Widow midwesterner needs advice about moving to CA (Oceanside, Vista: crime rate, credit)

[moved]

Cottages aren't in someone's backyard, they're in a complex with others.

[kauaidooley]

We live in Dana Point, coming on 5 years now. Moved back to the mainland from 10 years full time residents on Kauai Island.

Before that it was huntington harbor, ( huntington beach address ), for me, Erica then lived in Seal Beach.

Coastal Weather is great and generally very comfortable. I have no suits, ties, sport coats, dress shoes. We live beach or island style. We greet everyone, and find it easy to treat everyone with respect. On kauai, that is called aloha .

Dan point has load, loads of free parks. Doheny will charge for parking, and we have a pass Abour 30 bucks, good for the year except summer months. But, you can pay the parking fee .

We also have access, by walking or short to moderate drives to many, many trails and wilderness parks. We do not just okole sit, we are out on the trails every week....huge selection, and many times we are the only ones out there.
Most times we go during the week. Now, most all of the trails are free, or a few $ 3.00 per car. Not a problem.

Also, some trials will have a few bike riders, most real fit enegy types, and only a very few electric bikes. Regardless, we share the trails with them....also no big deal. There are so many trails that we find it easy to be pretty well isolated.

Trails vary from 2 to 7 miles, easy to difficult. You chose what feels good to you .

There are various organizations , clubs, etc that you might check on to perhaps join, and find people who have interests that follow yours.

We rent, and it is about $ 2000.00 per month. We can walk to Salt Creek Beach in just a few minutes, also, we have the Salt Creek Trail that leads inland. Plus we can walk easily to Stands Beach. Next door , a few yards is Sea Terrace Park, and also Salt Creek Park bbq's, tables, lots of manicured grass, and views of the beach and ocean and catalina island.

this is just out of our door. On property, we have a nice swimming pool and jacuzzi, tennis court, fitness center, a second jacuzzi, huge tall trees and green landscaping, and winding paths .

As to purchasing a residence of any kind, We think a bit differently, even for Kauai, or here in south county, find an inexpensive rental, in what your best guess is for what keeps you comfortable. Learn the area, meet the people, get out doors, discover other areas. We roam all over south county, and even out to our desert or up to our mountains.

With some time spent reconing and checking out other areas, and learning the one you have chosen, you will be able to make a more informed decision before investing a large amount of gold dabloons from your treasure chest.

At to politics, we dont really care, we pretty much go with the human values, truthfulness, fun attitudes, respectful,
good hearts and minds, and personalities of the people we meet, we generally can share in common experiences.

We can share, sailing, flying, scuba diving, martial arts, U.S. Veteran, explosives, medical career for Erica, hiking, kayaking, snorkeling, NFL, etc., Meeting good people here has been easy.

So, there is our experience, we all have different values and ambitions, you can chose what feels good to you.

Denny and Erica

[TimTheEnchanter]

Oh yeah, beside Laguna Woods Village, there is the sister community of Leisure World Seal Beach. It is also a 55+ gated community with most homes under $350k.


Leisure World Seal Beach
Leisure World Seal Beach homes

[aslowdodge]

Originally Posted by ElDiabloJoe

Great post, you mention a lot of things to consider. However, there are some issues of which you should be made aware. Primarily, money. bouleboule asks the question because neighborhoods, cities, and regions vary greatly in cost, for example: Aliso Viejo is master-planned, meaning they have taken great care to lay out the city in certain ways. A single family home there will run approx 1 Million dollars. Townhomes maybe half that to 3/4 that (500-750K). SD and Carpinteria are hundreds of miles and worlds apart.

Oceanside, Carlsbad, etc. are ocean-adjacent, but so are the costs. A smaller, slightly inland city like Vista may be more appealing to your purse. SD has an affordable (comparatively) town called Imperial Beach. However, one should know that it is on the Mexico border to the south, and the US Naval bases to the north. What this means is the ocean is awfully polluted there, hence part of the affordability factor.

As for safety, that will vary also. There is crime everywhere. Currently, coastal areas "enjoy" a lot of property crime due largely to the phenomenal amount of drug rehab and sober living homes importing abusers from across the country in order to run insurance fraud schemes more so than assist those with demons to confront. Less desirable (hence more affordable areas) will enjoy a crime rate that tends to skew averages higher rather than lower.

If you are looking for liberal areas, as you suggest you are such, then be prepared to sleep in the bed that liberalism has made. I think it's great that you are looking to move to California rather than polluting a conservative area with your political bent and society-destroying, feelings-based voting. Moving to California means that you will be paying outrageous fees for nearly everything in order to carry the costs of those services and offerings to those less fortunate (Hey, don't blame me, you voted for these people and policies). Welcome to the land that long-term Democratic supermajorities and decades-long control by four liberal families has created.

Your property tax will be approximately 1 to 1.25 percent of your purchase price. So in that Aliso Viejo million dollar house you will be paying between 10,000 and 12,500 per year, due every six months thankyouverymuch. That property tax is due to skyrocket as democrat politicians work industriously toward removing the ballot protections instituted in the 1970's by Proposition 13. That was passed, by the way, because of elderly people who bought their homes decades ago and paid them off, but the skyrocketing market value of them created assessments those retirees could no longer afford and they were losing their homes because of it. Those protections have been eroded and are set to be removed all together in the near future, thanks to the liberal voters and the politicians they have installed.

Do you want to go to the beach today? Expect to pay $10-$20 for the honor of parking there. Want to go to a park? Expect to pay to gain entry to many "public" parks.

You want to put gas in your car? Expect it to be 1-$2 more PER GALLON than you pay now. Why? Well because California has an AQMD. This semi-God like agency is in charge of improving air quality. California requires petroleum refineries to create and sell only a specially formulated gasoline in the state. Then you will pay for the over $.50/gallon in taxes to support our roadways/highways/infrastructure. The AQMD even tried to outlaw backyard bar-be-ques, and fast food places like Carl's Jr (Hardees to you) that grill burgers and create (gasp!) smoke.

How is that gasoline tax working out? Well, glad you asked. L.A. is full of potholes and rough seams (try taking the 5 through the SFV). When the Oroville dam nearly collapsed, the state did not have the funds to repair it properly because all those increases of gas taxes ACTUALLY went to social services for illegal aliens. You will soon find that every single little thing you do or buy has additional fees, taxes, etc. attached to them. Your $100 speeding ticket is actually over $500 due to added costs to manage the court system and other programs of criminal deterrence.

So welcome to California, the Golden Jewel that liberalism has destroyed. Since you and your brethren are complicit, I am sure you will be very happy here. Bienvenidos!

All told, with how you describe your interests and that for which you seek, then Laguna Beach sounds like exactly what you want. IF you can afford it. I just left there after 20 years.

Not looking to move back to California, but thought your post was very honest and had good realistic info.

[Gaylord_Focker]

As someone who just bought here 500k is not good looking.

[NORTY FLATZ]

Originally Posted by TimTheEnchanter

You can safely ignore anything from the above poster.

For $300k you can get a very nice 2 bedroom, 2 bath house in Laguna Woods Village.

Laguna Woods Village...average age is 78!

This is where people go to die.

The previous name of the facility? Leisure World. (AKA SEIZURE WORLD!)

At least I'm not misleading the OP...same can't be said with you...

[TimTheEnchanter]

Originally Posted by NORTY FLATZ

At least I'm not misleading the OP....

Yes you are. Here is what you said, "$500k isn't going to get it done, around here. Maybe $5 million, but not $500k. So, bring your checkbook" and "Seriously, you're going to have to remove some of your criteria if you want to be successful."

THAT is all misleading. I identified LWV as a 55+ community. The OP said although she is an introvert, she likes "connecting with others" and "a community would be nice", "safety is probably my number one priority". She further said, "where I could meet people that share my interests (volunteering, liberal, raw food, connecting deeply with others, organic gardening, hiking)".

She virtually described Laguna Woods Village, which is gate guarded, is a community of semi-retired and retired people, has clubs for virtually any interest you can name, offers residents garden plots and because everyone is from someplace else, people are very sociable. And she can buy a one bedroom unit starting at $150k or a 2 bed, 2 bath starting at $180k.

So yes, $500k IS going to get it done quite easily in a safe community where she is more likely to meet new people than a condo in Aliso Viejo, or wherever.

[apple92680]

Originally Posted by aslowdodge

Not looking to move back to California, but thought your post was very honest and had good realistic info.

It wasn't honest. It was full of right-wing political talking points -- straight outta Fox News primetime programming.

[Racer46]

Originally Posted by apple92680

It wasn't honest. It was full of right-wing political talking points -- straight outta Fox News primetime programming.

Try answering with facts, not stupid political bashing.


Your replies would make you look better and maybe actually help someone.

[NORTY FLATZ]

Originally Posted by TimTheEnchanter

Yes you are. Here is what you said, "$500k isn't going to get it done, around here. Maybe $5 million, but not $500k. So, bring your checkbook" and "Seriously, you're going to have to remove some of your criteria if you want to be successful."

THAT is all misleading. I identified LWV as a 55+ community. The OP said although she is an introvert, she likes "connecting with others" and "a community would be nice", "safety is probably my number one priority". She further said, "where I could meet people that share my interests (volunteering, liberal, raw food, connecting deeply with others, organic gardening, hiking)".

She virtually described Laguna Woods Village, which is gate guarded, is a community of semi-retired and retired people, has clubs for virtually any interest you can name, offers residents garden plots and because everyone is from someplace else, people are very sociable. And she can buy a one bedroom unit starting at $150k or a 2 bed, 2 bath starting at $180k.

So yes, $500k IS going to get it done quite easily in a safe community where she is more likely to meet new people than a condo in Aliso Viejo, or wherever.

Jesus Tim. I hit you over the head with the obvious, and you STILL don't grasp it. Well, ok. Suit yourself, but don't lie to the OP, please.

Extra credit where credit is due: I like how you worked the word "plots" into LWV.

And, $500K isn't going to get her into a place that's decent. She might get a "fixer" for $700K tho. Maybe.

Tim, you sure are selling this facility. This begs the question, Tim. You gotta dog in this race, or what? Be truthful, now.