The Grass Isn't Greener..... (San Francisco, Sacramento: sale, job transfer, purchase)

[theraven24]

Originally Posted by LoriBee62

For the record, I don't select Texas as a state to pick on. It is the many posters who come to the California forum for the sole purpose of telling Californians how much better off they are/would be living in Texas. Personally, I would love to be able to visit the California forum and just talk about things relevant to our state. When I glance at the topics of other states' forums, they are enjoying the luxury of not getting their forums trolled all the time by people who don't live there and only show up to call them fools. How nice that must be.

Thank you. It's annoying coming to this forum, only to find threads and comments by people who don't like California, yet won't leave, people who've never stepped foot here, but give advice and put their two cents in, people from other states coming to the forum to try and convince themselves why the state they live in is better than California, people who've moved to another state from California and come to bash, etc. It's absurd and irritating.

[bentobox34]

Originally Posted by davidt1

How much would a 1,700 sq/ft house that is 25 minutes from downtown LA, SF, or Silicon Valley cost? I am guessing around $500K. Clearly, CA lower property tax advantage is offset by much higher housing cost.

For Silicon Valley, try closer to a million.

For SF, same thing, unless you don't mind living in a neighborhood where gunfire is frequently heard.

[bentobox34]

Originally Posted by LoriBee62

Yes, I've seen those claims that you need a ridiculous salary to afford a home, but that's typically in the context of people looking to live in the trendy areas of the most popular city centers.

Hardly. In the Bay Area, it just means you want to live in a reasonably safe area less than one hour each direction from your job.

[slowdude222]

soon the grass will be BROWN and you will shower with a sponge

[happycrow]

Originally Posted by 2sleepy

Except for one thing, all those attractions are not all in the same place, they are spread throughout the state, and most people of all incomes live in close enough proximity to one or more that they can regularly visit and enjoy them. I'm not sure of any state where all of the beaches, mountains, parks, monuments are within walking distance of the majority of the population -maybe you could name one?

Respectfully, your walking-distance standard is a bit of a straw-man. All of them? Perhaps I miscommunicated.

But on the east coast or upper midwest, one can usually live within walking distance of any one of the major pretty things while still being median-income, and while being *responsibly* median-income rather than doing the equivalent of renting somebody's closet in the Bay, and one can usually find something to eat while there which is appropriate to the budget. Contrast this to the notion of any median-income person living within "swing by on the way home" distance of the redwoods, for instance, unless they're up in Crescent City or north of Eureka. Or (much-overrated imho) Tahoe. Or many of the beaches which are now inaccessible to the public. And I say this as a guy who's spent a lot of time reading books and feeding crows off Judah and 1 in the Sunset.

We're really bad at this. Fortunately, the state is beautiful enough that there's a lot of "CA second-tier beauty" that's within reach of those who aren't poor and which isn't shabby at all. Livermore where most of the family lives now (squeezed out of the Bay) isn't exactly what you'd call a "hideous burg," for example.

As a contrast, Texas is also rather bad for that. But while Texas *does* have natural beauty, and quite a lot of it once one adjusts to a plains aesthetics rather than a coasts one (it took me ages to appreciate how much my aesthetic sense had been conditioned by my home environment), it tends to be in slightly more remote spots, rather than commercially convenient ones. But it's not a selling factor for the state.

The real pity, I think, and what pains me when I keep seeing "CA vs TX" or "TX vs CA" in either state's forum here, is that we can't combine the best features of *both* states. TX *needs* California's innovation and commitment to the environment, and CA *needs* Texas' pragmatism, willingness to host industry, and determination to have a solid COL for all economic classes. If we could somehow get that on one plate, we would guzzle the world's capital and have clean, beautiful fresh air.

[shooting4life]

Originally Posted by theraven24

Thank you. It's annoying coming to this forum, only to find threads and comments by people who don't like California, yet won't leave, people who've never stepped foot here, but give advice and put their two cents in, people from other states coming to the forum to try and convince themselves why the state they live in is better than California, people who've moved to another state from California and come to bash, etc. It's absurd and irritating.

So blacks should have left the south during the civil rights movement because they wanted to make changes to the state government?

[theraven24]

Originally Posted by shooting4life

So blacks should have left the south during the civil rights movement because they wanted to make changes to the state government?

You're comparing the struggle and oppression of Blacks in this country that's been going on for centuries, mind you, to those who aren't happy living in California due to politics? Not only is that ignorant, but it's insensitive. Wow.

[ringwise]

Originally Posted by LoriBee62

Congratulations. You have managed to achieve the near impossible feat of being a loser in the CA real estate market. Like 2Sleepy, I'm sorta wondering where that was possible. Meth lab moved in next door? Built in a flood plane? Or was it a trailer in an all-age park?

Hardly. But personal attacks aside, 10 years ago, CA was a boom in the area I lived. No, I wasn't a "loser" since I'd owned my home for longer than 10 years. But in 2005, when it was appraised pending a divorce settlement, it was appraised at $550,000. I sold in 2010 for $235,000. It just resold for $220,000 about 6 months ago. The area is not on the coast or in a major city. Newer home on acreage. The value will increase again, but depending on when you buy or sell, you don't always win in the CA market.

[ringwise]

Originally Posted by Ultrarunner

I guess it conveniently absolves hundreds of millions Americans from any responsibility?

Every day my phone would ring with refi offers and people peddling property in Las Vegas and Arizona... just because someone puts out bait doesn't mean everyone is stupid enough to take it.

My city was hit hard... a bank owned property on every block...

I also know the grocery clerk at the local Safeway store bought 5 homes in 24 months and walked away from all of them.

President Bush made it his business to remove barriers to home ownership... the rest of the story is greed/human nature.

Not Bush. You can lay the blame squarely on the ultra-lefty Barney Frank.

[Ultrarunner]

Originally Posted by slowdude222

soon the grass will be BROWN and you will shower with a sponge

The grass has been brown all summer...