Jobs/Relocation (Thousand Oaks, Camarillo: real estate, foreclosure, buying a home)

[Beth G.]

My family is considering a move to So Cal from the East Coast. We decided to send out some resumes last week and see what happens. We're looking to live in the IE area.

We've never relocated out of state before and were wondering how hard it is to do so. My husband's field is Engineering Technician. We've been looking in the IE and SD areas. There are jobs in his field in the Thousand Oaks, Camarillo area but you can't touch a house anywhere within the vicinity within our price range, so those jobs are out.

Does anyone have any advice on trying to relocate and find jobs from the east coast to the west coast? We've also decided based on the cost of living out there, he would need to make $10K more than here. Does this seem feasible?

Any advice would be helpful.

[Unkllars]

I would suggest using a staffing company. Like buyer's agents for real estate, they get paid by the "seller" meaning the corporation that needs to fill that spot with your husband, so you never pay a penny. He should have a lot of options out here. I can help direct to which area you might want to consider, but first find possibilities and where they are, and then we could look at housing in the vicinity. Let me know if you need help finding a staffing company. I know one off the top of my head, Adecco. Try that and maybe others, then let me know how it went. Good luck

[omelet2000]

Originally Posted by Beth G.

My family is considering a move to So Cal from the East Coast. We decided to send out some resumes last week and see what happens. We're looking to live in the IE area.

We've never relocated out of state before and were wondering how hard it is to do so. My husband's field is Engineering Technician. We've been looking in the IE and SD areas. There are jobs in his field in the Thousand Oaks, Camarillo area but you can't touch a house anywhere within the vicinity within our price range, so those jobs are out.

Does anyone have any advice on trying to relocate and find jobs from the east coast to the west coast? We've also decided based on the cost of living out there, he would need to make $10K more than here. Does this seem feasible?

Any advice would be helpful.

I moved from the East Coast (NJ/CT) in 2006, and here's what I've found ...
The IE is a LARGE place, and there's many places that cost more than others. The "cheap" places are not all necessarily bad and the expensive places are not all necessarily good. As for buying a home, I just bought in the IE and was able to find a brand new home for much less than anything comparable in NJ ($113/sq. ft.). Either way, housing prices are not overheated like they were 2 years ago and you can find a great bargain anywhere, especially a foreclosure. You can find towns with $800k to million dollar homes and then there are towns where $250k buys you a pretty nice house.

I would suggest to find the job first, then find the home in the neighborhood that is close. I've never been one to commute (I live and work in the same town), but I wouldn't want to commute in Southern California. It's not only the traffic. Drivers in the IE are some of the worst I've seen, especially driving in their stupid gas guzzling raised trucks weaving in and out at 90+ speeds. Many of these drivers are uninsured and accidents are daily on some of the busy highways. You take your life into your hands every time you drive out there, no joke!