Considering North County Coastal from Bordeaux (San Diego, Oceanside: 2014, apartment, rent)

[longboarder1971]

Hello,

After some 13 years abroad, we are considering a job-motivated move to San Diego from Bordeaux and I was hoping to get some information about North County (Encinitas/South Carlsbad mostly).

This project is contingent on a teaching job, as my current contract is up next August and I'll be applying for positions, probably JC that are being created for 2014. I have very solid academics, a good publishing record, etc., so on that end my chances may not be all that bad.

If a job goes through, housing-wise, we'd qualify for something in the 4-6 range with enough of a down payment to keep the mortgage payments more than reasonable. I have realistic expectations, I think, on that end. I would prefer a single-family in a good neighborhood but don't need a huge house or anything too "fancy." My old house in San Diego was an early 1900's bungalow, and smallish is fine.

What I am more wondering about is schools for my kids (11 and 15 - 7th grade and a senior next year), the general job market for my wife who is a technical writer in the private sector, and just general vibe and living information. I grew up in San Diego, but my feeling for actually living there is getting pretty dated, despite visits.

This would be quite a change for us, one that I'm looking at with both excitement and a bit of... apprehension? My kids are in wonderful schools, Bordeaux is great (okay, it's cold at the moment), virtually no crime, no gangs, very little hard drug use (I teach at the University and was in the surf field for a long while - in contact enough to know that I'm not deluding myself on this) - overall a good place to be but the job situation is really poor at present. If not San Diego, I'd probably be heading to another city in France for that reason in any case.

Any thoughts? Recommendations? I have a great memory of North County, but that's from hanging out there as a kid/young man. Not to be basely materialistic, but is such a move reasonable for a family of four on a salary in the 70's? I honestly have no real indicator of cost-of-living and quality of living.

Many thanks for your time, that's a long read!

Longboarder1971

[Pedro2000]

Originally Posted by longboarder1971

Hello,

After some 13 years abroad, we are considering a job-motivated move to San Diego from Bordeaux and I was hoping to get some information about North County (Encinitas/South Carlsbad mostly).

This project is contingent on a teaching job, as my current contract is up next August and I'll be applying for positions, probably JC that are being created for 2014. I have very solid academics, a good publishing record, etc., so on that end my chances may not be all that bad.

If a job goes through, housing-wise, we'd qualify for something in the 4-6 range with enough of a down payment to keep the mortgage payments more than reasonable. I have realistic expectations, I think, on that end. I would prefer a single-family in a good neighborhood but don't need a huge house or anything too "fancy." My old house in San Diego was an early 1900's bungalow, and smallish is fine.

What I am more wondering about is schools for my kids (11 and 15 - 7th grade and a senior next year), the general job market for my wife who is a technical writer in the private sector, and just general vibe and living information. I grew up in San Diego, but my feeling for actually living there is getting pretty dated, despite visits.

This would be quite a change for us, one that I'm looking at with both excitement and a bit of... apprehension? My kids are in wonderful schools, Bordeaux is great (okay, it's cold at the moment), virtually no crime, no gangs, very little hard drug use (I teach at the University and was in the surf field for a long while - in contact enough to know that I'm not deluding myself on this) - overall a good place to be but the job situation is really poor at present. If not San Diego, I'd probably be heading to another city in France for that reason in any case.

Any thoughts? Recommendations? I have a great memory of North County, but that's from hanging out there as a kid/young man. Not to be basely materialistic, but is such a move reasonable for a family of four on a salary in the 70's? I honestly have no real indicator of cost-of-living and quality of living.

Many thanks for your time, that's a long read!

Longboarder1971

A combined income of $70K per year is not going to go far in many of the coastal towns, especially in North County. You might have a better shot further inland or even Oceanside, but outside of those areas, it's going to be very hard to find a home in a decent enough area with good schools making $70K per year.

What is your budget? Most places near the coast are going to run you $750K+. Like I said, Oceanside will be cheaper, but it's not exactly known as an area with the best schools.

[rgb123]

I think in that case it depends more on how much money you have for a down payment on a home (if you want to buy) as income is somewhat irrelevant at 60-120k -- in that range I think when it comes to a home purchase it matters how much you can put down ... otherwise renting makes more sense in my opinion. I would agree that in that area you will get a lot more for your money in Oceanside. I haven't lived there but in my general research Oceanside is on the up....getting better and there are some nice parts in terms of people/crime (i.e. its not all bad and nothing compared to big cities, its just not as nice relative to the surrounding areas)

[Snort]

I used to live in Carlsbad. Wonderful place, but on $70K per year, you're likely going to be lifetime renters, unless you have a wad of cash saved for a big down payment.
Now, if you both pull in 70K, I'd say go for it.
The kids are likely going to have a major adjustment in academic language and the different school system. Something to consider.

[AADAD]

I have lived near Bordeaux in Mimizan. The coast is wonderful here with very good schools. The amount it takes to buy, rent will be much more pricey here. Make sure your employer will give a good health care plan. Unlike France medical treatment costs quite a bit.

Bonne Chance!

[NYSD1995]

I can't see how you are going to do much beyond basic subsistence lifestyle on 70k/yr. Crappy overbuilt stucco 1BR apartment and barely making the transpo and basic expenses etc that are part of living here. Trying to live the simpler, less hectic French lifestyle in CA will require extra effort and expense, we are not set up for that here. It just seems like a major step down in quality of life given your income.

If you could wait out the kids education, I would think taking that big step backwards won't sting so bad. North County SD has been heavily developed and discovered by the wealthy since the 70's, while a lot has not changed (cute village settings, surf, low crime and good schools), the biggest change is it is now among one of the most expensive regions in the entire USA, especially the cute, charming areas.

If I was starting over with a family from afar, there is no way I would move here unless I had at least twice the income or a ton of cash from somewhere else. If you can get over the lousy weather I would highly recommend looking at midwestern cities which have really improved in the last 20 years and offer a nice urban/suburban lifestyle at almost no cost. If you need coastal... look at the southeastern US, Gulf coast or

[longboarder1971]

Thank you for the responses.

I'm basing the 70k figure on my own income, for the period it would take for my wife to find a job as well. We definitely plan on both working. Based on that, I figure our combined income will be somewhere a bit over 100 a relatively short time after moving.

Health care for the entire family would be covered - something I definitely looked into. Dental in France is pretty badly covered, but basic health care is great.

If we pull the equity out of our current home, I'm thinking we can put 300 to 350 down. I'm thinking that would give us a bit of margin in terms of limiting our mortage.

I actually have a few friends who have suggeted the MidWest, but I really don't see giving up the coast... been surfing too long and it would be, frankly, a rough go. That may sound lame, but even in Bordeaux we're a bit far for my taste.

Mimizan... I used to surf down there and at Biscarosse quite a bit. Still get to Bisca pretty often.

If we can pull off the housing, it seems like the daily quality of life is still pretty good? I think that's the biggest "real" concern (not that money doesn't count, of course). It's pretty laid back here - good food, good wine, nice people. But in my field, the Universities are all on hiring freezes/cutbacks and that's unlikely to change for at least a few years.

Thanks!

[shmoov_groovzsd]

Some really interesting view points here.
I would agree with Sassberto. He really put the cards out on the table so to speak.
I think its great you have a job offer here with a locked in salary. While that is a huge obstacle that many dont have, you are part of the way there.
Being objective about your situation, there are people that do with less or more here in SD. Question is, how much are you willing to trim down or compromise? I dont think you can undervalue the varying school quality, dominant car culture and other dramatically different aspects of the social/cultural aspects in SD vs BOD.

Coming here from BOD is certainly risky, which it seems you are aware of to a certain degree.

Curious, do you have other options in the US to teach? How long is the contract for?

[longboarder1971]

There is definitely a lot to consider...

Recruitement for most higher ed jobs beginning in Fall 2104 begins in January and will run through April/May, leaving me some time to explore other options.

I am definitely looking for a tenure track position, which is pretty much the holy grail approach, but I don't think of Community College or undergraduate teaching as something to avoid, which opens up some additional possibilities.

That being said, in my field I see job offers on both coasts as well as the heartland, with a preponderance in the Northeast, Texas and in the interior.

I still have a few good friends in SD, as well as family, and am trying to get some outside perspective. I dbr appreciate the comments on the risk factor, something that I'm trying to be objective about rather than just saying "stoked, back to surfing with my brother..."

[Pedro2000]

It's a lot easier if it were just you and your wife. 300-350K down is a substantial amount and can put you in many places. The question becomes how much are you willing to spend and where? 350K down on a million dollar home in a place like Del Mar still means you owe around $700K. 350K down or less on a 600K home somewhere inland or up in Oceanside means you have a lot of money leftover. And you'd probably get a nicer bigger place. A lot of the coastal towns are all about location location location. You might find a 750K home, but it's probably not been updated since 1970 and is rather small. And again, if it were just you and your wife, no biggie if you can live with that, but when you have a teenager and a pre-teen, being stuck in some small bungalow isn't going to cut it. Especially if you just put $350K down.

Also are you certain the job will offer you $70K per year or are you going by what you make now? I don't know the market in Bordeaux, but if you are going off assumptions, remember San diego has a habit of underpaying a lot of people due to the 'sunshine tax.' Just make sure you know it's $70K first otherwise you'll be all set to move, planned out, and find out they didnt' offer you $70K.