Need advise (San Jose, San Francisco, Sunnyvale: environment, real estate, smog)

[singh]

Hi. My husband have been offered a job in sunnyvale,ca .He have a choice to to move either to Sunnyvale,Ca (130K) or to Austin, Texas (with lower salary) .We have lived in Austin in the past , which is very laid back, stressfree kinda atmoshpere.We have mix feelings about Sunnyvale as we do not know what to expect. it seems like a tough call ,any advise?.
I on the other hand is looking to break into sales( outside sales or pharmaceuticals).I am worried about my daily commute for sales calls as plan to stay in sunnyvale.I would appreciate some advise from sales folks as I am not sure how large each territories runs.
How is the job market for entry level sales and what kind of income?
How is the air quality here? Any smogs,dense fog, allergies?
What about car registartion fees, we own a 03 accord & 02 mazda protege?
Are there any other hidden higher cost beside real estate that we might have missed?
Will we be able to have a good quality life in Sunnyvale ( we plan to rent)?.
Thanks to all of you.

[Luke9686]

The big thing is home ownership. If you don't mind being a renter, then you will be fine. If you want to someday own a home, I would take the job in Austin. Even if you and your husband each made $130K a piece, you would still struggle buying a nice home in a nice area. Housing is just that expensive.

The San Jose area has that laid back feel you like. More of a family oriented environment, but close to San Francisco for the excitement. The traffic in San Jose isn't really too bad, but if your job takes you into the east bay you will be in for some heavy traffic. I am not into sales so I couldn't tell you about that aspect.

This area is very diverse. It is made up of almost all nationalities with Hispanic, Asian, Indian and caucasian being the most prominant. I don't know if you have kids, but the schools in Sunnyvale are excellent. Pretty much all of the San Jose suburban schools are good.

The thing I don't like about the area, is even though it is comprised of mostly families, you don't really get that community feel. The neighbors keep pretty much to themselves, at least where I live.

I looked on Craigslist.com, and there are several rentals in Sunnyvale. Two bedroom apartments start at about $1500/month, with nice ones going up to $2500/month. Houses rentals start at about $2000 all over the south bay.

Air quality in this area I think is actually pretty good. You hardly ever see the smog like they do in SoCAL. They get heavy fog in San Francisco, and my allergies cleared up after moving here.

You do have to get your car smogged, which costs about $50 every two years. It costs me $250 per year to register our 2003 Saturn.

Now to the most important part, I think.

You asked if there are any other hidden costs besides real estate? The answer: YES YES YES

Ever paid $3.17 for a gallon of gas, cause that is what it was today, and it will go up. Ever paid $3.00 for a dozen eggs at the store? Everything costs more here. I moved here from Iowa and was shocked the first time I got groceries. Every time I go to Safeway to get a few items; bread, milk, dishwasher soap, the essentials, it cost at least $40-$60. A half gallon of O.J. cost like $3.50, in Iowa about $2.00. Loaf of bread is $4.00. The only that is cheap is the fruit. Go to the mall, a pair of jeans=$80.00.

You get the point. I think if you are comfortable renting, you will do well renting a $2500 house, with plenty left over. But if you want to buy, plan on spending around $750,000 for anything decent in a nice area. Especially Sunnyvale.