Moving from MI to Temecula (San Diego, Riverside: bank owned, best city, for sale)

[Hughe Jass]

I am a 45 year old moving from Battle Creek, MI to Temecula, CA with my family. My business has an office in the area, so work for me is not an issue. I have a wife who is a physician and a 16 year old son that has wanted to move to california for years. After a few buisness trips, the area seems pretty nice to me other than a few things like traffic, overcrowding, INSANE drivers, mean people, extreme heat, urban sprawl, and VERY HIGH cost of living. Since I do not live in the area and have only visited a few times, It would be nice if someone from the Southern California/Temecula area could elaborate on these issues and explain to what extent they are a problem.

PS. It would also be great if someone could tell me whether it's worth the move from a small town in michigan to the hustle and bustle of southern california.

[Angelstar490]

I am a native Michigander who moved to northern California and then back to Michigan again. I am from Allegan, not too far from Battle Creek. Myself, I would never leave west Michigan for southern California. Northern California in a heartbeat but not southern California. But it sounds like you will be able to afford living there and as with any place, there are pros and cons. It will be what you make it.

[Tool Shed]

don't do it...
http://dcrin3.com/a1/haveston2.mov (broken link)

[Tool Shed]

Pros:
-great weather, I mean GREAT weather(sunny, slightly seasonal, cool evenings in summer)
-one of least smoggy cities in socal(afternoon breeze common)
-general topography is attractive(natural rolling hills/trees)
-relatively close to mountains, beaches, deserts, big cities(LA/SD)
-nice wineries(kind of)and old town(kind of)
-pretty clean and safe, but getting worse(home invasions,rapes,and shootings have been more common recently)
-seems to be great for families and kids(tons of
schools/activities/sports, good schools)
-many churches
-mainly really good schools, some exceptions
-decent amount of parks
-best city planning of all local cities(clearly not perfect)
-some nice dinning options(this community prides itself on dinning out)
-still some ranches/equestrian left
-Pechanga Casino?(mostly a big CON for me)
-busy mall with common dept stores
-nearly every retailer and store is here, if not all of them!
-distant areas of can still feel like a small town.
-there are a lot of gyms here


Cons:
-growing way too fast
-city traffic is horrible, drivers are crazy, rude, and dangerous!
-freeway traffic horrible at times(215 is the worst)
-expensive homes, not nearly worth the $500k an average home costs here (by nature this may end soon)
-limited singles activity/nightlife
-most careers in retail/education/Abbott Labs/real estate (this is a bedroom community, and most people who make a decent living commute to SD,LA, OC, or Riverside)
-success of city may depend on gas prices staying reasonable(unlikely) due to the fact that there aren't to many well paying jobs here.
-most people with real jobs commute to SD/OC/LA/Riverside and with BAD
traffic getting worse and pricey gas getting pricier this is a BIG Con
-even though many, many dinning options, waits can still be over an hour
-Pechanga Casino(brings substance abuse, greed, and sin in general)
-rat race is here to stay(people in New York City appear to be more mellow)
-rude/materialistic/overly vain/fake/snobby population growing at an
alarming rate
-keeping up w/ Jones' is priority 1 here (my home and truck is bigger than yours and my trophy wife's boobs are bigger too!)
-not the quiet ranch like town it once was
-mass transit hasn't really arrived yet?
-very inconsiderate drivers and many times dangerous(getting worse)
-busy mall(filled w/ filthy mall rats..ughhhh)
-culturally not that diverse yet(getting better)
-no museums
-medical facilities are sub-par(and ERs are packed and usually have long waits.. mediocre service)
-no local rivers and the few local lakes we have are filthy/crowded or
not suitable for recreation
-closest 4 year college over 35 min away(assuming traffic doesn't get worse)
-closest community college is 20 min away and is mediocre
-DMV, Costco, IN'n'OUT are BERSERK almost all the time (going here may test patience)
-even though the city is growing fast and many people live here, it
seems that your business still becomes everyone's business
-still missing some specialty stores
-housing way too over priced(like many other areas too)... due to zero ..
zero lending standards/rampant speculation/low interest rates/market psychology and emotional buying... logic was thrown out in regards to Real Estate
-We are at the beginning of a large correction(drop) in home values unlit they revert to more logical and historical relationships to incomes and rents... both of which are way out of whack right now.

[Hughe Jass]

Originally Posted by Tool Shed

don't do it...
http://dcrin3.com/a1/haveston2.mov (broken link)

Why are so many BEAUTIFUL homes for sale. are people migrating out of the area or what?!

[DGF]

We lived in The Vintage Reserve in Murrieta. We bought our house for 275k in 2001 and were one of the smart ones that sold in 2005 for 699k. Hated living there all that time; crowded, congested, smoggy, high property taxes, mean spirited people. There was always an aire of angst in everyone, I can only guess that it was because of the extremely high cost of living there and for very few tangible benefits. When we paid 275k in 2001, that was considered expensive for the area, now the house I sold for 699k is worth about 425k and should continue dropping down to around 335k over the course of the next year. That said I would suggest renting if you have to move to that area. Yes we took our $$$ and paid $350k cash for a brand new 4500 sf 1 acre gated custom brick home in beautiful Tennessee. My family and I absolutely love it here, easy commute to anywhere, mild winters, no smog, property taxes rates are about 1/2 that of Murrieta or Temecula, no state income tax, outgoing friendly easygoing people that just seem much more content than what we experienced in Murrieta. It's been 2 1/2 yrs and we will never be going back and wouldn't even take a free house there (if we had to live in it).

[ian in socal]

I currently live in Temecula (across from Pechanga) and the city itself is o.k. but getting anywhere is frustrating. I work in San Diego and my commute (on a good day) is at least an hour each way. The house we bought this time last year for $520K is now worth $339K and dropping.

I wish I had more positive things to say about it, but I've become pretty jaded in the few years I've been here. I went from Chicago to Springfield, Il to South Orange County (RSM) to Temecula. I'm hoping to move my family to TN as soon as the opportunity presents itself.

Feel free to drop me a PM and I'll answer any other questions you may have. But I'm with most of the other posters on here, I'd think long and hard before making your move.

[SurekRZA]

Temecula is a not a big city. To me it's a town and not in the best location of Southern California but youre not going to feel like you are in a city. I think its not in the best location because its not close to any cities, the beach and during the summer time it gets extremely hot.

[Jakehorror]

Do it. Move. I've been to several parts of Michigan and several parts of SoCal (never North Ca though) and SoCal is superior hands down.
Now, with all that being said I must explain why I feel this way.
1- I have no kids
2- I will never have kids
3- My wife and I are working on getting into the entertainment industry.
4- I have S.A.D. and in SoCal I don't need to take meds for lack of sunlight.
5- No snow!!!!!
6- Rule #1 & 2 mean we only have to fend for ourselves.
7- Diversity in SoCal is amazing!
8- Not many rednecks like the midwest
9- Education is easier to attain than in Indiana
10- We like to rent.

As you know the home prices are off the charts. We prefer to rent as we like to move around alot so this dont matter. Gypsies? Hmmm...nah. Anyway, be sure to consider the POSITIVES and dont let all the naysayers bring you down. Good Luck!!!!

[SoCalTwinkie]

Temecula is a nice small town with all the amenities one needs without having to drive far. Close enough to the beaches (1/2 hr to 45 min).

Although there is alot of traffic, some areas have more than others, the roads within Temecula are designed well.

What brought people here was the home prices, lower than Orange Co or San Diego, and I'm sure that will continue to draw people, especially now that home prices have fallen. Because this area brought lots of first time home buyers that barely got qualified for the homes (subprime mortgages), thats why you are seeing such an increase in bank owned homes. Plus there were lots of "investors" who thought they would get rich playing landlord. It will work itself out within a few years.

Summers are very hot and dry but normally it cools off at night.

There are good schools and lots of parks. A fantastic new library, skate park, and a waterpark coming soon.

Best thing to do whenever you consider moving anywhere is rent for awhile and see if its the place you want to settle. Then you will also have the chance to see what areas you like best.