renting? This one is most important IMO as housing prices in LA are likely to slide down in value over the next 5-10 years. See this for a start: Dr. Housing Bubble Blog

[aemedic]

Okay, so, Norco looks like it's out. I am focusing my search in the Norwalk/La Mirada area to see what I can find and still be close to the end of the green line.

I prefer not to rent, too many restrictions when you rent. I would rather invest in the house fix it up in my spare time and paint the interior what ever color I want, not to mention three dogs makes it hard to find a rental. Now that said, if we found the perfect rental, we would at least look at it.

[Dub D]

3.) Why am I buying a house instead of renting? This one is most important IMO as housing prices in LA are likely to slide down in value over the next 5-10 years. See this for a start: Dr. Housing Bubble Blog

No way. It is already better than last year. You seriously think things are going to get alot worse than now? Maybe a little but not for much longer.

That is quite the drive. The RV parking instantly makes many areas their the base too pricey. Some parts of Long Beach are nice but what he wants is easily 500k. He wants to have enough space so he doesn't hassle with his toys. He can definitely get a place closer for the same price but it will be smaller, older, and overall less space. His major issue is space...space cost alot of money in LA.

[Charles]

Many military bases have RV parking for cheap. Perhaps the RV could be stored at one of the other bases in Southern California.

[aemedic]

Originally Posted by Charles

Many military bases have RV parking for cheap. Perhaps the RV could be stored at one of the other bases in Southern California.

Thanks Charles! This is not an option for us, this one is non-negotiable, we will look till we find a place that will support RV parking.

[JohnG72]

Originally Posted by Dub D

No way. It is already better than last year. You seriously think things are going to get alot worse than now? Maybe a little but not for much longer.

Your facts to support your position are?

My facts to support my assertion are:

-record unemployment rate
-the temporary increase in prices is due to unprecedented government intervention in the form of incentives + purchasing of mortgages combined with banks intentfully failing to foreclose on properties thereby creating an artificial limitation of supply.
-housing prices in most of LA and OC that reflect prices well above the traditional affordibility levels of most people.
-continued deflationary factors in the overall economy.

Basically I think that OP is stretching very far to purchase. I get the argument against renting considering his circumstances. However, I think OP may be unpleasantly surprised by the house he can afford to purchase in his price range.