Trying to Move Back to Ventura (Pasadena: real estate, lease, car registration)

[the city]

I am considering a move back to Ventura County myself and looking into renting in Oxnard and then buying a home in Ventura. My family lived in VC for 25 years and when I was 7 my family moved away and my sister wants to move back there too.

I also attended college at CSU Northridge for a while visited VC and relatives I have in the area.

I am finishing up my education at Cal Poly SLO, and I have found there are more job opportunities and higher paying jobs in Ventura County.

[sponger42]

Originally Posted by the city

I am considering a move back to Ventura County myself and looking into renting in Oxnard and then buying a home in Ventura. My family lived in VC for 25 years and when I was 7 my family moved away and my sister wants to move back there too.

I also attended college at CSU Northridge for a while visited VC and relatives I have in the area.

I am finishing up my education at Cal Poly SLO, and I have found there are more job opportunities and higher paying jobs in Ventura County.

Let me know if anybody's looking for a talented engineer. I just pulled off a big success in a major project for my company, but I feel unfulfilled, since I know I'm going to be leaving this job soon. It's great to do good work, but I'd rather be doing it for the company I'm going to be working for 5-10 years from now.

[ExNooYawk]

We moved from the east coast to Ventura County in 2001. Then my DH retired and we moved up to Oregon. While it is nice here, I sure do miss VC. The DH is quite happy here and full of foreboding when we discuss heading back down there. I LOVE California. The situation with taxes, government and impending problems is so unfortunate. As retirees we wouldn't be welcome, necessarily. There is no incentive for us to move there. The DH thinks a move back will just mean that Sacramento has its hand in our pockets until even the moths give up.
So, as much as I would love to return and live somewhere like Avila Beach, Arroyo Grande or elsewhere in the Central Coast area, the DH has his heels dug in. He is probably right but.... California sure is a nice place if you disregard all the issues. I'll just do some California Dreamin'.....

[sponger42]

I try not to let politics affect my life so much that it determines where I live. Sure, CA's budget is a wreck, but when hasn't it been? Maybe it gets a little harder to find a job some years than others, maybe you pay a few bucks more sales or income tax, but how much does politics really affect your life unless you let it?

Regardless of what happens in Sacramento or DC, the sun still shines, the hills still go green, brown, then burn, the surf still peels, kids grow up, and we get older. I think we can do the latter more happily if we limit how much we buy in to all the political nonsense on the news channels. I only need to make a political decision about once every two years at election time, so why get all wrapped up in that nonsense for the remaining 23 months?

[NeilKenes]

California is where it is At !!!

[mlb]

Originally Posted by sponger42

I try not to let politics affect my life so much that it determines where I live. Sure, CA's budget is a wreck, but when hasn't it been? Maybe it gets a little harder to find a job some years than others, maybe you pay a few bucks more sales or income tax, but how much does politics really affect your life unless you let it?

Regardless of what happens in Sacramento or DC, the sun still shines, the hills still go green, brown, then burn, the surf still peels, kids grow up, and we get older. I think we can do the latter more happily if we limit how much we buy in to all the political nonsense on the news channels. I only need to make a political decision about once every two years at election time, so why get all wrapped up in that nonsense for the remaining 23 months?

That's a great attitude...but if they make it unaffordable to live there - that's a problem.

We've been looking at anything from Ventura on up the coast to just below SFO for retirement and the only thing looming is what fiscal shape California will be in - in 10 years.

Will they be luring people back to live? Will they make it attractive to retire there? We'd love to live there too - we just want to be able to afford it.

[sponger42]

Originally Posted by mlb

That's a great attitude...but if they make it unaffordable to live there - that's a problem.

We've been looking at anything from Ventura on up the coast to just below SFO for retirement and the only thing looming is what fiscal shape California will be in - in 10 years.

Will they be luring people back to live? Will they make it attractive to retire there? We'd love to live there too - we just want to be able to afford it.

Hm. We found California--Ventura especially--to be the cheapest place we've lived in the USA. Even compared to the Midwest. We rented a very reasonable and spacious apartment near downtown Ventura, just steps to the beach. The 99c store nearby carried fresh fruits and veggies from the VC farms that were too ripe to go on the trucks. Can't beat entire watermelons for a buck. Of course, you can't find meat, but there was usually enough variety of greens and such to make great balanced meals all week once we learned which days the trucks came in. We carpooled to keep gas costs down, and our activities were mostly free or near-free. Heck, there's so many beaches and mountains within walking or biking distance, there's hardly any reason to spend money at all. Surf in the morning, BBQ afterwards for lunch, then do odd jobs around the house or just kick back with friends in the afternoon; Maybe head to GoodBar for their $2 drinks (maybe get a little lit at home first before wandering downtown) and free music in the evening. That was weekend entertainment enough for us.

Whenever we moved to a new area, we looked to the recent immigrants to know where the cheapest groceries, services, etc. were. Maybe we were just lucky, but it seemed like--if you were willing to go with the local flow a little bit--you could make a real go of SoCal for very little money.

Healthcare costs might make it hard for retirees, I suppose. Back in 2004-2008 owning a house was out of the question. Now there seems to be a brief window when it might be possible again. I hope we can slip in through that window!

[trixie09]

Originally Posted by mlb

That's a great attitude...but if they make it unaffordable to live there - that's a problem.

We've been looking at anything from Ventura on up the coast to just below SFO for retirement and the only thing looming is what fiscal shape California will be in - in 10 years.

Will they be luring people back to live? Will they make it attractive to retire there? We'd love to live there too - we just want to be able to afford it.

You know, I've lived in SLO County and Ventura, but we relocated to Washington for my "ex" husband's job. I am moving back to California.

What we found is that even though people say that they're leaving California to find a cheaper place, it turns out.. it's not really cheaper. yes, you can find somewhat cheaper housing but not by that much anymore. Oregon has no sales tax, Washington has no income tax, BUT they get their money anyway through high property taxes, or income taxes in Oregon (higher than Calif.) etc. The utilities are more expensive, the food is outrageous. the gas prices are the same as California now (except for Santa Barbara and SLO Counties which are higher.) Turns out that other than finding more lower end homes (compared to SLO County or SB County) the costs are about the same.

Bottom line is you live where it makes you happiest. The mythical savings that people leave their home state for, rarely materialize unless they make a major change in their lifestyle. I have family in Iowa, and they often show me homes I could buy for half of what you'd pay anywhere on the West Coast. But in the end, you actually have to live there. With the heat, with the tornadoes, with a lifestyle that is not what I grew up with. Life is pretty short... I will never chase the idea of a cheaper place to live, again. And truly as a lifelong Californian who has been through every budget crisis, it never really affected my day to day life.

[HSP1161]

Originally Posted by sponger42

Hm. We found California--Ventura especially--to be the cheapest place we've lived in the USA. Even compared to the Midwest. We rented a very reasonable and spacious apartment near downtown Ventura, just steps to the beach. The 99c store nearby carried fresh fruits and veggies from the VC farms that were too ripe to go on the trucks. Can't beat entire watermelons for a buck. Of course, you can't find meat, but there was usually enough variety of greens and such to make great balanced meals all week once we learned which days the trucks came in. We carpooled to keep gas costs down, and our activities were mostly free or near-free. Heck, there's so many beaches and mountains within walking or biking distance, there's hardly any reason to spend money at all. Surf in the morning, BBQ afterwards for lunch, then do odd jobs around the house or just kick back with friends in the afternoon; Maybe head to GoodBar for their $2 drinks (maybe get a little lit at home first before wandering downtown) and free music in the evening. That was weekend entertainment enough for us.

Whenever we moved to a new area, we looked to the recent immigrants to know where the cheapest groceries, services, etc. were. Maybe we were just lucky, but it seemed like--if you were willing to go with the local flow a little bit--you could make a real go of SoCal for very little money.

Healthcare costs might make it hard for retirees, I suppose. Back in 2004-2008 owning a house was out of the question. Now there seems to be a brief window when it might be possible again. I hope we can slip in through that window!

+1, with the addition of some color on costs for transportation and taxes.

Why do you need a car? Ventura is easily the most pedestrian and bike-friendly city in the county, and quickly becoming one of the most bike/ped friendly in all of southern California. They've quietly added green boxes for better visibility for cyclists (a la Portland), drastically improved east-west connectivity on Loma Vista and are dutifully implementing a master bike plan that will address the sore spots (like Five Points) in town. It's mostly flat and the weather is unbeatable for cycling.

When you add the abundance of VISTA and Gold Coast bus routes, it is very possible to get away with one or no car.

The second point is Ventura has the lowest taxes anywhere in the state. Sales tax is at the (current) base 7.25% rate and there are few, if any, special assessments on property taxes.

We have seriously considered paying off our house early, going to a one car household and enjoying a simple life here.

[Dean Trails]

[quote=OpenSky;25748672
The second point is Ventura has the lowest taxes anywhere in the state. Sales tax is at the (current) base 7.25% rate and there are few, if any, special assessments on property taxes.

We have seriously considered paying off our house early, going to a one car household and enjoying a simple life here.[/quote]

You speak positively of things near and dear to my own situation. I too have looked at Ventura, and liked alot of what i saw. However, it seems crowded. Is that a true perception or perhaps a misobservation?

You surely can't beat the weather and those taxes!