I recently moved back to Seattle, and spent the summer looking for daycare. Centers are pricy; most are at least $1800 for a toddler and $1600 for preschoolers. We found that the only way to keep our childcare expenses under $3k a month (1yr old and 3 yr old) is to have them at two different in homes. I did find some cheaper in homes (one at under $1k/mo) but we picked convenience over price. As for housing, we aren't planning to buy any time soon because prices are crazy. There are definitely parts of Seattle where you can rent a 2-3br apartment for under $2k.
PM me if you want to talk more about relocating to Seattle! We've found that being closer to family is so helpful with young kids--even if it means sacrificing our standard of living.
I live in the Inland Empire and work in the area so my commute isn't bad but the IE is pretty large and your commute can be over an hour dependent on work and home locations. Traffic is starting to get bad on some freeways due to housing tracts popping up like crazy (again) but not LA bad. The housing prices have been rising and the further west in the IE you go, the more expensive the homes (Rancho Cucamonga) as is the further south (toward SD, in the Temecula area) you go with some exceptions. You can get a lot more house and for a lot less than SD, LA, OC areas. I've been looking and decided to stay put for now. We are starting to see more growth out here as far as housing and shopping areas which makes it not as bad to live here.
H works in DTLA and the commute is terrible. We don't live on the western end so it takes up to 4 hours to get home at times but usually about 2.5-3 when he gets off before the crazy rush hour traffic hits. His drive there is about 1.5 hours but he leaves very early. BIL lives in Corona and commutes to LA and with FastTrak and he says the drive isn't too bad for him. A lot of people in my area commute to San Diego.
I lived in Oceanside for awhile and would prefer to live in North County vs IE but as far as affordability goes, IE wins.
It's been awhile, but the last time I called to find out daycare prices at Kindercare it was $180/wk-$220/wk. That was 5 years ago.
H works in DTLA and the commute is terrible. We don't live on the western end so it takes up to 4 hours to get home at times but usually about 2.5-3 when he gets off before the crazy rush hour traffic hits. His drive there is about 1.5 hours but he leaves very early. BIL lives in Corona and commutes to LA and with FastTrak and he says the drive isn't too bad for him. A lot of people in my area commute to San Diego.
4 hours to get home??? That's insane! Does he commute daily or just occasionally?
H works in DTLA and the commute is terrible. We don't live on the western end so it takes up to 4 hours to get home at times but usually about 2.5-3 when he gets off before the crazy rush hour traffic hits. His drive there is about 1.5 hours but he leaves very early. BIL lives in Corona and commutes to LA and with FastTrak and he says the drive isn't too bad for him. A lot of people in my area commute to San Diego.
4 hours to get home??? That's insane! Does he commute daily or just occasionally?
During the week he stays with his sister who lives closer to the LA area. It works for now and he's been doing it for a year but it's not sustainable long term. We'll figure something else out soon. One of his coworkers commutes daily from Temecula and that's a little further than us. The 4 hours is usually on Fridays. Other days it's closer to 2.5-3.
Our numbers are pretty close to that. $650K in 2009; $950K now. I guess that's something ...
Something? That's a huge jump...?
We bought in 2006 in the NYC metro for $500k. I don't think we could get more than $400k today. We are in the process of buying another house, and are holding onto our existing to rent it out. Otherwise we'll be selling for less than what we paid.
Holy cow, you guys. I knew that the west coast was expensive, but some of these numbers are blowing my mind.
And compared to manhattan, I'm like "GIMME."
If things go well with H's job, we plan to follow his boss to San Diego in 2019. I can't wait to be able to afford to buy! I appreciate everyone sharing details here.
If things go well with H's job, we plan to follow his boss to San Diego in 2019. I can't wait to be able to afford to buy! I appreciate everyone sharing details here.
I love San Diego and if I didn't have south OC/San Clemente as my #1 it would be northern San Diego
Ah this makes me so happy to hear!
We've been steered towards Encinitas / Carlsbad by his boss but I also want close proximity to downtown so I'm thinking Del Mar or Solana beach? We have a trip booked in January & I look forward to getting my bearings. I've only been to California once, and that was over a decade ago. But after up and moving to NYC a couple of year ago, it seems less scary. Plus the weather 😍😍
We've been steered towards Encinitas / Carlsbad by his boss but I also want close proximity to downtown so I'm thinking Del Mar or Solana beach? We have a trip booked in January & I look forward to getting my bearings. I've only been to California once, and that was over a decade ago. But after up and moving to NYC a couple of year ago, it seems less scary. Plus the weather 😍😍
Any and all tips are welcome.
You cannot lose with any of those places but Carlsbad is the furthest north and bc of that I'd prob rank it last among those.
Our friends moved to Solana Beach and bought a 3/1 fixer upper for 1.1mil last year. So, it's nice you have some time to save up more lol
We're hoping for a couple of good bonuses, but at any rate that's what one bedrooms are going for in our 'hood. Per Zillow, recent 1BR sales have ranged between $777k-2.5M with an additional $13-25k in HOA + property taxes. It's just not ever going to make sense. And after 7 years of downtown living, I'm ready for at least some semi-private outdoor space.
Post by Queen Mamadala on Sept 19, 2017 19:43:15 GMT -5
I grew up in SD and South Bay (Chula Vista), and lived downtown and Mira Mesa many years ago. The COL is what makes it impossible for us to move there. Before moving to Sac, I lived in Vista and paid $1550 for a 2bd 2 bath apartment and when I priced after school childcare, $600 a/mo per kid.
I'll just echo everyone else re: San Francisco (where I grew up and my extended family still lives) and the Inland Empire. We both work in the IE, so our commutes are under 30min.
As far as childcare costs in the IE, I'm in the west end and infant care was around $280ish/wk for DD2 at a franchised center.
Eta: Parts of the IE are solidly red and not very diverse, if that's a major consideration for you. My area has gotten better in those respects since I moved here 15 years ago from SF, but it was a huge culture shock for me initially.
I'm in Phoenix, ditto sangria about the east valley. Also the northwest valley (Peoria, etc). We have a good MCOL here, so I think your money would go much farther than in CA or Seattle. However, Phoenix is HUUUUUGE, as in very very spread out, so for specifics, we'd have to know where your office is located here. I wouldn't automatically assume downtown. Our downtown is not typical of most - your company could just as easily be located by the Scottsdale airport, or the 101 corridor in the east valley, or by sky harbor.
Even though I've lived here essentially my whole life, DH and I have also discussed Las Vegas should his company ever ask him to relocate. We were fine with that for awhile, but I think they've had a bust in recent years and there's not much going on there outside of the casino industry. I'm given to understand it's also much smaller and has less on offer than Phoenix.
It's downtown, near chase field. We also have relatives in Phoenix (although we are mixed in whether this is good or bad, lol). I've spent a lot of time there and like the lifestyle. I have friends who live there, but I know we'd hardly see them if we lived across town. The tourism in Vegas is good for both of our industries, but I agree with what you are saying about the size and economy.
Post by ellipses84 on Sept 19, 2017 23:55:48 GMT -5
I think we chose the wrong careers...We both LOVE what we do but our jobs are demanding and the only way we make it work with kids is because we have different schedules. I work for an amazing company I really want to stay with, but my type of employer is almost always in the downtown of a city, and the competitors are always close by. I would love to move to a mid-size city with lower COL, but it's really not best for my career and if the economy tanked and one of us lost our jobs, there'd be less opportunities and we'd have to move again. We seem to be stuck in an endless long commute/HCOL situation no matter where are, and adding kids and daycare to the mix makes that even harder. We are not considering the east coast or Midwest due to distance from family and weather.
Also please correct me if north SD =\= north county SD. I'm learning.
It depends on what part of North County you are talking about. North County Coastal is not part of the city of San Diego; city limits end right around UCSD/Del Mar. North County Inland does include the city of San Diego; the city limit extends north to Rancho Bernardo, Del Dios/Lake Hodges and parts of the San Pasqual Valley (area where I live). The communities of Mira Mesa, Scripps Ranch, Carmel Valley, Rancho Penasquitos, Del Dios and Rancho Bernardo are all in the city limits even though though they are a good 15-30 miles north of downtown San Diego. The city is huge and a lot of people who live in it seem to forget that.
You will get more house for your $$ if you stick to communities away from the coast and downtown. $1.2 million in my neighborhood gets you a huge house (3000 sq ft to 6500 sq ft) and anywhere from 2-8 acres of land. $1.2 million in Solana Beach gets you an 1100 sq ft tear down or a small condo. $1.2 million in downtown San Diego gets you a 1 or 2 bed/2 bath condo. Housing prices are all over the place and if you are willing to have some type of commute you should be able to find what you want in your price range.
Honestly, 4500 sq feet and multiple acres of land to maintain sounds like a ton of work, but we've only ever lived in tiny 1br/1ba apartments. We hope to rent for at least 1 year to make sure the fit is right. H also wants to time a market "correction" but I think he'll be holding his breath for awhile.
My family still lives in San Jose/Daly City and we thought about moving back because my parents are getting older but I can't stomach the cost of living.
I live 45 minutes south of Seattle and it's getting expensive here as well but at least we're already established and bought our place when the housing market was down.
I'm FLOORED that a non upgraded house in Daly City is literally close to a million. In 2010 these houses were in the mid to high 400k. And its cute how they list for 850k but end up selling for 100-200k+ over list price. www.redfin.com/CA/Daly-City/89-Penhurst-Ave-94015/home/1921062
over a million ... a co-worker recently sold her mother's home in SSF/DC for $1.25M cash and that was before it even hit the market :/
I'll just echo everyone else re: San Francisco (where I grew up and my extended family still lives) and the Inland Empire. We both work in the IE, so our commutes are under 30min.
Having a tolerable commute is crucial. The highest influx of people coming out to IE are from OC, according to our neighbor broker. YOU COULDN'T PAY ME TO COMMUTE BACK TO OC OR LA. It seems like a great idea, saving hundreds of thousands, but honestly that commute will suck your soul. I've had to be on the road at 4:00 a.m. or earlier some days to get flights out of John Wayne or LAX and the amount of traffic is astounding. If we both got jobs in LA, we would have to drastically downsize and move. It's not worth it.
On the other hand, the commute from Temecula to San Diego is not bad at all. The traffic is pretty normal heading southbound, and there's only a few slow-downs in the later afternoons/evenings. I don't think the job market is quite as robust in San Diego, though, which is why there's a higher percentage of former OC-dwellers where we live.
We paid $500k in 2012 and it's worth around $800k now.
Jenny, this is so awesome.
It's bananas out here re: RE! Our house definitely doesn't look like an $800k home, trust me! We're on a busy street (bus line) and still have the 1942 floor plan.
Having so much equity means we might be able to do a master suite addition though, which would be amazing. Right now we all share the upstairs bathroom in the morning and I don't see that going well once the girls are in middle school lol.
I'm in Phoenix, ditto sangria about the east valley. Also the northwest valley (Peoria, etc). We have a good MCOL here, so I think your money would go much farther than in CA or Seattle. However, Phoenix is HUUUUUGE, as in very very spread out, so for specifics, we'd have to know where your office is located here. I wouldn't automatically assume downtown. Our downtown is not typical of most - your company could just as easily be located by the Scottsdale airport, or the 101 corridor in the east valley, or by sky harbor.
Even though I've lived here essentially my whole life, DH and I have also discussed Las Vegas should his company ever ask him to relocate. We were fine with that for awhile, but I think they've had a bust in recent years and there's not much going on there outside of the casino industry. I'm given to understand it's also much smaller and has less on offer than Phoenix.
Agree to all- especially if you are interested in pro or college sports, major concert tours, entertainment events etc. Phoenix has all 4 major pro sports teams and Vegas has zero. We also have ASU (Go Devils!).
But like mcsangel said, the valley is BIG. I live in the east valley and if I was driving to the west side not during rush hour, it would probably take me 40-45 min depending on where. So you def want to consider job location before looking into specific neighborhoods here. Otherwise you could end up with a really crappy commute. I don't want anything to do with the 101 heading into Scottsdale or the 10 into downtown during rush hour.
I'm in Phoenix, ditto sangria about the east valley. Also the northwest valley (Peoria, etc). We have a good MCOL here, so I think your money would go much farther than in CA or Seattle. However, Phoenix is HUUUUUGE, as in very very spread out, so for specifics, we'd have to know where your office is located here. I wouldn't automatically assume downtown. Our downtown is not typical of most - your company could just as easily be located by the Scottsdale airport, or the 101 corridor in the east valley, or by sky harbor.
Even though I've lived here essentially my whole life, DH and I have also discussed Las Vegas should his company ever ask him to relocate. We were fine with that for awhile, but I think they've had a bust in recent years and there's not much going on there outside of the casino industry. I'm given to understand it's also much smaller and has less on offer than Phoenix.
It's downtown, near chase field. We also have relatives in Phoenix (although we are mixed in whether this is good or bad, lol). I've spent a lot of time there and like the lifestyle. I have friends who live there, but I know we'd hardly see them if we lived across town. The tourism in Vegas is good for both of our industries, but I agree with what you are saying about the size and economy.
Check out Arcadia neighborhood. It's really nice, especially for families.
I'll just echo everyone else re: San Francisco (where I grew up and my extended family still lives) and the Inland Empire. We both work in the IE, so our commutes are under 30min.
Having a tolerable commute is crucial. The highest influx of people coming out to IE are from OC, according to our neighbor broker. YOU COULDN'T PAY ME TO COMMUTE BACK TO OC OR LA. It seems like a great idea, saving hundreds of thousands, but honestly that commute will suck your soul. I've had to be on the road at 4:00 a.m. or earlier some days to get flights out of John Wayne or LAX and the amount of traffic is astounding. If we both got jobs in LA, we would have to drastically downsize and move. It's not worth it.
On the other hand, the commute from Temecula to San Diego is not bad at all. The traffic is pretty normal heading southbound, and there's only a few slow-downs in the later afternoons/evenings. I don't think the job market is quite as robust in San Diego, though, which is why there's a higher percentage of former OC-dwellers where we live.
The southbound commute from Temecula to SD is getting worse in the morning. My mom commutes from SD to Murrieta for work and the southbound 15 is slowly turning into a parking lot. The northbound commute is a nightmare if you head up any time after 3pm. I drive up to Temecula every 3 weeks and when I have a 5 pm appointment I need to leave by 3 pm in order to get there by 4/4:30; if I leave any later than 3 pm I wont get there until 5 pm or later. When I drove up there a few weeks ago on a Thursday it took 30 minutes just to get from the border checkpoint to Rancho California Rd (less than a 6 mile drive). They are going to build a new interchange at the 15/79 with an estimated completion date of Dec 2018 but there have already been delays on the project.
I've been in Seattle for a year. Don't do it! It is way too expensive here. We pay $2,800 a month for a house built in 1947 that is well maintained and in an excellent neighborhood. We did that so that my husband could commute to work on his bike. It's a 6 minute ride down the Burke-Gillman. Groceries are expensive and traffic can be terrible. I know people that commute up to 2 hours so they don't pay the expensive housing costs here. Nothing in my neighborhood has sold for under $800,000 in the past 6 months.
Someone mentioned the Seattle summers and while nice, we basically had no rain but what we did get were wildfires and the smoke from those. On July 4th it was 73 degrees (basically an early spring day in the south) but then it did get warmer. Most homes don't have a.c. so keep that in mind if you're looking because the temps can climb up there. We installed a window unit a.c. in the bedroom and bought fans to keep our dogs cool.
My husband loves his job here; however, coming from Houston to the west coast is going to be sticker shock. Have you looked into the midwest or southeast at all?
I'll just echo everyone else re: San Francisco (where I grew up and my extended family still lives) and the Inland Empire. We both work in the IE, so our commutes are under 30min.
Having a tolerable commute is crucial. The highest influx of people coming out to IE are from OC, according to our neighbor broker. YOU COULDN'T PAY ME TO COMMUTE BACK TO OC OR LA. It seems like a great idea, saving hundreds of thousands, but honestly that commute will suck your soul. I've had to be on the road at 4:00 a.m. or earlier some days to get flights out of John Wayne or LAX and the amount of traffic is astounding. If we both got jobs in LA, we would have to drastically downsize and move. It's not worth it.
On the other hand, the commute from Temecula to San Diego is not bad at all. The traffic is pretty normal heading southbound, and there's only a few slow-downs in the later afternoons/evenings. I don't think the job market is quite as robust in San Diego, though, which is why there's a higher percentage of former OC-dwellers where we live.
H commuted from our place to Garden Grove daily for 4 years. He didn't realize how soul crushing it was until he stopped. If he hadn't gotten laid off from that job, he'd pretty much see the kids for maaaaybe 30 minutes tops each day.
He also commuted to Hollywood for a while for a different job and that was even worse.
I've been in Seattle for a year. Don't do it! It is way too expensive here. We pay $2,800 a month for a house built in 1947 that is well maintained and in an excellent neighborhood. We did that so that my husband could commute to work on his bike. It's a 6 minute ride down the Burke-Gillman. Groceries are expensive and traffic can be terrible. I know people that commute up to 2 hours so they don't pay the expensive housing costs here. Nothing in my neighborhood has sold for under $800,000 in the past 6 months.
Someone mentioned the Seattle summers and while nice, we basically had no rain but what we did get were wildfires and the smoke from those. On July 4th it was 73 degrees (basically an early spring day in the south) but then it did get warmer. Most homes don't have a.c. so keep that in mind if you're looking because the temps can climb up there. We installed a window unit a.c. in the bedroom and bought fans to keep our dogs cool.
My husband loves his job here; however, coming from Houston to the west coast is going to be sticker shock. Have you looked into the midwest or southeast at all?
I've lived in every state on the west coast, but I'm trying to get an idea of how much things have changed. We were paying more for rent in Houston than our mortgage in SoCal was 3 years ago, but it seems prices have skyrocketed since then. Seattle prices are crazy compared to 3, or 10, years ago. Guess I should have bought and held onto property in both places so we could afford to move back someday. My DH can't work year round in a place that snows more than a couple times a year and my job is tied to large cities/international airports. We were feeling too far from family on the west coast and I don't want to live somewhere else prone to hurricanes after what we went through.
NYTimes has an article today saying 56% of California is considering moving away because of housing costs.
If you look at the underlying poll, 84% of registered voters throughout the state think affordable housing is either an extremely serious or a somewhat serious problem in the area where they live.
I've been in Seattle for a year. Don't do it! It is way too expensive here. We pay $2,800 a month for a house built in 1947 that is well maintained and in an excellent neighborhood. We did that so that my husband could commute to work on his bike. It's a 6 minute ride down the Burke-Gillman. Groceries are expensive and traffic can be terrible. I know people that commute up to 2 hours so they don't pay the expensive housing costs here. Nothing in my neighborhood has sold for under $800,000 in the past 6 months.
Someone mentioned the Seattle summers and while nice, we basically had no rain but what we did get were wildfires and the smoke from those. On July 4th it was 73 degrees (basically an early spring day in the south) but then it did get warmer. Most homes don't have a.c. so keep that in mind if you're looking because the temps can climb up there. We installed a window unit a.c. in the bedroom and bought fans to keep our dogs cool.
My husband loves his job here; however, coming from Houston to the west coast is going to be sticker shock. Have you looked into the midwest or southeast at all?
I've lived in every state on the west coast, but I'm trying to get an idea of how much things have changed. We were paying more for rent in Houston than our mortgage in SoCal was 3 years ago, but it seems prices have skyrocketed since then. Seattle prices are crazy compared to 3, or 10, years ago. Guess I should have bought and held onto property in both places so we could afford to move back someday. My DH can't work year round in a place that snows more than a couple times a year and my job is tied to large cities/international airports. We were feeling too far from family on the west coast and I don't want to live somewhere else prone to hurricanes after what we went through.
What about Dallas or Atlanta?
If you were to move here I would suggest further west in the state versus Seattle. Prices have definitely increased and there are a ton of bay area folks moving here. I hope you get it figured out.
It's getting/is unattainable for even higher earners to buy homes in LA and SF/San Jose.
Yup, I don't know how my parents are surviving. Everybody else are shacked up with each other, sharing the rent. My parents are paying $3,500 for rent.
To keep our current lifestyle and live in San Jose, DH and I have to be earning at least $150k....EACH. *cries*
Woah. That's more than my husband and I make combined. We relocated to the Midwest and own a 3 bedroom home with a huge yard in a great school district. We paid 200k. Being from Seattle I needed a liberal big city vibe and I love it here.