[firsttimeowner]

Please tell me the advantages if any moving to Las Vegas over moving to Riverside county. I am deciding between locations where I can get the most for my money. I see many deals in both locations that are similiar in age and price. I dont need to work so wages are not a factor.

Factors for me are safety..good schools..good weather..things to do..people who are educated and liberal minded..a good place for elderly(my mother).

I dont want to be bored and hot and surrounded by negative issues which will not create a good environment for my son.

Neither location is perfect.

I have 200-250k to spend.

Please comment especially if you have kids.


Thanks
Debbie

[JohnG72]

I don't understand your question.

How are you going to support yourself? Jobs are scarce in both areas.

[PinkString]

She doesn't need to work. So that is not an issue. Jobs are definitely scarce these days, depending on what one does for a living. So not having to work is a big plus.

Weather is comarable in some ways, but we get hotter and drier weather here in the summer and early fall. It can get cold at times in the winter, and we even get snow once in awhile. The last we had it was in february. We loved it. (most of us anyway)

There are plenty of free spirited liberal thinkers here and in Calif. Maybe more so in Calif. Depending on what area of Riverside county you are thinking of living in would depend on the safety factor.

What is it that you like to do for leisure so you won't get bored and hot with nothing to do? If you want to be bored, I have heard that Pahrump is a good place to move to. Boring but safe enough.
Move into a master-planned community if you want trails, lots of parks and more of a sense of community. They have them here and in Riverside county as well. Very family friendly and family oriented.

Safety is a big factor for everyone, and it all depends on what you consider safe now. There are plenty of things to do for seniors with senior centers scattered around town. plenty of clubs to join. Check the lvrj.com community section. Calif has their own as well.

I like both California and Nevada. I lived in Calif for 26 years, but I do not think I would ever want to move back to Riverside county. I lived in Riverside, Moreno Valley and Hemet before moving away.

As for schools here and in Calif, it depends on where you live as to what school your kids are assigned to. Some schools are great, while others are not, and some are downright terrible. There are plenty of private schools and many parents send their kids there. I do not have kids, so I do not have first hand knowledge.

Whatever you do, research the heck out of both area's and visit both places if you can before moving out there. Also, renting is a great idea to do for the first 3-6 months so you can get a feel for the area's you are interested in living long-term.

[olecapt]

Demographics are similar. Racial ethnic similar. Incomes are similar.

The schools in the better neighborhoods are pretty much the same.

The IE has a substantial air quality problem. LV is minor in comparison.

Traffic is far worse in most of the Inland Empire. You can get anywhere in LV in less than 45 minutes. Same number in IE is a few hours.

Vegas is hotter in the summer though somewhat drier. Vegas also gets colder in the winter though neither really gets very cold.

Vegas is pretty much self contained. The IE lives off of Los Angeles.

[firsttimeowner]

Thanks for your input. The boring and safe comment made me laugh. I am on disability and although I look normal.....lol......I just have lots of back pain. Anyway I dont plan to work. I mainly will be paying cash and getting a small morgage with my mother. I just wonder if vegas is a good place to invest. I know here in the IE the deals are very competitive on homes and they are expected to go back up quite a bit. Since so many want to live in orange county or san diego and cant afford it, I think they gravitate toward the IE. I know there are good schools and families. What about in Las Vegas. Is it the same with people buying up all the forclosures fast? Do you think it will rebound like it was before? I am wondering if I can deal with the heat. I basically want the most house for the money in a climate I can tolerate. I am just looking for a forclosure that will appriciate and also provide a nice place to live for my family. I didt realize the air quality was so bad in the IE.

I love the idea of having a pool and swimming at night when it cools down a bit. There are many more pool houses out there than in this area.


Do you who live there all like it and enjoy the weather and amenities or do you find it toooooooooo hot?

your right I do need to go visit again to decide.
Thanks

[JohnG72]

I don't think buying as an investment is a good idea unless you are considering holding for a very long time. I don't know of anyone advising that real estate in the IE is going to see a dramatic increase in real estate value.

If you are buying, it should be because

A.) You want a home.

B.) You do not want to rent.

C.) The reason you do not want to rent is because its cheaper to own.

I think all three apply to you. I just wanted to make it clear that purchasing as a investment(ie you expect it to go up in value and then sell) is probably not a good idea.

Now if you are talking 20-30 years, that may be something else. But most people on this forum that refer to real estate investment have a fantasy notion that value will do the same thing in the next five years that they did from 2000-2006.

[aggrofish]

Last week I was meeting the fire inspector at my business. Turns out, like many people in Vegas, he's from CA; Southern to be exact same as me.

Being from Newport Beach, vegas is very different both weather wise, people wise and entertainment wise. I made the comment that Vegas was basically a big Riverside and I think it's true. It's hot, there are a lot of tweakers, and it's in the middle of the desert.

That said if you like the beach, the city, the open desert, and everything else CA has to offer Riverside may be a better option. Consider yourself an hour and a half from everything (with some closer): LA, the beach, snow, palm springs, etc. If you're not working and taxes aren't an issue there goes a big Vegas plus.

Neither is really a traditional city, with a bustling downtown with connected city center ala LA or even better San Diego. Vegas is a sparwling suburbia centered around either downdown or the strip. If you're local you'll probably find reasons not to go to either.

It's a tossup and I think what activities you plan on doing really swing the vote towards one of the two.

[olecapt]

Originally Posted by aggrofish

Last week I was meeting the fire inspector at my business. Turns out, like many people in Vegas, he's from CA; Southern to be exact same as me.

Being from Newport Beach, vegas is very different both weather wise, people wise and entertainment wise. I made the comment that Vegas was basically a big Riverside and I think it's true. It's hot, there are a lot of tweakers, and it's in the middle of the desert.

That said if you like the beach, the city, the open desert, and everything else CA has to offer Riverside may be a better option. Consider yourself an hour and a half from everything (with some closer): LA, the beach, snow, palm springs, etc. If you're not working and taxes aren't an issue there goes a big Vegas plus.

Neither is really a traditional city, with a bustling downtown with connected city center ala LA or even better San Diego. Vegas is a sparwling suburbia centered around either downdown or the strip. If you're local you'll probably find reasons not to go to either.

It's a tossup and I think what activities you plan on doing really swing the vote towards one of the two.

The IE is roughly twice as big as Vegas in population and area. It is much harder to get around in...

Its climate is closer to LV than Newport Beach. The IE is hot. And it is often wetter than Las Vegas.

Buying a rental at this point in the game makes very good sense in LV and I think in the IE as well. This is not an appreciation play...I don't think big returns on appreciation are likely in the short term. It is a pure investment play. You can make 5 to 10% per annum with a reasonable buy.

Taxes remain a big Las Vegas plus even if retired. Income tax gets all forms of income.

[dynimagelv]

the PRIMARY reasong for choosing Las Vegas over Riverside....Las Vegas AIN'T Kalifornia. [yet ]

[PinkString]

I forgot about the terrible traffic in Riverside county.
The last time we visited, it was terrible getting from San Bernardino to the interchange to go to Moreno Valley. So much has changed, but the air quality is about the same. Horrendous.
The air quality is so much better in the Las Vegas area. IF you stay to the outlying area's, the perimeter of the valley. Air quality down in the muck of it all, Central LV is quite bad at times.
When the air quality is so thick you can cut it with a knife, that's usually when the smoke from California fires are here, compliments of the Santa Ana winds. Otherwise you can still see lots of blue sky depending where you are in the valley.