San Diego Housing Bubble News and Analysis

IYO what is "enough"? How much do you want to spend?

Clairmont Mesa, 4S have some good deals...BUT if you are looking for a 200k house Phoenix, Vegas or Reno are good options.

Describe what you mean "quality of life" because that can have such a different meaning for each person. What is important to you? What isn't important? Try to describe that to help narrow down some options.

Yeah we need to come up with a list of desirable traits then we can create our very own piggy version of the "Top 10 U.S. Cities".

Some things I like (not in order):

proximity to ocean
mild climate
cost of living
availability of jobs
population density
quality of life
traffic congestion
health care

"public transportation" should be on the list but IMO there are few US cities which can compete so I'm assuming everyone drives. Thus "traffic congestion" is there instead.

Oops! I'm sorry, I screwed up that post :) I haven't quite figured out to do the "quote" response. See I really am low tech.

If you look at Southern California regionally, San Diego is probably the least expensive place to buy a house within 5 miles of the coast and still close to job centers.

Coastal areas away from job centers might have the same climate, but not the same amenities and attractions (pro sports, night life, etc).
So, I guess southern California is out.
I don't see any other parts of the country having the exact same qualities.

So, it all depends on what is most important to you in term of "quality of life".

If it's solely the climate, and being close to job centers and amenities of a large city are secondary, I am sure you can find some places in Ventura county that would suit you.

Mixx didn't you pose basically the exact same question around 1-2 years ago? I recall at that time you were getting an itchy trigger finger about buying a house then too. I recall referring you to this site from the IT Consultants site.

I hear good things about Portland Oregon. Maybe you could check that area out.

John

Closest you will come to Socal living is Florida. It has big cities, jobs, a lack of cold, an ocean, easy transportation to most of the USA etc etc. However, it does have humidity. Lots of it. But you can get a dehumidifier, and just suck it up. Housing prices there are doing worse than here, and you can weigh that trade off.

(Hurricans suck, but how is that really any different than the 4 year fire storm cycle we have here?)

I thought of Portland as well but it can get cold there. I also thought about Florida but the OP said he didn't want cold and he didn't want humidity. FL can get quite humid, but I think living near the ocean can make up for it.

nostradamus, I think that piggies have already decided that San Diego is the best, except for the price. That's why everyone is waiting with bated breath for the price drops.

For me, when I retire, perhaps Cuba after we lift the trade embargo. I believe that Americans will go back to Cuba in droves in search of an exotic life full of sunshine.

Portland is about as chilly and rainy as Seattle. Plus Portland is quite pricey - only slightly less expensive then Seattle. However, Portland is a really great, clean, city with some public transportation. On a map it looks fairly close to the ocean, but in all reality it's actually a couple hour drive.

The Raleigh/Durham area is very pretty and fairly reasonably priced. The weather is nice, but it can get humid in the summer. It's about a 2 hour drive to the ocean and a 2 hour drive to the mountains.

When I retire I want to live in Southern Oregon, right on the coast on my boat.

If Castro had not taken power then I believe Cuba would have been our 51st state by now.

It would be a paradise if developed.

John

Planning

Well right now I am putting fiat tokens away for a good deal in 1-2 years for a small home. I want the tax break and enjoy my own place. If San Diego falls enough to get a great place not too far inland, then I will stay here. Else, will need to consider other places. I hate moving but what has to be done for the best deal in a couple of years. Only time will tell.

I would consider North Carolina if you are serious about relocating yet finding a nice quality of life in a decent climate.

North Carolina sounds nice. I want a place where I can walk a lot to places and get good exercise on weekends. I plan to buy in 2-3 years. Hopefully by then I will have found a stable full time job and have more cash stowed away for a down payment and move besides a cushion of reserves in the bank.

Home price under 500k is the goal. Who wants to be pay mortgage off forever? That sucks.

Nice climate.

Good economy lot of jobs for database technology.

Good night life and cultural activities: festivals, beer, wine, food, art, etc.

I am thinking of Colorado even though it gets cold- it has best balance of outdoor and indoor fun and mountains to hike and camp.

Hopefully I can travel a lot in next couple years to many new states for Oracle projects.

I was able to work on projects in southern Idaho (way too cold!!!), Mississippi (sucks!), Delaware and Texas. Dallas was ok but crappy weather. Houston sucks very humid and a lot of fat people.

Cheers

Around Atlanta in Georgia might also be worth considering. If you fly a lot, it is a hub. I think home prices are lower there.

The fam here talks about New England from time to time. Nothing quite like New England practicality and reasonableness. And I don't mind the cold--in fact, I think my kids are missing out on one of the finer experiences in life. Snow Days! Including playing in the snow for a couple hours and then the delicious experience of warming up with a cup of hot cocoa. But I HATE humidity, so that means leaving the area for most of the summer.

I think the pacific northwest (SF and north) is a good compromise--not TOO cold, close to water, interesting wilderness areas not far away, and a decent economy in most cities. There's my 2 cents.

dup

If you would consider Cuba then there are a lot of places in Latin America. Mexico is beautiful but not for everyone. And if you travel for work it is not far from the US.

exotic life full of sunshine.

Instead of dreaming about Cuba, consider Costa Rica.

http://www.retireincostarica.net/

Also http://www.escapeartist.com/Articles/Art... is interesting

Of course, really loaded folks migrate to Caribbean tax havens.

I lived in California all my life, San Diego for 35 years, and recently moved to Austin Texas.

Central Texas blows California out of the water.

Anybody interested in more info, email me @

davebacon [at] davebacon [dot] com, and I'll be happy to send

you more information.

I am a mortgage broker, licensed in California and Texas.

Dave Bacon

Sorry Dave, Central Texas has no water except for a coupla criks.

Re Colorado: thought about this one pretty seriously, to the point of flying out and staying for a while (been there several times before as well). The Denver burbs would be nearly perfect if the landscape wasn't so ugly and the air so dry. That awful 3am wakeup, mouth-breathing, dry-as-dust feeling was the deal breaker.

In the end, we realized that we'd get a better deal on a house in Temecula, the weather is better, and we're still close enough to the ocean that we can make a day of it once in a while.

THEN we realized that San Diego is actually becoming affordable. We're probably not moving anywhere, but if we did, it would be Greece.

In 2 years time, I hope to have stable work at a good tech company and that prices will fall another 20-30%. Then I can afford to buy a place here in San Diego.

I am also looking at places in northern California- Sacramento is a lot cheaper and I lived there a long time it is nice place. And close enough to San Francisco for weekend getaways and to Reno/Lake Tahoe for summer and winter snow ski times.

SD is starting to become cheap just now, if it comes down enough I will rent out our Temecula home and buy a place nearer the coast,

Temecula is becoming so cheap these days, I can’t figure why anyone would wait anymore at this point if they were interested in buying there. It beats the heck out of Phoenix or Vegas.

Austin is OK but just too Cowboyesh for my tastes and too damn hot or cold most of the year as well as too far from the coast.

Good luck