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We live in Sterling, Va (Dulles airport area, Countryside to be exact, a suburb of DC) and have been here for 22 years. My husband commutes to DC for work each day. In the past few years the traffic and car accidents have become unbearable, especially at the Tyson's Corner area (I have had 3 accidents, 2 at the same corner - International Dr./Westpark Dr. at Tysons) and he has had 5 or 6, one in which he lost his car. I feel if we stay much longer, one of us is gonna get killed! We could move to an area with less traffic around here, but I am tired of the east coast - it's SUPER hot and humid in the summer here (over 100 and 90-95% humidity) so you can't enjoy the outdoors - and the winters are real winters with snow and cold, so you can't really be outside much then either. Spring and fall are nice, but it depresses me when summer ends - I look forward to little if any season change and more sunshine. I need an "endless summer" and my husband feels the same!
Anyway, I know you must be thinking "what, leave that area for CA where it's even worse?". I know, I know. I think we are hoping to find a decent suburb there where there is a more relaxed pace of life, but where we can gain the sunshine I so desperately need! Our other "thing" is that we hate the cookie cutter colonial homes in VA and in our hometown of Buffalo, NY and our dream is to live in one of the mid-century moderns CA is so known for. Many of these (less than a million) are located in neighborhoods of Orange, CA, but of course we wouldn't limit ourselves only to that area.
We have friends and family in San Diego, and have noticed that Vista and Oceanside have pretty affordable homes - we want a single family home. We don't want a typical tract home in a neighborhood, but something somewhat off the beaten path with maybe older custom homes. A realtor suggested the Warmlands area of Vista, areas like Disney Lane which is sort of situated between Gopher Canyon Rd and Camino Del Rey, just west of 15. I don't know if anyone has any idea where this is.
We would also consider Ventura and the central coast area such as San Luis Obispo and Paso Robles. Of course, he must find a job in the high-tech/engineering fields.
We mainly want a balance of being near stuff (can't live without Costco, Sams, Wal-Mart and Best Buy!) but we want a VIEW, low/no smog/no living on a fault and a peaceful sunny neighborhood. Somewhat hilly terrain, and a view of mountains a huge plus.
So my questions are, if you have lived in Northern VA/MD/DC and have moved to CA, how does it compare and where did you end up? It has gotten very expensive here, and I think it is pretty close to probably most of CA except maybe San Francisco and of course Hollywood and related areas. I know DC is so small compared to the LA/San Diego areas, but there is so much housing there that I can't imagine we wouldn't be able to find a somewhat comfortable suburb that "has everything" so a lot of driving wouldn't be necessary. We are used to a pretty yuppie area which I like with decently educated people for the most part and we would like to stay in this type of area. HOWEVER, we have had a big influx of illegals and hispanic which have really overwhelmed this area. Not so much west of here, but this area is totally different than when we came in 1986. My husband makes about 125k here and we live in townhouse, maybe 1800 sf with a nice large yard. On that salary, and with our lifestyle, we make it ok, but sometimes it can be borderline. I know in CA we'd need to make somewhat more than that.
Can anyone share their experiences moving from VA to CA, or can I just hear from Californians in general for suggestions for us? Please don't tell me all the horrible things about CA, I think I am pretty aware of the pitfalls. It has been a lifelong dream of mine to live in CA and I'm not looking at any other place to move - I just hope to find some guidance. Here's a link to the type of home we are looking for:
I moved here from the East Coast and I can tell you a few things.
One thing is that you are unlikely to find an area with "low/no smog" in Southern California. Some areas, naturally, are worse than others. The further inland you go, the worse the smog seems to get.
Also, living in a hilly area is nice, but you should be aware that Southern California is notorious for landslides -- and you can't really get homeowners insurance for landslides so you would be on your own on that. Earthquake faults run throughout the region but big earthquakes are not common. You can see mountains from almost any place in Southern California, and since it rarely rains, sunshine is abundant.
Costco and Best Buy are popular in Southern California but Sam's Club and Wal-Mart are not. We don't have a single Wal-Mart or Sam's Club near us but we have two Costcos within 10 miles. There are loads and loads of shopping choices in Southern California so I don't think you'll miss Wal-Mart if there isn't one near you.
What kind of high tech/engineering is your husband involved in? What kind of companies are likely to employ him? That might have a lot of bearing on where you would want to live.
Keep in mind that housing costs in Southern California are very high if you want to buy a house. You might just want to rent temporarily because housing prices are starting to go down. (Last time they went down, in the early 1990s, they lost about 50% of their value over the course of a few years -- so that is something to think about before buying.)
Also, Orange County has a higher median house price than LA County.
Yikes! To buy a home like the one you linked to, I'd think you'd need at least $1 million!
Just to give you something to compare to -- we live in a 900 sq. ft. house built in 1940. In most other areas, it would probably cost less than $200K. Here, it appraises at $650,000 -- and it's a fixer upper! Newer homes in our neighborhood (far from the beach) are selling for $1 million and up!
Well, I grew up near Richmond and live in Orange, CA now, so I might be the closest match you'll get.
Yes, you'll get less humidity, but we rarely go so low that the nose bleeds start. It's the best thing about So Cal!
Yes, you can find a smallish "mod" home for under $1 million in the Orange/Villa Park area, but there aren't many of them and you are going to easily hit the $1 million mark providing you can find one for sale. Bear in mind that the property taxes alone on a $1 million home are going to be about $11k per year in Orange County.
No, this area is definately not off the beaten track. Anymore, nowhere in So Cal is, although in the inland areas like east San Diego County it's a bit better -- be forewarned it gets much hotter very quickly as you move inland. 110F+ is not unusual for a summer day in the inland areas. Also, the traffic is horrendous if you have any distance to commute; telecommuting is going to be preferred if at all possible and you are in a more remote area. There are lots of high-tech companies in the Irvine area.
No, it is NOT going to be a more laid-back lifestyle. Sorry. The pace around here is frantic and seems to get worse each day.
Ditto on the comments re: views of mountains, the risks of a hillside home and earthquakes. Being on a fault line is pretty irrelevant; faults run everywhere and one is likely to go as much as another.
Honestly, I don't think you are going to get what you want here, particularly if you are looking for white suburbia. The image in your head about life here doesn't seem to relate to the reality, but there are many different aspects of So Cal and you aren't working on a ridiculous budget, so you might find the right niche for you after some hunting. I suggest relocating to a rental home until sufficient work can be aquired. Then you can get your bearings and check out neighborhoods and areas in person and in detail before diving into the circus that is the So Cal real estate market.
Just a warning -- I make almost as much as your hubbie does and there's no chance I could afford one of those homes you are talking about. My 1 bedroom condo in an urban area is valued at $330k.
Your salary of 125K in Virginia will need to increase to 243K for Orange County CA, or a 98% increase to maintain the exact same standard of living. I'm sorry to be cross today, but you are a very, very unrealistic person. Heed the above posts. Your image of Southern California is about 40 years out of date. And I think, in the So. Cal. area of 40% foreign national population, you're going to be finding a lot more illegals out here at our border state than your home.
Greetings! Not all of CA is crime-ridden, congested, ugly and smoggy. There are still some nice areas and a lot of beauty, depending on where you go. Having lived all my life in CA, I can't really compare it to your area. However, my husband's born-and-raised-in-California sister has lived in CT, DC, and currently in VA. She would move back here in a heartbeat if it were possible.
About the homes...Prices ARE dropping. My son just bought a 1200 sq. ft. home near Walnut Creek, which is in the general San Francisco Bay area, for $575,000.
We live in Ojai, a semi-rural valley in Ventura County. To reach the bigger stores we generally go to Oxnard or Ventura, which are about 30 minutes away. Lucky you, in Oxnard there is a Sam's Club, Walmart, Best Buy, and Costco all off the same freeway exit.
I reread your post (Felix Cavaliere- are you related to the Young Rascals?) and realize you may not know how to prioritize with real estate purchases. You basically can't get the whole package of what you want in one fell swoop unless you're a gazillionaire.
For instance, you've pictured the classic Neutra ranch house, a single story, spread out configuration built to our 1950's sprawling suburbs: you wouldn't find these in the hills or mountains. It's also a classic urban design- which puts you in smog. And if you want any Calif. house that you qualify for a loan for, 125K salary puts you at the median range, which is a $560K house here, which, in cities, means tiny and utterly non-illustrious, or bigger but in a dangerous neighborhood.
We tell you this so you don't have realtors laughing their heads off at your incompatible requests.
Also, living around illegals who also drive without licenses will insure you accrue auto accidents as well. Of the last 3 accidents wherein my car was totalled, they were courtesy of 3 foreign nationals ignoring American driving laws, hitting me, one without any driver's license. This has been in the last 5 years...
Yikes! To buy a home like the one you linked to, I'd think you'd need at least $1 million!
Hi, no, these homes are in the 7-800k range.
Wendy
Quote:
but you are a very, very unrealistic person. Heed the above posts. Your image of Southern California is about 40 years out of date.
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Hi, I've been to CA and I love it even with the problems, so I am not totally outdated. I see a lot of areas I would be happy in. The home I showed in in the 700k range, not a million $$ home. I agree about the illegals and traffic - I am going into this knowing that that probably will be worse. I can live with it for the tradeoffs.
Last edited by Marka; 09-12-2006 at 02:50 AM..
Reason: fixed code
I can somewhat emphathize with you as I feel similiarly (I live in NE OH). The good thing about moving and taking a chance on your dream(s) is that if it doesn't work out, there are many states in our country that you can move to, with many different things that appeal to people. It's not like you make one decisions and can never make another one again, like you're stuck there forever. I think it would be much sadder (profoundly sad) if down the road you say to yourself, "I always wanted to take that chance, that opportunity, and fear prevented me from doing so."
We are all fearful of change, yet "change" seems to be the only "constant."
I would LOVE to drive to CA (or rent a car once I get there) and spend a month or so going to different cities and getting a feel for them. I have many friends and business associates that I work with in SD, as well as Northern CA (Sacramento area). For our family, it's not an easy move to make because we have a larger family. We have 2 in college, and more in K-8 school, one that will be starting high school next year. Right now, most of our decisions are centered around how they will impact our children's lives.
I wish you the best in the future.
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Hi there, Panda,
