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My husband and I are Marin County, CA natives and we are thinking about moving to Santa Fe, we love the city and the people are really wonderful. We are both looking to get out of the bay area, we feel like it is turning into NYC and the cost of living is absurd. We currently live in a quirky little town on the coast and my commute is about an hour each way(I'm in insurance and he's a fine dining chef) and I have spent some time reading the forums but I haven't seen much from people moving in from the Bay Area. I would love a little local insight about the housing, job market and tourism impact on residency. If this post is redundant please point me in the right direction.
I think you will find real estate prices astronomically lower than the Bay Area and I imagine that your husband would have no problem finding work as a chef. I have no idea how insurance jobs are here. Probably the hardest thing for you to adjust to will be the lack of rain. Coming from a wet climate the arid high desert can be quite a jolt to the system, particularly since the "drought" has been with us. I've lived in the Southwest for almost 30 years and the lack of rain still freaks me out a bit. Good luck with the move! "Great Santa Fe" is a realtor on this forum who seems to have more information on the area than the rest of us combined!
I think you will find real estate prices astronomically lower than the Bay Area and I imagine that your husband would have no problem finding work as a chef. I have no idea how insurance jobs are here. Probably the hardest thing for you to adjust to will be the lack of rain. Coming from a wet climate the arid high desert can be quite a jolt to the system, particularly since the "drought" has been with us. I've lived in the Southwest for almost 30 years and the lack of rain still freaks me out a bit. Good luck with the move! "Great Santa Fe" is a realtor on this forum who seems to have more information on the area than the rest of us combined!
Thanks so much! Good to know about the climate. I was wondering about that, I guess I'll be drinking a lot of water until I acclimate but I won't miss the mold. We are both ready for a change and the vibe of New Mexico and Santa Fe in particular reminds both of us of the way the bay area was about 30 yrs ago. Thanks for the well wishes.
Well, OP, I'm from the Bay Area, and I'd say that if you're fortunate enough to live in Marin, why leave? Aside from the long commute, you're living in heaven! You might discover after awhile that you miss the ocean and the big trees out here in the desert. I think both of you are in the right fields though, for getting local jobs. There are lots of insurance jobs, and many, many upscale restaurants where your husband could find an opening sooner or later.
Start taking a look at real estate listings, to get a feel for the pricing. Some popular areas are the historic district bordering on the eastern edge of downtown, and the north end of town (both the priciest parts of town). Next, what they call the South Capitol area, just south of downtown, much of it within a long walk or easy bike of downtown. That will at least get you started.
Oh, and btw, you should be prepared for total shock temperature-wise in the summer. It's HOT compared to coastal Marin.
Well, OP, I'm from the Bay Area, and I'd say that if you're fortunate enough to live in Marin, why leave?
I've spent a LOT of time in the Saucelito and Corte Madero area in years past, and while I loved my time there, I never thought of living there. The "Hippy" era of the 1970s was a great time to be in that area, and hanging out on Fisherman's Wharf in S.F. It was expensive even then, but can only imagine what it must be like today.
I've spent a LOT of time in the Saucelito and Corte Madero area in years past, and while I loved my time there, I never thought of living there. The "Hippy" era of the 1970s was a great time to be in that area, and hanging out on Fisherman's Wharf in S.F. It was expensive even then, but can only imagine what it must be like today.
Yes, true, it's expensive, but the OP and hubs are established there, so it's not like they're trying to buy in at the peak of a bubble. I'm just thinking of the natural beauty all around them in Marin, not to mention the near-perfect weather, as well as the proximity to San Fran and the East Bay.
I'm just thinking of the natural beauty all around them in Marin, not to mention the near-perfect weather...
One August, when the weather is "supposed to be" at its finest along the coast, I rode my bicycle down US-1 from Rockport to Point Reyes and only saw the ocean when the highway was at beach level, due to the dense fog the entire time. And even when at beach level, it wasn't possible to see more than a short distance. My body was coated with "sea mist" the entire trip. Much of the distance, the hiway is well above the beach with a solid wall of trees on the inland side. The first night, in Rockport, I was kept awake by the constant blasting of the fog horn.
YellieLu - We both live in locations with tremendous natural beauty, but having lived in communities across the country I think that the quality of life in Santa Fe surpasses most other places. You live in a quirky little town, and Santa Fe is a quirky little city (I was going to make a pun about Albuquirky - but it's quirkiness has by and large been greatly reduced over the years).
Our main "feeder" markets for real estate. i.e. people moving here from out-of-state are Dallas, Austin, Houston, Denver, Phoenix and L.A. We also see a lot of traffic from Washington, DC, N.Y., and the upper midwest. My clients from these places mostly say they are looking for a better quality of life, to escape ever-increasing traffic, high home prices and bad weather.
To your specific questions:
Housing - The rental market is very tight and rents are rising. If you wish to purchase, you can find houses in all price ranges.
Estimates are that prices will rise 10% in 2016; normally it's been from 1.5 - 3% per year. To purchase, figure on 20% down and 2 years of tax returns. If you both stay in the same fields, then banks will be able to pre-qualify you for a mortgage. If you change fields, you'll have a harder time qualifying in the near-term.
Job Market - Your husband should have no problem; we're a well-renowned foodie town. I don't imagine you'd have any problem either. I'd advise making contact and nailing down jobs before moving here.
Tourism impact on residency - Tourists need places to stay, so that contributes to the tight rental market. Some decide they want a place here as a second or third home which they can rent out when they are not here, and that is contributing to rises in home prices primarily in the condo market.
Well, OP, I'm from the Bay Area, and I'd say that if you're fortunate enough to live in Marin, why leave? Aside from the long commute, you're living in heaven! You might discover after awhile that you miss the ocean and the big trees out here in the desert. I think both of you are in the right fields though, for getting local jobs. There are lots of insurance jobs, and many, many upscale restaurants where your husband could find an opening sooner or later.
Start taking a look at real estate listings, to get a feel for the pricing. Some popular areas are the historic district bordering on the eastern edge of downtown, and the north end of town (both the priciest parts of town). Next, what they call the South Capitol area, just south of downtown, much of it within a long walk or easy bike of downtown. That will at least get you started.
Oh, and btw, you should be prepared for total shock temperature-wise in the summer. It's HOT compared to coastal Marin.
Thank you so much for the neighborhood suggestions! It's great to get a direction. I have been looking at Zillow to start getting an idea about where we should land.
I appreciate your point of view and I understand what your saying but to be honest it's not heaven for me anymore. The land is still beautiful and I will miss Marin but I have family here so I can always come back to visit whenever I get the urge. We live in a destination area that is overrun by visitors to the point where it can take me 20mins to get out of my driveway and forget going out to eat on a weekend night. Our annual income is about 120k and we can't really afford to buy anything in our area and that is one of our goals. Most of the people in my income bracket are being priced out and it's becoming a pretty serious fight to stay, especially in Marin. I guess you could say we are moving to improve our quality of life and be able to realistically afford to buy a home and retire.
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