I Want To Move To California (Santa Cruz, San Luis Obispo: rent, house, unemployed)

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by coyoteskye

A young friend of mine recently moved to California without any precious plans, found a job (low paying but still), found a place and is quite happy to be on the coast.
Not everyone lives in your reality and to discourage anyone from following there own inner compass is "unfair" and just 'cause the o.p. is not posting doesn't mean that she/he has not been back.

come on, go back and read her posting, she has never been to Ca, has always wanted to move there, says nothing about what she does for a living, if anything, wants to live near the beach but likes cities also,,,does that sound like someone that is going to survive in California? Your friend was lucky, you know that and so do I. Just recently there have been more and more postings by people who have said, "I can't get a job"

You are right about her not coming back, I am sure she has read what we have written and almost everyone has said the same thing, right now is not the time to be thinking about coming to Ca unless you have a job or are in a field that is in high demand and those jobs are still few and far between.

I really don't think the Op has an inner compass that is a really driving force to move. Again, a gut feeling only. There are times when I do understand the desire to move to someplace, certainly Ca and sometimes even if it is a terrible idea I can see some encouraging the poster, this just isn't one of them.

Now, the guy who just posted who wants to move from the midwest to So Ca, he is a little different. Will he be in for a shock in many ways? Of course, cost of housing alone, but he and wife are thinking things through, have advanced degrees and hopefully marketable skills.

Nita

[coyoteskye]

It's not my place to determine whether or not someone is "fit" to move to California.
It's arrogant and condescending to assume that you know what the right course of action is for another person.
Even if a poster is a bit clueless, if he/she asks for information, i give it if i have it.
Are you thinking that people (even young and silly ones) are making major life changing decisions based solely / primarily on what they read on these forums?
Many other significant factors, seen and unseen, come into play.
If the young woman wants to and is able to move to California then she will.
If not, she won't.
I wouldn't overestimate your (or anyone's) importance here and many people who inquire about California are just dreaming and searching and gathering information.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by coyoteskye

It's not my place to determine whether or not someone is "fit" to move to California.
It's arrogant and condescending to assume that you know what the right course of action is for another person.
Even if a poster is a bit clueless, if he/she asks for information, i give it if i have it.
Are you thinking that people (even young and silly ones) are making major life changing decisions based solely / primarily on what they read on these forums?
Many other significant factors, seen and unseen, come into play.
If the young woman wants to and is able to move to California then she will.
If not, she won't.
I wouldn't overestimate your (or anyone's) importance here and many people who inquire about California are just dreaming and searching and gathering information.

what is your problem? This isn't the first time you have decided I am not supposed to give an opinion....She asked us, for advise: my advise, don't do it..like many others, that is all I said...you tell everyone to come, that is your advise....we both have opinions, isn't that what these boards are meant for?

Nita

[coyoteskye]

Originally Posted by nmnita

what is your problem? This isn't the first time you have decided I am not supposed to give an opinion....She asked us, for advise: my advise, don't do it..like many others, that is all I said...you tell everyone to come, that is your advise....we both have opinions, isn't that what these boards are meant for?

Nita

I've never suggested that you not express yourself and if i challenge a thought or perception, it's not motivated by a desire to censor you.
I don't tell anyone to come or not to come. I don't feel it's my place to do so.
But i do tend to encourage people (and myself) to be true to their own Sself and when you say, in effect, that it's unfair to support a young persons dream (even if that dream seems crazy to you), i protest.
It's just the way i'm wired ... to challenge those who think they know.

[Malcolm]

Cali is such a big place. Do you have a family with kids? Or is it just you? I was raised in So Cal. I hated it. Of course, it depends on where you move to and it depends on your life style. Rich? No problemo then. Not rich? Good luck. Schools suck. A LOT of people. It took me an hour just to *drive* to the store let along shop. Monthly near head on collisions on the roads. commute == 1.5 hours (1 way). Cali sucks dude. Why? Beach and track homes = So Cal. For the average person working the normal 9 to 5, dont move there unless you have like 1.5 kids and want an appartment. Road rage. Fist fights on the sides of the roads - and these are people wearing ties and business suits.. this isnt in the ghetto. This is in "Nice" places like SD.

[E_Gitz]

Originally Posted by EscapeCalifornia

That's what they said in 2006.

Who is "they" exactly?

[steel7]

Originally Posted by E_Gitz

FYI: you need to get a Cal. driver's license with in 10 days of becoming a resident, and you have to do a written test for that. Oh, yeah, and DON'T go to Bank of America. You'll probably need to get a bank right away though, b/c your debit card will likely have a 45 cent fee everytime you use it here. Let me know if you need anymore tips or anything on making the move.

When i first moved to ca from pa i didnt get my ca drivers license for 6 months. The greedy state just wants all the money they can get. If she gets pulled over for a traffic violation with out of state plates & dl all she gotta say is shes visiting ca. I once drove in ca for over 3 yrs with out of state plates & a ca dl. I never got stopped once. If i ever did i would of said its my brothers car & hes visiting me in ca (the car was in his name) & he had to fly back to co for a emergency. I know the state, county & cities are desperate for revenue but if shes careful she can avoid getting a ripoff 31.00 ca drivers license for awhile. A friend of mine drove on a co dl in ca for 4 yr & had a ca car. She was in a no fault of her own accident & the cop didnt cite her for not having a ca dl. She did have auto ins & the ins co didnt care about her having a out of state license. All ins companies want is your money just like to no longer great state of ca. The state is going to raise drivers license fees now on a regular basic (every few yrs or so). I sure despise the legislature.

[EscapeCalifornia]

Originally Posted by E_Gitz

Who is "they" exactly?

All the real estate bubble shills. Buy now or get priced our forever! Everyone wants to live in California! Prices will never go down! They're not making any more land!

[coyoteskye]

Originally Posted by EscapeCalifornia

All the real estate bubble shills. Buy now or get priced our forever! Everyone wants to live in California! Prices will never go down! They're not making any more land!

At some point doesn't there need to be a major correction?
Why isn't it inevitable?
In Santa Cruz county (for example) the average income is 63K but the average cost of a home is between 7 - 8K.
I have no business / economy smarts (at all!) but i don't understand how this housing market can sustain.
Santa Cruz County Home Prices and Heat Map - Trulia.com
(i think that i'm reading those stats correctly)

[Charles]

Originally Posted by coyoteskye

In Santa Cruz county (for example) the average income is 63K but the average cost of a home is between 7 - 8K.

The latest SFR $/sqft for Santa Cruz county is around 280, with a median (not the best metric) sales price of about $650K.

Homes for Sale in Santa Cruz County, CA | Redfin

Some people think housing prices will fall to lower levels in some regions, maybe 10% to 20% lower. A lot of people are watching the the effects of Alt-A Option Arm loans resetting and also the effects of potential interest rate hikes.