Temecula/Murrieta (San Diego, Riverside, San Bernardino: real estate, big house, to buy)

[Fatty Jay]

I've already had a post about 'Where to move', but I wanted to make a new title specifically about Temecula and Murrieta. I didn't know whether it'd do better in the San Diego section or just the main CA section so I'll post it in both.

Again, I'm in the Marine Corps and getting out in about a year. I have a wife, 1 1/2 yr old, and 2 month old. We're from Phx, AZ and I'm stationed in Yuma, AZ. So I've basically been in Arizona my whole life. We're ready to leave AZ. Too hot, dry, boring, brown, and there's not much to do. We want to move where the weather is nicer, it's green, and there's things to do like going to the beach...

We've looked into Temecula and Murrieta. The homes seem more affordable to us. Looks like we might be able to find a nice starter 3 bed 2 bath home for around $300,000. We don't already live in CA so that amount would buy us TWICE the house in AZ.

I'm going to be a REALTOR, Home Appraiser, and Home Inspection Specialist. My wife will probably work at a restaurant for a while.

I guess my question is, what does everyone think about Temecula/Murrieta?? Is there stuff to do and places to go in these cities, or do you need to go south for those things? How bad is the drive to the ocean? Does that drive bother anyone for like a weekend thing to do? How long is the drive to San Diego or LA? What about the weather??? We're from AZ so I'm sure it's nowhere near as bad as we know, but how is it to the locals?

[Hughe Jass]

the homes in temecula are on a correction (decline) i would wait a year or 2 until they are at their lowest prices, then buy.

[SoCalTwinkie]

Temecula is usually hot in the summer but not as hot as Phoenix.
I recommend you buy a pool home.
The drive to the beach is about 45 minutes. Nice drive.
If you like dining out and wine tasting...we have that here.
Its about an hour to San diego or LA. I much rather avoid Highway 60 or 91 and go south to San Diego.
Del Mar is a nice beach.

I can't imagine getting a nice home for $300K here unless its under 1200 sq ft Perhaps $360K.

Your wife will find lots of job opportunities as a restaurant worker but as for you being a realtor, there is ALOT of competition! Everybody knows someone in real estate.

[jeffncandace]

Originally Posted by Fatty Jay

I guess my question is, what does everyone think about Temecula/Murrieta???

I lived there from 2000-2006. My wife lived there from 1990-2006. We loved the area. Overall I feel it is somewhere that (for California) you get a good amount of bang for your buck, plus you are centrally located to all of southern CA.

Originally Posted by Fatty Jay

Is there stuff to do and places to go in these cities, or do you need to go south for those things??

Yes, there is Old Town Temecula, and Murrieta has one too, up and coming but not as nice as Temecula's. There is Pechanga Casino, and there are the wineries. If we felt the need to get out our personal playground was San Diego--a close drive.

Originally Posted by Fatty Jay

How bad is the drive to the ocean??

About 40 minutes to the closest one in Oceanside. Not bad at all.

Originally Posted by Fatty Jay

Does that drive bother anyone for like a weekend thing to do??

Not at all.

Originally Posted by Fatty Jay

How long is the drive to San Diego or LA??

S.D....40-60 minutes depending on traffic.

L.A....60-90 minutes depending on traffic and what part you are going to.

Originally Posted by Fatty Jay

What about the weather??? We're from AZ so I'm sure it's nowhere near as bad as we know, but how is it to the locals?

The weather in Temecula is pretty much ideal for about 9 months out of the year, and very hot in the summer. But since you are from AZ, it will probably seem like nothing to you. Keep in mind though that although it is generally pretty dry, since you are from AZ you may find it to be more humid than what you have now. It's really not, but just by comparison.

[Fatty Jay]

Well, thx for the replies. It was very helpful, and it sounds like a nice place to live! I also just started looking into becoming a cop in the area. I figure I probably need something more secure as a job, and it's always been something I thought about doing. I think I still want to do real estate work though. Probably just as a side job in a beginning though... I guess we'll see which way life takes us though...

But thx again for the helpful replies!...

[jeffncandace]

Originally Posted by SoCalTwinkie

Its about an hour to San diego or LA. I much rather avoid Highway 60 or 91 and go south to San Diego.
Del Mar is a nice beach.

I think you'll find this to be the general attitude among those living in Tem/Mur. S.D. is easier to get to and Tem/Mur has sort of turned into a far-flung bedroom community of S.D. I know that we rarely went to the O.C. or L.A. for numerous reasons...S.D. is closer, has a more laid back vibe, has less traffic (still has alot, but LA and the OC more) and most commuters, or at least a large percentage, commute to S.D. as opposed to L.A. Of course, almost as many commute to the Riverside area, but S.D. is more fun to go visit--and near the beach.

Good luck! You guys should enjoy it.

[travelon]

There are still affordable homes in Temecula. Keep in mind that there are no "bad" areas here. There are places such as the DeLuz area in the hills where you'll pay a couple million for a big house and property and then there are areas on the South side of town where the home are newer and are in the $600 - 800 thousand dollar range and then there are areas on the North side of town where the houses were built 15 - 20 years ago, are smaller and are priced in the $300,000 range and a mile or so away, you've got them in the $500,000 range. I have lived here for nearly 20 years and many of the families who started out as my neighbors sold and "moved up" to newer and larger homes further South as their families grew. I have raised 4 children here and the youngest child just graduated from High School. All of my children did well in the schools here and have all gone on to college and none of them got sidetracked with drugs, etc. Although, let's get real, that stuff is here just like it is anywhere else. Contrary to what most people will say about the weather, it is not unbearably hot. This summer, I'm not even sure it's made it past the 100 mark during the day yet. However, at night, it is quite cool. In all the years I have lived here, there have been few nights where I was still wearing shorts and a tank top outside in the summer. We rarely ever run our AC. On the hottest days, I can hear various neighbor's AC units switching off and on and there is someone behind me who runs theirs 24/7 365 days a year. I must say that my daughter is involved with a musical activity in Tempe, AZ for the summer and the weather there and here are not comparable. You have to run the AC there and her friends report electric bills of $400 a month. We pay a fraction of that. The humidity is higher here. The ocean air blows through the pass at the South side of town. It cools the air, blows the smog out and is one reason why the wineries are here--the grapes need the evening moisture. The options for recreation are many. In town, you have all the usual stuff: many theaters, the usual chain restaurants as well as a few nicer ones, the Wine Country, Old Town and Pechanga. I personally don't enjoy gambling but I do like the entertainment they have brought in. When my kids were younger, we went to the beach a lot in the summer. It's 45 to 60 minutes to the North San Diego beaches and a little longer to the So. Orange County beaches and we would switch them up. The San Bernardino Mtns. or San Gorgonios are an hour away and offer skiing, snow, hiking and camping. We did a lot of that also. You have Sea World, the Zoo, Legoland, Disneyland, Knotts, Water Parks, etc. within an hour to an hour and a half depending. We did all of those. The shopping here is sufficient with the one mall and all the Big Box type stores and if you need a Nordstrom, it's 40 minutes down the road. The job situation here is tricky. I have driven an hour out of town for years for work because there is little here in my line of work. If you work in town then you are a teacher, own a business or provide some sort of service. Otherwise, you are commuting. On my street, there is a Border Patrol cop, a CHP officer, quite a few teachers, a Pharmacist, a couple of nurses (men and women), a few guys in construction (the guy next door owns his own drywall business), a grocery store cashier and some retired folks - to name a few. This is a family town. People do not move here because it's glamorous. They move here because they want to live in a family-type atmosphere where they can walk their dogs at night, jog in the morning, take their kids to the Rec. Center for their swimming lessons, spend their weekends at the Sports Park watching their kids play soccer and softball, put their kids in Ballet classes and have their choice in churches on Sunday. Some of the best memories me and the kids have is Story Time at the Library. In addition to this, we still have a Christmas Parade through Old Town and a 4th of July parade as well. My kids have been in both of those and they are just regular kids. We have fireworks in the park on the 4th, Easter egg hunts and Concerts-In-The-Park. I still see people I know when I go to Lowe's or Long's drugs or Albertsons to buy groceries. People like to Hang out here; at Starbucks, Baskin-Robbins, etc. Just having ice cream or coffee and sitting out front of the store at a table, watching the world go by. I still enjoy this stuff regularly. If this is the kind of place you'd like to raise your kids in, then you'll be comfortable here.

[albianstar]

temulca has tori spelling B&B!!

[CalTam]

it's actually in fallbrook - not temecula

[mlk]

This info is helping me too. I moved away from Pasadena in '99 and went out of state. I wanted to move back but the housing prices have at least doubled. It's weird going back to the area where I grew up, looking at the same middle class areas where I used to live, and not being able to afford to live there anymore. Temecula looks like an area to look into! It doesn't look like you have to pay $600,000 for a small starter home, 2bed/1bath.