[quote=bearishgurl]Back to the topic at hand, I NEVER stated anywhere here that TV was not a good place to live. What I stated was that those TV residents with a family who work out-of-county ARE VOLUNTARILY SACRIFICING their precious time commuting. With the cost of the annual water/sewer utility bonds and MR (described here by TG and Ren) thrown into the mix and multiplied over the life of the bonds as well as the extra monthly gasoline cost, I just wonder if the SD, OC and LA workers who CHOOSE to purchase their residence in TV are actually really saving any $$ on housing by situating their families there (which was the most oft-stated reason for buying there, in the first place).[/quote]

This is a little insulting, BG – assuming we made this huge decision without factoring in all the variables. We pay 1.52% total tax on a $250k property, plus $46 HOA. Our 4/3 2100sf house would cost $600k-700k in Carlsbad (that includes many built in the 70’s and 80’s – not a lot of savings on older homes), $500k in San Marcos. Escondido and Vista are mostly pits and not much cheaper than San Marcos (been there, done that).

So, you can have a $250k house at 1.5%, or a $600k house at 1.0-1.1%. Figure $400/month extra for gas, offset by $200 savings in childcare. I’ll let you do the math this time – we already have.

As for time spent away from family, don’t forget to factor in the early retirement. That’s many more years spent with the kids before they go to college.