lennar homes in carmel valley

[bearishgurl]

[quote=The-Shoveler]Sounds like a lot of homes,

I hope the SmartPhone Biz stays hot..[/quote]

I can attest that myself and most of my local “brethren” are still using candy bar and flip phones circa 2004-2008 without a data plan. Most of these folks (not me) have prepaid phones :-0

I hope there is an infinite supply of Gen Y who want and can afford a new smartphone every 1-2 years … for the sake of continuing escalation of residential property values in CarmelV and MM :=D

[CA renter]

ER,

I spent some time reading those threads you’d linked and totally agree with what you’ve said there. Yes, people can live in SD on $80K/year (gross), even with 2-3 kids, but they will not be able to adequately save for retirement, kids college expenses, emergency savings, etc., AND live in a clean, safe neighborhood with good schools, take vacations and/or go to amusement parks every year, eat out once or twice a week, have kids in extra activities and classes, etc.

Some people are willing to make more sacrifices by squeezing a family of five in a very small apartment or condo, never/rarely eat out, never take vacations outside of a tent camping trip, not have their kids attend any extra classes/activities, etc…and I think they can actually make it; but very few Americans are able or willing to live this way over the long run.

And if you want to live the good life in sunny San Diego, you can forget about keeping the A/C on at night in the summer. 😉 (We like it very cold as well.)

[earlyretirement]

[quote=bearishgurl][quote=earlyretirement]…Yep. Me too. Goes the same lines of the job market here in San Diego being poor compared to other areas. I don’t think it’s so much a case of “willing” to commute an hour as it is “forced” to commute that distance.[/quote]

ER, you must bear in mind that no one … and I mean NO ONE is FORCED to commute for work from one coastal county in SoCal to another, unless they CHOOSE TO do so! As soon as an adversely affected commuting family feels they are no longer “underwater,” they should immediately list their home in attempt to “get out from under” and move to a more convenient location for themselves.

In the current market, there is no excuse for this travesty unless the family is so underwater that they should have handed in the keys to their house in long ago, IMHO.

The reality is that all workers in CA coastal counties can live reasonably close to their employer if they wish to do so. They are CHOOSING to do otherwise.

The issue of CHOICE is the “elephant in the room,” here.[/quote]

Well, I say “forced” in a broad sense of the word. It sounds like you aren’t married or have kids. And moving to another area isn’t always easy or easily feasible when you have young kids.

At least in the cases that I’ve seen where people are doing wicked commutes, I say “forced” because they need to work to live and pay bills. Like many locals in the SD area, they don’t have a big emergency savings fund to fall back on. Some of them made poor financial decisions. Others lost houses in the last bubble to foreclosures. So their options are more limited and in the shorter term they need to work and bring in cash flow from paycheck to paycheck.

So the only option for them is commuting to areas as far away as Los Angeles. For them it’s not easy to uproot kids out of schools. Or their spouse might be working and they depend on their income as well. All their friends are here, etc.

Also, even if they aren’t severely underwater. Some are barely above water (positive equity). And some are in between jobs. So it’s not like with these stringent requirements it always means they can go out and buy a new house now. When you have kids (or several young kids) things aren’t so cut and dry.

So when I use “forced” I use it in that sense of the word. Maybe I’m wrong and you are married with kids… but it doesn’t sound like it. And when you are married with young kids, life isn’t quite as simple or easy as when you live alone.

[earlyretirement]

[quote=CA renter]ER,

I spent some time reading those threads you’d linked and totally agree with what you’ve said there. Yes, people can live in SD on $80K/year (gross), even with 2-3 kids, but they will not be able to adequately save for retirement, kids college expenses, emergency savings, etc., AND live in a clean, safe neighborhood with good schools, take vacations and/or go to amusement parks every year, eat out once or twice a week, have kids in extra activities and classes, etc.

Some people are willing to make more sacrifices by squeezing a family of five in a very small apartment or condo, never/rarely eat out, never take vacations outside of a tent camping trip, not have their kids attend any extra classes/activities, etc…and I think they can actually make it; but very few Americans are able or willing to live this way over the long run.

And if you want to live the good life in sunny San Diego, you can forget about keeping the A/C on at night in the summer. 😉 (We like it very cold as well.)[/quote]

Hi CAR. Thanks for taking the time to read them. Oh absolutely one could “survive” as you mentioned. But it’s EXACTLY as you just mentioned. It’s absolutely impossible to really “live” (by most people’s definition) and save for retirement and do vacations, etc. here in San Diego on that salary with several kids.

I always get a kick out of the ‘eternal bachelors’ that don’t have kids trying to give advice to parents with 2 or 3 kids pointing out the median incomes in San Diego and how they can make it. LOL. These type of people have NO clue what it’s like raising a family in San Diego or having to worry about living in a good school district, etc.

Even forgetting the fact that many of these people with the median income figures bought real estate LONG ago that is totally paid off. Or that many of them are living paycheck to paycheck and barely surviving.

Yep. Short term that might work but longer term most parents figure out that it’s not sustainable here in San Diego and move out before it’s too late and they can at least recover and start to save for their retirement, kids college fund, etc.

It’s funny because now and again there will be someone that says it’s totally doable. I’ll ask them to detail on a spreadsheet (and I even put in all the categories below for them so all they have to do is fill in the blanks). And NO ONE does it. People say it can be done and when I challenge them to post their spreadsheet. No one does. It’s really telling.

-Mortgage or Rent
– Property taxes if you own
-Phone (Land line and Cell phone, blackberry, etc)
– Utilities (gas, water, electricity, cable, internet, etc)
– HOA fees (if you own vs. rent)
– Maintenance and repairs (if you own a property)
– Car payments
– Car insurance
– Auto Fuel each month for each car
– Registration fees for your car each year
– Maintenance on your car to include car washes and oil changes
– Home/rental insurance for your property
– Life insurance
– Health insurance premiums
– Dental insurance premiums
– Medical/Dental expenses (what insurance won’t cover)
– Prescription medications
– School expenses for kids (tuition, stuff for school, ballet classes, etc)
– Babysitter expenses
– Annual fee for Credit Cards
– Clothes for kids and yourself
– Toys for kids
– Dry Cleaning
– Health club / gym
– Beauty (hair salon for hair cuts, color, nails, make up, etc)
– Extracurricular activities dues/fees
– Entertainment (movies, theatre, plays, Seaworld, Zoo, concerts, sporting events, etc — TONS of stuff to do with kids here)
– Magazine/newspaper/Ipad subscriptions
– Dining out at restaurants
– Grocery budget
– Retirement savings contributions
– Kids college fund savings contributions
– Charity/donations
– Travel / vacation expenses
– Federal/State/local income taxes
– Any revolving debt payments you might have
– Bad habit type stuff (alcohol, smoking, etc — this doesn’t apply to me but it does for many people)
– Emergency savings fund for any major health issues
– Non reimbursed office/work expenses and supplies

[bearishgurl]

ER, your assumptions about me are incorrect but I do like reading your posts 🙂 However, I will pm you so as not to hijack this thread any further.

[earlyretirement]

[quote=bearishgurl]ER, your assumptions about me are incorrect but I do like reading your posts 🙂 However, I will pm you so as not to hijack this thread any further.[/quote]

Sorry BG. Thanks for the PM. I’ll take a look at it tonight and respond via PM. Also, I didn’t want to give the wrong idea about people commuting. I’m NOT trying to justify it at all and it’s not even like I mean it’s normal or there are a lot of people doing it.

I just mentioned it to give an idea how bad the job market is here for some. I only know 3 people doing it so I didn’t want to give anyone the wrong idea about that or that I justify it at all. I mentioned the few people I know doing it because I wanted it to indicate how tough of a time they are finding a job here in SD.

BG I also enjoy your posts.

[bearishgurl]

[quote=earlyretirement][quote=bearishgurl]ER, your assumptions about me are incorrect but I do like reading your posts 🙂 However, I will pm you so as not to hijack this thread any further.[/quote]

Sorry BG. Thanks for the PM. I’ll take a look at it tonight and respond via PM. Also, I didn’t want to give the wrong idea about people commuting. I’m NOT trying to justify it at all and it’s not even like I mean it’s normal or there are a lot of people doing it.

I just mentioned it to give an idea how bad the job market is here for some. I only know 3 people doing it so I didn’t want to give anyone the wrong idea about that or that I justify it at all. I mentioned the few people I know doing it because I wanted it to indicate how tough of a time they are finding a job here in SD.

BG I also enjoy your posts.[/quote]

I agree the job market AND pay in SD County isn’t what it is in other CA coastal counties. My kid(s) will attest to that. My last kid (in HS) is currently eager to leave SD for college and greener pastures elsewhere.

I very well might be right behind them.

I say more power to them. And stay successful so their parents can go away to “retire.”

This “independence” makes it easier for a tired parent like me to make a choice to sell or rent the homestead and do what I want to, for a change 🙂

[The-Shoveler]

In defense of the commuters, people who have worked in L.A. for any length of time., an Hour commute is just on the long side of normal, 40 minutes is average).

Like I said you buy your first home 15 minutes from work, 5 years later you’re driving an hour to get to your next gig, it’s fairly normal there (unless you want to buy another home every five years, some do).

I actually drive to Santa Ana airport (from north county), it’s a little further mile wise but the drive is much nicer than going down to San Diego airport.

L.A. is not a bad place to live actually (most won’t admit that) but most of my friends I grew up with moved out only to move back and plan to retire there.

(there are places I would not drive even during the daytime however)

[bearishgurl]

[quote=The-Shoveler]In defense of the commuters, people who have worked in L.A. for any length of time., an Hour commute is just on the long side of normal, 40 minutes is average).

Like I said you buy your first home 15 minutes from work, 5 years later you’re driving an hour to get to your next gig, it’s fairly normal there (unless you want to buy another home every five years, some do).

I actually drive to Santa Ana airport (from north county), it’s a little further mile wise but the drive is much nicer than going down to San Diego airport.

L.A. is not a bad place to live actually (most won’t admit that) but most of my friends I grew up with moved out only to move back and plan to retire there.

(there are places I would not drive even during the daytime however)[/quote]

Yeah, shoveler, there are a lot of places I would live in LA County. As long as one isn’t freeway dependent five days per week, living there is very convenient. Some of the suburbs are heavily treed and very beautiful. The bulk of it is more established than metro San Diego. If I lived there, I just wouldn’t accept a new job which would render me freeway dependent. I would take jobs only in my general area. Since good jobs are almost everywhere in LA County, this requirement can likely be met … unlike SD County.

And moving every five years or so (if in high tech) is probably okay, too, for a lot of workers.

I feel the same way about the SF bay area but commuting nightmares are even more pronounced up there because its counties are not contiguous to one another. The terrain in ALL of the SF Bay counties is more interesting and naturally beautiful than that in SoCal, IMO, because it is not considered “irrigated desert” up there.

I love the pines on the freeways in NorCal.

[The-Shoveler]

“Since good jobs are almost everywhere in LA County, this requirement can likely be met ”

Not so much,

you’re starting an urban legend I think.
Especially for defense and high tech, they are spread out fairly well.

Entertainment is mostly in one general area however but even then you can easily find yourself driving sometimes 100’s of miles to get to the shoot.

Also a lot of times the High Tech company, started as as small company next to the Rich guy’s home who started it, you’er average worker engineer needs to drive unless he wants to live in a condo (mostly what he can afford there and these can run 500K-700K for a 2 bed 2 bath in some area’s in L.A.)

[earlyretirement]

[quote=The-Shoveler]

L.A. is not a bad place to live actually (most won’t admit that) but most of my friends I grew up with moved out only to move back and plan to retire there.

[/quote]

There ARE some nice areas but how in the world do you put up with the traffic there??? It’s horrendous! I guess if you work from home it would be different but man the traffic would be a killer for me.

Seems like “rush hour” keeps expanding and there isn’t really an off-peak time now except late at night or super early in the morning. I could never get used to that there.

Any advice on that front Shoveler?

[The-Shoveler]

HA!!

Another urban legend (well there are some places it really really bad),
But there are a lot of wide side streets and secret by-passes that can really save you time.
It’s not as bad as the legend portrays.
I think around the CV area and down the I5 from north county in the morning it’s just as bad if not worse (but I have only driven there a few times during traffic I will admit).

That’s why I never go to San Diego airport from North county in the morning, it’s really bad every time I tried it.

around LAX, if you know when to get on PCH or Sepulveda bl, that will really save you from the 405 traffic at times, but really it’s not as bad as people make it out.

[earlyretirement]

[quote=The-Shoveler]HA!!

Another urban legend (well there are some places it really really bad),
But there are a lot of wide side streets and secret by-passes that can really save you time.
It’s not as bad as the legend portrays.
I think around the CV area and down the I5 from north county in the morning it’s just as bad if not worse (but I have only driven there a few times during traffic I will admit).

That’s why I never go to San Diego airport from North county in the morning, it’s really bad every time I tried it.[/quote]

Actually I don’t think it’s so much urban legend. Every time I go up there for meetings, vacations, you name it..the traffic is horrible! Even during the middle of the day sometimes.

We typically stay in Santa Monica and heading downtown we’ve ran into massive traffic many times.

Here actually I don’t think it’s anywhere near as bad. I-5 IS a nightmare during rush hour. But highways like I-15 are so wide with so many lanes. I don’t find it bad at all and almost have NEVER ran into traffic during the middle of the day like LA.

[The-Shoveler]

Yep that particular area is really bad from Santa Monica to downtown and LAX, yep the 10 and 405, really really bad.

Most the rest is not nearly so bad.

Very few people actually work downtown, that’s mostly the city workers,

In L.A. most people work in the burbs,

So you end up driving from say Simi Valley to Agoura hills, or from westlake to Valencia, and visa versa
Maybe Pasadena to Encino, these are the typical commutes that people end up with when they first started out 15 minutes away,

[earlyretirement]

Ah ok..got it. I go up a few times a year plus 2 weeks for vacation a year and it always seems bad. It always is really really bad like you said.

You’d definitely agree overall the traffic there in LA is much worse than SD wouldn’t you? It isn’t just the Santa Monica to downtown that seemed to be horrible. I’d constantly run into it. Maybe I just have bad luck when I’m there.

But it always seemed like a nightmare.

[Author]

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