Why is this board so discouraging? (San Jose, San Francisco: mortgage, loan, relocating)

[mysticaltyger]

San Jose is definitely expensive. Overcrowded mostly because of poor planning and a lack of good mass transit.

In general, the good things about California are really good (weather, geography). But the bad things about it are really bad (high cost of living, crowding, state politics, natural disasters).

San Jose has its good points. Low crime rate. Great weather most of the year (although can be a bit chilly and rainy in winter, but never unbearably cold). San Jose & surrounding cities are generally well managed (unlike San Francisco and Oakland to the north which are corrupt and poorly run).
There are lots of fun outdoor activities in this area.

Bad things about San Jose: It's rather dull for a large city. It is also sort of "foreign" as you say (as is the Bay Area in general). That is both good and bad. There doesn't seem to be a lot of racial/ethnic strife here. But there are a lot of immigrants whose lives revolve around their immediate & extended families, so sometimes they are nice but hard to 'click' with outside a workplace setting because their lifestyles are not typical of how native born Americans live.

Also, there are a lot of people here whose lives revolve around their jobs/careers...so something to be aware of.

I think one thing you need to be careful of----It's easy to say "I just want to move somewhere for a few years & if I don't like it, I can just move somewhere else". But I think you'll find that the older you get, the harder it is to pick up and move. I thought the same way you did when I was 25. I'm 37 now and I see things differently. So, if I were you, I'd pick a place to live where I thought I could put down roots long term. I concur with what RomaninSF said--the novelty of living in this area will wear off after a few years.

I also agree with you that Californians are more open to tryng new things. That can be good and bad as we often do stupid things. But we're not locked into the "We have to do it this way because that's how we've always done it" mindset as a lot of Easterners are. (I grew up back East so I know what you're talking about).

So I'm not saying don't move here...just think very carefully. The down side of living here often isn't apparent to single 25 year olds without kids. Fast forward 5 or 10 years, and you sometimes have a 30 or 35 year old with a kid or two who's stuck in the California rat race and can't quicky or easily move somewhere else.

[sonarrat]

Wasn't Emerald Lake actually.. the Redwood City thing is new to me. But same idea.. very rural, close-knit area that got taken over by people with too much money and no brains.

[thundersnow]

Haven, thanks for the reminders about such beautiful places so near!

sonarrat, I completely understand your point of view. Northern Virginia was mostly farm land 20 years ago and now it's urban sprawl nearly two counties wide. I have seen many neighborhoods where all of the houses are of small to modest size, probably 40-50 year old homes and then you'll see one brand new 5,000 sqft+ monstrosity, built out nearly to the road, with no yard, totally out of place with the rest of the neighborhood. Examples are everywhere. Plenty of folks chasing money here as well, I've never seen so many luxury cars in one area, a lot of folks just trying to keep up with an image of wealth, though they may be working at the local mall.

[sonarrat]

Exactly. Prices are so inflated that you can't market homes to the kind of people who would fit in with the locals. To get the asking prices you see now in many areas, you have to market to people who would feel completely ostracized by their new neighbors. That's reality.

[texasdreamin]

Hi ThunderSnow. San Jose is a beautiful city. You will love it. At 80K, you will be able to live comfortably in a nice apartment. The crime is low and the city is clean. I've lived here for 27 years but will be moving to Texas to get back to a simpler life in the country. If my kids were here...I wouldn't leave. I think SJ has some of the most beautiful hills in California. Welcome.

I think the one reason crime is so low is because the cost of living is so high. The criminals can't afford to live here...so they move on to other cities. For us...that is a good thing.

[sonarrat]

There are many, many cheaper places with lower crime rates.

[Roma]

Originally Posted by NC_M3

Having said all this...I am thinking about moving back to San Jose because I'd like to go back to the lifestyle I had before. There isn't anything wrong with where I am right now, but I just don't feel the same level of excitement or fit that I did when I lived over there.

I hope my opinion helps.

Kinda similar feelings but I'm a lot older then you! We retired 3 years ago and moved to Texas. I miss California so much and all it has to offer. We are going to move back and I can't wait!

[lorriem]

Originally Posted by Roma

Kinda similar feelings but I'm a lot older then you! We retired 3 years ago and moved to Texas. I miss California so much and all it has to offer. We are going to move back and I can't wait!

You are so very lucky. We moved three years ago from the bay area and we are now priced out of the bay area. What a wonderfull 25 years we had there.

[dreamofmonterey]

Originally Posted by thundersnow

Hello all,

Like many folks on this board, I've been offered a job in the San Jose area and am contemplating a move from Virginia. My only first hand experience with the area comes from the 2 days I spent interviewing for the job, which only really gave me a few hours to drive around and see any neighborhoods.

Honestly, the advice on this board toward potential residents seems to be overwhelmingly negative, while I'm sure it's honest feedback, it's hampered some of my initial enthusiasm about the move. Naturally, it's hard to judge an area based on a 2 day visit, but I've done a lot of research and like many others, I do get the impression that the area is overcrowded and expensive, obvious concerns.

I'm 25, have lived on the east coast my entire life, have never even been to California until 2 weeks ago. The chance to move cross-country and experience something new is an exciting notion, though I'm sure it would be a tough adjustment. My biggest concern is leaving behind a soon-to-be-fiance who is still in grad school and wouldn't be able to move out until May, though she doesn't object to it and I think it would be a optimal area for her given she's studying arts management. I can't see myself "setting down roots" in CA, but I could see myself there for a few years at least, probably not long enough to consider buying a house and rents don't seem too much higher than the DC area I live in now, so I'm not too worried about that.

The most exciting thing about the area to me is the diversity of things there are to do, especially outdoor activities. I love to sail and while I have the Chesapeake Bay nearby now, sailing season is shorter and the area doesn't have the many smaller lakes and reservoirs that seem to be prevalent in No. Cal. I also love to ski, so being 4 hours from Tahoe would be amazing. Love to hike, mountain bike -- again, seems like a great area for both. I'm not worried about keeping myself busy until the lady arrives, as I love to explore and would be happy spending weekends getting to know California.

Career wise, the opportunity is a great one. I'm working in a field that is not even what I majored in, started in it less than 2 yrs ago at 40K in the DC area and now have a nearly 80K offer.

So clearly I'm excited, though I must say, I had some uneasiness during my visit just because of the "foreign" feel of the place. I suppose that's normal. If I had my way, I'd live in a smaller mountain town somewhere in Colorado, maybe Boulder... or perhaps in even a more remote area of say Montana, Washington, Oregon perhaps... maybe even Alaska, but this all presumes being retired early or running my own company, which are both some years away. So in the meantime, seems like I should seize the opportunity to move to CA for a while, even if the timing is about 6 months from being ideal.

Blah blah blah, I've rambled. Can anyone here identify? Reading this forum puts a lot of doubts in my head...

No, I don't plan to have kids within the next 5 years, so schools and such are not a concern. Buying a house, not a chance, too many student loans to pay off first.

Cheers All.

Good for you!-go for it. Thats a great offer. I heard Tahoe is amazing. Had a friend in Florida from Silicon Valley- she still misses it.

I am dreaming (lol- my nickname) and wish I could get out there. I also have a friend who recently relocated to the Oregon coast , she loves it- beautiful scenery, climate, ocean and mountains.

Go for it and dont listen to the negatives. Then again I too have felt discouraged, worry about the job market there, but I would be selling my investment property, so there is a chance, if the market gets better.

[goozer]

You are 25, looking at potentially doubling your income, and you have no need to buy a house?!?!? I say...what are you waiting for??? No place is perfect and you will certainly hear people on these boards trash California. I think most of it relates to how expensive the cost of living has become, particularly to buy a house. I have always maintained that if you could still buy a nice 3-bedroom house in CA for $200k, people would be clamoring in droves from the 49 other states to move there. The sad fact, however, is that those houses now cost $700k in the big cities and the mortgage market is tanking and people making $60k are no longer getting $550k mortage loans to buy houses with no money down. The result: people are fleeing in droves to each of the 49 other states!!!

Someday you may find that CA is too expensive to raise a family or that you want to move somewhere else, but at 25 and in your situation, I would make the move and embrace the adventure. And as for your interest in outdoor recreation, northern california has outdoor opportunities that virginia (a pretty state to be sure) could NEVER hope to rival.