Affordable California( Kern County ) (Bakersfield, Tulare: real estate, new home, transferring to)

[Californiaguy2007]

Hello Everyone,I just wanted to say that if your looking to move back into California or want to live someplace that's affordable in the state,then have a look at Kern County,especially in Bakersfield and it's outlying towns....I was looking through the papers and it appears that the average price for many nice homes are being sold within the $100,000 to $190,000 range that would otherwise cost probably $400,000-$500,000 in Southern CA,The Bay Area or The Coast.

Just looking through the papers I couldn't believe how low the prices got,it kinda reminds me of the late 90's when prices here were that affordable.

Just wanted to bring this up,because their are so many nice old and new homes here in Kern County that are very affordable for now and I know many people are looking for affordability in California,so come on in while the prices are down.

[ferretkona]

Cheaper homes = cheaper wages. Not a lot of work there unless you pick lettuce.

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by ferretkona

Cheaper homes = cheaper wages. Not a lot of work there unless you pick lettuce.

^^^This. The prices are still high relative to the wages offered. Many parts of the Midwest offer higher wages and cheaper housing. It's why a fair number of Okies (or their descendants) who settled in the Central Valley in the 30s and 40s, are now moving back to Oklahoma.

[sjnative]

Are you a real estate agent or an owner who's selling?

There's little work there and a lot of the people who bought those homes did so as to commute to LA, which looks brutal to me.

Good place if you work from home or are retired, can stand the heat and want near-instantaneous access to the Southern Sierra. Having conservative values would be a big plus.

[Roaddog]

Well i live there, work in a power plant in which there are many and make high wages. I have my own values and don't care what anybody elses are, there are plenty of jobs if a person wants to work and theyare not picking crops.

[Ragnar]

Originally Posted by Roaddog

Well i live there, work in a power plant in which there are many and make high wages. I have my own values and don't care what anybody elses are, there are plenty of jobs if a person wants to work and theyare not picking crops.

There are actually a lot utilities in the Bakersfield area. Seems like they produce much of the electricity for the valley and surrounding areas. Most are natural gas-burning plants and some are rather large, such as La Paloma. There seems to be a diversity of ownership among all of the plants too, which means a lot of different utility companies in the area.

[STBEC]

Originally Posted by mysticaltyger

^^^This. The prices are still high relative to the wages offered. Many parts of the Midwest offer higher wages and cheaper housing. It's why a fair number of Okies (or their descendants) who settled in the Central Valley in the 30s and 40s, are now moving back to Oklahoma.

Ya know.............I really don't like that word. And if you, like me, ARE one then show yourself some respect.

[cruelkat]

Interesting...I've been doing research off and on for the passed 4-6 months or something like that and I was just comparing real estate in that area (tulare, Kern and surrounding) and I was surprised to see such low prices, but the lack of jobs makes sense...thanks for posting, I was wondering if maybe there was some secret catch that I didn't get. As far as jobs go, no biggie...my husbands transferring to a branch in Tulare county so we don't plan to do any job hunting there...and if, by some horrible disaster, he loses his job...we'd be up the same creek in any other location in the u.s., anyway..ha. I just hope that housing doesn't decide to skyrocket just before we make the actual transfer...seems like that'd be my luck. ha
As far as the term "okie" goes I've always thought it'd be awesome to call myself one...maybe just because of the song. I was unaware that it was an undesirable label. One time when I was driving through Oklahoma I was in awe of the landscape and in that second I wanted so badly to be an "okie"...

[STBEC]

Originally Posted by cruelkat

Interesting...I've been doing research off and on for the passed 4-6 months or something like that and I was just comparing real estate in that area (tulare, Kern and surrounding) and I was surprised to see such low prices, but the lack of jobs makes sense...thanks for posting, I was wondering if maybe there was some secret catch that I didn't get. As far as jobs go, no biggie...my husbands transferring to a branch in Tulare county so we don't plan to do any job hunting there...and if, by some horrible disaster, he loses his job...we'd be up the same creek in any other location in the u.s., anyway..ha. I just hope that housing doesn't decide to skyrocket just before we make the actual transfer...seems like that'd be my luck. ha
As far as the term "okie" goes I've always thought it'd be awesome to call myself one...maybe just because of the song. I was unaware that it was an undesirable label. One time when I was driving through Oklahoma I was in awe of the landscape and in that second I wanted so badly to be an "okie"...

For those of us that lived through some of the prejudices, it is a very painful remark. For the sake of your health never repeat it outloud in downtown Choctaw...............or in someplaces in Bakersfield.

[canibeyou]

Originally Posted by Roaddog

Well i live there, work in a power plant in which there are many and make high wages. I have my own values and don't care what anybody elses are, there are plenty of jobs if a person wants to work and they are not picking crops.

Ssssshhhhhhh... let the people who don't live there and have only driven thru on the freeway, keep perpetuating the myths. It makes for a less crowded area!