randy 77zt Posted February 17, 2005 Share Posted February 17, 2005 i live in central california(modesto-ex home of scott peterson).this town is about 70 miles east of the bay area.thanks to the bay area people my house is worth some bucks.but here is the problem-the pay around here sucks.you have to commute to the bay area to make money.i dont want to spend 3 hours a day on the freeway .my neighbor just moved here from kentucky .he was working at some kind of sheet metal manufacturing plant .he said he was making around $20 an hour and his rent was $400 a month.since the houses on my street rent for $1200 a month to get that standard of living i would have to make around $35+ dollars an hour.i am ready to move out of california.my neighbor lives with his mom and sells harleys at the hd dealer.he is ready to move back east again.any good places to live for a auto technician? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zhadman Posted February 17, 2005 Share Posted February 17, 2005 I'm sooo tired of CA. We've been talking about moving to Arizona or Nevada. The cost of housing there is beginning to climb in responce to the So.Cal market. Starter homes in my neck of the woods cost $380,000. That's a crappy two bedroom, 1 car garage @ ~1000sqf. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted February 17, 2005 Share Posted February 17, 2005 Randy it sounds like you are living in a similar situation to me. I make a very respectable living, but drive 62 miles each way to make it. My home is now worth over $200K more than I paid for it five years ago, but if I sold it, I'd be in an inflated market. We're weighing our options and bottom line is I'm staying where I am for a few more years, and then we will leave the area all together. We'll pay off all our debt, and hopefully pay cash for the next home, and just have modest jobs, making a reasonable income for our budget. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueovalz Posted February 17, 2005 Share Posted February 17, 2005 Starter homes in my neck of the woods cost $380,000. That's a crappy two bedroom, 1 car garage @ ~1000sqf. Here in Arkansas that 380K will buy a 5 year old home at about 100/sq ft. (3800 sq ft with a 3 car garage and an acre of land). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zhadman Posted February 17, 2005 Share Posted February 17, 2005 Here in Arkansas that 380K will buy a 5 year old home at about 100/sq ft. (3800 sq ft with a 3 car garage and an acre of land). I know...It's crazy. My house in Oklahoma (stationed there for 5 years) cost 63k and was 1200 sq ft. with a 2 car garage and a large yard. Sometimes I miss the affordability that region offers. Pay is greater out here (typically) but it's not proportional. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tony78_280z Posted February 17, 2005 Share Posted February 17, 2005 Here in Southern Illinois we have very cheap real estate, because nobody makes any money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zhadman Posted February 17, 2005 Share Posted February 17, 2005 I make a very respectable living, but drive 62 miles each way to make it I only make a respectable living , and I have to drive 54 miles one way to do it, too. I still can't afford a house! Lol I'm hoping the California market will eventually adjust itself (it has to level off sometime). Recent demographic surveys showed that only 17% of Los Angeles residents could afford to buy thier homes at the current market value. That number drops to 13% in Orange County. I'm thinking there are alot of people getting 'interest only' loans to do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
innerware Posted February 17, 2005 Share Posted February 17, 2005 I don't think that the california market will ever truly adjust itself. I was living in a good size house with over an acre in CT for 1100 a month. That gets my wife and I an apt. at 700 sq ft. in Oakland. We can't afford to buy out here unless we moved to Sacramento. I just refuse to drive that much. With all the people moving here and the weather being as nice as it is. I just don't see the prices droping. It sucks too cause I don't see myself ever getting payed more than 5% more here than in the Boston area. Oh well, we will move back east in a year or so. The only good thing about that is being able to garage the car for the winter and work on it. LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zguitar71 Posted February 17, 2005 Share Posted February 17, 2005 I live in Missoula Montana. We have been going through a population boom over the last 10 years or so. The valley is surrounded by mountains so the area to build is limited and much of the open space around the city has been bought and turned to conservation lands by the city. So housing prices have gone way up. My 1000 sq ft house appraises around 175K now. Three years ago I bought it at the appraisal price which was 113K. Thats great for me but for a tiny starter home is way too expensive. The prices are much lower than CA but so are the wages. Montana ranks as the lowest percapita income in the nation. The average family (four people) makes just over 24k a year. In Missoula things are better the average is just under 40K a year. So two working people each making 20k is the equivilant of $10.50 per hour each. Our cost of living is 4% higher than the national average so things are not that great here either. People move here for the natural beauty, the low pay and high housing cost and rent (probably $850 a month for my house) is refered to as the scenery tax. I grew up in the south , Memphis TN, if I ever move from here I will go back to the south because the cost of living is way cheep down there and I can drive my car all year long and not worry about rust, the music scene and musicians are better, fresher fruit........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim240z Posted February 17, 2005 Share Posted February 17, 2005 Keep in mind that no where in the Country do houses appreciate Statewide like they do in CA. Sure the traffic sucks, and the left wing politics blow, and taxes are high, but I've made 200% on my house in 6 years. (just had it appraised for a refi two days ago). The median price for a single family home in my little coastal neighborhood is $465 per sqft. I WILL eventually move out of CA, but I certainly will not sell my real estate here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spdsk8r Posted February 17, 2005 Share Posted February 17, 2005 My wife and I just purchased a NEW 2200 sq. ft. walkout ranch on an acre of land for $174,900, that includes all appliances (stainless steel). It is just over the county line from Grand Rapids area (prices drop substantially in next county). I now have a 16 mile drive to work with very little traffic to contend with, and a 48 mile drive in the summer to our cottage on the lake. Also, Western Michigan has a lot of high-tech industry, not to mention much recreation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datsunlover Posted February 17, 2005 Share Posted February 17, 2005 heh.. try coming up here and see what 380k gets you! My mother bought her house 5 years ago for around the $200k mark (2200sq feet, 2.5 car garage, 1.8 acres of land) and it's worth about $275 now.. I'm living in a 1 bedroom apt, make $12/hour and the girlfriend makes $10/hour. $700/month for rent. We worked some rough figures out, and at this point we couldn't afford to even get into a $90k house.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Magnum Rockwilder Posted February 17, 2005 Share Posted February 17, 2005 Here in Arkansas that 380K will buy a 5 year old home at about 100/sq ft. (3800 sq ft with a 3 car garage and an acre of land). Arkansas has a VERY divided market, so making an accurate blanket statement isn't possible. My parents live in a 3500sq/ft home with a 2000sq/ft guest home out back, and they bought t for $92k in 2001. They're in a very depressed market. A typical starter home is in the 30's, and you can get 1-2br fixer-upper homes for as cheap as $10k. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zguitar71 Posted February 18, 2005 Share Posted February 18, 2005 My uncle lives in Arkansas, he paid around 80k for a 3000 sq ft home on 35 acres with a pecan orchard and several large out buildings. He lives in one of the more depresed areas though. He works at a pumping station for the corp of engineers so he makes a lot of money but most of the people around there are poor farmers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Magnum Rockwilder Posted February 18, 2005 Share Posted February 18, 2005 Where does he live? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Posted February 18, 2005 Share Posted February 18, 2005 I live 25 miles southeast of Dayton, Ohio, in a rural area. 5 acres, 2800 ft^2 house (well, that's counting the finished walkout basement, which the state considers square footage for property tax purposes!), 4-car garage - worth about $210K. It was worth the same or slightly more when when I bought it in the summer of 2001. Dayton is in decline, caused by a mixture of decline in manufacturing and family farms, failure to adapt to the high-tech economy, endemic racial tensions, and the lack of high-paying jobs. I've heard plenty of rumors about automotive mechanics being out of work (even those with ASE certification), because there's a glut of guys interested in the skilled trades. I moved here about 5 years ago, from Los Angeles. Those people itching to leave California should try moving to the Midwest; a couple of years out here, and you'll be crying to come back! I had no choice - my job transferred me. Anyway, in the 1990's Los Angeles was a tremendous real estate bargain. Prices more than doubled in the past several years, but I don't think it's a bubble - it's a rebound from the late 80's-early 90's decline and 90's stagnation. Of course, the Midwest is a great place if you have school-age children, are socially conservative, prefer a relaxed pace of life and don't mind the brutal winters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tannji Posted February 18, 2005 Share Posted February 18, 2005 ya, the midwest has its pro's and con's.... I am in Davenport Iowa... and its relatively inexpensive here... but the economy is pretty piss-poor, and from the indications, getting worse. I moved here from Denver, which I miss a ton.... but the difference in housing prices is staggering. I own a house on a fairly small lot, 80 years old, detached 80 year old single-car garage.... but the house is fairly big. I would pay around 250 to 300K in denver for a similar house/neighborhood.... but paid 125 here, and over-paid at that. (we needed this house, and needed it immediately) We run a daycare out of the house, which is a relatively stable and safe occupation, as long as you dont get sued or shut down by the state. Winters are great, as I am deathly allergic to the midwest in general, and winter affords me temporary relief. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evildky Posted February 18, 2005 Share Posted February 18, 2005 what part of Ky he from? I am in Louisville, KY I own a 1300 sqft home with a 4 car garage in 1/10 an acre (read as the garage is larger then the yard) in the city, worth maybe 110K, it's a very old house, in a lower middle class area, it woud rent for about 700 mo. I cant think af a part of town whetre you could rent a house for $400 unless you were setting up a crack house, there was a national survey recently in the local paper showing what you need to make in what cities to afford to live pay rent eat etc, Louisville was way down the list at $11 hr. but that was based on a 1 br apt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
randy 77zt Posted February 18, 2005 Author Share Posted February 18, 2005 modesto-80 miles south of sacramanto-80 miles east of sanfrancisco,1 hour by z car to yosemite.2 hours or so to lake tahoe.but my small house is worth some bucks.if you do manual labor work like auto repair your screwed.i quit work at the ford dealer because i was driving to work and spending more money gas then i was making because the stupid management hired too many people and most car mechanics are straight commission.average house here is $300k+.lucky i bought in 1993.there is a plant across town that makes trim parts for the toyota corolla plant in fremont.they pay $8 an hour and everybody speaks spanish there.the bill boards on the roads are in spanish here.time to move.i think i will buy an rv park in mexico.so the retired californians can pay me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueovalz Posted February 18, 2005 Share Posted February 18, 2005 Where does he live? Pecan trees, pumping station, and a economically depressed? I can only think of one place where all three exist and thats somewhere in the delta region near the Mississippi (Lake Village, Dermot area???) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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