Southern cali Residents?

[PACtoDOC]

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Any of you who are residents in southern Cali, I would appreciate it if you would tell me how they heck you can afford to live there and is the lifestyle worth the extra cost involved? I am most interested in looking for FP residencies in southern Cali in the San Diego area, but I have a family. My wife and 2 kids and dog require a home, and even renting seems to put a 3BR in the area of 2K per month. I do plan to moonlight a lot in the last 2 years but I just really want to hear from those of you who might have similar situations. We are just really looking for a place where the weather is great year round because my daughter and I have terrible allergies/asthma in Texas now. We suffer about 6 months a year and on a recent trip to SD we were literally symptom free!!! And anyone know the situation for FP's in Cali? Thanks in advance to anyone who replies.

Matt

 

[beyond all hope]

If you look for apartments in La Jolla, yeah, you're going to pay through the nose. Just a few miles away, though, is plenty of cheap housing, much cheaper than you'll find in a lot of metros.

Open up your search 10 miles (not much in SD because not much traffic) and you'll find plenty of options.

 

[edinOH]

There are alot of gems to be found in the SD market. The big thing is to stay away from the "name" places such as Del Mar, La Jolla etc.

I lived there for 3.5 of the five years spanning 1993 to 1998. I first lived in a one-bd room apt off of Mission Gorge near College Ave that rented for about 530 per month. Very nice place with tennis courts, covered parking etc. The commute into downtown wasn't too bad. About 20 minutes. Later after living in the central valley for about a year, moved back and lived in a pretty nice 2-story, 2 bedroom townhouse/apt right in the middle of the 805/163 interchange for about 760/month. Commute to downtown/Hillcrest (where the UCSD/Mercy medical centers are) was about 15 minutes. Great interstate access! Then lived just west of Hillcrest off El Cajon Blvd. in a one bedroom post-WWII type apt. Ground level and actually more of a tri-plex. It was very nice with alot of character for 540/month. About 5 minutes from UCSD and no interstate commute.

I know prices have inevitably gone up some since then but I would be surprised if it was more than a couple hundred dollars max. Remember this was during the internet/tech boom when everything in SoCal was going through the roof.

My point is that you can find some nice and affordable places if you take the time to look.

All of these places I mentioned were in nice, safe areas. My wife and I never had any problems there.

If you need more specifics please PM.

 

[Sessamoid]

There are alot of gems to be found in the SD market. The big thing is to stay away from the "name" places such as Del Mar, La Jolla etc.

I lived there for 3.5 of the five years spanning 1993 to 1998.

I don't remember where you're living now, but Southern California has had a real estate boom in the last four years which is nearly unprecedented. I have friends who invested in real estate in the last 6-7 years and made an absolute killing. The beach towns in LA have been up about 30% each of the last 3 years, with some houses doubling in value in less time. Rents are somewhat controlled in many communities, but new renters generally take it on the chin as rent control only applies to existing tenants. A friend of mine bought a house in 1997 for the mid-high 200's, which is now worth around $1-1.1 million. Rents have risen accordingly.

It's definitely expensive here, though you can find somewhat affordable housing if you look hard and carefully.