AN, I used the words, “living within your means” not to implicate that most Piggs didn’t already do so. I stated it because in recent weeks there have been a couple of Piggs inquiring about relocating to Silly Valley (not this thread) for work and insisting on a larger, newer home, which, as you know, don’t exist in that area for under $1M except in Foster City (with minuscule lots, HOA and MR). Since larger, newer homes exist in abundance in areas which are +/- a one-hour commute (across a bridge) and questions came up regarding those commutes, I have tried to be honest as to bridge-negotiation times during rush hour. It is what it is. As a new employee who might only have a one-year contract to start or be probationary for up to a year, it may not be prudent to buy property immediately until you get a “lay of the land” and see if you like the job. It’s hard to “like the job” if you intentionally made your daily commute grueling by your housing choices. If you choose to commute in/out of Silicon Valley every day, you screwed your own potential job success right out of the gate, IMO. Rather than do that, it’s actually easier to live in SD (or Albuquerque, lol), as afx114 suggested, and telecommute for your Silly Valley employer and fly to SFO or SJC 1-3 times monthly. Why bother to pick up and move your family at all if they insist on a 2500+ sf house situated on a larger lot? Do these “telecommuting” employees get considered for promotions? I don’t know but this is a good question.
In my mind, moving out of 2300 sf in SD to 1400 sf house in say, Mtn view is NOT moving down in life … it’s actually moving UP. I don’t think a lot of Piggs realize this. By claiming they NEED a larger house or that they MUST commute -/+ one hour to work in or south of SF, they are sabotaging their ability to obtain lucrative employment there and live with their families FT.
I understand that MM and Clairemont are 3-6 miles from Sorrento Valley here in SD. HOWEVER, most parts of both communities don’t compete with Silicon Valley cities and towns, IMO. Their inventories may have same square footage and MM may be a little newer, overall, but for the most part, these two areas are ALL on tract with 5K to 6K lots (w/a few exceptions in Clairemont). Sunnyvale, Millbrae, Brisbane, San Bruno and Daly City are on tract with smallish lots (comparable to MM and Clairemont but better-located) but Mtn View is not all on tract. To name a few others, Palo Alto, Cupertino, Saratoga, San Mateo, Half Moon Bay and Pacifica are comprised of many custom properties, with many lots backing into National parkland and open-space preserve. In northern-mid peninsula, the terrain is hilly. Many properties in these areas have whitewater ocean views. Of course, Hillsborough and Woodside are custom areas beyond the reach of most workers. The long-term planning was better in this area than SD MM in that a good portion of the land there is protected and can’t be built on. This is part of the reason for the higher cost, IMO.
I think a comparison of the small cities, towns in Silly Valley to MM SD is comparing apples to oranges. A comparison to Clairemont SD is possible using 92111. Large swaths of 92117 tracts are too run down to be comparable, IMHO. Older properties are, for the most part, maintained better in San Mateo County and have more owner-occupancy because it is economically worth it to do so.
The salary survey I conducted a few years ago was for legal occupations. I also did a local government salary survey for the same classifications for San Mateo County, Santa Clara County, Alameda County and Contra Costa County. At that time, the salary difference for non-professional classifications was about 45%. I can’t put my hands on this work right at the moment but when I’m able to look for it, I’ll pm it to AN.
AN, I realize you ARE from MM and have a young child and probably need to live near relatives at this time, but it seems you’re not taking into account here everything you should consider when weighing whether to make a move.
1. When your salary is ALREADY at a certain level and you decide to “see what’s out there job-wise,” your WORTH to other employers is your CURRENT salary or a percentage above that.
2. When you purchase a property under market in SM or SC County and put the work into it yourself (but not over-improve for the market area), you will very likely be able to recover ALL your improvements, pay a commission and still have profit upon sale. NOT SO in those SD areas you mentioned, IMO. This is because, as flu stated, there is a housing shortage in the peninsula.
3. The promotional opportunities are greater in Silly Valley because if the employers there don’t step up in this regard, their best talent can and will defect. There’s not as many employers to defect to (or that you would WANT to defect to) in SD. ALL employers in SD know this and are able to get away with the salary ranges they offer.
Sorrento Valley/Mesa in SD will NEVER be Silicon Valley. The two areas are apples and oranges.
