Stay or leave? My situation.. (Irvine, Costa Mesa: transplants, hotel, house)

[johnmanners]

Originally Posted by OGTSO

Our stress levels have dropped signicantly.

Less stress is good for your well being and living to an old age. I do not understand people in Orange County at all... they are hell bent on being overburdened with debt just to say that they're living in a big house and drive a fancy car. Keeping up with the joneses seems to be the culture here. Trust me, people DO NOT all make 6 figure incomes here...I know a lot of professional couples TOGETHER making less than a $100k/yr yet buying the $600,000 home while driving two luxury cars and going on expensive vacations - living paycheck to paycheck..ridiculous!

[LagunaMom]

Never thought of 36 as middle aged! Adult, yes. Middle aged? Wait a few years.
That AZ is one hot desert is a belief that continues to persist.
Some areas of the state with altitude have cold winters. Prescott (5400' elevation) and Flagstaff (7,000' elevation) both have more typical winter seasons. Both beautiful places to live. Flag is the home of Northern AZ University, the Lowell Observatory, and some dormant volcano fields. Very little light pollution. Great hiking and skiing.

[ruckerz]

Originally Posted by diggler86

• My fiancee is asian so, feel like from a diversity standpoint her wellbeing and future children might be best here (vs somewhere like TX). She doesnt work so dont have that income and she could move. Feel like you need dual incomes to live decent here and I dont expect to have that. Otherwise most my friends are married with kids and family is in other states so nothing keeping me here per say from family or friends standpoint.
  
  

Anyways... partially venting but seeing what others think also. Stay or leave??

Been thinking about CO in particular. Because its low humidity, jobs in my industry, lower cost of living. Not so hot as in AZ/NV, not as gloomy as OR/WA. Probably the winters would be the biggest deterrent. Open to suggestions...

I'm asian and I did my grad work in the Boulder/Denver area. Wouldn't say that CO has a large asian population, outside of Federal Blvd... your wife might feel a little isolated.

[johnmanners]

Watch this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0V4PcfbXk-Q

[diggler86]

Originally Posted by OGTSO

My anecdotal experience FWIW:
In Orange, CA I had an 1800 sq ft house on a 7,000 sq ft lot. My home was built in 1964, and it had asbestos all over the place (any renovations were a hassle). I loved Orange and I grew up in Southern Ca. My job was very stressful, but I was well paid. My wife worked full time and we were comfortable, but always on the go and stressed out. We went to the beach a few times a year, but it usually took up almost the whole day.
We moved to Spokane, Wa in 2010. I lined up a job making the same pay as I was making in Ca. Our home is 2800 sq ft on 10.24 treed acres. We have a 1/4 mile gravel driveway. Our home can't be seen from the road and you can't see any neighbors from our home. My home was built in 2004 by a contractor that thought he would be living in it for a long time (divorce).
My wife stopped working when we moved up here.
My mortgage is half of what it used to be in Ca (both 15yr mortgages).
The pace of life is slower here.
No state income tax.
The cost of living is less.
Our stress levels have dropped signicantly.
The weather is brutal at times and perfect at other times. Same could be said for Southern Ca.
Heating and cooling costs are not that bad for me here(can vary by area). Electricity is very cheap here and my house is 100% electric (no natural gas in my neighborhood).
IF we came into big money, my wife and I would move back to Ca, but not Southern Ca. We would live in Central or Northern Ca, along the coast, only if a job and income were no longer a limiting factor.
In summary, only you can decide if you are ready to pull up stakes and move. It is a very personal decision. Good luck

excellent summary, thank you!

[diggler86]

Originally Posted by LagunaMom

Never thought of 36 as middle aged! Adult, yes. Middle aged? Wait a few years.
That AZ is one hot desert is a belief that continues to persist.
Some areas of the state with altitude have cold winters. Prescott (5400' elevation) and Flagstaff (7,000' elevation) both have more typical winter seasons. Both beautiful places to live. Flag is the home of Northern AZ University, the Lowell Observatory, and some dormant volcano fields. Very little light pollution. Great hiking and skiing.

Thats what I'm talking about! 40 is called Over The Hill afterall! Everywhere but here I guess..

There are no jobs in somewhere like Flagstaff (unless you are in tourism or forest service).

[diggler86]

Originally Posted by johnmanners

Watch this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0V4PcfbXk-Q

I agree with you, the market will come down again, the question is how much? But the govt did not let it drop to what it should have the first time, so why think they will let it the next time? I was surprised we never really saw a principal forgiveness program, but there are still things like that they could do.

[Noleto84]

Originally Posted by infinitekid

A lot of times it's just not worth it to live here where everyone is trying to live; most of our time is spent at work or in our homes so you better make sure those places are nice and comfy. You can always visit CA when you want to. This is definitely a rat race and it can get old.

+100

[Noleto84]

Originally Posted by psichick

I mean, at 22 nowadays, we're barely finishing up college, much less getting married, buying a home, already into a career, etc. So of course they were settled and living better by the time they were 40. They already had 20+ years to get there. Assuming you went to college, your life started around 22. Add another 20+ years and you'll be where they are.

Today's economic conditions are harder, much harder than 20 or 30 years ago. Use me as an example:

age / action
--------------
19: entered college
28 last year in college ( worked thru all these years paying my way, and help from mom/dad )
30 finally got good job starting at $45k annually
36 got married
39 got divorced ( continued to suffer from the divorce financily until about 43 )
43 sold my business
45 08 crash finally hit my me
47 downgraded to 1BR Condo living, semi retired, travel, resting

Side Note: Never had kids because cannot justify it financially and at my age not easy meeting attractive/slim responsible women with good jobs and no kids.

[Noleto84]

Lastly, stress can kill you. Doctors today are just now understanding that stress can be a major cause of cancer and other serious ailments. As an American, I venture abroad to countries around the world on a shoestring budget and in America we are the most materialistic and stressed of all the world. This is our reputation today outside America. These high flyers living the fast false life, mansion in Newport Beach and Porsche 911 in the garage, these people pay a price with their health. Contrary, people in Tibet and most of Asia and Latin America, life is totally different as expensive material possessions mean nothing at all. All this said, if you are stressed out then STOP and think about your long term health. Death by heart attack before 50, dying among all your expensive things? Or living peacefully to 75 in a slower paced way of life near nature, clean air, sincere friends and sleeping late whenever you want? Think about it.