Relocating to Southern California (San Diego, Carlsbad: leasing, condos, mortgage)

[cruitr]

Originally Posted by Trekker99

Well done.

That'll scare 'em off.

Don't forget about the CA state income tax. Extreme gun laws. And the Federal $10k SALT limit. That should put the last nail in their coffin.

[RosieSD]

I'm assuming that you're thinking of moving for a job in Poway, California, and not already living here.

The City of San Diego is really a city of suburbs, surrounded by other suburbs. Only a small portion of San Diego is really i"urban" in the sense most people mean. Personally, I find more of LA County to be much more dense and urban in feel.

The Poway Unified School District is considered by many to be one of the best in the County of San Diego. The district, however, isn't confined to the city of Poway proper. It includes parts of nearby areas like Rancho Bernardo, eastern Carmel Valley and Rancho Penasquitos.

So, I'd start there in your search for places to relocate to. There's something to be said for having a short commute!

The Poway USD has a site where you can get a map of the district boundaries and enter an address to see if it is in the District, and which schools it is assigned to. You can find that here:

https://www.powayusd.com/en-US/Depar...oundaries-Maps


As long as you're OK with an apartment, and don't require a single family home, you should be able to find an apartment in your price range somewhere in the district.

For instance, here are a few apartments that I found on Zillow that appear to be in the Poway USD:

https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_ren...32_rect/12_zm/

https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_ren...33_rect/12_zm/

https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_ren...03_rect/12_zm/


Other areas with good schools that would be an easy reverse commute to Poway include: Scripps Ranch, Mira Mesa, Western Carmel Valley, Tierrasanta, and University City. These are all nice, suburban areas, with varying levels of diversity.

San Diego is a great place to live. Yes, it will be more expensive than Texas, but many of us who live here can't imagine living anywhere else.

Do come out for a visit. I'd recommend trying to rent an airbnb apartment close to Poway when you come so that you can get a taste of every day living here and see if it's the right choice for your family.

[RosieSD]

P.S. just want to add that the suggestion of Temecula/Murietta is a good one. That's not in San Diego County -- it's in Riverside County. Rents are a little less expensive (but not as cheap as they used to be). It would certainly be a good choice if you're telecommuting. But, there may be less jobs available in that area for your husband, necessitating a longer commute for him. Once you factor in gas (which really is more expensive here in CA) it might just make sense to live closer to Poway and/or a more major jobs center.

Good luck!

[cruitr]

Poway to Temecula ----------------------> 42 miles

Poway to Rancho Penasquitos ----------> 7 miles

Do you really move all the way to San Diego to spend 2 hours of every work day in your car?

Rosie: 46 Cruitr: 1

[expatCA]

Originally Posted by cruitr

Poway to Temecula ----------------------> 42 miles

Poway to Rancho Penasquitos ----------> 7 miles

Do you really move all the way to San Diego to spend 2 hours of every work day in your car?

Rosie: 46 Cruitr: 1

I they can afford to live that close, great, if not then ... extended commuting will be a reality.

[Trekker99]

Originally Posted by expatCA

I they can afford to live that close, great, if not then ... extended commuting will be a reality.

Yeah, but then what's the point?

Just to say you live 1 hour (or longer - depending on the day/time) from San Diego by way of an ugly commute?

I'd rather pick a location to live in; work, play, volunteer, shop, etc

[expatCA]

Originally Posted by Trekker99

Yeah, but then what's the point?

Just to say you live 1 hour (or longer - depending on the day/time) from San Diego by way of an ugly commute?

I'd rather pick a location to live in; work, play, volunteer, shop, etc

People want the weather, being close to the beach and to be able to say; .......... "I live in CA".

[eastcoastbias]

Originally Posted by cruitr

Poway to Temecula ----------------------> 42 miles

Poway to Rancho Penasquitos ----------> 7 miles

Do you really move all the way to San Diego to spend 2 hours of every work day in your car?

Rosie: 46 Cruitr: 1

The bold should be the banner for the San Diego CD site.

This is why folks moving here really have to think long and hard if they are coming in on the bottom of the real estate market. The newbies rarely care about commutes but it is exhausting after a couple years especially for younger families.


For example: If you live in Iowa now and have plenty of income you can visit here or other places often. I have plenty of friends I see on Facebook that complain about the weather one week and live in their flyover state in their 900 a month 4 bedroom home and the next week the are traveling somewhere cool around the globe. If they moved here I'd guess it would change spending habits a bit and probably work travel habits as well.


I've sat 2 hours round trip in traffic. I tried to occupy that time in different ways. I've tried to get around it different ways (work schedule). I've argued with people on CD that work at home, or just moved here from LA or rarely venture out in rush hour- that SD has traffic.


And then I went to 20 minutes and now I'm about 45-50 mins. roundtrip. I have a happier family- I've incorporated a gym membership into my routine and I feel more relaxed and rested. I've passed up better opportunities because it was back to 2 hour commutes.

[Trekker99]

The traffic all depends on where you live and then where you work (or when you commute).

I lived in PQ, but worked in RB.

So my commutes on the I-15 were the *opposite* of the daily flow. It only took me 15 minutes to get to work or to get home...during rush hour.

And every day I'd look at the traffic on the 'other side' and it'd be stacked up, slow, or stopped.

But, yeah, in general - traffic in SD can be a big pain.

[stablegenius]

Originally Posted by ct2bos2tx2ca

Our combined salaries are about 120K (not including real estate income). We know it’s way more expensive in California and have no problem working additional jobs.

You probably don't want to hear this, but I don't think you should move here with that combined salary. My wife and I were making 235k per year, and were still struggling with finding a home to buy. Sure we could afford condos or townhomes, but condo living gets exhausting after a few years. So does working 2 jobs. So does commuting, which it sounds like you'll be doing. Trust me, I know the thought of "we'll do whatever it takes to make it work." My wife and I bought a small one bedroom apartment 5 minutes from the beach and justified all the reasons we could make it work. After a while, it was just too small. Like others have said, do you really want to move here to work 16 hours a day and commute home another 2 hours? That's not living man. Pick one of the many other beautiful states to live in. Florida has tons of coastline and is much cheaper. Trust me, I realize it's not the fabled California, but California hasn't been California for a while now anyways. I don't think you'll be happy in a few years if you do this.