Anyone Else Thinking of Moving Out of Bay Area? (San Jose: condo, buying a house)

[Ceece]

I'm a native, born and raised, and raised my own kids in the Bay. If you find anyplace better, not just cheaper, let me know. Big houses don't do it for me so seriously, let me know what you find that offers all the good stuff of the Bay at half the price.

[NYMTman]

Originally Posted by Ceece

I'm a native, born and raised, and raised my own kids in the Bay. If you find anyplace better, not just cheaper, let me know. Big houses don't do it for me so seriously, let me know what you find that offers all the good stuff of the Bay at half the price.

santa barbara

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by Ceece

I'm a native, born and raised, and raised my own kids in the Bay. If you find anyplace better, not just cheaper, let me know. Big houses don't do it for me so seriously, let me know what you find that offers all the good stuff of the Bay at half the price.

The big difference is you've been in your house for decades. You probably couldn't afford to buy your house at its current prices (even if you had a spouse who worked). That's what young people are up against in the Bay Area. Even 2 professional level incomes don't buy you very much any more.

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by NYMTman

Santa Barbara

....Which is really not any cheaper than the Bay Area (or only marginally so).

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by wsugrad03

That's accurate, but is mostly because of established home owners that bought years ago, and distribution of lower income people renting. If you look at the median income of people who are actually buying homes in Santa Clara Country, it's likely closer to 200k. When people generally refer to the income people need to live here, they're implying the income needed to afford to buy a home....the whole American dream thing.

See this is what I mean by the bubble mentality. Of course the median income of home buyers is 200K....because people making the median at just under 100K can't afford anything.

That doesn't mean the "average" person here has an income of 200K.

You have to basically be well into upper middle class to afford any kind of property here, especially single family detached houses.

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by Azmordean

I don't disagree with the idea that this area is a tough place to raise kids, but I think you paint a bleaker picture than is accurate.

Schools vary hugely -- yes there are lousy districts, but there are good ones too.

Traffic -- I've lived in other places (Houston, Washington, DC) -- and traffic is no great shakes either. Compared to DC, the traffic here is as bad during rush hour... but not NEARLY as bad at other times. Here, you can usually actually get around on Sunday at 3pm, which is more than can be said for DC a lot of the time. My point is, traffic is a problem throughout the US, it's by no means unique to the Bay Area. Now, cost of living can compound it, because people have super commutes to avoid the prices. But that's a separate issue.

Quality of life -- You say average, I think it is way higher than average. I guess it depends on what you like... but the offerings out here are, for me, awesome. I love outdoor activities, and this area is excellent for that. I can be hiking in the mountains in 45min, go on a nice bike ride right out my door, be up in SF which is an awesome city in 45min, be at the beach in an hour or less, or skiing at Tahoe (most years...) in 4-5 hours. Oh, and excellent wine and food options all around. Not many major cities offer all of that.

Now, you can debate if it's worth the price, but I don't think QOL here is merely average.

As for myself, I'm single, and in tech, so I'm very lucky and recognize that. Even so, I don't see myself staying here forever. I'm primarily here for work, and while I like the area a lot, there's plenty of others I'd consider (Seattle, maybe Boston, maybe the Southwest, maybe the Midwest if I could find a great job). Of course, I also actually like seasons (other than hot humid summers), so I'm more open to other areas than some :P.

I will concede I can't speak definitively on schools. But American students in general do far worse academically than their peers in other developed countries, so I don't even think our above average schools are any great shakes. If I had kids, I would homeschool them.

I also don't think you can separate out the issues with the high cost of real estate and the supercommuting (which creates horrific traffic). The two are too intertwined.

Your view of the quality of life is very much skewed by 3 factors: 1. You have no kids. 2. You work in tech. 3. Your income is well above the median for the area. Take away any one or more of those factors and quality of life goes down significantly.

[mysticaltyger]

Oh, and for the "San Jose is no longer safe" crowd:

Homicides in the Bay Area’s biggest cities fell in 2014 to a level that hasn’t been seen since 2001 and has rarely been achieved in the past four decades, according to a Chronicle analysis.

San Jose’s 32 slayings were down from 44 in 2013

Bay Area cities

[NYMTman]

Originally Posted by mysticaltyger

....Which is really not any cheaper than the Bay Area (or only marginally so).

I misread his post admittedly... but at any rate the point is that there are places that are nicer than here. The south bay is very plebeian and unsophisticated considering what you pay for.

[neutrino78x]

Originally Posted by mysticaltyger

Oh, and for the "San Jose is no longer safe" crowd:

San Jose’s 32 slayings were down from 44 in 2013

Bay Area cities

I agree. Perhaps what they are really complaining about is greater diversity in Silicon Valley in the past 30 years or so.

[neutrino78x]

Originally Posted by mysticaltyger

See this is what I mean by the bubble mentality. Of course the median income of home buyers is 200K....because people making the median at just under 100K can't afford anything.

Well, they can't afford exactly the kind of home they want, maybe. Lots of people who make under $100k live in shared housing without any issues.

That doesn't mean the "average" person here has an income of 200K.

Correct. Median is about $100k.

You have to basically be well into upper middle class to afford any kind of property here, especially single family detached houses.

Yeah, that's the most expensive type of housing in the Bay Area. That's like the Ewings on Dallas. But if you have two parents and two kids, all you need is a three bedroom condo inside of a building containing other condos. Density is the future.