job relocation from NJ (San Diego, Carlsbad: low income, real estate, insurance)
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i didn't see a sticky about what info to put out to get best answers from locals:
family of 4 relocating from NJ
job is mid level to senior R&D with a large pharma company
interview is next week-Hubby is going alone and may scout out some locations
2 boys; oldest will enter kindergarten this fall, youngest may start preschool
housing budget: 550k to 850k depending on property tax value/percentage
options: work will be in La Jolla area
hubby will work from home 2x a week
schools: private independent schools, but open to public schools...which is zoned good/best district?
average cost of insurance (home & auto?)
current salary in jersey is about 125k so salary will need to be equal or more
is that enough for a family of 4 to live on? I'm SAHM & will be till my 2 year old is in kindergarten
You probably won't be living in La Jolla on $125,000 a year, but should be able to do just fine in other parts of the county. I'd recommend starting your home search with these areas if you're open to public schools: Poway, Carlsbad, Rancho Bernardo, Carmel Valley, Scripps Ranch, San Marcos, Rancho Penasquitos. You'll find strong schools in all of these areas and they will be a reasonable commute for your husband. However, here as anywhere, homes in the "better" school districts come with a higher price tag, so you may be leaning towards the higher end of your budget in some of these areas. So, if you'd be more comfortable in the lower to middle range of your budget, be flexible about home size, age, and condition when you start shopping, or factor that into salary negotiations.
Since it sounds like you would prefer private schools over public, are you open to religiously affiliated schools? The reason I ask is that the better "private independent schools" here in San Diego are expensive. For example, kindergarten tuition alone for schools like Francis Parker, the Rhodes School, or La Jolla Country Day will run between $15,000-$16,000 a year, and then go up even more for elementary and high school. So, you're looking at at least$30,000+ per year for two kids in the "best" independent elementary private schools here, which will be a lot to swing on $125,000 a year salary if you're also stretching on housing costs.
But, if you're open to considering religiously affiliated schools, you'll have more options for private schools that are a bit more reasonably priced. Bottom line: if private school educations are a priority for you and your husband I'd factor school tuitions (independent or religious) into salary negotiations, and not just your housing and living costs here.
Torrey Hills, 4S Ranch, Rancho Bernardo, Mira Mesa, Poway, Carmel Mountain Ranch, Rancho Penasquitos. Anything along the 56 fwy corridor and/or near the intersection to I-15 & 56 fwy.
La Jolla may actually be doable IF you are open to a smaller, older home and/or one that needs some TLC. And, IF you are willing to make some economic sacrifices (i.e. private schools). One area close by is the University City area. San Diego Area Real Estate
La Jolla may actually be doable IF you are open to a smaller, older home and/or one that needs some TLC. And, IF you are willing to make some economic sacrifices (i.e. private schools). One area close by is the University City area. San Diego Area Real Estate
Good suggestions, Skel (although aside from LJCD they all have some religious affiliation so may not work if the poster isn't open to that). Another private school option in La Jolla for elementary is the Children's School on Torrey Pines. And, you're right; it never hurts to inquire about eligibility for financial aid. Although it sounds crazy that a family making $125,000 a year would qualify, the tuitions at some of these private schools might indeed make that a "needy" family if they have two kids attending at the same time.
It occurred to me that I had a PDF listing all independent private schools in California that may be helpful to the OP. Here is the link to it. http://www.caisca.org/publications/0...pDirectory.pdf (Note: for the most part, the religiously affiliated schools in San Diego County aren't members of the CA independent schools assoc. so the list of "private schools" isn't all inclusive)
By the way, the Evans School charges $20,000+ a year for elementary school. And, that doesn't even include lunch or uniforms. I think the Children's School and Gillespie charge in the same ball park. It makes La Jolla Country Day look like a relative bargain at $16,000 or so a year. I'm not dissing any of these schools (they seem great), I am just amazed that there are parents willing and able to pay $20,000 a year for eight years of elementary school. By comparison, in-state tuition/fees at a Univ. of California campus is about $25,000 a year and a Cal State will cost you under $10,000 per year in tuition/fees. Of course the parents paying $160,000+ for K-8 probably aren't thinking about sending their kids to SDSU for college.
Good suggestions, Skel (although aside from LJCD they all have some religious affiliation so may not work if the poster isn't open to that). And, you're right; it never hurts to inquire about eligibility for financial aid. Although it sounds crazy that a family making $125,000 a year would qualify, the tuitions at some of these private schools might make that a "needy" family if they have two kids attending at the same time.
It occurred to me that I had a PDF listing all independent private schools (i.e., not religiously affiliated) in California that may be helpful to the OP. Here is the link to it. http://www.caisca.org/publications/0...pDirectory.pdf (Note: not all religiously affiliated schools are members of the CA independent schools assoc. so the list isn't all inclusive.
But, if I could afford to live in La Jolla proper, I'd probably be pretty happy sending my kids to the excellent La Jolla Elementary School and skipping private school tuition entirely.
By the way, the Evans School charges $20,000+ a year for elementary school. And, lunch is extra. It makes La Jolla Country Day look like a relative bargain at $16,000 or so a year.
Yes, I agree that I'd probably go with public schools if living in La Jolla at least for elementary level and then probably switch to private in Middle School going with either The Bishop's School (church affiliated but not emphasized) or La Jolla Country Day depending on which worked best for the child.
You probably won't be living in La Jolla on $125,000 a year, but should be able to do just fine in other parts of the county. I'd recommend starting your home search with these areas if you're open to public schools: Poway, Carlsbad, Rancho Bernardo, Carmel Valley, Scripps Ranch, San Marcos, Rancho Penasquitos. You'll find strong schools in all of these areas and they will be a reasonable commute for your husband. However, here as anywhere, homes in the "better" school districts come with a higher price tag, so you may be leaning towards the higher end of your budget in some of these areas. So, if you'd be more comfortable in the lower to middle range of your budget, be flexible about home size, age, and condition when you start shopping, or factor that into salary negotiations.
Since it sounds like you would prefer private schools over public, are you open to religiously affiliated schools? The reason I ask is that the better "private independent schools" here in San Diego are expensive. For example, kindergarten tuition alone for schools like Francis Parker, the Rhodes School, or La Jolla Country Day will run between $15,000-$16,000 a year, and then go up even more for elementary and high school. So, you're looking at at least$30,000+ per year for two kids in the "best" independent elementary private schools here, which will be a lot to swing on $125,000 a year salary if you're also stretching on housing costs.
But, if you're open to considering religiously affiliated schools, you'll have more options for private schools that are a bit more reasonably priced. Bottom line: if private school educations are a priority for you and your husband I'd factor school tuitions (independent or religious) into salary negotiations, and not just your housing and living costs here.
Good luck to your husband with his interview!
very helpful info to get a start! thanks! i AM more open to public schools, the only concern i have is class size as i heard out in california it can get quite large. In jersey public schools, the class are "large" but much more managable due to 550 something school districts this state have! hence our large hefty property taxes.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheSD
How do you swing a 825k house on only 125k?
125k is our salary HERE in Jersey with much lower mortgage. The job out in La Jolla will be more than current salary, not sure where in the ballpark range. But yes, large down payment is how we'll swing the 825K if it comes to that as have significiant equity in our current home valued 600k
Quote:
Originally Posted by bigdaddy5
Torrey Hills, 4S Ranch, Rancho Bernardo, Mira Mesa, Poway, Carmel Mountain Ranch, Rancho Penasquitos. Anything along the 56 fwy corridor and/or near the intersection to I-15 & 56 fwy.
how would the commute be from Mira Mesa or Poway to torrey pines area?
Quote:
Originally Posted by skelaki
Yes, I agree that I'd probably go with public schools if living in La Jolla at least for elementary level and then probably switch to private in Middle School going with either The Bishop's School (church affiliated but not emphasized) or La Jolla Country Day depending on which worked best for the child.
will look into that, as that was the route we were going if we end up staying put in Jersey.
v
how would the commute be from Mira Mesa or Poway to torrey pines area?
.
Poway has great schools. In fact, many consider the Poway Unified School District to be one of the "best" in San Diego County. Depending on where in Poway and where your husband will be going in La Jolla, it shouldn't be a bad commute: about half an hour in rush hour traffic, maybe a little less depending on where you live in Poway (it is a little spread out). Coming from New Jersey, Poway will feel very comfortable to you; it's a nice family-oriented community and a good place to live, with lots of different types of suburban housing options.
However, Mira Mesa may be another story. It is a more diverse and dense community and has some pockets that are not so great. It may be a bigger adjustment for someone moving from New Jersey (this is not to say that Mira Mesa can't be a nice place to live; it's just not the same sort of picture perfect suburban area that most of Poway is) The Mira Mesa area is also part of the San Diego Unified School District. Although there are a number of schools in SDUSD that are very good, in general, you need to be more choosy about schools in SDUSD and areas like Mira Mesa.
Just over the 15 freeway from Mira Mesa, however, is Scripps Ranch. Scripps Ranch is also part of SDUSD, but has stronger schools in its local area. Scripps Ranch is very nice and also family oriented. Scripps Ranch might be a bit shorter drive to La Jolla for your husband than Poway or Rancho Bernardo as it has quicker access to the 52, which shoots right over to La Jolla.
You might also want to look into Charter Schools. These are public schools that operate more independently. While you do need to do your homework on Charter Schools, some Charter Schools are excellent. They are very popular in San Diego. An example of a nice Charter School would be High Tech in Point Loma, which serves K-12. High Tech Elementary Point Loma (Note: I'm not necessarily recommending the High Tech schools, just offering it as an example of a well-respected charter school system).
I believe that admissions to High Tech are still done on a lottery basis (double check on this as my knowledge may be outdated) so I wouldn't necessarily buy a house in Point Loma (a lovely area close to downtown, the ocean, and La Jolla if you don't mind noise from the airport in some sections) for High Tech. High Tech also operates schools in North County and other parts of San Diego County as well. But there are many other Charter Schools throughout San Diego County that may also provide smaller classes or an educational philosophy that is a good match for your family. You can find a list of Charter Schools in San Diego County here: Charter Schools in San Diego County (CA Dept of Education)
In terms of California schools having larger class sizes than New Jersey --- there are so many different permutations of schools and school districts in San Diego that I wouldn't immediately jump to that conclusion. While it is true that California has lower statewide test scores than New Jersey overall, if you look closer, you will find that a good part of that stems from the higher percentage of English Language Learners and low income kids here in California. There are plenty of GREAT public schools on all levels here in San Diego County (and sometimes test scores don't really tell the story about how good a school really is. My kids went to a tiny elementary school that doesn't have "top" test scores, but they were never in a class with more than 20 kids, had excellent experienced teachers, and were very well prepared for high school and college ). There are also many excellent private (including religiously affiliated) options here. So, you will find a good selection of school options for your kids here with a little research and thought.
And, of course, our Public university system includes some of the best colleges in the U.S., and they are a real bargain for in-state residents (although admissions gets more competitive each year).
Last edited by RosieSD; 04-28-2016 at 10:52 AM..
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