JMortensen Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 Want to talk yourself out of CA? Try to find a house that you really like, then check the price. Find out what the job situation is like in that area and how the wages are. This was a better test 2 years ago, when a 1400 sq ft house in the city I grew up in was estimated at $750K to $900K. Probably down to $500K, but still, coming from TX I'm sure there will still be a good amount of sticker shock. CA is beautiful, and I spent my first 28 years there. When I left I figured out how much cheaper it is to be in WA. Now I look around and think I should find somewhere cheaper yet. Maybe I'll end up in TX... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon 74 260Z Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 Two years ago, I would have replied with something like this: "Want to talk yourself into CA? Try to find another place in the country where after living in a house for five years, you sell it and the bank gives you bank all the money you paid them -- down payment, principal, interest, insurance, taxes plus repairs and whatever you spent at Home Depot." But today...., errrr......., ummmm...... I'm not saying that anymore. To quote a friend of mine, "Living in CA is like crack: It's addictive and you can't afford it. So don't start." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavyZ Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 ....I just looked at it on the map (Lake Tahoe), and it's a bit too far out of reach for us - we have everything plotted out and have certain checkpoints that we need to be at certain times. The pictures on the internet make it look very appealing, though. Thanks anyways for the tip... Ah, Lake Tahoe is certainly one place you should have visited--one of the best places in the Sierra Nevada mountains. I lived there when I was young. Another place you should visit is the Napa wine country, especially if you like wine, cheese, food, or even only beer (hail Lonestar Brewery!). Plus, Sear Point Raceway/Infineon Raceway is up there too. All that said, what John C said about leaving the cities is how you get to appreciate the state itself. There's a lot there to like. However, I'm very glad I moved out of the state when I did. Davy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tfreer85 Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 Want to talk yourself out of CA? Try to find a house that you really like, then check the price. Find out what the job situation is like in that area and how the wages are. This was a better test 2 years ago, when a 1400 sq ft house in the city I grew up in was estimated at $750K to $900K. Probably down to $500K, but still, coming from TX I'm sure there will still be a good amount of sticker shock. Thats not entirely true, it depends on where in CA you are. You can buy brand new homes in Bakersfield, for under and around 200k. You can find used homes and foreclosed, or older homes in nice areas any where from 100k to 300k. Average salary for Bakersfield is in the 30k, which if you have good credit puts in the 200k house with currently over 1000 homes under that price range in Bakersfield. However big cities, is a different ball game. LA, San Fran, etc are all a lot like CA. But they don't take up the entire states housing market. Just my .02 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 I assumed that the house would be in a place where people would actually want to live. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jesse OBrien Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 Are you driving back through the San Francisco area? If so, I'd be happy to be a pit stop for you. I could even roll the ZX out of the garage if you need to get a little work done. PM me if you're headed this way again. Personally, I've been out here for almost two years and can't wait for my drive back to the East Coast. I'd like to compare long-trip notes with you as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tfreer85 Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 I assumed that the house would be in a place where people would actually want to live. Ouch . Hey I'm 2hrs away from anything worth doing, beach, moutains, desert, cities. Just don't expect to be entertained here... Can't help but think of O'Brother where art Thou "Well ain't this place a geographical anomaly, 2 weeks from everything." He's from Texas, he'd like Bakersfield, we all still drive trucks and farm'n'stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 For me the problem with Bakersfield is all the crap in the air from the farming. It all blows down the valley there and gets stuck right over Bakersfield. Supposedly some of the worst air quality in the country right there. Not to mention hotter than hell. Close to Buttonwillow though... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tfreer85 Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 For me the problem with Bakersfield is all the crap in the air from the farming. It all blows down the valley there and gets stuck right over Bakersfield. Supposedly some of the worst air quality in the country right there. Not to mention hotter than hell. Close to Buttonwillow though... Year air quality is bad. Close to buttonwillow, Willow springs, and Famosa drag (NHRA Hot Rod Nationals every year). Honda and Hyundai test tracks not too far either. Again figuring he's from Texas, heat wouldn't be a major problems. Lots of fun roads around, as well. Back on topic though, glad you've enjoyed driving through Cali. I love it here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeeboost Posted July 18, 2009 Author Share Posted July 18, 2009 Okay, while traveling south on 395 at around 5:00ish I saw an RV trailering a red 280z (or other s30 chassis) with a 3-piece BRE-style spoiler. It was a quick glimpse, but it looked pretty slick - WHO WAS IT??? After leaving Yosemite today, I know I'll be returning in the future (I gotta come better prepared to hike the multi-mile trails), and when I do I'll plan on spending some time at Lake Tahoe. Man, the heat is nothing here - it's great! Workers at Yosemite were encouraging everybody to drink plenty of water because the temps were supposed to get a little over 100*. It felt like 85-90* in Texas weather. I should probably hold my tongue, though, because tomorrow I'll be stopping at Death Valley - maybe it'll convince me otherwise. Mr. Pariah - thanks for the offer, but we left San Fran. two days ago - I'm in Bishop, CA right now. It seems like a nice little place to live - small quiet town surrounded by mountains. I stopped at the local Kragens here (looks exactly like AutoZone) and borrowed a crescent wrench so I could remove the headlight assemblies to remove the bulbs. The bulb is still good, so I have a short somewhere. I already have 4 test lights and didn't feel like buying another one to figure out where the short was coming from (pos. or ground); plus they were closing within the next few minutes, so I'll fix them when I return home. I keep reminding myself that it's just a higher cost-of-living, and to not get offended by them ripping me off for hotels, food, etc. From what I've heard, I couldn't imagine trying to buy real estate here - I would be doing it backwards. It's CA to TX, not TX - CA (from a financial point of view, anyways). So, here's a few overly-common tourist pics: And sorry, not a Z, but still definately a looker: I have a closer picture of it somewhere Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeeboost Posted July 18, 2009 Author Share Posted July 18, 2009 Found it: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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