Los Angeles (Orange, Fullerton, Davis: condo, townhome, private schools)

[purplelady]

Anybody have an idea or two on how to creativly help your "twenty-something" adult kids get homes in the southern California areas? (in Orange,beach areas, or even Corona) You cannot believe what it costs for apartment rent and they are having a hard time saving up enough cash for a down payment-- and I don't know how they are going to make the payments even with the decent jobs they have. It would be nice to keep the generations somewhat in the same vicinity and the kids like southern CA and would prefer to stay here. Has anybody successful naviagted these waters?

[fastfilm]

It cannot be done without major windfalls. All offspring of people I know cannot afford to stay and live here. It's just too darn expensive for working people.

[Cali2ID]

fastfilm:

You are so right. However you list stops short at some of the wonderful things L.A. has to offer. Allow me to include the following:

L.A. offers exciting, nightly car races between the CHP and various upstanding residents.
Also, L.A. is the only city that offers extracurricular activities for the high school students such as "Locker room to Lockdown in five seconds" L.A. also showcases one of the most exhilarating, fast-paced, freeway games around: "Dodge-a-Bullet." However, my absolute favorite aspect of L.A. is when you must pay $989,000 for a dilapidated house in a neighborhood underneath the 405 fwy. next to "Ron's Autos" across from "S&J's liquor" Yes...that's my favorite!!!

As my name suggests I am outta here. I am so done with the crime, pollution, illegals, cost of living,traffic, etc. I'm
done! I told my wife that when we leave for the last time I want her to take a picture of me at the NV./CA. border facing California flipping it off! There is only one good view of L.A. and that's through my rear view mirror.

[purplelady]

Originally Posted by fastfilm

It cannot be done without major windfalls. All offspring of people I know cannot afford to stay and live here. It's just too darn expensive for working people.

Yes, I think you are right. We don't have any "rich uncles" that could give them a hand, so my kids will probably have to buy a house outside of CA. We will have to decide what to do after that. I guess there are no creative ways to help your kids get houses in CA; just boatloads of cash! At least you confirmed other people young marrieds cannot afford to stay and live here.

[Buddy]

Brea is still a good place to live.I`m retired on a fixed income.I can`t afford a $700K home either.That does not mean that sum one else can`t. I don`t understand your hostilitys,here and more so else where towards me, it`s so misplaced.Peace.

Brea is still a good place to live.

[ptertocha]

Originally Posted by fastfilm

I've spent half a century here, and we will move the second my husband retires. Weather isn't the only quality of life issue.

Los Angeles is only liveable if:
1)You're quite wealthy
2)You're an illegal immigrant
3)You love being in a gang

Hi, Fastfilm,
I spent 30 years in Los Angeles, graduated from CSUN and USC, but now live in Raleigh, NC....with no regrets.

[Smokeweed420]

the "work on people's walls" is amazing, it takes TONS AND TONS of skill to pick up some pain cans throw up a piece within 8 hours...then the next day it gets buffed and they do it again <_<. i think, who knows...i dont even think they buff in CA
-so, hows it goin everyone...im from the Chicago area xD

[Vich]

Perhaps starting small? Apartments similar to what I lived in during a transition several years ago is going for $350K. Its a single bedroom about 1 block from the beach in Newport Beach (very exclusive, safe, temperate, etc). Livable for a retiree albiet not a nice comfortable home setting.

For a kid starting out, it's small living but everyone has to start at the bottom housing-wise.

Main worry (as always) is that the bubble will burst and you'll be sitting upside down (mortgage wise) saying to yourself how blind you were.

We are seriously considering a move to North Carolina or the like - planned out about 15 years or so. We're looking to buy a second home now so we can sell our California goldmine to collect on the equity, have a home paid off, etc.

As for crime etc. I live in Newport Beach and work in Corona. I find them both plesent places to be.

[malory]

I stumbled on to this site while researching my move to Santa Monica. I live in Florida and although it's nice, I'm a big fish in a small pond. Every time I go to S CA I feel like I'm living in the wrong state. So by the end of 2006, I'm moving to the Santa Monica area. I would be taking a huge pay cut, but it is so beautiful and people have brains! Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Malory

[fastfilm]

I'm going to advise you to really, really research the cost of living aspects out here that pertain to what you expect out of your life, particularly with your claim of taking a huge pay cut. Santa Monica, as a beach community is already one of the most expensive places here, and its fabled rent-control apartments do not transfer to new tenants. Would you be thrilled to live in a 650 square foot studio apartment that costs 2K a month? (these would be the hotels converted to residency on the beach.) The most beautiful places here are, of course, the most expensive. That's why so many people here do not live in the beautiful places, and most of them are not quite as enthusiastic about Los Angeles. Read some of the threads here. As a fifty year resident who's seen the changes for the worse in action throughout the decades, I'd say no one can really be happy in L.A. unless they are 1) rich, 2) illegal or 3) violent.