What he HELL does everyone do in OC to make money? (San Diego: rent, credit)

[lagirl76]

Originally Posted by EscapeCalifornia

You can't really compare LA's median income or education to Aliso Viejo's. LA is huge and has a lot of poor people dragging down the average. There's plenty of people who can afford BMW's in LA but there's plenty who can't afford ANY car.

Someone posted earlier the median incomes for South OC, there are even wealthier areas. I was just using an example but you'll find similar numbers in nearby cities. You're probably right the lower median is probably b/c of a bigger income gap between rich and poor in LA. And LA is the illegal alien capital of the U.S. The further south you go in OC the less illegal aliens...

[lagirl76]

Originally Posted by impala666

Page 4 in the introduction.
They chose the right occupation.
I will buy that book today!!

Its a good book. I totally remember that part too. lowest pound per dollar.

however, i do look around me and wonder if there aren't a whole lotta exceptions, people who live lives of conspicious consumption yet remain in the upper 1% or whatever in terms of net worth. Like the people on that bravo show, NYC prep or something lol.

[lagirl76]

Originally Posted by Mach50

It's that show-off culture of Southern California and especially that of O.C. that really shines, as a counter example take: Atherton, Los Altos Hills, and Woodside some of the most expensive areas in the Bay Area exceeding home values of Newport and Laguna and median income over 300k... you'll see very few Maserati's and Ferrari's, and even some old trucks, Honda's and Toyota's parked outside their huge plots of land.

The rich people in Atherton shop at the same Target, Marshalls, and take their kids to the same Chuck E Cheese right next to little Mexico in Redwood City, you would never see an O.C. Newport Coast resident doing that, they would act far too good for that.

Northern CA is much more environmentally conscious and liberal you probably see a lot of hybrids there now...don't know if those areas are crazy leftwing like SF and Berkely. Wow how sweet, the rich people in Atherton go and hang out in poor mexican neighborhoods. How nice of them. How post-modern. No, you probably wouldn't see an OC Newport Coast resident hanging out at little mexico. Not good enough to be seen with but good enough to pay off the books.

Your examples are really two sides of the same coin.

[lagirl76]

Originally Posted by gdcon

I am shocked at how low these figures are! I live in Colorado Springs and our income is about what you have listed for Mission Viejo. That's good enough to be middle class here but I frankly thought there would be no way to live in Mission Viejo for under $100K at the minimum (I grew up in Mission Viejo in the 80s). How could someone with my income have a decent standard of living there? With our income and good credit, we would probably qualify for a mortgage in the $280Ks. That's pretty bottom of the barrell for Mission Viejo housing. So how do half the households there live $80K or less per year? Do they have $100K in cash lying around for a down payment? And $64K median income in Dana Point right on the coast. My dad lives there so I visit every year or two. That's a very desirable area. And half the households have incomes under $64K?
I don't get it.

They probably live in gated apartment complexes, that's how. My parents live next door in AV, its something like $2K a month for a 2 bedroom. Easily managed with $80K a year.

As for Dana Point, I think its older retired living off 401K/savings. I had a classmate with a house on the beach. She sold her business, to my knowledge niether her nor her husband were working they were living off their savings/proceeds of sale whatever. Gorgeous house too.

[lagirl76]

Originally Posted by SoCalCroozer

Plus why are there so many gated communities. I've seen more gated communities in the OC than I have in any other place in the country. Are wealthy people so worried about being bothered by the lower rungs of society?

Yeah, probably. Because the "lower rungs" are were crime comes from. So yeah, if I was making a crapload of money and paying $1500+ for an apartment, I would want to keep anyone out who didn't belong there. I'd want to be around people of similar socio-economic class (ie occupation, level of education) and lifestyle.

Thats human nature.

[lagirl76]

Originally Posted by Mach50

It's all a facade, most of those high end cars you see pull into a 1 bedroom apartment overlooking the PCH. Just travel through Newport Bluffs, Promontory Point, Turtle Ridge..most of the Irvine owned apartment complexes...bunch of poser high rollers leasing Benzo's and in debt.

haha, somehow that makes me feel better about being poor and not able to afford a car.

[lagirl76]

Originally Posted by Scott5280

I have a friend from Aspen who's parents a own a whole strip of beach front homes on Sea Shore Drive NB Peninsula, and several large undeveloped lots,,top of the world Laguna area,houses in Maui,NYC..We were out partying at NB Brew one night and he got dissed for driving a Honda by some local fake wanna bee's ..

that is so stupid. accords aren't cheap either, with bells and whistles they can run close to your poor base model BMW i'm betting.

[lagirl76]

Originally Posted by LibraGirl123

I think your friends are right, and I think some of these people who "appear" to be wealthy are in hock up to their ears. I have a family member who lives in Orange County. She drives a fairly new Mercedes (leased, I think), and buys tons of expensive clothes, shoes and purses (Coach, Dooney & Burke). Yet, she and her husband do not own a house...they've lived in the same mid-size apartment for eons.

Coach and Dooney & Burke arent' that expensive and that don't mean she doesn't shop at TJ's and Marshalls or Nordies Anniversary sale.

But there are plenty of people who do have all that and more and houses too. i think those are the ones the other poster was wondering about maybe...

[lagirl76]

Originally Posted by native56

How depressing to read the tone of this thread. You say it's sickening to see so many wealthy people, how do they justify their standard of living, and that there is some sort of [impenetrable] gap between what you call the haves and have nots.

Your reaction to those who achieve is to condemn them. While you are drinking beer and watching football many of these weathy snobs are working long hours at their businesses. How dare they study hard in school, risk their savings, sacrifice their time to their businesses and reap the rewards. You act as though they belong to some sort of club where all members become rich and you have been shut out. Why should it bother you that they choose to live in nice houses and drive Mercedes? Maybe that is what motivates them to achieve. Has it ever occurred to you that when they prosper and their companies grow that you might prosper too? Probably not. There are too many people nowadays who see a successful person as the robber of the poor.

Before I became an achiever I used to enjoy driving through OC's nicer neighborhoods and dreaming of the day when I could join them. And I hope my kids will do the same. But it's getting tough. The scumbags that run Sacramento and DC at the moment are using this class warfare nonsense and their lawmaking authority to drain away the hope for my kids and grandkids to become achievers. They are burdening them with a huge future tax load and creating a system that will make it very hard to succeed. Almost as though they want to create the private club that you are worried about.

Want to make the poor more prosperous? Start electing lawmakers who will remove the obstacles to success. I'm talking about doing away with taxes that punish success and making it easier to start or expand a business by throwing away silly laws. And how about making heroes out of the achievers instead of calling them snobs. I'd like my kids to be successful - wouldn't you?

I get your point b/c I grew up upper middle class (but hardly "wealthy", probably more the keeping up type). But something like only 1/3 of people will move up a socio-economic class or down, most people stay in their class they were born into. That's why the lower classes don't really buy the idea that you can work your way up the social classes. The only social class that really values this notion is the upper middle class which wants to move into the "wealthy" class. that doesn't mean there aren't exceptions. just saying, i understand the feelings some of the lower classes have. a lot of it has to do with barriers to education including an unwillingness to prioritize it.

[impala666]

Originally Posted by Ultrarunner

Except Investor snapped-up both properties... I saw a lock box on the Home next door and tracked down the lender in Texas... no one knew anything about it...

Investors are buying homes for cash around here... so the kids really don't have a chance unless they're sitting on a windfall...

Sorry “kids” is just my perspective.
I meant young people with good jobs and a little cash from the parents, who up until recently would never have got on to the property ladder.
I think the crash in house prices will ultimately bring only good things for society.
If we all whine about how much we have lost on house prices(and I have lost plenty)then we should learn the lesson of not to speculatively invest more than you can comfortably loose.