Relocating family of 4 from Michigan to suburbs of San Diego or Temecula/Murrieta California.... (Riverside: sales, real estate market)

[Lakeshore87]

Greetings everyone,

We are a family of 4 relocating from Michigan to SD ( preferably Temecula/ Murrieta area) or ( San Marcos,Carlsbad,Chula Vista(eastlake area) in 5 months.

When we move we will be looking to rent for a year and would like to keep our rent between $1400-$2500 a month before we buy a home. Is this realistic? We should be making my husband anyway minimum $55,000 a year (together) at the very minimum $80,000 a year
We are looking to rent a home or apartment for around 1800 to 2700 a month. But really would like to purchase a home around for around $370k. I am currently a stay at home mom of 2 under 2 and plan to work once we arrive.

We are a middle class suburban AA family and not looking to live like millionaires just to live comfortably within our means and have our children in a safe,family oriented area with a excellent school district.

Any help and info is greatly appreciated for our journey! And tips on relocating out of state is also helpful as this will be our first time.

Thank you in advance ~

We are a family of 4 looking to relocate from Michigan to San Diego county area( Temecula/Murrieta),where to look for buying a home or rentals?

[hitman619]

Originally Posted by Lakeshore87

Greetings everyone,

We are a family of 4 relocating from Michigan to SD ( preferably Temecula/ Murrieta area) or ( San Marcos,Carlsbad,Chula Vista(eastlake area) in 5 months.

When we move we will be looking to rent for a year and would like to keep our rent between $1400-$2500 a month before we buy a home. Is this realistic? We should be making my husband anyway minimum $55,000 a year (together) at the very minimum $80,000 a year
We are looking to rent a home or apartment for around 1800 to 2700 a month. But really would like to purchase a home around for around $370k. I am currently a stay at home mom of 2 under 2 and plan to work once we arrive.

We are a middle class suburban AA family and not looking to live like millionaires just to live comfortably within our means and have our children in a safe,family oriented area with a excellent school district.

Any help and info is greatly appreciated for our journey! And tips on relocating out of state is also helpful as this will be our first time.

Thank you in advance ~

We are a family of 4 looking to relocate from Michigan to San Diego county area( Temecula/Murrieta),where to look for buying a home or rentals?

What part of town will your husband be working?

[RosieSD]

You need to read this discussion in its entirety -- don't just read the first few posts, read every post until the very end of the thread because the initial posts are from 2015 and it has only gotten more expensive here since then: //www.city-data.com/forum/san-d...go-rental.html

Then, go to a site like Zillow.com, Realtor.com or Redfin.com, use San Diego County as your search term, and set a maximum budget for $370,000. You can do the same for Temecula. These sites will also let you search for rentals.

These two actions should be your first steps before proceeding any further with your plan.

Homes in your price range are likely going to be clustered mainly in the far Eastern edges of the county (i.e., out in the rural mountain and desert areas). Those areas are usually NOT what people envision when they think about living in San Diego.

You may find a few single family homes in your price range in closer in areas, but they are likely going to be in less desirable areas (read: underperforming schools or higher crime areas) AND/OR be major fixer uppers. Again, areas not usually what people envision when they think about living in San Diego.

If you are OK with condos or townhomes, then you will find options in the $370,000 range in places like La Mesa, Santee, Chula Vista, Clairemont Mesa, Rancho San Diego, Mira Mesa, Oceanside, and possibly other family friendly areas. Of course, with a condo/townhome, you'll have to factor in monthly association fees, so that may bring your actual purchase budget down a bit in order to stay within what you want to pay in total costs per month.

I would highly recommend you come out for an extended visit and spend time in the areas where you find any SFH homes in your price range to see if they are what you have in mind.

Raising your budget (both for rent AND purchase) would give you better chances of landing in the type of family friendly neighborhood with good schools you seem to be envisioning. Your budget will be tight for a SFH even in Temecula, although you may find a few more options there than SD County. I'd recommend adding Murietta and Mennifree, and other Riverside County areas to your list to find more options, but, as moved notes, much depends on where your husband will be working and how long of a commute he can tolerate.

[RosieSD]

Two more things:

When you look at listings on sites like Zillow.com, ignore the listings for homes being auctioned. Those homes almost always sell for significantly more than the starting price, unless there is something significantly wrong with either the house or location.

Also, keep in mind that this is a very competitive market for real estate. When you see single family homes priced significantly below the median (right now, that is hovering at around $550,000 for single family homes county-wide), you can expect that the home will ultimately sell for more.

So, in doing your research, also delve into the actual sales prices in different areas for the last six months. (Zillow.com has a feature that allows you to see recent sales, and the other sites probably do too). Again, most homes sold for significantly below the medians are going to occur when is something wrong with either the house or location. Or, they were full cash deals, sold to investors.

Finally, keep in mind that prices in the Southern California real estate market are constantly increasing. So, if you don't plan on buying until a year from now (or longer), plan accordingly, and tack another 5% onto the prices you're seeing today.

[jamesblazen]

I recommend staying in Michigan. California is crowded and expensive. We're full. Sorry.

[4SR]

Do you know where your jobs will be? That will be a bigger deciding factor on the two areas. Temecula is growing at a very rapid pace and I think is the next big spot in Southern California. Very affordable houses available.

Don't listen to the poster about California being crowded and expensive and "full." Sure its populated and expensive, but there is always room for more.

[RosieSD]

Originally Posted by 4SR

Don't listen to the poster about California being crowded and expensive and "full." Sure its populated and expensive, but there is always room for more.

And that poster lives in Oregon, not California.

[eastcoastbias]

I would advise against living in Temecula and working South of the 56. UNLESS your employer has flex time and you can commute during times with less traffic, but lately folks seem to be crowding the road at any time for afternoon/evening commutes. **** As a side note, I can't understand why folks are on the road between 330-600 if you aren't coming home from work or picking your kids up from school. Get you stuff done during the day.


It is a grind and takes away time from actually enjoying San Diego and Southern California.


Compared to Michigan or just about any other Midwest area- Prepare for a cluture shock at both work and personal life/pace/way of life change/schools (very spotty here). Some good aspects some not so good.


Also, I wouldn't buy in Southern California now, I know lots of Midwest folks can't fathom renting but it is a different animal here, live here find out if this place is you. You would also be buying near the peak of mid sized bubble that may not get hit like it was in 2007-2008, but if you make a mistake on your selection of living here and want to move in 3/4 years I can't see you being in a better place by buying now and selling in 3/4 years. Just my opinion.

[RosieSD]

Originally Posted by eastcoastbias

Compared to Michigan or just about any other Midwest area- Prepare for a cluture shock at both work and personal life/pace/way of life change/schools (very spotty here). Some good aspects some not so good.

Personally, I think the biggest culture shock will stem from a family of four living on $55,000 - $80,000 a year in Southern California.

That income probably buys a different level of lifestyle in Michigan than it does here (even in Temecula).

Of course, the weather is nicer here. But, you can't eat the weather or pay your bills and taxes with it.

I'm sure the poster is already aware of all of this -- just responding to your comment about culture shock.

[4SR]

Originally Posted by eastcoastbias

Also, I wouldn't buy in Southern California now, I know lots of Midwest folks can't fathom renting but it is a different animal here, live here find out if this place is you. You would also be buying near the peak of mid sized bubble that may not get hit like it was in 2007-2008, but if you make a mistake on your selection of living here and want to move in 3/4 years I can't see you being in a better place by buying now and selling in 3/4 years. Just my opinion.

I agree renting for a year is probably the smart thing to do, but not for the reasons you listed. This is not the Bubble of the Mid-2000s and while housing is cyclical, you can't treat it as a y= Sin(x) type of graph. Interest rates are low and prices are high. If prices were to drop, we'd probably see a rise in interest rates first. If after a year, you plan to settle in California, then buying is smart. While a home is a big investment, it shouldn't be seen as an investment property.

But I stray from the topic at hand. I think the place of work will be the big decider for the OP.