Moving to Carlsbad/San Marcos (San Diego, La Mirada: 2013, apartment, rentals)

[VTPC83]

Hi Guys,

My wife and I are thinking about relocating to Carlsbad/San Marcos region from the Northern East Coast.

She will retain her job (multiple offices for job) and I will need to find a new one. She makes roughly 50k and I expect I will make roughly the same (BS in Business/Computers).

We are expecting rent to run between 1800 - 2100 (we own right now @ $1850 a month). We would move out with a savings of roughly $10k to live on until I get a job.

Questions-

How long do think it would take to find a job given my education and experience of 5+ years in the technology field?

Is our rent on the low side or about right for a nice place to rent in Carlsbad/San Marcos?

Considering we live relatively modestly, do you think $10k would be enough to live on for a few months before I found something?

Finally, are there any bad areas to avoid living or just visiting in general. I know San Marcos area '
West of Rancho Santa Fe Rd, North of La Mirada Dr to the 78' has been cited as a known gang area but I wanted to know of others.

We are visiting Carlsbad/San Marcos this weekend for a short vacation to make final decisions and look at rentals. One place we are very interested in is just down the road, south of CSU San Marcos. Is this area a good area?

[Snort]

I was looking for the apartment where we used to live in Carlsbad, but can't find it on Apartment Ratings. Maybe it was sold, but it was a great place to live. The address was 525 Village Drive, which puts you near the beach and near the village.
I think you'll do fine with at least one person working from the start.

[Fran66]

You say your own right now? And you're not going to sell your house/condo right away, right? You might need it if you move back to your home town.

You can get a very nice 2-bedroom apartment in Carlsbad or San Marcos, in nice areas, for $1500 a month (not including utilities -- much less expensive than the northern East Coast).

Considering higher state and local taxes, higher cost of gasoline, and a frugal life style -- and not a lot of CC debt -- there's no reason you can't live on your wife's $50000 indefinitely. But if you have children, you can't. Well, I don't see how you could.

Do you have a projected budget down on paper (or on Excel)? I'm sure you do, but, if not, you need to do that NOW. A monthly one and an annual one.

Other posters will know something about jobs -- and they'll be here soon. :-) FAR more knowledgeable than I. Just remember that CA has the highest unemployment rate in the nation.

You're going to love Southern CA. Especially San Diego.

[VTPC83]

I'm back and with new information. My wife and I are early thirties with no kids (not sure if we will have them or not either).

We decided to postpone our move to CA for various reasons but are now very set on moving out to the Carlsbad/San Marcos area this fall (around October). We plan to move into either the Seagate Condos or Marbella in Carlsbad. If that doesn't work our fallback plan is Alta San Marcos in San Marcos (right above the college). Both are looking to be roughly $2300/month for a 2 bedroom (prices went up since 2013).

We both work in the Healthcare IT field, her as a AM/PM of software systems and myself as technical support/trainer. We both make roughly 100k (combined) right now and have at least 50k in cash currently saved up for moving expenses and living expenses while we are there. We do not have any CC debt but we do have 2 car payments (will be shipping her car out and be driving mine). We will be trying to sell most of our big furniture rather than spend the money to move it (not sure if this is a good idea?).

I am hoping to keep my job and work from home (until we get settled) when we move but she will need to find another position in CA (she's hoping to find something in Carlsbad or surrounding areas).

Given this information what likelihood do you expect her to find a position similar to what she has within a month or two of being in CA? We have enough money saved that we could easily live with no income for a few months but want to know what a realistic timetable is regarding the job market. Also, what salary would you expect her to acheive in CA compared to her 50k in NE (not Boston).

In general, what holes can you poke in this plan?

[RainbowHope]

Originally Posted by VTPC83

I'm back and with new information. My wife and I are early thirties with no kids (not sure if we will have them or not either).

We decided to postpone our move to CA for various reasons but are now very set on moving out to the Carlsbad/San Marcos area this fall (around October). We plan to move into either the Seagate Condos or Marbella in Carlsbad. If that doesn't work our fallback plan is Alta San Marcos in San Marcos (right above the college). Both are looking to be roughly $2300/month for a 2 bedroom (prices went up since 2013).

We both work in the Healthcare IT field, her as a AM/PM of software systems and myself as technical support/trainer. We both make roughly 100k (combined) right now and have at least 50k in cash currently saved up for moving expenses and living expenses while we are there. We do not have any CC debt but we do have 2 car payments (will be shipping her car out and be driving mine). We will be trying to sell most of our big furniture rather than spend the money to move it (not sure if this is a good idea?).

I am hoping to keep my job and work from home (until we get settled) when we move but she will need to find another position in CA (she's hoping to find something in Carlsbad or surrounding areas).

Given this information what likelihood do you expect her to find a position similar to what she has within a month or two of being in CA? We have enough money saved that we could easily live with no income for a few months but want to know what a realistic timetable is regarding the job market. Also, what salary would you expect her to acheive in CA compared to her 50k in NE (not Boston).

In general, what holes can you poke in this plan?

Most of us recommend getting the job first. What happens if you can't find a job in Carlsbad and end up having to do a horrendous commute because you have already bought something? So, rent first, so you have the flexibility to move closer to where the job ends up being.

It is almost impossible to tell you how long it would take to get jobs. There are a lot of variables - same for the salary question.

[VTPC83]

Edit- When I say moving out to the area, we are planning on renting first. Forgot to add that

[moved]

No one can predict how long it'll take to find a job, or if she finds a job. Try to line one up first.