Moved BACK to Bay area ? (Oakland, Walnut Creek: real estate, condo, crime rate)

[zitsky]

Originally Posted by Lockdev

Moved away from the Bay Area.

Never coming back. Ever.

Had the biggest sight of relief when I woke up in my new home in Virginia. My mortgage for a 2600sq ft house was about half of my RENT for a 500sq ft apartment.

I can leave anytime and go to the store without worrying about sitting in traffic for an hour.

I can commute to work, which takes 10 minutes. No more paying $8 one way to deal with psycho, drugged-out smelly dancers on the BART.

State taxes cost me 3% instead of 10%.

Actually have money left over to enjoy life and not worry about the future.

Screw the Bay Area. You guys can keep it.

Don't let the door hit you on the way out.

I lived in California from 1994 to 2006 then moved to Oregon for grad school. Moved to North Carolina in 2009 because my husband had a job offer. Have been here since. Plan to move back to the Bay Area in about 5 years maybe.

[Lockdev]

Originally Posted by zitsky

Don't let the door hit you on the way out.

I lived in California from 1994 to 2006 then moved to Oregon for grad school. Moved to North Carolina in 2009 because my husband had a job offer. Have been here since. Plan to move back to the Bay Area in about 5 years maybe.

Trust me, I didn't. Both middle fingers were up and I never looked back.

It's changed a lot since 2009. You might want to visit first, or at least peruse house and apartment listings to get an idea of how much it costs now.

My mom has lived there since 2007 and has decided to move away herself. She absolutely loved the area but it's getting to be a bit too much.

[zitsky]

Originally Posted by Lockdev

Trust me, I didn't. Both middle fingers were up and I never looked back.

It's changed a lot since 2009. You might want to visit first, or at least peruse house and apartment listings to get an idea of how much it costs now.

My mom has lived there since 2007 and has decided to move away herself. She absolutely loved the area but it's getting to be a bit too much.

I still think the positives outweigh the negatives.

[sav858]

Originally Posted by Lockdev

Moved away from the Bay Area.

Never coming back. Ever.

Had the biggest sight of relief when I woke up in my new home in Virginia. My mortgage for a 2600sq ft house was about half of my RENT for a 500sq ft apartment.

I can leave anytime and go to the store without worrying about sitting in traffic for an hour.

I can commute to work, which takes 10 minutes. No more paying $8 one way to deal with psycho, drugged-out smelly dancers on the BART.

State taxes cost me 3% instead of 10%.

Actually have money left over to enjoy life and not worry about the future.

Screw the Bay Area. You guys can keep it.

That sucks, I really miss your objective, positive personality on this forum....

[zitsky]

Originally Posted by sav858

That sucks, I really miss your objective, positive personality on this forum....

If that's an example of his/her positivity, then I don't know what to say.

[04kL4nD]

Originally Posted by HappyinCali

I have no doubt that you are right and there are plenty of people who are miserable here. I am just curious to hear some more details about it.

I didn't say everybody was miserable, but yeah, I think lots of people who are paying outrageous housing costs are fed up with the prices- especially if they are having to move farther away from their jobs to be able to afford a decent roof over their heads. I can't speak for everyone, but I'm certainly not a happy camper whenever I'm forced endure traffic, and I'm actually fairly lucky, since I don't have to commute during peak commute times on a regular day-to-day basis. Anecdotally speaking, it seems like when I'm running errands at Costco or the grocery store lots of folks seem super stressed out, exhausted, or just plain agitated- that's if they even bother to look up from the screen they're busy staring at. The weather, scenery, food, and entertainment here all remain top notch, but if you can't afford to enjoy any of these things (or if you're too busy working all the time), I can absolutely see why people would be miserable. If you don't believe me, just read through some of the threads on here to see what I'm talking about.

I don't think any of this is a uniquely Bay Area phenomenon either; times are tough for lots of people everywhere. But if the OP is trying to get a reading on the current vibe here, I don't think I'm alone in saying that it's just not a great time to relocate back here. Unless they've got an awesome job offer or a supportive network of friends/family to make the transition easy, why move to a place that's so prohibitively expensive? The Bay Area will likely always be expensive and desirable, but timing is everything.

[sav858]

Originally Posted by zitsky

If that's an example of his/her positivity, then I don't know what to say.

Lol, exactly...

[HappyinCali]

Originally Posted by 04kL4nD

I didn't say everybody was miserable, but yeah, I think lots of people who are paying outrageous housing costs are fed up with the prices- especially if they are having to move farther away from their jobs to be able to afford a decent roof over their heads. I can't speak for everyone, but I'm certainly not a happy camper whenever I'm forced endure traffic, and I'm actually fairly lucky, since I don't have to commute during peak commute times on a regular day-to-day basis. Anecdotally speaking, it seems like when I'm running errands at Costco or the grocery store lots of folks seem super stressed out, exhausted, or just plain agitated- that's if they even bother to look up from the screen they're busy staring at. The weather, scenery, food, and entertainment here all remain top notch, but if you can't afford to enjoy any of these things (or if you're too busy working all the time), I can absolutely see why people would be miserable. If you don't believe me, just read through some of the threads on here to see what I'm talking about.

I don't think any of this is a uniquely Bay Area phenomenon either; times are tough for lots of people everywhere. But if the OP is trying to get a reading on the current vibe here, I don't think I'm alone in saying that it's just not a great time to relocate back here. Unless they've got an awesome job offer or a supportive network of friends/family to make the transition easy, why move to a place that's so prohibitively expensive? The Bay Area will likely always be expensive and desirable, but timing is everything.

thanks for taking the time. I think these are probably fair observations, but I agree with you that the mood could be like that across America.

[Lockdev]

Originally Posted by zitsky

I still think the positives outweigh the negatives.

Unless you are wealthy, I think you are out of touch with reality.

[HappyinCali]

Originally Posted by Lockdev

Unless you are wealthy, I think you are out of touch with reality.

you sound like yogi berra. nobody wants to live here. it is too crowded.