is it possible 2 afford a 3br/2ba house in cal?

Sheri257 · Mar 18, 2007

Good deal. Where I live the average house (and that is 3 bed 2 bath) is 700k. I have a lot of saving to do.

Wow ... let's hope the market crashes big time in your area. A 20 percent correction would, at least, reduce prices by $140K.

:typing

Nicky032605 · Mar 18, 2007

wow! Has anyone considered Coachella Valley. I consider it the perfect place to be located. Rancho Mirage, Palm Springs, and Palm Desert are all somewhat expensive, but Thousand Palms is fairly inexpensive. There is not a lot of crime and the Valley is fairly large. Most of the Crime is in Cathedral City and Desert Hot Springs. I have lived here for 7 years. It is VERY hot in the summer. I believe last year it topped at 124 degrees. Although I would say that is only for June through September. This year we didn't get much rain. At first the heat is hard to bare, but after a few years, everywhere else feels cold to me and I can't wait for the summer. The winter is THE PERFECT WEATHER. Right now it's about 80 degrees and breezy. Kinda feels like a day at the beach without the ocean. We are only an hour and a half to two hours from the beach. I frequently go to San Diego. I would much rather live here than deal with all that traffic!!!! I read on another thread that the wages in San Diego (20-30 per hour) suck compared to L.A. (30-40 per hour) becuase they have the navel station. For some reason that plays a part.

I lived in Palm Springs and am glad glad glad I live in Palm Desert now. I noticed that most of the homes are selling in Palm Springs on the street I used to live on. I can't tell you what a great community it is to be a part of. I defenitly don't feel I have to worry about my 2 year old and the schools are great here. Indio is growing rapidly right now with lots of construction. I can't say for sure how safe it is, and the streets seem to be rundown. It used to be considered the city where lots of mexicans with low incomes would live becuase of the low cost of housing, but still close to the major cities. There are beatiful hospitals around here. There is Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, Eisenhower in Rancho Mirage, and J.F.K Medical Center in Indio. You can reach any place in the valley in no more than 45 min. There is little traffic in summer due to so many snowbirds leaving. Then in winter when they come back, it takes a little longer. In Palm Desert, there is El Paseo and the Gardens which is considered to be like Rodeo Drive. I have never been to Rodeo Drive, so all I can say is thats what people say. There are beautiful, lush, large parks for children to play in all over the Valley, the best one being in Palm Desert by the College of the Desert (community college). There is also an off campus extension of UCSB at College of the Desert (COD). I would avoid Cathedral City. I would say the best places to live are Rancho Mirage (expensive), Palm Desert (expensive), Palm Springs ( other end of valley, semi-expensive, and downtown/Desert Sands area is known for its Homosexual population if you don't mind that, and some crime... Desert Regional closed down one of their wards, so transients have been released onto the streets since the nearest one is in San Berardino), Thousand Palms ( 10 minute drive to all major cities in area, and housing is less expensive.. being built up right now. Now is the time to buy for that area as in 10 to 20 years the property will be double its value), and La Quinta is very expensive. You want to stay away from Cathedral City and especially Desert Hot springs. DHS is known for drugs (outskirts from the major cities here), and all the homes have bars on them. What a contrast!!! I would be more than happy to fill you in on any info you want. I have lived in california for the past 10 years. Of all the places to live in Southern Cali, I would chose the Coachella Valley. Feel free to PM me. Good Luck.

Sheri257 · Mar 18, 2007

It is VERY hot in the summer. I believe last year it topped at 124 degrees. Although I would say that is only for June through September. This year we didn't get much rain. At first the heat is hard to bare, but after a few years, everywhere else feels cold to me and I can't wait for the summer. The winter is THE PERFECT WEATHER. Right now it's about 80 degrees and breezy.

We've never gotten up to 124 in the summer. I think 110 is about the worst we've had in my area but, if people are worried about desert heat in the summer ... just make sure you buy a house with a pool.

That's what we did. Once you jump in the pool, the heat doesn't make much difference, at least to me. Of course everybody you know who doesn't have a pool starts coming over uninvited and that can be somewhat of a problem but ... I just make sure to keep my dogs in the front yard so I don't have unexpected visitors.

It is true that you get used to the heat. I'm the kind of person that freezes in air conditioning so ... it really hasn't bothered me that much. My husband, on the other hand, is always hot so ... he pretty much stays in the pool all summer.

Nicky032605 · Mar 18, 2007

We've never gotten up to 124 in the summer. I think 110 is about the worst we've had in my area but, if people are worried about desert heat in the summer ... just make sure you buy a house with a pool.

Not sure where you live, but last year here in Palm Desert the heat got up to 122 - 124 degrees. Maybe you were out of town? Not something you forget, lol.

And yes, a pool is a MUST. Although in the middle of summer, it tends to feel more like a warm bath. At least we don't have humidity. That would be the end of me!

Sheri257 · Mar 18, 2007

Not sure where you live, but last year here in Palm Desert the heat got up to 122 - 124 degrees. Maybe you were out of town? Not something you forget, lol.

I'm in the High Desert close to the Cajon Pass so, we usually get enough marine layer to cool things down a bit. It can get down to the '80s even in summer. But, if there's no marine layer then it can get up to 110.

However, we're having a really warm spring so ... it may be really hot in the summer again this year, unless the marine layer kicks in. Of course with global warming ... it might not.

:typing

turbohound · Mar 18, 2007

Last year, I sold my 3bd 2ba home in the SF Bay area, for $740k. Just an average, family home. The price of living in the Golden State.

Maine Critical Care · Mar 18, 2007

Here is my plug for Northern California and the Bay Area. Many nurses live in surrounding areas and commute 30-45 minutes for the better wages near San Francisco. New grad day shift pay is near $40/ hour in a benefited job where I work. Nights is 20% more. After 25 years and top of the heap, I make nearly $60 on days. There are houses starting around $500 K in the 3/2 market. My husband is a realtor and works for Century 21. Anything is possible, but sticker shock is a real factor. If your credit is great, you can get in and make it work.

Sheri257 · Mar 19, 2007

And yes, a pool is a MUST. Although in the middle of summer, it tends to feel more like a warm bath. At least we don't have humidity. That would be the end of me!

Ah ... that's true. In some desert areas, the pool water can get quite warm in summer. A friend of mine who lives closer to your area than I do has that same problem. I'm not sure why but our pool water stays cool all summer. The temp will rise but it never actually gets warm. Maybe it's because we have a lot of trees that shade the pool. Or, maybe it's because some desert areas are relatively cooler than others.

We are in the High Desert at 3000-4000 elevation so, that is also probably why we're somewhat cooler than low desert areas in summer. On the other hand, we also get a lot colder during the winter.

:typing

Sheri257 · Mar 21, 2007

I was listening to a news report just yesterday, and the housing market is getting really bad which, actually, is good news for buyers. Wells Fargo just had to lay off a bunch of people in their loan department because of it.

They're now predicting the highest foreclosure rates in history, especially in California. They think it may be just as bad, if not worse than the Great Depression. Because of all of the crazy loans where people borrowed much more than they could afford, plus adjustable rate loans that are going through the roof ...

They figure at least 20 percent of the homes that were bought in the last two years will foreclose in the next two years.

That's when people will be able to pick up good deals on homes, IMO. The only downside is that the banks are tightening up on their lending policies ... it will be very important to have a good down payment, good income and good credit. The days of easy home loans are gone.

Still ... I think Cali homes are going to get more affordable in the next couple of years.

:typing

warhawk · Mar 21, 2007

WOW!!!

i'm overwhelmed (sp??) from the many responses to my thread. as you all know, i'm an rn in the beautiful florida gulf coast. i'm doing research on great places 2 live as an rn. i luv florida but our housing insurance is ridiculously going up in prices d/t the hurricanes of the past 3 years. the florida gulf coast was considered a "low cost of living area" but NOT if u r a homeowner. so far i am able 2 afford living in the florida gulf coast; however i am researching cali4nia as a potential place 2 live. my first research will b the golden state, and possibly houston, tx.... and possibly atlanta. i luv cali. i used 2 visit every other summer during the 90's when i was single and fell in love w/ your state.

i want 2 thank..... malern2b, lilsassyrn, ben123, the commuter, lizz, mecyteapot, halinja, sisukas, bonny619, randybayrn, mainecriticalcare, nicky032605, and turbohound 4 your valuable input and takes. please continue w/ updated responses 2 my thread regarding 3b3/2ba houses 4 rn and salaries 4 a nurse of 8-9 years (lpn '98/rb 'rn 2003). pm anytime!!!

WARHAWK320

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Mar 21, 2007

i luv florida but our housing insurance is ridiculously going up in prices d/t the hurricanes of the past 3 years.

I moved away from California in late 2005, and my homeowner's insurance policy for a 2-story 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom house cost $350 for 1 year. Of course, this was in Bakersfield, which has a low risk of natural disasters such as earthquakes. I sold this particular house for $260,000 in 2005, and it was built in 2002, so it is possible that you could be living in a newer Southern California home for under the $300,000 mark.

my first research will b the golden state, and possibly houston, tx.... and possibly atlanta. i luv cali.

I moved to Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas about a year and a half ago. My brand-new 1,900 square foot house in a good school district cost $104,000. The only downsides to Texas homeownership are the expensive property taxes and homeowner's insurance, as we are located at the south end of tornado alley. But the wages and cost of utilities are very reasonable.

Haunted · Mar 22, 2007

I have a 3 bedroom 2 bath condo in a great area of Irvine just sitting vacant. It has hardwood floors, close to all the best hospitals, Hoag is literally just down the street as well as the new Kaiser hospital. I am no realtor but I would buy it. The proerty values in that area are going up. It's a great neighborhood close to the pool and lake. Lemme know. I'm here in Nashville but I always wanted to rent it out. Maybe that would work for you for a short period of time before you really commit. It's a single story with a huge gated patio, great if you have pets. PM me and let me know.

It's clean, french doors, wood/gas fireplace with tons of storage and there are lot's of folks in the "industry" in the neighborhood.