Living in San Jose vs Santa Cruz vs Santa Barbara as a Surfer / Ocean Lover (apartments, renters)

[JohnS_15]

Originally Posted by wac_432

Haha, I'm a surfing engineer. I don't even take home 6-figures (I could, but then I'd have to surf and travel less and work more, and eff that noise!) yet I make it work for a family of 4. We live a mile from the beach in SoCal and--when it's firing--I surf 5 days a week or more. We bought our place at the bottom of the last housing market crash, and I've made more (on paper) from the house appreciating than from my job.

OP, it might be too late for you, but I realized when I was a Val driving into the Malibu and Ventura at 5AM to score a dawnie before work, that the key to managing your surfing addiction while still having a life outside of surf, is to surf where you work (not where you live). I've never held a job that was more than 20 minutes from a good break, and right now I'm a mile from one and can surf on my lunch break.

You should go minimalist and start saving every cent you can, then snap up a coastal property and re-align your life when the next bubble bursts. We are in a real-estate bubble that will burst when the economy tanks sometime in the next 4 years. You can make a mint (on paper) if you are well-positioned. However, the conditions that are going to come will make it hard to buy a home as you may lose one or both of your dual incomes and interest rates will be high. Think about how you can recession-proof your incomes/jobs. Cut your expenditures back so that you are at least break-even on a single income (preferably the lowest one), and then put ALL the extra money into a house fund. I would go bonds or cash, not stocks, and certainly not small-cap stocks!

When the economy tanks, wait another year or two for housing prices to finish cratering. The crash of 2008 saw housing hit it's low point around 2010-2012. From 2004-2008, I had the same fear as you (missed the opportunity, won't ever be able to buy a house if I don't buy now--in 2006) but we held on and saved our pennies for the big score, and made out like bandits.

If your wife loses her job (or it's threatened) in the crash, then it'll be easier to justify a move back to the coast. You'll probably have to re-set your expectations and lifestyle, but practicing minimizing and saving now will mean it will be an easier transition later. Also, gentrified beach towns are full of fun free stuff to do with the kids--besides the beach.

Speaking from the experience of 2 years living in the Midwest in a huge McMansion driving a ginormous SUV with big-screen TV's, strip malls, Applebees, and all that noise, all the material things in the world won't fill the void of a surfer stranded far inland from a home break.

Conversely, speaking from the experience of going feral for a season in Indonesia and surfing my brains out day after day after day on some of the world's best waves; that life starts feeling empty too, and surprisingly quickly.

Don't settle for the low-grade misery of a Val who drives 2 hours to get skunked and vibed and ends up cleaning the gutters when its firing because you know the wind will be on it by the time you get there. Get back to the water, dude, but make it work for your family. Good luck.

Agree with you that it's about finding that balance. Some good words of wisdom in there. And Great for you that you were in the right place at the right time to swoop in the big housing recession. While there almost certainly will be dips in the housing market in future years that total bottoming out on housing prices was somewhat of an anomaly. Coastal CA with proximity to jobs is done for the middle classes if you don't have mommy and daddy's help.

It's also crowded and full of over-privileged people. That goes for the lineups too. I've made my peace living a more laid-back life a couple hours from the ocean. Also working a low stress job that lets me spend time with my family. And hey when it's firing I go stay with a buddy for a couple days and surf my brains out. And then I use my extra money and time to go surf less crowded better waves abroad. Plus these days I find myself preferring to be up in the mountains solo than shoulder to shoulder fighting over mush in SoCal. I really do miss the sunsets and beach walks though.

Originally Posted by SportyandMisty

#FirstWorldProblems

You are a father. You have people who depend upon you. Time for you to grow up.

Imagine a conversation in the future with your then-16-year-old daughter:

Yeah he is thinking of his family - did you not read his post?? What's best for him and his family might be more about a lifestyle than a big house in a soul-less city - he's trying to figure it out.

[stablegenius]

Ugh. Man I sympathize... I hated NoCal a lot, and I never lived by the beach before I moved there. I can't even imagine going from the beach to San Jose. Expat has a point though, you can't move your wife even further from her job, then your QOL gets better and hers further degrades. The only thing you can do is either learn to live with it or let go of the money and move back. There are other parts of California you may like as well. You should look into it. I always laugh because people get drawn in by the pay you can get in NoCal, but then they move there and realize that 225k, while great in most places, is nothing up there.

The money thing. My wife and I still struggle with this. She keeps getting good raises, but doesn't really love her job. But how do you quit such a good paying job? Most people would be lucky to have it, how do you just up and leave it? But at the end of the day, money isn't everything. You both might be happier living on less in Santa Barbara, even in a cramped apartment.

[mstnghu2]

Originally Posted by SportyandMisty

#FirstWorldProblems

You are a father. You have people who depend upon you. Time for you to grow up.

Imagine a conversation in the future with your then-16-year-old daughter:

Well...aren't you the judgmental one?

Seriously? I'm a dad too. There a things I need in my life other than parenting that I need to do to make me happy...thus allowing me to be an even happier, well-adjusted and better parent when I get to do them!! I can totally sympathize with the OP. Maybe you're unaware of the airplane mask analogy. Why are you assuming that he's self-centered and not grown up simply because he has hobbies or interests that don't involve his family?

He has every right to do things he enjoys doing assuming he's not making them priority over his other adult obligations.

Honestly, as a dad, comments like this irritate the s**t out of me. Oh my God! A dad still wants to be happy and have hobbies and interests outside of parenting! Who would've thought such a thing!

[DKM]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

The OP doesn't seem focussed on the city of Santa Cruz, exclusively. He sounds like he's exploring Santa Cruz County in general, with the city being an option, but also Scotts Valley being a strong contender. Scotts Valley would be a better option commute-wise (compared to SC city), as well as for the other issues you mention.

Yes but she hates her commute from San Jose already. Can you imagine driving that crazy road through the mountains every day? I doubt a lot of difference from SC to Scotts Valley, either way I would be sick by the time I got to Los Gatos. I'm sure he already realizes this and if they want the "beach" life, Scotts Valley ain't it...

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by DKM

Yes but she hates her commute from San Jose already. Can you imagine driving that crazy road through the mountains every day? I doubt a lot of difference from SC to Scotts Valley, either way I would be sick by the time I got to Los Gatos. I'm sure he already realizes this and if they want the "beach" life, Scotts Valley ain't it...

Well no, I can't, which is why I suggested earlier s/he check out the possibility of an employer-run shuttle service. I think it would only work, if that were an option, which I hear it is, with some employers. That would be what would make it doable.

[wac_432]

Her: "Daddy, why can't you pay for me to go to college?"

If my daughter ever asks me this, I've done a crap job of parenting, raising such an entitled brat. Seems to me, that's a San Jose question asked by a materialistic daughter who grew up with disconnected unhappy parents.
This is the conversation I expect:

Her: "Hey, old fart. Thanks for mortgaging my future to buy our tiny craphole on the beach! Since you can't pay for my college, at least give me this next wave!"

I disagree that 2010 was a unique time for the SoCal coast. The market goes in cycles. You can't find it on Zillow (because they want you to buy a house now, like an idiot), but if you look at long-term trends of housing prices near the beach in SoCal, you'll see down cycles every 10 to 15 years. That means we're due for a crash sometime in the next 5-7 years. With the DJIA north of 25K for no particular reason and the deregulation of pretty much everything, we're standing on top of the inflating Mother Of All Bubbles.
http://www.lao.ca.gov/reports/2015/f...image/fig6.png
Make hay while the sun is shining; and it's shining now! Stash your cash in safe investment devices. When this MOAB bursts, everyone's going to be running around like Chicken Little as the sky is falling.

Oh Dear God! We never saw this coming! We thought markets only go up! We thought housing only appreciates!

Save your pennies and make your move then.

[SportyandMisty]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

Right, because people shouldn't have hobbies or any leisure time at all, in order to work extra hours or a second job, to earn their kids' college money? How do you know they don't already have a savings plan set up for that? You have no idea what their situation is, in that regard.

Don't put words in my mouth in an attempt to score points. Everyone sees through it.

[SportyandMisty]

Originally Posted by JohnS_15

Yeah he is thinking of his family - did you not read his post?? What's best for him and his family might be more about a lifestyle than a big house in a soul-less city - he's trying to figure it out.

"a big house in a soulless city" isn't in his choice space. He's talking about his family getting in the way of his surfing.

[SportyandMisty]

Originally Posted by mstnghu2

He has every right to do things he enjoys doing assuming he's not making them priority over his other adult obligations.

"assuming."

Originally Posted by mstnghu2

Honestly, as a dad, comments like this irritate the s**t out of me. Oh my God! A dad still wants to be happy and have hobbies and interests outside of parenting! Who would've thought such a thing!

It isn't about having hobbies and interests. It is about making them a priority over his other obligations.

Someone didn't pass the marshmallow test.

[ryanst530]

Originally Posted by SportyandMisty

"assuming."



It isn't about having hobbies and interests. It is about making them a priority over his other obligations.

Someone didn't pass the marshmallow test.

Perhaps you are simply projecting your own insecurities and shortcomings onto the OP?