California Home Prices Drop ...

Sheri257 · Nov 7, 2006

just to add me 2cents, i would love to live in ca, that's why i'm moving there after i graduate. everytime i tell someone my plans they say "it's so expensive to live there and i would never want to do that." it makes me mad too because they act like once i leave tx i can never come back! i keep reminding them, this is something i want to do. if they are going to help pay some rent, then i they can have something to say. other than that they can "shut it!"
that's all

well ... i'm going to take rn34tx's suggestion here and ask ...

what's so great about texas? just from reading posts from people who live there it's one of the most unfriendly nurse states in the country.

if the only problem with california is traffic and the cost of living ... i'll take california any day of the week.

in texas there's:

* no ratio law: so they get tons of patients.

* they can fire you at will if you refuse to take unsafe assignments or anything else for that matter.

* their so-called "safe harbour" provision is a joke. it puts the burden on you to protest unsafe assignments and they can still fire you anyway.

* wages barely keep up with inflation, if that. what's so great about cheap living if you're not making any money? at some point it turns into a losing proposition.

and let's not forget the infamous group one, where over 100 dallas area hospitals compile databases on nurses with questionable legality.

if you do refuse unsafe assignments, mandatory overtime or whatever ... they can put you into this database where any hospital can access unsubstantiated allegations against you and blacklist you for hiring without any due process.

if that's what the cheap cost of living buys you in texas ... forget about it.

it's like the old saying: you get what you pay for. cheap isn't going to help much when you're forced to work in miserable conditions and you're out of a job because they can fire you without cause.

with all of this ... it probably is a good idea to never go back.

:typing

prmenrs, RN · Nov 7, 2006

"Just to add me 2cents, I would LOVE to live in CA, that's why I'm moving there after I graduate. Everytime I tell someone my plans they say "it's so expensive to live there and I would never want to do that." It makes me mad too because they act like once I leave TX I can never come back! I keep reminding them, this is something I want to do. If they are going to help pay some rent, then I they can have something to say. Other than that they can "Shut it!"

That's all"

WELCOME TO CALIFORNIA!! When do you get here? And where are you looking @ living?

I went to Nsg school in NJ, but had no ties to the area; I considered it a 3 yr business trip. Needless to say, I was OUT OF THERE the day after I finished!! Took boards in CA cuz I couldn't see paying 2 states.

I've never been sorry.

YoungWiseWoman · Nov 8, 2006

well ... i'm going to take rn34tx's suggestion here and ask ...
what's so great about texas? just from reading posts from people who live there it's one of the most unfriendly nurse states in the country.
if the only problem with california is traffic and the cost of living ... i'll take california any day of the week.
in texas there's:
* no ratio law: so they get tons of patients.
* they can fire you at will if you refuse to take unsafe assignments or anything else for that matter.
* their so-called "safe harbour" provision is a joke. it puts the burden on you to protest unsafe assignments and they can still fire you anyway.
* wages barely keep up with inflation, if that. what's so great about cheap living if you're not making any money? at some point it turns into a losing proposition.
and let's not forget the infamous group one, where over 100 dallas area hospitals compile databases on nurses with questionable legality.
if you do refuse unsafe assignments, mandatory overtime or whatever ... they can put you into this database where any hospital can access unsubstantiated allegations against you and blacklist you for hiring without any due process.
if that's what the cheap cost of living buys you in texas ... forget about it.
it's like the old saying: you get what you pay for. cheap isn't going to help much when you're forced to work in miserable conditions and you're out of a job because they can fire you without cause.
with all of this ... it probably is a good idea to never go back.
:typing

uh, i not really sure where the angry rant came from, but i said "i am moving to ca." i think it all depends on what you like and what you want to experience. every state has its ups and downs. i have lived in texas all my life, so this place is all i know. i love it here, and i know if i don't like ca or anywhere else for that matter, i will probaly come back to texas. i want to experience something different and right now that's ca. i'm sure someone here can run down a list of pros and cons of any state they live or lived in, but really who cares?? live where you want, go where you want, do what you want! as long as your freedom is not taking money out of my pocket or slapping me in my face i could care less.

that's all. really. and maybe you should read my post again because your response is out of context.

seriously, that's all.

YoungWiseWoman · Nov 8, 2006

WELCOME TO CALIFORNIA!! When do you get here? And where are you looking @ living?

I went to Nsg school in NJ, but had no ties to the area; I considered it a 3 yr business trip. Needless to say, I was OUT OF THERE the day after I finished!! Took boards in CA cuz I couldn't see paying 2 states.

I've never been sorry.

Hi prmenrs!

Thanks for the welcome! I graduate in May, so I am coming after I take boards here. I'm not sure where I want to live. I've narrowed it down to the LA or San Diego area. Now I have to find a good hospital with a REALLY good new grad. program. After that I have to find out what area I want to live in. I am going into it blindly since I don't really know anyone there. It's scary because I don't have any guidance. I started posting on this board to try to get some insight. I'm sure things will start to come together and I'll be on my way!! I'm excited and scared, but I don't want to have any regrets about not moving. And like I said in my previous post, if I don't like it I can come back to Texas and be with my family.

Thanks again

That's all.

Sheri257 · Nov 8, 2006

And maybe you should read my post again because your response is out of context.

I'm sorry if you misunderstood what I was saying. My point was if people in Texas are giving you a hard time about moving to Cali ... maybe it's not such a bad idea to move.

Remember that I said:

If this California bashing keeps up ... I'm going to start some "Why Your State Sucks" threads. There's many states on my list, actually.

and RN34TX said:

LOL! You can start with Texas......that ought to keep you plenty busy for a long time before moving on to another state.

Since you also mentioned Texas, and people are giving you a hard time about moving, I was just taking RN34TX up on his suggestion. I wasn't fussing at you at all.

I think it's great that you want to move to Cali. Texas is a very tough state for nurses and, even a lot of Texas nurses say so.

:typing

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Nov 10, 2006

Keep in mind that I am a native Californian and will always have a place in my heart for California. It is a great place to live and I might return in a few years if the housing prices drop to an affordable level. However, I sold my California home last year and made the move to the Lone Star state because I hated the surrounding neighborhood.

In Texas there's no ratio law: so they get tons of patients.

You might as well say this about the other 48 states, since California is the only state that has ratio laws for acute care facilities.

Actually, I have found Texas to be enormously LVN-friendly. The Texas LVN pay rates tend to be slightly higher than many of the Southern California LVN pay rates. In addition, my license is less restrictive, as I am allowed to do IV therapy, IV pushes, and other things that California law would not have allowed me to do. I work at a nursing home and have 17 patients. Some of my former classmates who work as California LVNs care for 55 patients in the nursing home setting and are paid slightly less than me.

Bonny619 · Nov 10, 2006

I LOVE living in San Diego and wouldn't trade it for anything. We bought our house last October and it's still going up in value. The housing market will slow down, but I don't see it completely going backward.

fiveofpeep · Nov 13, 2006

I have been a California resident for my entire life and have lived all over from north to south and now I live in Orange County.

I can attest to both that the prices are outrageous, especially here, and that they have gone down.

My boyfriend's mother is a real estate agent and I have learned that the business is very cyclical. Right now everyone wants to sell so they keep lowering their prices but no one wants to buy even at those prices. :banghead:

But the prices here are still awful. I remember being like wow, $900,000 thats cheap! Now the same house is between 700-800 k and even some 600ks. And I think it is sad that I think that is cheap too!

P.S. California is awesome. The cost of living may be high but the wages compete with it.

peterpiper78 · Nov 13, 2006

First ... as I previously stated: my comment was directed not just to you but the large numbers of people who trash California on a regular basis.
There's dozens of states where I can't imagine why anyone would want to move there either. Mostly because I've lived in a lot of them.
But I don't go into in those state forums and tell them why I think their home town sucks.
If people don't like it here or think it's too expensive or whatever fine. THEN DON'T MOVE HERE.
But give it a rest ... for crying out loud.
If this California bashing keeps up ... I'm going to start some "Why Your State Sucks" threads. There's many states on my list, actually.

I moved from Lousiana to Long Beach four years ago. I must say, in my opinion its not bashing, its true. you have to pay over a half a million dollars to get a piece of crap house with no yard. after all the hard work through nursing school, one should be able to reward his/herself with a nice house. that is why you dont hear other states getting bashed. Their weather may not be as good but i bet you can find affordable and spacious housing and not worry about the amount of crowding we suffer here. So maybe you should be more realistic about this place for what it is.

peterpiper78 · Nov 13, 2006

lizz, no offense but you should educate yourself more about other places. Its not really california bashing because people think it is inflated here. Have you ever been to the places you want to start your "reasons I hate your state list"? besides we are all to old for this. its a matter of opinion. and if you dont like other peoples opinion then you should just be fine with it. its like you are taking the fact that cali is kind of overatted personal. nobody said that lizz is overated or too expensive. for god's sake take it easy. btw texas is a great state for nurses. you are speaking of horror stories about their ratios and blacklisting. trust me i know

LydiaNN · Nov 13, 2006

lizz, no offense but you should educate yourself more about other places. Its not really california bashing because people think it is inflated here. Have you ever been to the places you want to start your "reasons I hate your state list"? besides we are all to old for this. its a matter of opinion. and if you dont like other peoples opinion then you should just be fine with it. its like you are taking the fact that cali is kind of overatted personal. nobody said that lizz is overated or too expensive. for god's sake take it easy. btw texas is a great state for nurses. you are speaking of horror stories about their ratios and blacklisting. trust me i know

If people are so entitled to speak their opinion, then lizz is certainly entitled to speak her's as well. It is way out of line, not to mention unreasonable, for you to think you have the right to tell anyone what they ''should'' be fine with. Lizz isn't the only person who has tired of the California bashing, either.

prmenrs, RN · Nov 13, 2006

I've lived in CA for a LOTTA years. I've owned a home for 20+yrs. It's probably one of the lowest priced homes in town that isn't a teardown. The real estate market is always an interesting thing. The prices have backed off a bit lately, more in some communities than others. I've heard the "experts" call it a "market adjustment".

It is definitely a buyers market right now. I made a mistake and re-fi'd this last August. But it hasn't lost very much @ all. The property is still worth close to 5x what I bought it for. I'll make the $$ up eventually, I'm more annoyed than anything.

Since this is still a "starter" property, I'm not worried about selling it.

CA is a fun place to live. I lived in lots of places growing up. That meant I was able to make a choice about where to live after school. Since I moved so much as a kid, I wanted to live in one place and get a cat. I also wanted great weather, lots of men, a convertible, family in the area. San Diego had all of that. I'm happy.