Murrietta California. Buy Now? (Orange, Hemet: foreclosed, renting, low crime)

[GARYNJANET]

Originally Posted by lexi

What's the traffic like in Murrieta? I know they have traffic issues in
Temecula but prices being so close to San Diego are great.

Traffic in Murrieta isn't near as bad as Temecula, but it can get congested. Mainly because the city does everything backwards. They build, build, build, then they think about expanding the roads. Personally, I think Temecula is much better planned and laid out than Murrieta, and much prettier. They plant flowers in Temecula along the parkways. Murrieta knows no color but green and brown. We've been here in Murrieta for 18 years and we've seen it get a bit rundown.

[Lakewooder]

Try Canyon Lake.

[lexi]

Originally Posted by GARYNJANET

Traffic in Murrieta isn't near as bad as Temecula, but it can get congested. Mainly because the city does everything backwards. They build, build, build, then they think about expanding the roads. Personally, I think Temecula is much better planned and laid out than Murrieta, and much prettier. They plant flowers in Temecula along the parkways. Murrieta knows no color but green and brown. We've been here in Murrieta for 18 years and we've seen it get a bit rundown.

Yes, I've been to Temecula and it's beautiful. People drive a little crazy
is a drawback but when it's retirement time we might consider moving there
which is over 5 years away. The prices are coming down and for what
you get it's a bargain in Southern California. I haven't been to Murrieta
even though it's right next to Temecula but we'll have to check it out.
Thank you for the info!!

[Tool Shed]

We are no where near the bottom of the market in Murrieta / Temecula. The drama is just starting, there will be deals.. think 2010. Most corrections take about 5 years to hit bottom. It won't happen overnight. I think its a horrible time to buy in socal, unless you want to loose $$$$$$$$$$$$$$.

[Tool Shed]

Hello, I have lived here(Temecula Valley) since 1990, I am a former RE agent, went to HS here, and feel qualified to advise you on this area. Here are some pros and cons to living here. Good luck on your move!

Pros:
-great weather, I mean GREAT weather(sunny, slightly seasonal, cool evenings in summer)
-one of least smoggy cities in socal(afternoon breeze common)
-general topography is attractive(natural rolling hills/trees)
-relatively close to mountains, beaches, deserts, big cities(LA/SD)
-nice wineries(kind of)and old town(kind of)
-pretty clean and safe, but getting worse(home invasions,rapes,and shootings have been more common recently)
-seems to be great for families and kids(tons of
schools/activities/sports, good schools)
-many churches
-mainly really good schools, some exceptions
-decent amount of parks
-best city planning of all local cities(clearly not perfect)
-some nice dinning options(this community prides itself on dinning out)
-still some ranches/equestrian left
-Pechanga Casino?(mostly a big CON for me)
-busy mall with common dept stores
-nearly every retailer and store is here, if not all of them!
-distant areas of can still feel like a small town.
-there are a lot of gyms here


Cons:
-growing way too fast
-city traffic is horrible, drivers are crazy, rude, and dangerous!
-freeway traffic horrible at times(215 is the worst)
-expensive homes, not nearly worth the $500k an average home costs here (by nature this may end soon)
-limited singles activity/nightlife
-most careers in retail/education/Abbott Labs/real estate (this is a bedroom community, and most people who make a decent living commute to SD,LA, OC, or Riverside)
-success of city may depend on gas prices staying reasonable(unlikely) due to the fact that there aren't to many well paying jobs here.
-most people with real jobs commute to SD/OC/LA/Riverside and with BAD
traffic getting worse and pricey gas getting pricier this is a BIG Con
-even though many, many dinning options, waits can still be over an hour
-Pechanga Casino(brings substance abuse, greed, and sin in general)
-rat race is here to stay(people in New York City appear to be more mellow)
-rude/materialistic/overly vain/fake/snobby population growing at an
alarming rate
-keeping up w/ Jones' is priority 1 here (my home and truck is bigger than yours and my trophy wife's boobs are bigger too!)
-not the quiet ranch like town it once was
-mass transit hasn't really arrived yet?
-very inconsiderate drivers and many times dangerous(getting worse)
-busy mall(filled w/ filthy mall rats..ughhhh)
-culturally not that diverse yet(getting better)
-no museums
-medical facilities are sub-par(and ERs are packed and usually have long waits.. mediocre service)
-no local rivers and the few local lakes we have are filthy/crowded or
not suitable for recreation
-closest 4 year college over 35 min away(assuming traffic doesn't get worse)
-closest community college is 20 min away and is mediocre
-DMV, Costco, IN'n'OUT are BERSERK almost all the time (going here may test patience)
-even though the city is growing fast and many people live here, it
seems that your business still becomes everyone's business
-still missing some specialty stores
-housing way too over priced(like many other areas too)... due to zero ..
zero lending standards/rampant speculation/low interest rates/market psychology and emotional buying... logic was thrown out in regards to Real Estate
-We are at the beginning of a large correction(drop) in home values unlit they revert to more logical and historical relationships to incomes and rents... both of which are way out of whack right now.


To learn more about he RE problems check here....
www.piggington.com

http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister...le_1674087.php

http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_D_foreclosures22.3d6632f.html (broken link)

http://www.speculativebubble.com/images/homevalues1.gif (broken link)

There will be a continued correction in prices for some time to come, despite what the shady RE agents/lenders tell you!

[Al123]

Originally Posted by Tool Shed

We are no where near the bottom of the market in Murrieta / Temecula. The drama is just starting, there will be deals.. think 2010. Most corrections take about 5 years to hit bottom. It won't happen overnight. I think its a horrible time to buy in socal, unless you want to loose $$$$$$$$$$$$$$.

I totally agree. Murrieta and Temecula home prices should drop substantially within the next year or 2. The entire area saw a huge run up in prices that were directly related to zero down adjustable rate loans, as well as loads of speculators jumping into the market. With rising fuel prices, the areas become much less attractive to people who have to commute to San Diego, and what's worse is that the local jobs cannot support the mortgages necessary to keep these home prices inflated. If one waits awhile, there will be loads of bargains to be had at prices close to 20 or even 30% lower than what we are seeing now!

[Vizcaya]

Well here is the update. Our house that we wanted to buy ended up going to another buyer. The wife and I couldn't agree on our 2nd and 3rd choice. So now we are going to rent a home by my work on a month to month basis. My current home should close escrow in about 10 days.

We will be renting in Murrietta after my son finishes this year of school. I will be waiting for the time to buy.

[lexi]

Originally Posted by CantWait2Bthere

Lexi...of all the towns in this area I personally think Murrieta is the nicest, though we bought in Wildomar which is right next door. Temecula always makes me feel like a rat in a maze competing with other fatter rats.

You may have noticed other threads about Lake Elsinore and as I mentioned on those threads I don't know why anyone would choose to live there. I think people from other states see homes listed on the internet and since they are less expensive they envision it as their chance to buy in Califorina. Not to offend anyone...again this is my opinion , but I don't think most middle to upper middle class families would care for Elsinore, especially not over Murrieta or even Wildomar.

Good luck in your search !

I missed this post till today... yes, I agree about Lake Elsinore. I've heard
they have a big meth problem and it is not beautiful like the Temecula Murrieta area. I think if we move back we'll look at Wildomar and Murrieta.
I hadn't heard much about Wildomar so it's good to know it's a nice place to
live.

[DirtyWork]

Originally Posted by Tool Shed

Hello, I have lived here(Temecula Valley) since 1990, I am a former RE agent, went to HS here, and feel qualified to advise you on this area. Here are some pros and cons to living here. Good luck on your move!.......

What do you think about Perris, CA? We are considering buying a new home there http://www.kbhomes.com/Community.aspx?CommID=00425418 (broken link).

We took a look last weekend and as soon as we turned in to Evans from Ramona the communities looked real nice. On this community, they are building a huge park and an Elemantry School right next to this community. It is real close to Lake Perris, should there be any concerns that lake every breaking? Thanks in Advance!

[valenciacf]

And what about French Valley area?
I am moving to the area soon and I need some inputs.