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Old 06-05-2019, 07:20 PM
 
Location: Coastal San Diego
5,024 posts, read 7,578,581 times
Reputation: 4055

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Quote:
Originally Posted by stablegenius View Post
My wife and I were making 235k per year, and were still struggling with finding a home to buy.
If you make a provable and consistent $235k a year with a FICO score of 700+ in San Diego, you can easily buy a house, get a decent mortgage, and live comfortably here. Unless of course you need to live in La Jolla, Del Mar, Rancho Santa Fe or similar location. Most single-family home buyers in San Diego county make much less than $235k a year.
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Old 06-05-2019, 08:01 PM
 
Location: San Diego, CA
3,080 posts, read 1,748,933 times
Reputation: 3469
Quote:
Originally Posted by cruitr View Post
If you make a provable and consistent $235k a year with a FICO score of 700+ in San Diego, you can easily buy a house, get a decent mortgage, and live comfortably here. Unless of course you need to live in La Jolla, Del Mar, Rancho Santa Fe or similar location. Most single-family home buyers in San Diego county make much less than $235k a year.
Well we technically could have afforded a house, but what I forgot to tell the OP is this: This is the worst time to move to California. Home prices are higher than ever (well maybe 2008 was higher, but we should be close).

So my wife and I could have afforded a home, but we didn't like the idea of a 3500 to 4500 a month mortgage. She wasn't happy in her job, and the job market here is not great. The next job she got would definitely have been lower paying, so that 3500 mortgage would have been that much tougher to stomach.

We also didn't like having a mortgage that required us both to have large incomes. We opted to move out of state so we could have a nice cushion. That way, if she lost her job or I did for any reason, we'd have plenty to get by.

Finally, I just didn't like what $630,000 could get you in Clairemont. Sure we could live in La Mesa or further, but then one of us (I work from home) is commuting. What's worse, if the best job she could find was in Carlsbad, that's a hell of a commute from La Mesa...
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Old 06-05-2019, 08:03 PM
 
18,172 posts, read 16,409,991 times
Reputation: 9328
Quote:
Originally Posted by stablegenius View Post
Well we technically could have afforded a house, but what I forgot to tell the OP is this: This is the worst time to move to California. Home prices are higher than ever (well maybe 2008 was higher, but we should be close).

So my wife and I could have afforded a home, but we didn't like the idea of a 3500 to 4500 a month mortgage. She wasn't happy in her job, and the job market here is not great. The next job she got would definitely have been lower paying, so that 3500 mortgage would have been that much tougher to stomach.

We also didn't like having a mortgage that required us both to have large incomes. We opted to move out of state so we could have a nice cushion. That way, if she lost her job or I did for any reason, we'd have plenty to get by.

Finally, I just didn't like what $630,000 could get you in Clairemont. Sure we could live in La Mesa or further, but then one of us (I work from home) is commuting. What's worse, if the best job she could find was in Carlsbad, that's a hell of a commute from La Mesa...
Wise decision.
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Old 06-06-2019, 07:05 AM
 
4 posts, read 2,740 times
Reputation: 10
I deal with traffic that is the same if not worse in Massachusetts. That isn’t even driving into or out of Boston which is even worse, so when I move the commute won’t bother me. At this point most major cities on the coasts have terrible traffic in rush hours.
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Old 06-06-2019, 08:36 AM
 
12,766 posts, read 18,386,823 times
Reputation: 8773
Quote:
Originally Posted by stablegenius View Post
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.
That humidity in FL though. OH. MY. GOD.


24/7 backsweat
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Old 06-06-2019, 08:43 AM
 
12,766 posts, read 18,386,823 times
Reputation: 8773
Quote:
Originally Posted by stablegenius View Post
Well we technically could have afforded a house, but what I forgot to tell the OP is this: This is the worst time to move to California. Home prices are higher than ever (well maybe 2008 was higher, but we should be close).

So my wife and I could have afforded a home, but we didn't like the idea of a 3500 to 4500 a month mortgage. She wasn't happy in her job, and the job market here is not great. The next job she got would definitely have been lower paying, so that 3500 mortgage would have been that much tougher to stomach.

We also didn't like having a mortgage that required us both to have large incomes. We opted to move out of state so we could have a nice cushion. That way, if she lost her job or I did for any reason, we'd have plenty to get by.

Finally, I just didn't like what $630,000 could get you in Clairemont. Sure we could live in La Mesa or further, but then one of us (I work from home) is commuting. What's worse, if the best job she could find was in Carlsbad, that's a hell of a commute from La Mesa...
This is similar to my husband and I.


We're outside NYC now, so we're used to paying a $3,500/mo mortgage + plus $12k property taxes (and that's on the CHEAP side, lmao) … the problem is the only work for me is in LA and the only work for him is in San Diego … so I mean I guess we could live somewhere in between but I think that would be a very long commute.


Right now, he commutes about 20 mins by car and I commute 30 by train. I hate driving and have no interest in driving in any rush hour traffic of any sort.


We live financially well out here on a $200k combine income. He wants to move to be closer to family, buy my family is all here. Any kind of job I am able to get is going to be a paycut for me, however my husband could get more in CA, so I think realistically we'd still even out @ around $200k.


For us, if we were struggling here, we'd move to a cheaper place. But to move to someone just as expensive to even out our salaries and for me to take a paycut (which I do NOT want to do) doesn't really make a whole lot of sense.


I do understand our property taxes would be cheaper in CA though.


Where are you guys living now?
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Old 06-06-2019, 08:58 AM
 
14,327 posts, read 11,719,111 times
Reputation: 39197
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jdawg8181 View Post
This is similar to my husband and I.

We're outside NYC now, so we're used to paying a $3,500/mo mortgage + plus $12k property taxes (and that's on the CHEAP side, lmao) … the problem is the only work for me is in LA and the only work for him is in San Diego … so I mean I guess we could live somewhere in between but I think that would be a very long commute.
You can stop right there. This precludes living in California. No sane couple would attempt to have one partner commute to LA and the other to San Diego.
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Old 06-06-2019, 09:12 AM
 
Location: Dallas
13 posts, read 15,613 times
Reputation: 33
We don't plan on purchasing any property. Just renting for now. We own a couple of properties in Dallas that we'll be leasing out.
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Old 06-06-2019, 10:01 AM
 
12,766 posts, read 18,386,823 times
Reputation: 8773
Quote:
Originally Posted by saibot View Post
You can stop right there. This precludes living in California. No sane couple would attempt to have one partner commute to LA and the other to San Diego.

Awesome. I don't want to move. This is great news. Thanks.
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Old 06-06-2019, 10:38 AM
 
18,172 posts, read 16,409,991 times
Reputation: 9328
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jdawg8181 View Post
That humidity in FL though. OH. MY. GOD.


24/7 backsweat
Been living on the East Coast of Fl for a year and the humidity is no big deal. My skin,lips and throat are a LOT happier here than in dry air. When I feel a bit too much humidity I go to the beach and the ocean breeze ends the problem and the water is far more comfortable than in SoCal and ... nothing like the traffic and crowding where I am at.


Oh, and a far lower cost of living here and the savings just in buying a new house 8 miles from the beach compared to SoCal will give me the money to visit SoCal anytime I want and get a nice room on a beach and go to restaurants and any other place I want and ... still do so for about 20 years with the savings.



Now that said the OP has a work commute problem and SoCal makes no sense if they do not want 1 plus hour commutes each way. OF that was not an issue I would suggest North SDC on the coast or South OC.
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