l.a. is a hellhole.

[FlyerInHi]

It’s all relative.

But who cares what’s outside as long as your own home is nice.

I personally think that Phoenix is better than Tucson. But if you have to live in the southwest and not move too far from your friends and relatives, then those 3 cities are good options.

Back in the 80s those 3 cities were mostly White. Now they are heavily Hispanic because people have migrated East from California in search of cheaper living.

BTW, the desert heat is not bad. It’s the opposite of winter. And no house maintenance issues due to rain and moisture, no leaves to rake and trees to trim = savings!

In Vegas, as a worker bee, you can indulge at a Michelin rated restaurant, or a celebrity restaurant. Nobody cares how you come dressed as long as you pay. Not the case in LA or NYC.

[bearishgurl]

FIH, here are 13 current SFR listings in Rowland Heights asking $400K to $498K (the $400K listing is a SS).

http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-search/Rowland-Heights_CA/type-single-family-home/price-na-500000/sqft-5

Here are 34 current SFR listings in neighboring Hacienda Heights asking $200K – $498K (9 are SS’s).

http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-search/Hacienda-Heights_CA/type-single-family-home/price-na-500000/sqft-5

Min sf in both searches is set to 1200.

Even though traditional SFR listings (not SS’s) move pretty fast in these cities and and a good portion are undoubtedly all-cash sales, there is a LOT more selection for “regular” SFRs in this region than in SD County. The above are only TWO representative cities (of more than two dozen).

It’s a mid-century home lover’s dream up there! EXCEPT, in SD County, most of the Daltile used in the more “affordable” areas (such as Normal Heights or La Mesa) was yellow or forest green with turquoise trim. In the SGV of LA county, pink with maroon trim was widely used with pink American Standard fixtures.

I also saw a few limestone(ish) and flagstone FP’s as well! I also love the 2.5″ slat red oak floors which are VERY expensive to install today.

[FlyerInHi]

Yesterday, I had to visit people in culver city near Sony pictures. Beautiful tree lined street in the middle of it all.

Then I had to go to Anaheim hills. It was a world apart and so far away. The guy commutes to LAX and complains about traffic. The uniformity of the suburbs was such a turnoff. It rather live in a condo in playa/marina del Rey.

Didn’t get back to San Diego until late. Driving sucks!

[bearishgurl]

[quote=FlyerInHi]Yesterday, I had to visit people in culver city near Sony pictures. Beautiful tree lined street in the middle of it all.

Then I had to go to Anaheim hills. It was a world apart and so far away. The guy commutes to LAX and complains about traffic. The uniformity of the suburbs was such a turnoff. It rather live in a condo in playa/marina del Rey.

Didn’t get back to San Diego until late. Driving sucks![/quote]

Same here, FIH. I got back at midnight. I was back in the lower SGV, this time, Diamond Bar, Walnut and Brea (OC border). All very, very attractive (outer?) suburbs with several very modern 4-corner strip malls rivaling the Contra Costa and Alameda County (NorCal) shopping experience. I haven’t seen anything of this magnitude in SD County … not even in Mission Valley! The best, most diversified commercial area is within the City of Industry (Walnut) which has a HUGE Chinese population. Many signs there (both private and public) are written in both English and Chinese. I noticed these cities have a LOT of dedicated open space (with permanent drains installed in its grassy/bare hills to prevent erosion) as well as a nearly new Metro and bus transfer station. It also has nice clean wide streets free of potholes, nice public landscaping and NO MELLO ROOS … anywhere (haven’t completely checked on this for Brea but would surmise that it had approved very little, if any, CFD’s). Fabulous! The excellent planning in this area rivals that of (the more expensive) Contra Costa County, IMO.

The only drawback I see to living there is heat in the summer but that is nothing that AC can’t fix. It is more humid there than AZ, of course, and not anywhere near as hot but nonetheless, I could feel the difference in temperature (from my home near SD bayfront) in first stepping out of my car. It did cool down with a very slight breeze in the evening but was still a bit humid.

My next trip will be on the 12th, where I will likely visit Rowland Heights, Hacienda Heights and surrounds and have dinner with friends at one of my favorite dog-friendly restaurants! I may very well put certain cities in this area on my “retirement short list.” Unlike the other cities and towns I was considering for “retirement,” the SGV is an excellent area from which to obtain well-paying gainful PT or FT work in my field with a very reasonable commute time. It is full of retirees and families, also, due to having excellent local public schools.

FIH, I’m not familiar with Anaheim Hills but did not find the above areas in lower SGV particularly “uniform,” devoid of character or too “cookie cutter.” Most of it was built before subdivision builders used tile roofs en masse. The avg SFR lot size there is over 7K sf and a good portion of them have a 9K+ sf lot! The tree-lined streets you speak of (shaded tree median) are also present in Lakewood, Pasadena and Claremont (and probably more cities that I haven’t seen). Yes, they do lend an “ambiance” to a street (or an entire neighborhood) that only large shade trees can do. And they are an anomaly in SD (present only in small, scattered pockets of 92110, 92106, 92037, 92115 and a couple more).

LA County has a LOT going for it and most cities in its eastern portion are reasonably-priced to buy into (in comparison with SD County cities). In addition, the housing selection at any given time is much, much better than that of SD but most of the listings there do move pretty fast.

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