Moving to Temecula from Idaho (Los Angeles, San Diego: transplants, short sales, real estate)

[pll]

I'm interested in moving to Temecula with my family in about 1 1/2 years.I have to wait for my daughter to graduate.We are originally from California but left in the '94 because we couldn't afford to buy a home. We have tried once to move back to So. California but the home prices were still too high. Lately, I've noticed that homes in Temecula were becoming more affordible. I was wondering if the prices have reached their lowest or is there a chance that they will decrease even more? Is Temecula a nice place to live? Are there good christian schools you could recommend (middle and high school)? I have relatives in San Diego. Is it a long drive? What are the churches in town? What are the fun things to do in town? Given all the recent home foreclosers and job layoffs what is the morale of the people? Thanks in advance for your help.

[Soccersupporter]

Originally Posted by pll

I'm interested in moving to Temecula with my family in about 1 1/2 years.I have to wait for my daughter to graduate.We are originally from California but left in the '94 because we couldn't afford to buy a home. We have tried once to move back to So. California but the home prices were still too high. Lately, I've noticed that homes in Temecula were becoming more affordible. I was wondering if the prices have reached their lowest or is there a chance that they will decrease even more? Is Temecula a nice place to live? Are there good christian schools you could recommend (middle and high school)? I have relatives in San Diego. Is it a long drive? What are the churches in town? What are the fun things to do in town? Given all the recent home foreclosers and job layoffs what is the morale of the people? Thanks in advance for your help.

My in-laws live in Temecula but in the hills above the wineries not Temecula proper. I think Temecula is a nice place but there is very little employment opportunities in Temecula. You will have a long commute if you are looking for a good job. The drive from Temecula to San Diego is not an easy drive but okay if you are just making a weekend of it. I can't remember the 2 churches we went to on Easter with our in-laws when we still lived in CA but they were both real nice, great messages. Calvary Chapel Murrieta is out in that area. It really is a friendly place to live. It is a lot like where we live in TX, hot and cold weather but not too bad, very friendly people, down to earth. Housing is still in my opinion a little high, especially compared to TX but it is still better than most of the SoCal area.

[pll]

Thanks for the information. We are considering moving there now because my husband works home office for a high tech company. If he were to loose his job that would be a problem because of the long commute to San Diego. Currently we live in Boise where it gets real hot in the summer and cold in the winter. There are only two major employers in this town. I don't know which place would be worse to live in the case of a job loss-Boise or Temecula?
Boise snows in the winter and is very hot in the summer so hopefully we will adjust to the heat. I won't miss the cold and snowy weather here

[dweej]

Hi pll,

I think prices will continue to drop in Temecula, and when they stop dropping, they will plateau for a while so don't worry that you'll only have a 5 day window or something to buy a home . Temecula has been a lovely place for us to live...if you take a peek at my profile you'll see the address to the blog I write about family fun here in town. Nothing super special, but has lots of pics . There are several private schools, Christian schools, a Catholic school, and highly rated public schools. If you look at the City-Data profile for Temecula, the bottom of the page lists the names and addresses of some of the schools there. I only have experience with the public schools, so I can't be much help with the private schools. Sorry!

The drive to San Diego is long if you're making it every day. For visiting relatives on holidays and birthdays, the drive isn't bad- I have friends who live downtown and they come up for Christmas parties and such. The are several churches in town, the largest being Rancho Community Church on Temecula Pkwy. There's also a baptist church and a Catholic church off of Santiago Dr., and another church on Rancho Cal Rd. just east of I-15. I know there are more, but those are the ones I am familiar with. In town, fun things would include visiting and wine tasting at the wineries, going to some of the parks (over 30 of them!), lots of shopping and restaurant opportunities, hot air balloon rides, going to Old Town where there are museums, etc. and then of course participating in extracurricular sports and such. For the big stuff (Sea World, the zoo, etc.) you'll need to go to San Diego. The Wild Animal park is in Escondido which is a lot closer.

As for the foreclosures, it's mixed. People are bummed that others are losing their homes, but at the same time, new people are moving in, excited that they got a good deal on a house. You see both perspectives all the time....although I will be happy with the 'mess' is all cleared up . Oh, and for jobs, San Diego is not the only place to work.....Temecula only has a few employers (depending on your industry) but there are other towns closer than S.D. itself where someone might work. Overall, commutes are the biggest gripe about living here (but of course, without the long commute, it wouldn't be affordable to live here either!).

Hope this helps, and good luck!

[pll]

Thanks for your insight, Dweej.

[eclipxe]

Originally Posted by pll

Thanks for the information. We are considering moving there now because my husband works home office for a high tech company. If he were to loose his job that would be a problem because of the long commute to San Diego. Currently we live in Boise where it gets real hot in the summer and cold in the winter. There are only two major employers in this town. I don't know which place would be worse to live in the case of a job loss-Boise or Temecula?
Boise snows in the winter and is very hot in the summer so hopefully we will adjust to the heat. I won't miss the cold and snowy weather here

I can provide a bit of insight in the job opportunities. I work as a software engineer (from home) in Temecula. I've also worked for a company in Irvine and commuted regularly.

There are indeed tech jobs in the area. Not many, but there are openings when I last checked (Dec 08). There are smaller companies located in the industrial parks of Temecula and Murrieta that do small scale software, consulting and IT related development. Not sure your husband's field but there are openings for general enterprise IT developers.

As far as commuting to other job centers:

- San Diego: Most tech jobs are located in Sorrento Valley which is luckily in the northern part of San Diego. The commute is about 40 miles and it is a 35-40 minute drive with minimal traffic. The speed limit on the 15 South is 70 MPH, but flow of traffic is 75-78. 80+ is dangerous as they have air patrol for speeders.

There are several car pools/van pools that leave from various points in Temecula to Sorrento Valley (and throughout San Diego). The cost is minimal and it is quite convienant. Carlsbad is also home to several small and mid-scale tech companies and is about 45 minutes from Temecula, also Northern San Diego.

-Orange County: 99% of high tech jobs are located in Irvine or Aliso Viejo. The commute is 50 minutes - 1 hr 15 minutes depending on time of day. Sometimes lots of traffic on the 91 freeway can double those times. Thankfully they do have toll roads that bypass lots of congestion. The Ortega highway cuts through the hills and gets you into Orange County in 30 minutes, but it is another 15-20 minute trek into Irvine or Alsio Viejo. It is a two lane mountain road (which has been recently re-paved and widened) and some folks are hesitant about taking it, but it is a beautiful and relaxing drive. I made this commute everyday for several months and had no complaints.

-Riverside: A few small tech companies, nothing major. Commute is 25 minutes on I-215 from Temecula

-Los Angeles: Lots of tech, too far for a commute. 1hr 30mins+ Not worth it for anything more than short contracts.

The beauty of being in the tech industry is the flexibility. If your husband did lose his job where he works at home and then couldn't find an opening in Temecula/Murrieta, most tech companies are flexible to allow:

a) Flex schedules (4 days in office, 1 day at home)
b) Work at home (I've worked with two different companies that have allowed me to work from home full time - be sure to remind them that Temecula/Murrieta is covered by Verizon FIOS so the internet speeds are some of the fastest in the country. This makes telecommuting and video conferencing very easy out here)
c) Flexible hours - if you can go to work later and leave later you will not hit traffic and have a quick commute.

I'm very risk adverse, so I've been planning for a job loss and looking at my local options so I know the job market. A van pool to sorrento valley would be my first option in case of Job loss.

Hope this helps!

[eclipxe]

One other comment about the feasibility of Temecula and commuting to tech jobs -

I see the area as a perfect hedge against the bet of job-loss/relocation. Homes are affordable but you are in commute distance to 2 1/2 major job markets (OC, SD and Riverside). I know several friends that lived in Northern Orange County and worked in Aliso Viejo but their company has moved down to Carlsbad in San Diego making the commute twice as long.

While Temecula is a guaranteed 30 min + commute either way you have access to two big job markets to choose from while still having affordable homes (now).

And you're just 30 mins from the ocean also ;-)

House prices will continue to fall out here, but not as drastically as they already have. Many places are off 40-55% from their peak and decent homes are being snatched up quickly (I've been outbid several times). Other areas that bubbled later than Temecula (South OC, San Diego) have dropped less and IMO still have much further to go. You may see another 5%-10% drop over the next few years and it will be flat for sometime, unless there is massive inflation. The growth in home values that we saw from 2003-2007 probably won't be here again, unless we as a nation return to ridiculous loan programs and absent lending standards.

[MiamiDisplaced]

pll,

I can only address the housing market part of your post in Temecula. We, too, are looking in Temecula (amoung about 15 other areas

I strongly feel that housing prices are going to continue down. Temecula has been hit very hard by investor activities and the unscrupulous mortgage brokers with subprime loans.

I recently posted that ppl moving to CA should rent. And offered the link below as further documentation from CBS 60 Minutes. It's worth the view. Temecula is a nice, family oriented city. Our only hesitation is it's remoteness. San Diego is about 40 minutes away. But the closer you get to the work center of SoCal (Irvine), the prices go through the roof. A 3000sq ft home nicely upgraded, pool, 10000sq ft lot, is about 525-550k in Temecula. That same home in Irvine? Geezz.....right now is pushing 1 million. At LEAST 900k. Location location and all that....

But my realtor down in Temecula loves it there. Yeah, that's his job to say that. But I have many colleagues that live in Temecula. Everyone of them, to the person, loves it there. And don't feel isolated.

So go figure. For families, it is great. The whole city is centered around young families with all new construction and many of the people in their first or second home. That is about 70%of the population!

Go to www.realtor.com and plug in your parameters. We prefer www.ziprealty.com because it offers more features for each listing. The downside of ziprealty is that it doesn't have all the listings on the MLS.

Finally, here is the link to CBS 60 Minutes as to why you should rent.

Here's the link:

A Second Mortgage Disaster On The Horizon?, 60 Minutes: New Wave Of Mortgage Rate Adjustments Could Force More Homeowners To Default - CBS News

[eclipxe]

Originally Posted by MiamiDisplaced

pll,

I can only address the housing market part of your post in Temecula. We, too, are looking in Temecula (amoung about 15 other areas

I strongly feel that housing prices are going to continue down. Temecula has been hit very hard by investor activities and the unscrupulous mortgage brokers with subprime loans.

I recently posted that ppl moving to CA should rent. And offered the link below as further documentation from CBS 60 Minutes. It's worth the view. Temecula is a nice, family oriented city. Our only hesitation is it's remoteness. San Diego is about 40 minutes away. But the closer you get to the work center of SoCal (Irvine), the prices go through the roof. A 3000sq ft home nicely upgraded, pool, 10000sq ft lot, is about 525-550k in Temecula. That same home in Irvine? Geezz.....right now is pushing 1 million. At LEAST 900k. Location location and all that....

But my realtor down in Temecula loves it there. Yeah, that's his job to say that. But I have many colleagues that live in Temecula. Everyone of them, to the person, loves it there. And don't feel isolated.

So go figure. For families, it is great. The whole city is centered around young families with all new construction and many of the people in their first or second home. That is about 70%of the population!

Go to www.realtor.com and plug in your parameters. We prefer www.ziprealty.com because it offers more features for each listing. The downside of ziprealty is that it doesn't have all the listings on the MLS.

Finally, here is the link to CBS 60 Minutes as to why you should rent.

Here's the link:

A Second Mortgage Disaster On The Horizon?, 60 Minutes: New Wave Of Mortgage Rate Adjustments Could Force More Homeowners To Default - CBS News

Thanks for the video! I loved the segment. I am very bearish on housing and do believe Temecula has another 5-10% to drop. However, the area has already seen close to 55% of median value lost and is very close to finding a bottom (barring any huge financial meltdown/great depression 2). Just from my own experiences of looking at homes, most places (non short sales, priced correctly with respect to the market) are getting multiple offers as soon as they are listed. I've had places I've really wanted that have had 10 offers in a week - bidding the price way above the initially low list price.

Temecula is remote, but once you are in the city it doesn't feel that way. There is a strong sense of community and "place". The city has two well defined cores (Downtown (err, Old Town) and the Mall) that serve as pedestrian gathering places. These form a psychological connection to the area that gives a sense of comfort and attachment. Many bedroom communities/exurbs lack a "sense of place" and the feeling of isolation can be depressing.

One point you mentioned MiamiDisplaced that I have to clarify - Irvine is definitely a job center, but I wouldn't classify it as the work center of SoCal. Many jobs, especially tech and mortgage/real estate lenders are located in Irvine but Los Angeles and San Diego are larger work centers.

But you are spot on about most of your other comments. There are several neighborhoods and residents that have been here since the original Kaiser development in the 1970's but I would agree with you that about 70% of the area are transplants/new families. And while it is a great place for families, my friends and I (all mostly single, in our mid-twenties) love the area. We seriously sit around and talk about how much we enjoy living here and plan our campaigns for city council. :-)

Of course, we have our "fun" in Downtown San Diego (Gaslamp), but we all sleep, work and shop in Temecula.

[pll]

In doing research on Temecula (Temecula online) I have noticed the crime statistics are pretty high. I would like to know from the people who currently live there what is the crime like in this town? The news reports probably included Temecula and the surrounding cities-I hope. I know that the bigger the city the more you will have problems but do you have a sense of fear? Do the high schools have gang related activities? Are kids abducted in this area and do you fear for their safety when they play outside? Thanks for you answers and honesty.