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Hello everyone:
I am moving from NY and I have researched Sacramento and plan to visit soon. The people that I know who currently live in Sacramento have no complaints AT ALL about living in Sacramento. They are also East Coast transplants. On the forums I read about pollution, heat, traffic, crime, the high cost of living, and high taxes.
I’m looking at areas like: Folsom, Roseville, Carmichael, Granite Bay, El Dorado Hills, etc. I see 3000 sq ft homes with ½ acre or more of property, for $300,000 to $400,000 dollars, with taxes in the $2000 – $3000 dollar range. Is this considered high in price and tax for Sacramento?
In NY my 1700 sq ft starter home is worth 400,000 and I pay 8500.00/yr in property tax. Even worse the taxes have gone up every year thru the recession. Usually 800.00 – 1200.00 dollars each and every year.
Conversely, I see that property go down with sale and reevaluation in Sacramento, Taxes never go down in NY. Property taxes in CA cannot exceed 2% each year after purchase.
Can someone tell me why so many people are complaining about the high cost of living in Sacramento? Sacramento appears to be a bargain, am I missing something? Or have I just been paying to much to be cold?
The other complaints are traffic, pollution, and the heat.
Almost all parts of the US have 10 or 20 days of severely hot weather, most with high humidity. Traffic in NY use to take me 30 minute to travel 4 miles to work. Air quality is bad in almost all metropolitan areas. Crime is also rooted in some neighborhoods of every city or town.
Are any of these complaints valid or are these complaints from people yearning for the great days of yesterday, that never really existed?
Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.
You hit the nail on the head. Many people are yearning for the America they remember, where nobody had to pay taxes, the weather was always nice, the highways weren't crowded, and there were simply no criminals or poor people. You could get a Coke for a nickel and the schools were great! Obviously, these people grew up in either Mayberry or Munchkinland.
Property taxes in California are set at 1% of property value. Sacramento is a pretty affordable place by California standards, but we also have lower average incomes. The weather here gets very hot, generally for well over 10-20 days a year, but the humidity is quite low, and the temperatures drop dramatically at night, so it's pretty bearable. Folks used to Bay Area or Los Angeles weather may find Sacramento weather a bit tough to adapt to, but for anyone else it's a piece of cake.
Well, considering that I am a realtor, I can probably help you out with this.
Yes, Sacramento is a bargain. Prices have essentially halved from the peak. So it is by far the cheapest major metropolitan area in California. (All the other ones are by the coast, SF, SD, LA)
As far as property tax, it is relatively cheap here. Just off the bat, you want to calculate about 1.3% of the property's value will be your annual property tax rate, that is including special local fees and assessments. Newer homes may also come with Mello Roos, which are special assessment fees for newer neighborhoods. But even with these, your property taxes will probably not surpass 1.5-1.6% of your value.
Property values are re-assessed every year. When values go down, your tax rate goes down.
For the places that you have named, $300-$400K is about right for a 3000 SF property.
If you need any more advice, do not hesitate to ask. And yes, you have been paying too much to be cold.
do you have an office number or email? I have requested help from many realtors but it appears most do not read email and it takes them at least days, sometimes weeks to return my calls.
My only other question is I read that taxes, once set at the time of purchase, are only allowed by law to be raised by a maximum of 2% per year until the home is sold once again. Is this correct?
And yes, we have had a snowy winter presently 3 feet!!! of cumulative snow on the ground. I should have sold last summer.
Mmcguire,
I understand your pain, if you purchased at the height of the market, your home was at a high price, and your taxes are set at a high level. There are ways to fix that problem.
Wburg,
I love hot weather but hate humidity, Sacramento sounds like the place for me.
Hello,
We moved to Sac last year from NY (lived in NYC, Putnam and Westchester Counties). Money-wise, you will be very happy with your move! We took a 100k drop in pay and are just about where we were in NY, except that our house is bigger, we have a longer swimming season, we don't have to shovel snow and we don't get honked at as SOON as the light turns green =) We love the property taxes and weather (although natives to these parts of California will tell you that is what they hate about it). It really is all about perspective - traffics is not as bad here, it is cheaper, weather is better and people don't have that Northeast wall up. If you compare Sac to parts of the Midwest or South, it is different, but compared to the Northeast, we love it and will never go back. I would concentrate on Folsom, Granite Bay, Auburn and El Dorado Hills. Good luck!
Thank you. That is exactly what I wanted to hear, and that is what I expected from what I have read. When I first read about the tax structure I could not believe it. It did not seem possible but it is actually very progressive (socially) and is good for both the state and the residents.
The mid west is to cold and no beaches, the south still hates us northerners, and the south west will be out of water in 10 years or less. since I love hot weather, but not humidity, Sacramento looks like heaven, at least it does today, as I stand in my 3 feet of personal snow. Thank you for the assistance. I'm going to post a party notice for everyone who helped me as soon as I get to town. Thank you again.
Hey 1CA! You may have a little culture shock if you are moving from New York, NY! Sacramento is a city, but its a little big city! Plus all of the places you are considering are pretty cookie cutter leave it to beaver residential areas! Only Folsom and Carmichael are actually even in Sacramento County. El Dorado hills is in El Dorado County. And both Granite Bay and Roseville are in Placer County. Carmichael is close to the actual city of Sacramento but the rest of them are 30-45 minutes from the central city of Sacramento. Folsom basically being the last Sacramento county city right before you go up the hill into El Dorado hills. If you are looking in El Dorado Hills you may also want to consider Cameron Park. Its 5 minutes more past El Dorado Hills but you have less track houses there and you can typically get more property and privacy and a lot less pretension! But if you are looking for a track house in a gated community then El Dorado Hills, Folsom, and Roseville are all good options for you. I like Granite Bay for the same reason I prefer Cameron Park, less track houses and a little more privacy/property. Of course you can find track and non track houses in all of these areas. But back to my culture shock comment. Sacramento itself has a lot of diversity which is nice but aside from Carmichael those other areas are 90-95% white. I grew up hating it! Moved around a bit lived in Long Beach CA, Huntington Beach, and now Sacramento. All the areas you are looking at are very lovely and safe areas, but growing up it was a bit boring. Having traveled to New York multiple times it’s a whole other world from Northern California! If you have any questions feel free to ask. Happy to help! I have my real estate license but it’s a part time thing for me, if you are looking for an agent I could give you some people to contact that wont be dead ends. Good luck with your move!
I am a native New Yorker (NYC area) and moved to Sacramento in 1994 as a young single guy of 27. I am still here if that says anything. I sometimes miss certain specific things about NY but for day to day living I would never move back. Sure, California has its problems , but I still like it here and I like the West Coast in general over the East. I love the drier climate , scenery, and wide variety of natural beauty. It's often said as a joke , but one of the best things about Sacramento is that it's centrally located to visit other areas. Within 2 hours west you can be in SanFrancisco, the Pacific Ocean, & Napa Valley. Within 2 hours east you're up in the Sierra Nevada mountain range and Lake Tahoe. 2 hours south you're in Modesto...oh never mind. Anyhow, don't get me wrong there is crime, traffic, pollution, etc... here like any other city. There are run down neighborhoods, shootings, crimes, and you'll hear it on the news often. But, 'most' of the high crime is concentrated is specific areas just like any city. Highest crime areas here would be in places called South Sacramento, Oak Park, Del Paso Heights and various pockets around the area. Plus of course as they say crime can happen anywhere. The areas you are looking at are all nice with Carmichael being the older and more middle income/working class area(with some higher end homes along the American River area). I live in Fair Oaks just east of Carmichael and I like it here a lot. As for your choices I personally prefer Folsom over Roseville , but both are nice (although very suburban). To me Folsom isn't as congested, is more scenic, and even has a very nice Old Historic Town. Plus it's very own prison LOL. The weather will be a nice change of pace coming from the northeast. It's not quite perfect since it is on the hot side in summer and quite gray in winter. Not that we have a 'real' winter in Sacramento (no shoveling snow, sub zero wind chills, etc...), but our winter ('rainy season') can get dreary due to persistent fog, rain, and gray skies along with sunny days too! We'll have periodic frosts throughout the winter and you'll even have to scrape frost of the car windshield on occasion, but that's about as worse as it gets.You'll find it humorous (like I still do) when you see some people here dressed in parkas, gloves, and scarves when it's 50 degrees in January. I guess it's whatever one is used to. On the flip side to the winter fog you'll enjoy almost constant sun, warmth, and blue skies from about April to October (the dry season). You'll almost never have to worry about a summer bbq being rained on. If it does rain in the summer it's a top news story. It is quite hot here most of the summer, but it's not Phoenix hot and we usually cool down at night. It is not uncommon for a clear sunny afternoon to be 98 degrees and 58 at night and with the lower humidity it is very comfortable. So yeah the weather overall is nice and will be a breeze to handle coming from the east.
Like I say don't move here expecting Sacramento to be some sort of paradise. There are definite pros and cons , but for me the pros outweigh the cons. Good luck.
KB07,
Thank you for Cameron Park, I have not looked in that area, but I will now. My time is my own so I do not have the concern of traffic, commuting, etc. I too hate the plowed land and one size/style/color fits all neighborhoods. That said, I grew up one town away from Levittown NY, on Long Island, with 1.7 million people crowded into 1 small county, and property sizes typically of 50x100 feet. My perspective; a city like Sacramento and adjoining county’s with 2 million people total, will give me [SIZE=3]Agoraphobia[/SIZE]. After living in NYC and its suburbs, most other cities seem anemic. That said, I am now looking for a slower, more relaxed, place to live with less people and more space. Coming from NY that means just about anywhere else.
Misc916,
I worked with 6 engineers, they grew up and worked 62 years in NY and NJ, after retirement, now in their 70’s, they all moved out the Sacramento. EVERY time I speak to them they inadvertently say "I wish someone told me about this place 62 years ago.
Every New Yorker I speak with that moved to Sacramento says that they love NY but would never go back. I know many people who moved to other states and most are not happy and complain how much they miss NY. I believe this alone says a lot for Sacramento.
Over 100 people I spoke with whom now live in Sacramento, not one person has said "Don't Move Here!" Every other place at least a few people said, “Don’t Move Here!”
I'm going to look ignore my 3 feet of snow and the flakes that are falling tonight and look up homes is Cameron Park. Thank you all again!
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Attention sacramento916
