My fellow Californians..Are you struggling with the possibility of leaving? (San Francisco: real estate, foreclosure)

[GLS]

Originally Posted by Manmountain

Hey GLS; Happy New year! we've decided to turn our depression into action and anger. We got hammered and now we have a positive attitude in order to overcome. Luckily we sold and have bookoo cash and the world is open, even thinking of Greece as a 2nd place. haaha,,,, Its not to late yet Brah, instead of getting depressed get mad and act on it... Our New Years Resolution is NOT BE DEPRESSED ANYMORE.

Its time to let go and LIVE AGAIN--- Love , Mrs. MM

Ok, reps to you for being manic enough to make me laugh!

[macon_painter]

Hi
I left SF 6 years ago. I moved to Portland and then Boulder.
It's been a pretty shocking experience. Both Portland and Boulder are more affordable and livable than CA in general. And I got a lot done. I wrote a novel, created a series of paintings, a screenplay etc. But I must say I haven't been as happy.
There is a magic to CA I can't explain. People are generally more playful and expansive than the places I've lived. There's more of a creative edge, an innovative edge.

For me, living in places that are more livable but somewhat provincial doesn't work. I'm so homesick for CA where I can my silly self and not get the 'look'. Generally, I find Californians more fun and they take more risks.
For me this is what life is all about. So I'll suck it up and take what I've learned about money management back to CA and do my best. I may never buy a house, or have to find a good short sale, but I have patience, in fact, the rest of my life. : )

Macon

[nebulous1]

Most of you are wanting out of CA, and you're going to give it up to the illegals. Then the federal government will have to subsidize it for all the agriculture it produces.
As you leave, things will get worse and worse, as the tax base will get smaller. More and more working people will leave.
I agree about the comments about other states. But the bottom line is...if you can't afford to live somewhere, home or rent, and can't find a decent, livable wage job, you know, the kind where you pay the bills and aren't sweating till the next paycheck because you couldn't pay them all...or have to choose between paying electricity or the phone...then worrying about culture shock is secondary.
I bet half the people my age didn't think they would be facing all of this someday, that things wouldn't be so TRANSIENT and unstable. I am not even thinking about retiring, so for those of you who CAN afford to retire, whether in CA or elsewhere, you are LUCKY.
I think a lot of married women don't really know what it is like to be on your own, and they don't have a clue that if it wasn't for their husband, they would be like me, struggling to get by, even with an education and a good job.
I am not complaining about the wrong things here. I have heard it all, and if you have a spouse you can put 2 incomes together with, you are lucky, because by gosh, it is very hard on one income, and lose that job, and it's a giant vacuum.
If you are able to move somewhere you want, and retire there, you are more fortunate than you will ever know.


As far as CA:

I read them all, because I am thinking of moving to CA. Why? Because I moved from Ohio to Indiana for a job 3 years ago, and that job was gone in 6 weeks, after I spent so much to move and took my kids out of their schools, so I could be employed. Nothing was going on in Ohio, because the schools keep on churning out people and this field I am in is overcrowded.
I thought Indiana would be okay, but it has been the same thing over and over, they hire you, put you under your coworkers (not kidding), and if the coworkers don't like you, you are gone. You could work your tail off, know more than them, be more credentialed than them, but you are powerless outside the good old boy/girl networks.
My last job was a poor management decision. They didn't need to hire me, and someone who worked there longer, but wasn't credentialed got to take the night call they needed to fill. We didn't have enough work for all of us, and I KNOW she was threatened by anyone with more experience or credentials, but she had worked there in another capacity for many years. She had the connections and put the nails in my coffin so to speak. I am now without a job. Get rid of the competition, keep things lean, and no matter how little credentials or education, she has a job.
Power and money, always.

They think they play big time here, but it is just small town politics. I am so tired of it. I work hard, show up on time, did what was required of me, and even did those coworkers favors.

I am tired of it here. I know I can say what I want here, because the Indiana thought police on the other forum listings will censor anything "negative and bitter" about Indiana. Lots of religion, but no compassion, no love, lots of judgemental stuff.
I know their type. No sense of humor, no sense of anything outside of what is here. I have met people here, who have never left the state!

So it's cheap here. You can get in a nice suburban home for about $250-300K. Big deal. You can't count on your job being there. Why would you buy a home, when you might have to take a lesser paying job just to survive?

I don't know what kind of jobs you guys work in CA, but if both of you are working and pulling in about $100K together, you should be able to get by. If not, then I am wrong here. Then it takes a lot more than I realize, and I should not move there.

I have read about people wanting to move here for the nice Hoosier hospitality. Well, they don't want outsiders. And if you're not well-connected, you are going to have a hard time of making it here.

I am convinced there isn't a perfect place for the weather or atmosphere, but it all boils down to jobs. I could make it if I had a good stable job in Arkansas for pete's sake.

[Kellypink]

I have made the move, It was a foggy brained move to Texas where I envisioned a Beautiful affordable Huge home, experiencing the four seasons, and Living life to the fullest. Well, I have been here just out of Dallas for almost a year, come this March I will be back to California. Sure we have a big house, the four seasons suck I had to leave during the summer (visat Cali for six weeks) just to escape the high humidity.... which is absolutely unbearable. I guess you get used to the Heat and Humidity. Winter is freezing, and fall doesn't last long at all. Spring is not sunshine and 70 degree weather, its Thunderstorms and rain. I will move back to California for the spectacular views alone, then bask in its perfect weather and then deal with it's affordability.

[WhiteStar07]

As a native Texan recently transplanted to CA, I suggest that Californians looking to move to Texas check out Austin. You probably won't be happy anywhere else. I have been asked about San Antonio by an uncanny number or Californians... I'm not sure why, because I don't know a Texan that would recommend living there (or vacationing there either).
just some thoughts

[Huckleberry3911948]

moving? not a chance, however soothsayers say
coasts'll be gone 2012 oct, im takin swimin lessons
and buyin swim fins.

[italiangirl]

Originally Posted by macon_painter

Hi
I left SF 6 years ago. I moved to Portland and then Boulder.
It's been a pretty shocking experience. Both Portland and Boulder are more affordable and livable than CA in general. And I got a lot done. I wrote a novel, created a series of paintings, a screenplay etc. But I must say I haven't been as happy.
There is a magic to CA I can't explain. People are generally more playful and expansive than the places I've lived. There's more of a creative edge, an innovative edge.

For me, living in places that are more livable but somewhat provincial doesn't work. I'm so homesick for CA where I can my silly self and not get the 'look'. Generally, I find Californians more fun and they take more risks.
For me this is what life is all about. So I'll suck it up and take what I've learned about money management back to CA and do my best. I may never buy a house, or have to find a good short sale, but I have patience, in fact, the rest of my life. : )

Macon

We live near the Denver/Boulder area and are looking to relocate to a small town near Redding, Chico or Paradise, CA. We found do many houses for sale that are CHEAPER than our house here, which is worth about $280 K. It was great and unbelievable! Some places even had acreage. I can't imagine that you found a house in Boulder for a decent price.
I have lived in Colorado for 20 year since I graduated from college. I am going to get a teaching job in northern CA, buy a house for the same price as mine here, have better weather, a longer growing season for my garden and shop at Trader Joe's. Sounds better to me than dealing with the traffic, snow storms and the metropolis of Denver.
Isn't it amazing that people can trade places and be happy?

[GLS]

Originally Posted by WhiteStar07

As a native Texan recently transplanted to CA, I suggest that Californians looking to move to Texas check out Austin. You probably won't be happy anywhere else. I have been asked about San Antonio by an uncanny number or Californians... I'm not sure why, because I don't know a Texan that would recommend living there (or vacationing there either).
just some thoughts

We spent a few days in San Antonio on vacation and had a great time, but never left the River Walk area. It's kind of a fantasy world isolated and I'm sure doesn't represent the "real" San Antonio. However, I wish we had something like that in Sacramento. The walk along the river with all the flowers, etc was relaxing and it's fun to go to the restaurants and bars without having to get in your car.

[NorCalMan]

Whatever you do don't move to Redding. If there ever was an anti-Christ of cities then Redding would be it. Californian's often joke about a town being the meth capital of the world. In Redding's case this is not joke. A lot of residents have "sum'r teeth". Sum'r here, sum'r there. The summers are brutally hot. Two summers ago a 121 degree reading was recorded at the airport. It gets hot early and stays hot late. Chico, may be a bit better than Redding but, again, it was once called the meth capital of California too. Plus, there is a big gang problem in Chico and a very large Hispanic population to boot. Paradise might be your best bet, they seem to be a little more refined than the other two cities. Don't know if the have a Trader Joe's though.

Originally Posted by italiangirl

We live near the Denver/Boulder area and are looking to relocate to a small town near Redding, Chico or Paradise, CA. We found do many houses for sale that are CHEAPER than our house here, which is worth about $280 K. It was great and unbelievable! Some places even had acreage. I can't imagine that you found a house in Boulder for a decent price.
I have lived in Colorado for 20 year since I graduated from college. I am going to get a teaching job in northern CA, buy a house for the same price as mine here, have better weather, a longer growing season for my garden and shop at Trader Joe's. Sounds better to me than dealing with the traffic, snow storms and the metropolis of Denver.
Isn't it amazing that people can trade places and be happy?

[volleyballer]

Originally Posted by italiangirl

We live near the Denver/Boulder area and are looking to relocate to a small town near Redding, Chico or Paradise, CA. We found do many houses for sale that are CHEAPER than our house here, which is worth about $280 K. It was great and unbelievable! Some places even had acreage. I can't imagine that you found a house in Boulder for a decent price.
I have lived in Colorado for 20 year since I graduated from college. I am going to get a teaching job in northern CA, buy a house for the same price as mine here, have better weather, a longer growing season for my garden and shop at Trader Joe's. Sounds better to me than dealing with the traffic, snow storms and the metropolis of Denver.
Isn't it amazing that people can trade places and be happy?

I must say good luck with the idea of moving to Chico/Redding and finding a teaching job. I graduated from Chico's teaching program, and I believe Chico hired 1 teacher that year. I was one of the first to get offered a job from my program in the Sacramento area. The Redding/Chico areas are flooded with teachers. Redding too. Simpson College in Redding is great, and teachers (or people who hold a credential) stay in Chico and Redding and just sub every day. Chico won't let you sub unless you're a fully credentialed teacher. You have to know a lot of people to get jobs in those two places.

Chico is great. I'd move back in a heartbeat if there were jobs. Sure, it's hot, but it's not humid. Stay away from Oroville. Don't let their cheap prices fool you. Also, I haven't seen many decent areas of Chico to buy a house for your price of $280K. You certainly want to move and rent to get to know the area. There are definite places you don't want to live. Same goes for Redding. I'm not saying it can't be done, but just beware that there are thousands, and I mean thousands of credentialed teachers living in the area trying to do what you are trying to do. Good luck though.