Is it worth living in CA (Bay Area) with a free house and no taxes? (San Jose: rent, student loans)

[moshywilly]

I am a 20 year old guy who lives in NJ and will be graduating college next year. I am an IT major. My grandparents live in a Bay Area suburb in a good home. My grandparents are currently getting their house renovated and making it better. They said I could live there after college if I get a job in California. They said I could live there rent-free and no taxes. They would pay for the taxes.

The thing is, California is not liveable for me. I visited the Bay Area and I couldn't stand how crowded it was when you drive a few minutes away from my grandparents' house. Also, the suburban traffic is way worse than what we get in New Jersey. I also can't see how I could live within a 40 million population. Overall, California had perfect weather, great people, beautiful scenery, exotic atmosphere.

I'd still prefer the Pacific Northwest over California. Visited Seattle metro area and it has a great atmosphere, but the crowding is not as bad (but they get bad traffic too).

My family keeps telling me how I should move where my family is, but I'd rather go where I am happy (or happier).

[saibot]

What kind of a job are you going to be looking for? Jobs tend to be more plentiful and lucrative in more populous areas.

Are you currently paying rent, or do you anticipate having to pay rent after you graduate from college? If so, consider whether the monthly savings of NOT having to pay rent would make up for not being in your favorite place. You don't need to stay there forever, you know.

If I were in your situation, I'd have a hard time not at least giving it a try, unless I already had a great job lined up elsewhere in a place I really wanted to live in.

[moshywilly]

Originally Posted by saibot

What kind of a job are you going to be looking for? Jobs tend to be more plentiful and lucrative in more populous areas.

Are you currently paying rent, or do you anticipate having to pay rent after you graduate from college? If so, consider whether the monthly savings of NOT having to pay rent would make up for not being in your favorite place. You don't need to stay there forever, you know.

If I were in your situation, I'd have a hard time not at least giving it a try, unless I already had a great job lined up elsewhere in a place I really wanted to live in.

I am an IT major (forgot to write that in my post, but I edited it just now). I would look for any job that fits my experience. I only had one internship struggling to get a good internship. I work a clerical job at a law firm and I help troubleshoot computers and printers on the job, so I also named it "Help Desk" on my resume.

Edit: No I don't pay rent living at home right now. If I lived there, I'd still be paying all other bills.

[Ruth4Truth]

Do you have student loans to pay back? If so, go for the free rent deal, and pay your loans back. It could be, that your grands may need a little help around the house, so something like that may be built into the deal.

One way to beat traffic in the area is to use public transit. I don't know where they're located, and how much of an option that would be. Even though transit can be crowded (especially in commute hours), it beats having to drive. Save your car for weekend excursions out into the beautiful countryside: beaches, redwood forests, scenic hikes.

If student loans aren't an issue, then you're free to apply for jobs in the Seattle area. Choose someplace in the 'burbs to live, until you reach a salary level, where you can live closer in. There are commuter trains and buses, that connect to downtown and the UW. You could get a job as a university techie, at the UW or Seattle University, a private college. Just a thought. University gigs are good gigs.

Same in the Bay Area: look for jobs at the UC's, or who knows--maybe at Lawrence Lab. The national Lab jobs are also very good deals. See if you could score an internship there, maybe, after graduation, as a local resident? (I'm just brainstorming a bit, OP.)

"Tech Help Desk" would be better. "Help Desk" sounds more like a receptionist.

"Is it worth it to live in CA (Bay Area) for free?" IDK, OP. Seems to me, as a techie, it wouldn't be a bad idea, at least to get some job experience. You could always move on, later. Or heck, put up with the crowding, so you can save like crazy, for a downpayment on a house or townhome in your next career stop: Seattle or Denver. Use that Bay Area salary to finance a nice pad somewhere else in the future.

Oh, and just wondering--does the grandparents deal involve a separate studio for you, for privacy? Or would you be living there like a family member, all cozy, shared space? If the latter, that might be something to think twice about, IDK. It's up to you. Still, it's an awfully good deal.

[moshywilly]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

Do you have student loans to pay back? If so, go for the free rent deal, and pay your loans back. It could be, that your grands may need a little help around the house, so something like that may be built into the deal.

One way to beat traffic in the area is to use public transit. I don't know where they're located, and how much of an option that would be. Even though transit can be crowded (especially in commute hours), it beats having to drive. Save your car for weekend excursions out into the beautiful countryside: beaches, redwood forests, scenic hikes.

If student loans aren't an issue, then you're free to apply for jobs in the Seattle area. Choose someplace in the 'burbs to live, until you reach a salary level, where you can live closer in. There are commuter trains and buses, that connect to downtown and the UW. You could get a job as a university techie, at the UW or Seattle University, a private college. Just a thought. University gigs are good gigs.

Same in the Bay Area: look for jobs at the UC's, or who knows--maybe at Lawrence Lab. The national Lab jobs are also very good deals. See if you could score an internship there, maybe, after graduation, as a local resident? (I'm just brainstorming a bit, OP.)

"Tech Help Desk" would be better. "Help Desk" sounds more like a receptionist.

No I have no loans. My parents are paying for the entirety of my tuition. I visited SF on weekdays last March and the Bart never got extremely crowded even during commute hours. My mom used to get free Bart when she went college in SF, because my grandfather worked for Bart at the time (he is retired, so no free Bart for me!).

[rodentraiser]

I think traffic and the number of people you're surrounded with depends exactly what area in the Bay Area you would be living in. It also depends on what you do, where you go, and what times you will be driving around. If you're in San Jose and commuting north (or in Santa Cruz and commuting north) for a job in the morning, you're going to be in heavy traffic a good bit of the time. If you live in San Jose and commute south to Santa Cruz on weekends at 10am, you're likewise going to end up in heavy traffic. If you decide to attend the Garlic Festival in Gilroy, you'll spend your day on the freeway. On the other hand, if you commute in off times in off directions, you may find the traffic a lot less of a hassle to deal with.

If you go a little south of the Bay Area, into places liked the Santa Cruz Mtns or down to Morgan Hill, Holllister, or San Juan Bautista, or even east to Livermore, there is a lot of open space there. I have friends in San Juan Bautista that have horses and ride all over the area.

Personally, I'd sell my soul to go back and live in the Bay Area. If you don't want to live in the Bay Area, I have a lot you can live on here in the PNW if you think your grandparents would allow me to live in their house. We can make a trade.

[Ruth4Truth]

Oh, I remember you, now. I added a couple of paragraphs to my post, btw, after you quoted it; check those out.

The more I think about it, the more I think you'd be crazy not to get a job in the Bay, and sock away your money, to catapult yourself into home-ownership in a more affordable location in whatever city/region you prefer, in the future. This is a steal of a deal! Wherever your grands are located (Tri-Valley? Fremont? Elsewhere in south or east bay?). You could try to get a job near them, to minimize commuting. Lawrence Livermore Lab, maybe, if they're out in that area. Cal State Hayward, or UC Berkeley, or some company in Oakland, if they're in Fremont or thereabouts. Or SF.

[tsolin01]

I think you need to figure out your future when the free rent runs dry and you're out on your own. Maybe going out on your own is a good idea now if you can get a job in Seattle. It'll teach you to appreciate your family even more.

If you're not truly happy with the Bay Area, I don't see a reason why you should live here. You'll get more life experience by living somewhere away from family at least for a short time.

[evening sun]

It is a good opportunity to save money if you save, several thousand dollars a month, ( your rent payments) then in a few years you can move anywhere you want, with a nice amount saved up. Of course if you really hate the area, there is no point in being unhappy. Your life, your choice.

[Vic Romano]

You should view it as an opportunity you may never get again. Free rent, relatively high salary you can save. Consider it an experience in your life. At some point in the future you may leave, but not all experiences are great (or even good) and it will help you understand what you want later in life.

I think you'd be nuts to say no...