San Diego or Dallas (El Cajon, Highland: low crime, home, job market)

[Roma]

Yes, It would be nice if we all could pay for a home now for what it would of cost 5-6 years ago in California.
San Diego and Dallas are so different that there is no comparing the two.
You keep saying how much you love San Diego, then I say go for it. You are young and life is toooo short. Here is your chance. Go for it.
Cost is a factor for most Californians. They deal with it. It cost alot to live in such a beautiful place with so much to offer.
Dallas can be your second choice if San Diego doesn't work out.
Do you have job offers in any of these cities?

[socketz]

Originally Posted by sdurbanite

I'm sorry, but I gotta say that Dallas is one of my least favorite big cities in the country. Flat, ugly and boring is what comes to mind when I think of the Big D.

The only thing world-class about it is perhaps DFW airport. Everything else is.....blah.

There's more to Dallas than meets the eye, and you really need to be here a bit to appreciate what it has to offer.

If all you've seen is the area around the airport, then yes, not desirable.

If you could put Dallas' homes, job market and salary structure in San Diego, you'd have the perfect place to live.

[light]

I have not started looking for job yet..so no job offers form either cities.
I have been to both places , i lived in dallas for an year but visited san diego couple of times for a week.
i know my heart says San diego..cause we are young right now, and want to enjoy the scenic beauty and weather all year around..
but Dallas can make us retire early... [should we care about this right now?]

[Dennis P]

Originally Posted by sdurbanite

The only thing world-class about it is perhaps DFW airport. Everything else is.....blah.

Oh, yes, the DFW airport is something else (my company's headquarters is located in an office complex next to it). I like those "moving sidewalks," especially when going from one end of the airport to another to catch a connecting flight.

[Roma]

Light, Planning for the future and retirement is vital, vital, vital. I would like to ask you what is your idea of retirement? Everyones is different. What are your standards of living? Everyones is different.
The good thing is you have already lived in Dallas so you know what you are going to get. And you already visited San Diego so you know what you are going to get.
You said.....quote [If i live in dallas i can get financial freeedom early than living in san diego] end quote.
I would have to disagree with you on that. We are 40 year old retirees from California. We made our money in California. That is why I keep going back to what is your idea of retirement and standards of living when retired?
You obviously have to go where the jobs are in your field, so that is a given.
Where are those jobs? Are they high paying jobs with good benefits? Can you move up in those positions? Do you want to move up? Are you motivated? Are you a hard worker? Do you invest? If so, how much? Do you understand real estate? What age do you want to be when you retire? Are you going to have children? Do you see the glass half full or half empty (meaning are you a positive person or a neg. person?). Do you dream big? Or just settle for what is in front of you? (don't ever settle my friend).
Good luck in whatever you decide to do!

[myito]

Light,

I can appreciate your dilemma. I can also say there is no time like the present to begin buying and moving up -- and yes you can even do this in San Diego. I bought a 1 bdrm condo in LA 10 years ago for about 65K and was ready to sell it 2 years later for 25K more. Glad I didn't cuz it has laid the foundation for bigger and better. I bought at 26 and loved what condo living gave me -- close to activities, freedom from lawnwork, freedom from expensive house repairs.... Short story, I am sitting on about $300K in equity.

Now, let's turn to CT where I bought 4 years ago. I bought a home that was cheap (about 350k) by CA standards. But you get what you pay for. I HATE CT, missed having access to all the things that CA gave me and we ended up selling. Guess what? Friends who bought in CA at the same time I bought in CT in less desirable areas like Riverside (hot hot hot) are up about $300K and we just cashed out with about $80K.

Now, we just bought a home in Carlsbad (outside San Diego, coastal side) and the home in CT was not the reason we could do so. The equity from my CA property did it. What's the point? You get what you pay for and it all becomes relative. If you want to live in San Diego do it, live smaller and build some equity. You have plenty of time to build up equity and believe me you will see the market go up and down. If you are in it for the long haul don't worry about getting rich quick.

As a 35 year old, I will tell you that you could not pay me to give up a good lifestyle for the benefits of having a big house...been there done that. Live someplace you love, believe that the money will come, purchase wisely and enjoy life. If you move to CA then in a few years when you compare equity to Dallas you'll likely be kissing your wife for making the right decision. On the other hand, if you buy in Dallas and later decide that you want to move to CA, you will likely be further priced out of the market. Remember, the only reason I can get back in is because I kept my condo in CA, otherwise we'd be stuck in our big house in a miserable state.

Hope I didn't sound too biased, just trying to give you my experience.

[socketz]

I disagree with the being priced out of the market statement.

5 years ago maybe, but the best CA can hope for over the next 2-3 years is to stay flat (i.e. I own 2 homes there and have a RE license, so I'm not jaded, just realistic).

I can show you places in Dallas that have gone up 20% in the last 2 years and predicted to go up 5-10 % next year. Investors are buying homes here in Dallas like mad...why...hmmmm. As for transplants, 2500 new people per day are moving here, the infrastructure struggles to keep up the influx is so bad now....why...hmmm

I agree that ultimately you need to live where you enjoy living, but if you have a better opportunity in Dallas (there are many in Dallas), you will always have the opportunity to move to Socal later if you pick your home here carefully. You can also gain some incredible experience here then take that to Socal and be a big fish in a small pond.

Home equity aside (over past 10 years excellent, but let's look forward 10 - you will need more than home equity), Socal is not near the job market as it is here in Dallas. Today......But, that of course can change. If the two were stocks, I'd be buying Dallas today and selling, possibly holding Socal.

Nonetheless, Socal is home and I know I'll find my way back in a few years. But I will not regret the time I spent here. I just find it funny how everyone from Socal seems to be an expert on Dallas when the closest most people there have gotten to Dallas is staring at Irving out the windows of an airplane flying into DFW.

[sdurbanite]

I was in Dallas for 4 nights and 5 days during the summer a few years ago, and stayed with a friend who lived in the Oak Cliff neighborhood. He showed me around town and I managed to take in Reunion Tower, Deep Ellum, 6th floor Depository Museum, Highland Park Village and even made it out to see JR's Ranch outside of town.

He told me those were the must-sees of Dallas, so you can understand why I was so underwhelmed when I left.

[sdurbanite]

Originally Posted by socketz

Socal is not near the job market as it is here in Dallas. Today......But, that of course can change.

I'm just curious, are you referring the fact that SD has few big corporate and Fortune 500 companies? If so, I'll have to agree with you there.

On the other hand, though, SD has an entrepreneurial spirit that allows people to start their own companies, which if successful, is actually better than working for a large company where you are just another worker bee.

Most people I know have their own companies and are quite successful. IMO, it makes the city's economy more diversified, which might be better than being just a corporate city.

Just my opinion

[socketz]

There are a tremendous number of small companies in Dallas as well. I'm in the semiconductor industry, so I have a pretty good guage for economic diversity as it pertains to tech, which I feel drives alot of other industry. Dallas is a top 5 market in my industry, San Diego is much lower (30 something). While there is alot of tech there, the tech is primarily centered around the cell phone market, which is known for razor thin margins. There is also alot of defense companies there (SPAWAR/SAIC being the drivers, but they contract most work out), but there is equal if not more here in Dallas. San Diego definitely has the advantage in the Biomed and Tourism-based industries. My point was really not to bash San Diego, but to defend Dallas, which gets a really bad rap from 20-30 somethings on the west coast.

As for your passion for the inner city, that will change.