Possibly considering retiring to Washington from Southern California

[patty1955]

Originally Posted by jlud

I have a reference point On California impact from a recent purchase attempt. House on market 100 days in a slower market area...reduced once in price. They got a full price offer after virtual walk through about day 85 from California couple but those people got scared by the next morning and backed out. I had them just about signed on day 99 about 7% below asking price. California person toured just after my offer, and because I had offered they came in OVER list price at 100 days on the market! They could have saved themselves a LOT of money...but they are just used to that hyper aggressive offer market I guess. Had they researched they would have seen it is well over comps at that price and they are overpaying but maybe they don’t care because it’s a bargain compared to Cali.

We offered what was recommended by our real estate agent (Centralia based), just as we did in California.
I wonder how many Californians overpay because when the seller hears that the person interested is from California, they counter the offer to raise the price.

[jlud]

I guess my point was that they may be more aggressive with opening offers. In my experience a house on the market for 100 days in a hot market is still on because it’s overpriced. To someone from a more competitive area and market such as California or even other parts of the US, they may feel the urge to come much stronger without evaluating the local market.

If you say to the realtor I’m going in over full price, he or she isn’t going to say “you could probably get this for a lot less”.....Perhaps it used to be more with the price differential...selling high in CA you could easily offer more somewhere else and not worry about maybe paying above market. My neighbors moved from Cali about 15 years ago and paid cash for their place just on profits of 3 year equity gain in CA and it’s a nice expensive place.

[prosin]

Originally Posted by socaliman

As much as I hate Cali politics Prop 13 is the only thing they got right.

As a child who suffered through the budget cuts and school consolidations/closures of the late 1970's and early '80s due to Prop 13, I strongly disagree with this statement. My education wasn't as well-funded as my older sibling's education was. Teachers were laid off and programs I was interested in pursuing were cut due to lack of funding. CA passed the lottery initiative in 1985(ish) because the programs that used to be fully funded were cut due to Prop. 13.

But if you didn't live here and experience it first-hand, I can understand if you have a cursory understanding of how this messed up CA for generations.

IIRC, a similar initiative was on the ballot the same year, but cut only 1/3, not 2/3 as the Jarvis proposition did. It was soundly defeated. But makes me wonder if it had passed instead and the Jarvis proposition hadn't passed, that my education wouldn't have been diminished.

Oh, but wait--the CA lottery was supposed to supplement the dollars lost from federal and state governments. How's that working out?

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by prosin

As a child who suffered through the budget cuts and school consolidations/closures of the late 1970's and early '80s due to Prop 13, I strongly disagree with this statement. My education wasn't as well-funded as my older sibling's education was. Teachers were laid off and programs I was interested in pursuing were cut due to lack of funding. CA passed the lottery initiative in 1985(ish) because the programs that used to be fully funded were cut due to Prop. 13.

But if you didn't live here and experience it first-hand, I can understand if you have a cursory understanding of how this messed up CA for generations.

IIRC, a similar initiative was on the ballot the same year, but cut only 1/3, not 2/3 as the Jarvis proposition did. It was soundly defeated. But makes me wonder if it had passed instead and the Jarvis proposition hadn't passed, that my education wouldn't have been diminished.

Oh, but wait--the CA lottery was supposed to supplement the dollars lost from federal and state governments. How's that working out?

This is true. Prop 13 caused chaos when it passed. One of the nation's best university systems suddenly found itself cut loose from state support. They had to adapt, and fast. Grad students replaced professors as instructors. Groundskeepers were let go, cutting staff to a bare (inadequate) minimum. Top administrators had to figure out how to spread tuition hikes around, while still maintaining financial aid for in-state qualified students in need. Eventually they hit on the idea of recruiting wealthy international students, and using their extra tuition $$ to subsidize the financial aid program. I have no idea how they covered building maintenance and other operating costs. And of. course, not only the higher ed. system was affected. The Prop 13 cuts shook up all state functions, and trickled down to the county and city levels.

[MtnSurfer]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

This is true. Prop 13 caused chaos when it passed. One of the nation's best university systems suddenly found itself cut loose from state support. They had to adapt, and fast. Grad students replaced professors as instructors. Groundskeepers were let go, cutting staff to a bare (inadequate) minimum. Top administrators had to figure out how to spread tuition hikes around, while still maintaining financial aid for in-state qualified students in need. Eventually they hit on the idea of recruiting wealthy international students, and using their extra tuition $$ to subsidize the financial aid program. I have no idea how they covered building maintenance and other operating costs. And of. course, not only the higher ed. system was affected. The Prop 13 cuts shook up all state functions, and trickled down to the county and city levels.

Historically, this may be true due to revenue losses. But I think if you ask most Californians, they generally prefer having Prop 13 vs. not. That doesn't mean Prod 13 doesn't need reform. And there are certainly state funding problems that need to be addressed including better public education funding. The single biggest benefit of Prop 13 is that allows the elderly to live with dignity in the homes during their retirement years while on more limited incomes. Without Prop 13, they would be kicked to the curb due to inflated property taxes... like Washington.

This is actually a common societal problem that has not been addressed in the PNW and also a recurring theme here in the forum. Politics aside, it doesn't seem morally right or responsible that a person be forced out of their home and off their property due to inflated taxes. Some have even built them with their own hands and the property passed down through multi-generations. Yet the state has decided to tax them out treating them like every other common property owner. Basically, pay up or get the <bleep> out! There is no consideration given for long term residents at all. I honestly think this fuels the animosity toward outsiders raising the cost of housing even though everyone knows this a free economy in a free country. So, there is really no point in trying to stem that tide. It's inevitable that prices will continue to rise.

IMO, this should be a moral imperative from a societal perspective. Tax breaks for the elderly and long term residents seems like the right thing to do as a society. I know quite a few elderly folks in CA that would wind up financially and psychologically devastated and homeless if Prop 13 were eliminated. WA had a similar tax proposition that passed. But the state somehow overrode the will of the people and killed it. That also doesn't seem right and needs to be fixed.

Interestingly, Washington state senators are trying to address this issue now. Whether it works or gets killed in endless political bickering and wangling is another thing. But the problem is real and I think everyone knows it regardless of political affiliation.

‘Playing field isn’t equal’: Here’s what readers say about Washington state’s rising property-tax hikes

Derek

[hindsight2020]

E pluribus unum really shouldn't be in the coinage of this class-bifurcated so-called Union. Eiciam usque ad temperandum is more apropos.......

[Mossa]

This is actually a common societal problem that has not been addressed in the PNW and also a recurring theme here in the forum

Im not an American, and every country has its problems, but I did notice here a general culture of much more interest in and concern with youth than seniors, which I guess could be understandable because youth is the future and seniors’ most productive years are done, but it does seem unfair.