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5. If one is hellbent on owning a house (not even a condo), living in a nice neighboorhood and can't pay more than 300K, certainly they will find it difficult to be in an ideal area. If you state it specifically and objectively like that, there's no argument. You'll get an argument when you make genralized and subjective comments along the lines of "You have to be rich to live anywhere nice".
300k will not buy half a house in a "nice" area. even in mediocre areas houses still start in the $500k range.
Love this thread. We've lived all over the US & spent 11 years in south Orange County.
The things that surprised us:
- the ocean water is ice cold 95% of the time - nothing like the Atlantic Ocean or Gulf of Mexico where you can actually swim without a wetsuit most of the year
- all the gorgeous hillside landscaping attracts big rats - ick! Some people get them nesting in their roofs in their multi-million $$ homes. Just talk with the OC Vector Control dept. We've never seen so many - even saw one crossing Oso Parkway in Nellie Gail, saw a drowned one on a sidewalk on Alicia Pkwy after a heavy rain.
- the environmentalists stall or inflate the price of so many normal infrastructure projects - the completion of the 241 toll road thru gorgeous canyon areas would have been seen as a scenic highway in any other state. Blocking it has left the south portion of the county without a needed alternative highway for normal traffic and to evacuate those fire danger areas.
- was surprised at how long it takes the marine layer to burn off each day near the beach - sometimes the sun wouldn't break through until 1 or 2
- many families have to share housing and I'm not just talking about illegals. If you end up divorced in California, chances are you'll be renting out half a house or some other creative arrangement in order continue to afford to live there. We know many great people who had to rent out rooms or carve up homes.
- the younger generation can't afford to live on their own, like so many other places in the country. It's sad to see the 25 & 30 year old singles/couples/young families still staying with their parents when it is so affordable in other states to have their own house.
Love this thread. We've lived all over the US & spent 11 years in south Orange County.
The things that surprised us:
- the ocean water is ice cold 95% of the time - nothing like the Atlantic Ocean or Gulf of Mexico where you can actually swim without a wetsuit most of the year
- all the gorgeous hillside landscaping attracts big rats - ick! Some people get them nesting in their roofs in their multi-million $$ homes. Just talk with the OC Vector Control dept. We've never seen so many - even saw one crossing Oso Parkway in Nellie Gail, saw a drowned one on a sidewalk on Alicia Pkwy after a heavy rain.
- the environmentalists stall or inflate the price of so many normal infrastructure projects - the completion of the 241 toll road thru gorgeous canyon areas would have been seen as a scenic highway in any other state. Blocking it has left the south portion of the county without a needed alternative highway for normal traffic and to evacuate those fire danger areas.
- was surprised at how long it takes the marine layer to burn off each day near the beach - sometimes the sun wouldn't break through until 1 or 2
- many families have to share housing and I'm not just talking about illegals. If you end up divorced in California, chances are you'll be renting out half a house or some other creative arrangement in order continue to afford to live there. We know many great people who had to rent out rooms or carve up homes.
- the younger generation can't afford to live on their own, like so many other places in the country. It's sad to see the 25 & 30 year old singles/couples/young families still staying with their parents when it is so affordable in other states to have their own house.
love the part about the water, you are so right, even as a teen when we could cope with almost anything we all thought the water was really cold.
To add to this I remember looking at a special on the news talking about the air quality in Southern California and from what the report said the worse place of air quality was Long Beach, Ca around Terminal Island and neighboring city's.
I remember when I drove to Terminal Island and how you gradually meet up with more semi trucks as you go along until finally you get to the epicenter and the place is just full of semi trucks coming and going spewing dark clouds of exhaust smoke. The news went on about the air quality in relation to cancer and the effects on little children.
It's really sad when you think about it, I mean, people chose to import goods that can be made here at the cost of unnecessary industrial pollution.
My grandmother lived in San Pedro. When we'd drive towards Long Beach, you could smell the place. We did our best to avoid it.
The difference between the smog there and in the Riverside/SBD/Pomona area is that it drifts. From Los Angeles, from OC, from all the inland areas and in concentrated in an extended valley. And sits. With the growth into the desert areas and all those laws, the humidity grew from desert like to monsoon like. Last year, summer was pretty much 60 percent humidity. I don't like the humidity here in OK right now (hurry up and RAIN and go storm) but it honestly doesn't feel that different. This further traps the smog. When there are fires, the smoke also drifts into the corridor.
Especially with kids or anyone with a health condition I would avoid this area. Part of the quality of life is not breathing air that makes you sick.
Well with a name like Skyward one is tempted to think of someone looking up and never looking forward or to the sides. Kind of like a horse with blinders?? Kind of like being in denial. I don't know maybe people just walk around oblivious to what is really going on... who knows????
Ha, actually when I think of his name I think of this:
love the part about the water, you are so right, even as a teen when we could cope with almost anything we all thought the water was really cold.
Nita
Yes, I agree, and actually the pacific ocean was one of the big disappointments for me. I'm from the east and I grew up looking at the pictures of California beaches but when I finally got there and I saw how dirty the water was but out of my own safety I decided just to stand a watch.
There is something going on with the water; my bud is a big time fisher and he knows a lot about fishing and he told me the water is so polluted that the levels of fish have dropped over the years. It's just really sad to see that we are so dirty that nature can no longer regenerate itself but I mean, what do you expect when ships dump medical/nuclear waste in the ocean as if it's just going to go away.
California girl my entire life too. I've lived in the San Gabriel Valley, South OC, North OC and my sister's family lives in the Inland Empire.
I'm still surprised that California is so full of its own self-worth that the home prices are what they are EVEN in the middle of our economic crisis. I own my own business and my husband works for the government. We make $160K/year, have no credit card debt and we cannot afford a house. We could GET a house. But we'd be living check-to-check just to make the mortgage payment on anything that is in a modest, safe neighborhood with a decent school district. I think that says a lot when honest, hard-working people can't even get a modest home. My sister paid more than half a million for 1600 sq. ft. in Corona. CORONA! And even though she was able to move into the nicer areas of Corona, there is still crime happening every few months within blocks of her home! (Mainly attackers targeting women joggers or trying to take children). And what happened once the economy turned? Her rate increased, her mortgage went up so high she couldn't afford it and now she's looking at a foreclosure. Her husband has a great job, a higher education and excellent credit. In what world should a guy like that be losing his home?
California needs to wake up and realize its not all that its cracked up to be. The smog, the traffic, the crowds, the over-development, the lack of scenery, the fact that all of the activities are amusement parks and shopping malls, the crime, the terrible schools, the state's financial crisis, the overcrowded jail/juvenile units, the unrealistic social pressures that are poison for today's family unit, the earthquakes (which have been excessive in the past few months??!!) and the fires EVERY SINGLE SUMMER/FALL. Everyone raves about the weather and truly, November - June are beautiful. But the summers are miserable if you don't live near a beach. 110+ and smoggy..... not my idea of beautiful weather. And all of these things really lower the value of California in my eyes. I'm certainly not willing to pay half a million for a mediocre house here.
Wow, your post is so true. It's funny that you should mention the California housing situation because I was thinking about it today.
More or less, those houses that were built in the 1950's went for what, 50k when they were first sold? (please somebody correct me if I'm wrong) But that same house + or - a few upgrades is now 400-475K or even more if you live in the hills.
Well my logic is, why should I pay 400-475k for the same old house? You know, what can that house do for me today that it could not do in 1950?
Anyhow, I say the real problem is the U.S Currency as it cost more money in general just to buy basic things. The whole situation of taking a wheel barrel of cash to buy things is already here it's just in a different way.
I can spend all day listing them. Look up and down the entire coast for starters. From San Diego through Santa Barbara and there are very few less than nice communities. One may prefer one to another, but darn near none of the coastal communities are bad. Look at much of L.A. west of La Brea through WeHo, Beverly Hills etc. Actually, one would need to know that the two options you list are the crummy options and most anywhere else would be better than them.
Well I like the beach area's and I fell in love with Crystal Cove, Ca and I made a few trips up there to look at property/land but I don't have Crystal Cove money ( you need 500k and up..lol) and even if I did I hate waste so much money just for a roof over my head when that money could go to help somebody else or something.
LOL!! You go girl with your obvious experience of reality in OC. We ought to start our own TV series and would probably make a billion on it!! Instead of everyone living in their beautiful palm tree landscaped homes with an ocean background and their freshly pressed hundred dollar clothes, we could have them spraying for roaches, sitting on bumper to bumper freeways with the radio issuing stage-5 smog alerts.
You are so right on and truthful it cracks me up!!! And other people need to know these things. Without money in OC it is a totally different life for so many..
quote=KaraG;9198353]Love this thread. We've lived all over the US & spent 11 years in south Orange County.
The things that surprised us:
- the ocean water is ice cold 95% of the time - nothing like the Atlantic Ocean or Gulf of Mexico where you can actually swim without a wetsuit most of the year
- all the gorgeous hillside landscaping attracts big rats - ick! Some people get them nesting in their roofs in their multi-million $$ homes. Just talk with the OC Vector Control dept. We've never seen so many - even saw one crossing Oso Parkway in Nellie Gail, saw a drowned one on a sidewalk on Alicia Pkwy after a heavy rain.
- the environmentalists stall or inflate the price of so many normal infrastructure projects - the completion of the 241 toll road thru gorgeous canyon areas would have been seen as a scenic highway in any other state. Blocking it has left the south portion of the county without a needed alternative highway for normal traffic and to evacuate those fire danger areas.
- was surprised at how long it takes the marine layer to burn off each day near the beach - sometimes the sun wouldn't break through until 1 or 2
- many families have to share housing and I'm not just talking about illegals. If you end up divorced in California, chances are you'll be renting out half a house or some other creative arrangement in order continue to afford to live there. We know many great people who had to rent out rooms or carve up homes.
- the younger generation can't afford to live on their own, like so many other places in the country. It's sad to see the 25 & 30 year old singles/couples/young families still staying with their parents when it is so affordable in other states to have their own house.[/quote]
Skyway are you reading these posts??? Where are you Skyway???
Quote:
Originally Posted by Morphous01
Well I like the beach area's and I fell in love with Crystal Cove, Ca and I made a few trips up there to look at property/land but I don't have Crystal Cove money ( you need 500k and up..lol) and even if I did I hate waste so much money just for a roof over my head when that money could go to help somebody else or something.
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Skyway31 took off...
