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My husband has a potential for a job in San Diego... currently in the interview process. As such, I've been checking out the forum for advice about homes, schools, etc. While I think I have a general feel for those items, I haven't seen any talk about the "unknown" things / costs about living in San Diego.
We moved from Chicago to Northeast FL 8 years ago. What we didn't know about (or didn't concern ourselves with when contemplating the move) were things like:
- bugs / termites and the cost of pest & termite control
- lots of snakes, frogs, scorpions and lubber grasshoppers (ick -- we live near the woods)
- CDD Fees (similar to Mellow Roos) / HOA fees
- no gutters on homes (additional cost to add them)
- landscape upkeep (due to the temps/humidity/rain and creatures, our lawn always seems to look like crap and diseased... and the dang deer and other creatures keep eating our landscape)
These are just a few things... So I was wondering... what would a new person need to know about San Diego? Are there hidden costs that may not be seen in other parts of the US? Are there environmental items to be concerned with?
Anyway... any info you have is appreciated. I'd rather go into this move not being so naive!!!!
Depending where and what you buy, you'll still have to deal with termites here. For other bugs, not so much. We do have snakes, but they usually avoid people. If you have a dog, though, you'll want to get the dog a rattlesnake vaccination and/or rattlesnake aversion training.
We have Mello-Roos and HOA fees.
It does happen that you'll find a place here with no gutters. Whether to add them, I don't know.
For landscape, if you xeriscape your yard it'll need much less upkeep. Lawns are very expensive here because water is expensive. And with the current drought, it won't get any cheaper.
I don't know how sprawling the area is that you're coming from, but you'll likely find yourself doing a lot of driving here. I don't know how the cost of fuel compares to Florida.
What takes most people by surprise is the weather. It isn't the 70-degrees-and-sunny-every-day Paradise that many people think of. In particular, during May Gray and June Gloom it's typically cloudy, and the clouds may not always burn off during the day. And the ocean water here is cold, unlike Florida. There are generally a few days each summer when it's warm enough to be comfortable. But otherwise it's cold. Still beats the heck out of Chicago weather, though!
And school quality can be spotty. I don't know how that compares to where you are in Florida.
I disagree about bugs...unless they are not technically bugs. There are a lot of black widows in this area, and most of CA I think.
I thought it might be exaggerated but I saw one on my first day here! It was outside where it belongs, though, in a tree. I saw 2 more when I was moving out of my place in Ventura on the patio. They are shy and not looking for you, but they are there and you should be careful when digging around outside, wear gloves, etc.
I haven't noticed anything that out of the ordinary yet, but I moved to CA 3 years ago so I might be "over the shock" already.
oh, yes, be aware of coyotes if you have outdoor pets. They seem to be here in large numbers. My cat cannot go outside anymore.
It is generally colder here than it seems on TV that was the biggest original shocker, gets very chilly. That is one of the reasons I moved to SD from Ventura.
I hate spiders. We have big Wolf spiders here in FL, but they are fairly harmless, but... the thought of black widows and brown recluse spiders scare me. I'll have to keep an eye out for them.
I did wonder about the rattlesnakes (and snakes in general) and coyotes. We do have pets, so we will probably need to keep all of that in mind when searching for a home.
And... I guess I am a typical non-Californian... because everyone does think the weather in SoCal is perfect. I'll have to pay more attention to it!!!
I would recommend a rattlesnake veniom shot if you live near a canyon (your backyard fences a canyon), or if you like to take you dog hiking. However, the shot only really works if you are able to get your dog to the vet right away after a bite. I can't remember the last time I've seen a black widow...I know they are around, I just haven't seen them in a long time. They like to reside in woodpiles (last time I had seen one).
The biggest bug nucience you may discover would be fruit flies and or flies...those pesky fruit flies show up everywhere..regardless if you had the fruit in your house for only a day or two.
I completely agree with the coyotes. They are afraid of you, but not of your little dog or cat and they really are everywhere. Infact, I've seen more coyote's then snakes or black widows and I grew up here.
My husband and his just bought a house in Otay Ranch (Chua Vista) and there is no rain gutters on our house. It is considered an upgrade...I personally thought rain gutters came with the house, I mean why wouldn't they? A lot of older established homes/neighborhoods probably have them though. We also pay an hoa and melo roos. Not all sourounding areas have this added cost, mostly newer developments (built within the 2000's) and condo associations of such. Where areas have you been looking into?
Some concerns: California is under a sever drought. That means they are warning residents to cut down on minutes in the shower, watering their lawn, washing your car in the driveway, etc. Fire is another danger. You may have remembering hearing about our wild fires a few years back. Some people are just recovering. Weather is near perfect then across the country, but that doesn't mean it doesn't get cold or hot. Unless we get a low pressure pushed down from Alaska, it will only drop below 50 over night. There are some days during the summer will it will be 90+ but its dry heat...and coming from somewhere humid, you may like it more.
Sorry if my response is choppy. I am replying from my phone.
Last edited by Carrie2979; 02-04-2014 at 01:31 PM..
I moved from the WI-IL border three years ago, but also lived in Orlando for a year, so here's my take...
A) Weather
You can't beat the weather. Although note that there are four different weather forecasts for us on the news each day...coastal, inland, mountains, and desert, so wherever you choose to live in the city or county, the temps could be drastically different. I'm North Inland and like it a lot as it's warmer and sunnier than the coast. Although, when we have 90+ degree temps (not too often), I'd much prefer to live by the coast. But for overall year round weather I don't think you can beat where I live (Carmel Mountain Ranch).
B) Bugs
Hah...what bugs? Sure I've seen some black widows in my front yard's in-ground water utility 'box'(?), but I'll take an occasional black widow sighting over a constant horde of mosquitoes or house flys. You can literally leave the doors and windows open at night in the Summer and not worry about much more than a random house fly getting in.
C) Other Animals
My little girl and I unknowingly crossed the path of a rattle snake while hiking one day, but it was on the side of the path and unless you step on it or threaten it, you're fine. I've seen coyotes a couple times in my residential sub, so yes, if you don't have a fence, don't leave your little pets outside all night of course. There are also a few far roaming mountain lions out here, but a sighting is very rare and attacks are pretty much unheard of in SD as far as I know. At least you don't have to worry about gator attacks when golfing out here! The other weird things I noticed were the snails (not many where I'm at now though), big black birds, and rabbits. We don't have many squirrels (and the ones we do are more like prairie dogs than the tree dwelling ones in the the Midwest)...but we do have plenty of rabbits.
D) Expenses
Obviously the taxes are much higher out here, as I'm sure gas, food and utilities are as well...but for as great of a place to live as SD, it's worth it.
E) Entertainment
We don't have Orlando, but we do have everything you need and more in SD and the LA area to keep you busy for a lifetime.
F) People
There are a lot of transplants from the Midwest and all over the country. There are also pockets of retirees (Rancho Bernardo...careful those old folks don't like kids always!). And then there are the locals wearing all black, with straight brimmed baseball caps tilted slightly to the side, and a skateboard in hand...and that goes for the kids on up to adults who still act like kids! By the way...that's another bonus...people have fun enjoying life at any age and not conforming to the 'rules' of the Midwest...graduate college, get married, buy a house, have kids, be boring. No here it's more like a fountain of youth. I never thought I'd contemplate buying a surf board, skate board, or getting my first tattoo at age 41!
G) Summary
I always thought SD was a dream destination for the rich when I grew up in MI. Yes, if you have kids and want to live comfortably in a decent school district that's not too far out from the heart of San Diego, it's still tough to live how you were accustomed to back in the Midwest or FL (don't expect a decent single family home in a decent area starting south of $400K...more like $500K unless you want a smaller fixer upper). But after the recession my wife and I moved out here and after a tough start, we have landed on our feet. It helps if your household can pull in at least $100K a year. We've been renting and will continue to do so for as long as it takes. I'm not jumping into another purchase when the market is up only to see it come crashing down again. The good thing about renting is you can try different areas, or if you have school aged children, at least you can try different subs within a school district. In conclusion, SD is not for everyone, but it is the best place in the world for me! I wouldn't trade my 3 BR rental home for all the mansions in TX, FL, or any other state! Good luck!
Last edited by Spartanacus; 02-04-2014 at 01:58 PM..
Reason: sent too early
We've only been researching online so far. We just like to have some information available to us to help make as an informed decision as possible should they want to extend an offer to him.
Like many families who relocate, our primary concerns are ensuring we are in an area with good schools, family oriented, low crime, etc. We've been researching areas such as Poway (although we seem to be priced out of that area), San Marcos and San Elijo Hills. I'm sure there are other areas with great schools, but these seem to be mentioned the most on the SD Forum.
We're not 100% sure of budget yet as we would need to better understand the relocation package being offered to us. We have a house and a condo to sell, so probably between $500K - $700.
I believe the company is located near the Sorrento Valley area, so we know my husband would have at least a 30 minute commute, possibly more.
Spartanacus it is good to know there are really not any mosquitoes or flies!!! Coming from the NW IL myself, as well as living in FL, the mosquitoes are horrible.... and my kids seem to be mosquito magnets!!! Also, it would be nice to live in a drier climate with much less humidity. I run, and the heat and humidity in FL in the summer is unbearable... even when you run at 5am!
Thanks again to everyone for the additional info!!!
We've only been researching online so far. We just like to have some information available to us to help make as an informed decision as possible should they want to extend an offer to him.
Like many families who relocate, our primary concerns are ensuring we are in an area with good schools, family oriented, low crime, etc. We've been researching areas such as Poway (although we seem to be priced out of that area), San Marcos and San Elijo Hills. I'm sure there are other areas with great schools, but these seem to be mentioned the most on the SD Forum.
We're not 100% sure of budget yet as we would need to better understand the relocation package being offered to us. We have a house and a condo to sell, so probably between $500K - $700.
I believe the company is located near the Sorrento Valley area, so we know my husband would have at least a 30 minute commute, possibly more.
We live in the Poway school district (one of the best in CA I guess). You can find plenty in that price range, but you won't be living in a huge mansion. Still though...who really needs more than 2,000 sq. ft and 3 or 4 BRs?
We are renting a 3BR home built in 1991 that's about 1,900 sq. ft (it does need updating) and we pay $2,700/month. The home next to us (newly updated) sold for $750K. I personally wouldn't buy anything for at least a couple years until you get the lay of the land. We've been here 3 years and lived in 3 different places! I'm hoping this last one works out until we're ready to buy, but so far we've always improved our situation with each move, so I'm not really dying to buy any time soon either.
There are a lot of spiders here but I don't think it's any more than other places I have lived in CA. I think that would probably be the least of my worries though!
I relocated here so I was in a similiar situation as your husband. Except it wasn't for a new position, but with my current company. The only thing I would say is make sure they are paying a salary too good to pass up. Don't let the company give you the bull story that living in San Diego is the best so the pay is less, i.e. "sunshine tax" crap. I should not have moved here for what my company offered me and now I'm feeling the pinch, especially if you are waiting on your home to sell where you live now.
And, even though it isn't 70 degrees sunny-every-day Paradise, it's still paradise. Just make sure the company makes it worth your while - you will love it!
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