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We did not have to move we chose to. We just happened to leave with a lot of equity from living in the same house for many many years. Our life is much more comfortable now.
I'll echo this. Because I am not strapped to a high mortgage I have quite a bit more cash flow for things I might have balked at purchasing: summer camps, sports leagues, gymnastics lessons, swim teams, etc. But my situation is different from the original poster (who I think has two incomes and does not have four kids under nine and one income like I do). If I were the original poster, I might be doing the same thing. Maybe when my wife and I retire (at 97) and the kids are out of the house, we'll reconsider California.
Nobody said that CA was not nice. We had a nice life there in Irvine. We moved to Texas to be near out daughter and our soon to be granddaughter. We did not have to move we chose to. We just happened to leave with a lot of equity from living in the same house for many many years. Our life is much more comfortable now. We love our new home in Texas.
You should enjoy your life wherever you live, not trying to rain on your parade. I just said to ask teachers that just happen to teach in the most productive, prosperous state in the union how they feel about their future prospects. There is no excuse for what CA does to its teachers. That is why our oldest daughter moved to Texas. She makes about as much as she would in CA teaching but lives much more comfortable in TX. That is more a compliment towards Texas than a knock on CA. CA has never made their education, teachers a priority. Every time there is a budget shortfall they go after education, emergency services, and other services that people depend on.
When will CA get out of the horrendous debt/deficit they are in? It is going to take some tough love and I would not want to be in the middle of that battle.
I will always thank CA for enabling me to have a mortgage free house in TX and money in the bank to boot. If it were not for the booming housing market of CA I would not have what I have here in TX.
Soccersupporter, I agree. I'm not sure, but I've read quite a few posts from some of these posters, and it doesn't sound like they have kids. Having kids or not having kids (to support and raise) changes the equation quite a bit.
My husband and I are both professionals (he's a pharmacist, I'm an accountant, have my own business); we've been parents for 24+ years, have children that are ready to graduate from college, to a high-schooler, to children in K-8. We know what it's like to raise children, how much it costs to educate them, clothe them, feed them. We are concerned with the influence around them. The things that you've listed are important to us, more important than the beach combers, surfers, dudes and dudettes who live and play in the sun (illusion). Before one of you posters goes off on me, husband and I lived in OC and we went to the beach twice in two years. The rest of the time was spent in working. This was "before kids".
We want to relocate back to CA because quite frankly, I'm sick of the cold climate and my business does extremely well in CA. Howeer, I'm not convinced (at this point) that CA is "all that" at this point in time. Unless some of the above posters, including the original poster says that they have children to contend with, then their points of view are awesome, however, they don't speak for those that have children and have different priorities.
Right now the education funding situation in CA is up in the air. There are other things in the education system that are up in the air as well. Until CA takes a firm stand on certain things, I don't feel like jumping from the frying pan into the fire based on what people without children think. I've lived long enough on this earth to know what is going on. Playing all day in the sun is great when you have no one else to take care of except yourself and/or your spouse/significant other.
P.S. - I'm open to going out there again and taking a look for one or two weeks and getting the "feel" of things. However, until the housing market stabilizes, as well as CA taking a good look at their spending and what they're going to support or not support, I don't see relocation in the immediate future.
Before one of you posters goes off on me, husband and I lived in OC and we went to the beach twice in two years. The rest of the time was spent in working. This was "before kids".
I think I read some statistic somewhere that the average Californian spends about 17 minutes per day outside during the week and something like 45 minutes per day outside per day on the weekends. Makes you wonder if people take advantage of the flawless weather they pay so much to live in...
When I lived in SoCal, I would (for 20 years) be outside just about every day at lunchtime cycling, running, basketball, swimming outdoors - just about every day. What were 95% of my colleagues doing at lunch on 75 degree days in February? Playing cards, reading the newspaper, online, in the cafeteria, hitting on the office admins, posting on City-Data, etc...
Soccersupporter, I agree. I'm not sure, but I've read quite a few posts from some of these posters, and it doesn't sound like they have kids. Having kids or not having kids (to support and raise) changes the equation quite a bit.
My husband and I are both professionals (he's a pharmacist, I'm an accountant, have my own business); we've been parents for 24+ years, have children that are ready to graduate from college, to a high-schooler, to children in K-8. We know what it's like to raise children, how much it costs to educate them, clothe them, feed them. We are concerned with the influence around them. The things that you've listed are important to us, more important than the beach combers, surfers, dudes and dudettes who live and play in the sun (illusion). Before one of you posters goes off on me, husband and I lived in OC and we went to the beach twice in two years. The rest of the time was spent in working. This was "before kids".
We want to relocate back to CA because quite frankly, I'm sick of the cold climate and my business does extremely well in CA. Howeer, I'm not convinced (at this point) that CA is "all that" at this point in time. Unless some of the above posters, including the original poster says that they have children to contend with, then their points of view are awesome, however, they don't speak for those that have children and have different priorities.
Right now the education funding situation in CA is up in the air. There are other things in the education system that are up in the air as well. Until CA takes a firm stand on certain things, I don't feel like jumping from the frying pan into the fire based on what people without children think. I've lived long enough on this earth to know what is going on. Playing all day in the sun is great when you have no one else to take care of except yourself and/or your spouse/significant other.
P.S. - I'm open to going out there again and taking a look for one or two weeks and getting the "feel" of things. However, until the housing market stabilizes, as well as CA taking a good look at their spending and what they're going to support or not support, I don't see relocation in the immediate future.
Donna,
We have a similar situation. We have 4 kids ranging from 28 to 14. My wife has been a stay at home mom our entire marriage. We felt it was extremely important to have someone there when they came home, no latch-key kids here.
We put the first 2 children through college in CA and we are still paying for the loans, as are they. As you stated CA is great when you only have your self to worry about. When you have kids you have to think about their future also.
We also loved CA, the beaches, mountains, desert but when you live there most of your life you get use to it and they no longer has such a priority as they once did. There are so mant beautiful areas in TX, so many things to see that I don't think we will ever see it all.
There were 3 major influences/reasons that made us decide to move. Our oldest daughter is having our first granddaughter any day now. Since she lived in TX we would not have been able to be a part of her life from CA. Our equity in our house in Irvine, CA enabled us to move to TX and buy a larger , much nicer home on a large lot. We could never dreamed of having that in CA.
We were also concerned that our children would never be able to experience a normal less stressful life in CA, be home owners, and raise a family. Sure we were able to do this but we bought 25+ years ago in CA. Even then it was tight but nowhere near what young people have to sacrifice today. We just did not want our children to go through the same stress we did in raising a family.
We also wanted to have a little more financial stability which moving to TX has accomplished.
That all being said there is some chance that we might one day move back to CA. My wifes' parents live on 5 acres in Temecula above the wine country. If things went well and our children established themselves someday we might get back to CA but we are not planning on it. I would really rather vacation in CA 2 weeks a year than live there. I guess it is a product of getting older but I like a slower pace. I like not having to rush rush rush like we did in CA.
I would really rather vacation in CA 2 weeks a year than live there. I guess it is a product of getting older but I like a slower pace. I like not having to rush rush rush like we did in CA.
Soccersupporter, that right there in my opinion, was a mouthful
We have a similar situation. We have 4 kids ranging from 28 to 14. My wife has been a stay at home mom our entire marriage. We felt it was extremely important to have someone there when they came home, no latch-key kids here.
We put the first 2 children through college in CA and we are still paying for the loans, as are they. As you stated CA is great when you only have your self to worry about. When you have kids you have to think about their future also.
We also loved CA, the beaches, mountains, desert but when you live there most of your life you get use to it and they no longer has such a priority as they once did. There are so mant beautiful areas in TX, so many things to see that I don't think we will ever see it all.
There were 3 major influences/reasons that made us decide to move. Our oldest daughter is having our first granddaughter any day now. Since she lived in TX we would not have been able to be a part of her life from CA. Our equity in our house in Irvine, CA enabled us to move to TX and buy a larger , much nicer home on a large lot. We could never dreamed of having that in CA.
We were also concerned that our children would never be able to experience a normal less stressful life in CA, be home owners, and raise a family. Sure we were able to do this but we bought 25+ years ago in CA. Even then it was tight but nowhere near what young people have to sacrifice today. We just did not want our children to go through the same stress we did in raising a family.
We also wanted to have a little more financial stability which moving to TX has accomplished.
That all being said there is some chance that we might one day move back to CA. My wifes' parents live on 5 acres in Temecula above the wine country. If things went well and our children established themselves someday we might get back to CA but we are not planning on it. I would really rather vacation in CA 2 weeks a year than live there. I guess it is a product of getting older but I like a slower pace. I like not having to rush rush rush like we did in CA.
Hi Soccersupporter: Thank you very much for sharing a little bit about your life; we feel very similiarly to what you're feeling. We are facing similiar things; I guess it goes with the territory of being parents and all that it entails!
P.S. - Charles, I hear you. Thank you for your comments as well.
Sheri, your thoughts are mine too! We just love California so much! For all the diversity and for all the opportunities. I dont't want to write all the reasons just because you used much better words than I would.
A funny saying of my little son: when we were returning from Arizona (visiting our friends last December) he saw when we entered back in California because there were more buldings, more lights, more population. What do you think he told us? "Mom, we're back to America, right?"
I love the Diversity and all the Opportunities of California too...I used to live in Washington State and even though it's beautiful up there,California offers so much more and i'm also happier here too
Quote:
Originally Posted by loveCali
Sheri, your thoughts are mine too! We just love California so much! For all the diversity and for all the opportunities. I dont't want to write all the reasons just because you used much better words than I would.
A funny saying of my little son: when we were returning from Arizona (visiting our friends last December) he saw when we entered back in California because there were more buldings, more lights, more population. What do you think he told us? "Mom, we're back to America, right?"
I think I read some statistic somewhere that the average Californian spends about 17 minutes per day outside during the week and something like 45 minutes per day outside per day on the weekends. Makes you wonder if people take advantage of the flawless weather they pay so much to live in...
Some statistic somewhere? LOL ... obviously you weren't on Highway One or in Monterey last Sunday. Or, even the middle class neighborhood where I put in a bid for a house. There were tons of people out and about ... even the hotel staff talked about how they were glad they worked nights so they could go out enjoy the beautiful day.
I didn't actually time it but, I'm pretty sure people were out for more than 45 minutes on average. For one thing, there was a kids' soccer game in a park a block away from the house I'm hoping to buy. I saw a lot of families out enjoying the day, at least in this neighborhood.
I was just expressing my joy over being able to move to this gorgeous area. The hotel staff told me that there had been a foreclosure auction just the night before where people were picking up houses for as little as $250K in Monterey itself ... which is pretty reasonable, especially for that area. I'm seeing similar deals all over.
Oh well ... I guess people are going to feel the need to put California down no matter what. But, it doesn't matter ... I'm so happy and excited about this move.
The hotel staff told me that there had been a foreclosure auction just the night before where people were picking up houses for as little as $250K in Monterey itself ... which is pretty reasonable, especially for that area.
There has to be more to that story, because $250K in Monterey is not "reasonable." It's completely unheard of. We left Monterey in September (despite it always being "home" to me) because there was no way we could justify paying $750K for a starter home, which is the norm for that area (though you can probably find something in Salinas or Seaside in the 500K range). Even in this market, I will eat my shoes if REOs in Monterey itself are dropping to $250K without a substantial reason for such a price drop. As in, it's really a tent staked on an empty lot, or something.
But congratulations... you're going to love it there, even if you are 40 minutes away. Whereabouts are you buying? And it sounds like you went to the Big Sur River Inn for lunch... congratulations for finding that gem. My wife and I tried to eat lunch out there every weekend we could, especially on Sundays when the bands are playing. Allow me to suggest another place... make sure you try the Old Monterey Cafe on Alvarado for breakfast some time.
Last edited by AuburnJack; 04-17-2008 at 12:43 PM..
Reason: typo and clarification
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