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bearishgurl
Participant[quote=spdrun]Since when is no garage “living in the ghetto?”[/quote]
Thank you. More than half the houses within two blocks of OB in SD either have useless 1 car garages which can only fit a Mini Cooper or Miata or no garage at all.Has any Pigg priced one of them lately?
Participant[quote=FlyerInHi]BG, compare Atlantic City to Vegas.
Compare California Beaches to the Jersey Shore.
Compare the lower tier cites in CA (like San Bernardo) to the same in Jersey.The riff-raffs are all over in Jersey. Vegetation is overgrown, trash everywhere. Potholes… Maybe the sucky weather contributes to “the Jersey look”. But Jersey is not attractive.
I reside in Vegas for tax reasons and for investment reasons. Cap rates are better than CA. Thankfully, I can come and go anytime I want. I’m not bound to Vegas like all the miserable ex-Californians (lots of them in Vegas).[/quote]
Based upon your posts, I know you’re relatively mobile, brian. I’ve never been to NJ and I don’t watch TV … at all. I stopped watching it prior to when all these reality shows hit the airwaves (my kids watched them, though). So I haven’t seen any of that “Jersey Shore” stuff.
The cigarette smoke everywhere in Vegas alone would kill me off, quick. If I get out of my car at all there, it is to pull up into a gas bay of a service stn (where smoking is not allowed), put my credit card in, pump gas and promptly leave. My past experience inside truck stops and casinos in LV and also walking on the strip and dtn is the memory of cigarette and cigar smoke everywhere and people sitting on stools for hours upon hours smoking, drinking and playing slots at all hours of the day and night. This looks to be a pretty dejected existence for the downtrodden. The billboards in LV almost everywhere (banned in almost all CA coastal cities except for a very few fwy exits) are garish and disgusting looking as are the ticky-tacky flickering marquees on everything from the corner mom-and-pop store to the biggest “grandest” casinos in the country.
You also stated here that SoCal is “clean” in comparison to NJ and PA. Uhh, in my opinion, dtn SD is embarassing to me since it is touted as “America’s Finest City.” Nearly all zip codes in the City of SD (incl dtn 92101) are not only full of potholes but many of its residential streets are actually crumbling. Even in $1M++ neighborhoods! Some streets have sunk so low in dtn SD that a pedestrian walking off a curb could have to step down up to 18″ in some corners to cross the street. The storm drains have sunk perilously and I have sprained my ankle TWICE walking on sidewalks in dtn SD which were lifted due to tree roots (one patched with crumbling asphalt). Some sidewalk tree grates are full of holes and it is easy to get the heel of your dress shoe stuck in them, trip and fall and at the very least, break your shoe. If that’s all that happens, you’re lucky. The 90+ yo sidewalks in front of some of the biggest tourist draws and landmarks in dtn SD have so much gum stuck on them, you can hardly see the concrete. Many CA cities (and SD, in particular) have so much deferred maintenance to their infrastructure that in SD, the City Street Division just seems to move from one highest-priority issue to another (sinkholes/burst pipes resulting in street closure and sites which are currently the subject of City claims/injury lawsuits). That is about all they can do.
In addition, the freeways running through parts of LA, Orange, RIV and SB counties are severely “overtrucked” with bumpy, noisy pavement and road signs so full of soot that a motorist can’t even read them. There’s no way CalTRANS can keep up with it all! A lot of these SoCal areas with sh!tty, severely crowded freeways aren’t cheap to live in and so again, these road conditions are embarrassing for a state which presumably has the biggest budget in the nation! The “general appearance” of SoCal (to a visitor) undoubtedly leaves something to be desired, imo.
The infrastructure in Northern Cali is all fine. SF is ALWAYS a “work in progress” seven days per week … somewhere. The new bay bridge is magnificent! Even Smokestacked and Grain Elevatored Stockton has been significantly cleaned up over the past decade.
Yes, Nevada does have good roads and clean, new sidewalks (in most areas) but the general populace who reside there leave a lot to be desired, imho. Especially the ingrates who chose to “retire” there (for all I know, they could have lived their whole lives there). I couldn’t imagine a daily existence like the one they have. Never ever. Not in a million years. The typical “lifestyle” of LV residents has to be the most unhealthy lifestyle on the planet. And that’s without even taking into account the oppressive heat there 8+ months per year!
No thanks. You can have it, brian.
Participant[quote=AN][quote=FlyerInHi]Or maybe buy water from Canada. Build a water pipeline.[/quote]I’ve read an article recently about a pipeline from Alaska to CA. The cost is way too high. It’s cheaper to desalinate and brown water. Maybe we can do brown water system for the farms and leave the fresh water for people. If we spend $20B and build 20 desalination plants like the one in Carlsbad, I think we’ll have our supply taken care of. But I think we should charge farmers for the same rate as the rest of us for those water as well.[/quote]
I don’t know about you, AN, but I don’t want to pay $5-$20 lb for produce. I feel fortunate to have the access we do to relatively cheap produce. Folks who live in the nation’s midsection aren’t so lucky.
Participant[quote=FlyerInHi]I don’t love NJ as a whole.
Without NYC, NJ is nothing. It’s not an attractive state (despite being the garden state). Plus there’re lots of low class people there…. [/quote]
Lol …. this is coming from a native San Diegan? who currently resides in Las Vegas, NV …. by choice.
Oka-a-a-ay.
Participant[quote=KristopherSD][quote=FormerSanDiegan]You are missing a key piece of information:
What are you current paying in rent.[/quote]
I currently pay less than $850 once split with my girlfriend to live in a small one bedroom cottage two blocks from the beach and restaurants in a nice area. Unfortunately we don’t have any laundry on site and no garage, but we’re making it work and can continue to do so for the next few years. Every rent vs. buy calculator tells me to keep renting forever at this rate.
I’ve also considered condos as some have mentioned, but don’t really like the reliance on others if the HOA goes to hell or issues arise. However i’ll keep an open mind as there are some nice condos for reasonable prices throughout San Diego in my price range.[/quote]
Kris, $1700? is very reasonable rent for a cottage two blocks from the beach with restaurants/retail, etc within walking distance. You likely aren’t going to get even five miles from the beach if you end up buying. If you have reliable street parking available that you don’t have to constantly fight over, I would stay put if I were you. Especially, if you like living near the beach.
Participant[quote=Jazzman][quote=bearishgurl]I agree with svelte, here, as it applies to CA. In buying an SFR in CA, you actually own the land your dwelling sits on. Like it or not (and regardless of what your local assessor says), THE VALUE OF THE LAND is what boosts property value in CA coastal counties. The closer to the coast your property sits, the higher your land value is in relation to your overall property value (market-wise) REGARDLESS of what the assessor says on your tax bill. This is ESPECIALLY TRUE for those properties situated within TWO MILES of the coast![/quote]
That seems a rather archaic way of looking at things, and a bit reminiscent of old conveyancing when agricultural values held sway. It isn’t the actual intrinsic value of land that boosts or undermines prices, but the lack (supply) thereof. It is not just the ground surface, but the space above it when occupied by a structure, which itself has intrinsic—and currently market inflated value—that determines value. A preference for living by the coast adds a premium due to cooler temperatures and better air quality. The land, in the mean time, remains the same; pretty useless for growing anything. But i guess you were implying all that.[/quote]Well, Jazzman, having “shopped” for real estate in several markets along the CA coast, you must be aware that the vast majority of condos cost half or less than a comparably-sized SFR in the same micro-area …. that is, assuming the SFR micro-area is even zoned for condos at all. The very best SFR enclaves along the CA coast either do not have any zoning in place for condos or relegate condos to a lesser, often more densely-zoned area of that zip code or smaller micro-market. The City of Coronado in SD County is a good example of this. An area must also be zoned for townhomes (avg 2500 sf lot) or PUDs (3000-3500 sf lot) or the developer must successfully obtain a variance for that type of (often “zero-lot-line”) housing at the time of application for their subdivision map. Both of those lot sizes are considered “substandard” in SD County, offering little more than a fenced-in front and/or back patio area to the owner of each individual unit, thus their lower (often much lower) price for the same living space as their nearby SFRs. (5K sf is the “standard-size” lot in the City of SD.) The “standard-size” lot is larger than SD’s in many other CA cities.
There are good reasons why CA coastal land is expensive and the reasons you mention above are minor in comparison to land use, views, zoning (including allowed density or lack thereof) and easements affecting the property. Yes, those pesky “archaic” RE doctrines of the “highest and best use,” the “right of use and enjoyment” and the “limitations on right of use” (or lack thereof) are all still alive and well in CA and always will be! I’ve seen plenty of both heavy and cosmetic “fixers” over the years situated in SD within two miles of the coast (some with extraordinary views from the dwelling and/or lot) which ended up selling for land value only. In nearly all cases, the new owners promptly razed the house down to the studs after paying $800K to $1.4M for the “land.” In almost all cases, the lot involved was 7400 sf to 14K sf. These buying opportunities are rapidly disappearing. There aren’t very many lots that large in tracts constructed since 2000 and those tracts with larger lots certainly aren’t located anywhere near the coast.
The closer to the coast a residential lot is situated and the bigger that lot is, the less the actual “value” of the dwelling matters in determining the property’s true market value, because coastal property in CA is a finite resource.
I understand that you had a problem with this concept when hunting for a retirement home up and down the CA coast in some of the Golden State’s most coveted and prestigious locales during the “recession” years (2010-2011?). IIRC, you became disenchanted with the dwellings themselves on properties which were in your price range and thus didn’t end up buying anything. The reality is that it doesn’t matter much what sits on coastal property. Whatever it is won’t affect its market value much unless it has a completely remodeled, luxurious new or newer home sitting on it. It doesn’t matter what the county assessor lists as its “land value” on its tax bill. And it doesn’t matter what the prevailing mortgage interest rates are in coastal markets.
Market value of CA coastal properties is based upon the value of the lot and its zoning, primarily. This is especially true of coastal view properties.
No one can fix this and so we must all accept it, Jazzman. If one wants to own a CA coastal property (esp a view property) in this day and age, they better be willing to pay 50% or more of the agreed-upon purchase price in cash (preferably all in cash) in order to have a chance at getting their offer accepted and not quibble too much during escrow about the condition of the dwelling which sits on it.
Participant[quote=spdrun]Nit to pick: a co-op is not a condo, even in NY. In a condo, you own the tax lot on which the condo sits. In a co-op, you own a share in the corporation that owns the building.[/quote] Thank you spdrun. I understand that the ownership of a “coop” in Manhattan is based upon different criteria than “ownership” of condos in the western US.
Participant[quote=spdrun]I think package stores (wine + liquor) have to close by midnight in NYC. Technically, the 10 pm rule in NJ is only for hard liquor. There are stores that sell beer and wine later, subject to local ordinance. Essentially, everything is local in NJ. Municipalities have a lot more power than in CA.[/quote]
Thank you for your post, spdrun. It clarifies things … exponentially.
ParticipantI’m glad you’re enjoying your visit to the east coast, CAR. YES, it IS quite different than the west coast (culture-shock be damned). I’ve made the Baltimore/DC trek a few times in my life but have never actually traveled to NYC/NJ. Someday I will, with a more “knowledgeable” Gen Y kid in tow …
ParticipantI forgot to add that a condo owner has little control as to how much his/her unit is actually “worth” on the open market. That figure is tied up with the 3 “caveats” as mentioned above.
ParticipantI agree with svelte, here, as it applies to CA. In buying an SFR in CA, you actually own the land your dwelling sits on. Like it or not (and regardless of what your local assessor says), THE VALUE OF THE LAND is what boosts property value in CA coastal counties. The closer to the coast your property sits, the higher your land value is in relation to your overall property value (market-wise) REGARDLESS of what the assessor says on your tax bill. This is ESPECIALLY TRUE for those properties situated within TWO MILES of the coast!
In a condo you own which is not a townhouse or a PUD, you don’t own ANY land (regardless of what your tax bill says the “land value” is). In this case, your “land value” of ownership is minuscule, due to having another condo above you and possibly below you as well. Your “ownership” portion of land is essentially the total lot size of the complex divided by the total number of units in the complex (technically speaking). But practically speaking, an individual owner in this case “owns” no land. They “own” their interior walls but nothing more. Their own “interior walls” could be subject to plumbing pipe bursts from their neighbor’s walls. Essentially, an “owner’s” market value in a true “condo” is inexorably tied up with three caveats:
1. the quality of the condo builder’s work;
2. the condition of the HOA’s financial statements, as well as the HOA’s ability to enforce the CC&R’s to non-dues payor-owners into paying their dues; and,
3. the timely payment of dues by ALL other owners’ in a timely manner in order to maintain the condo assn’s schedule of repairs and maintenance.
In spdrun’s area (Manhattan, NYC) condos (“coops,” in NY-speak) … the RULES are MUCH different than CA and there are no alternatives to this type of lifestyle. With NYC’s inclement weather at least 7 months per year … YES, it absolutely DOES MAKE SENSE to buy a walkup or co-op where the individual homeowner doesn’t have the authority to groom the sidewalk or easement in front of their dwelling … that is … if they want to live in Manhattan.
Different strokes for different folks (located in different regions of the country).
ParticipantI spend 4 hrs a month just cleaning up after trees … planted on the City’s easements … no less. Sometimes I have to borrow an additional 90 gal yard waste can for the job. Homeownership can be ugly … a LOT of work. Not for the faint-hearted …
However, I don’t believe in HOAs. I don’t want to pay dues for the privilege of being told what I can and can’t do with my property.
You can’t have it both ways….
The good thing is, the City maintains their own trees (just not their fallout). Trying to get them out here in a timely manner is another matter, altogether, however …
ParticipantI just looked at both price sheets. The Air Force price sheet has a few disclaimers about needing an escort at the park with a military ID but the Naval Base SD doesn’t state this anywhere on their price sheet.
The 3-4 day “hopper” tix offered by MWR for Disneyland/CA Adventure Park may actually have restrictions in that regard so if you are interested in those, you would have to call them and check if a military-eligible escort at the park is required.
I last purchased MWR tix in SD 11 months ago for out-of-state houseguests and they had absolutely no problem at all getting into Sea World or the Wax Museum in LA by themselves with them. They weren’t military.
Participant[quote=FlyerInHi]I have some young relatives visiting on a budget.
Does anyone know where to get discounts tickets to places such as Universal Studios and Six Flags?[/quote]Know anyone with a military ID?
In SD, click on the “current ticket price list” link here:
http://navylifesw.com/sandiego/recreation/tickets/
The MWR Ticket office is in the middle door of the one-story NEX bldg (former commissary) which is the last bldg on the right heading south thru the dry (shopping) side of the base (less than 2 miles south of dtn SD). Take the 28th St South exit off I-5 (left fork), make a right on 28th St and a left at the 28th St gate (located just before the Harborside Trolley stop).
DO NOT TRY TO ENTER/EXIT the 28th St NS gate between 3:00 and 4:00 pm weekdays as it could take you up to an hour to do so! The NASSCO and Southwest Marine closing bells ring at 3:00 pm sharp, making the entire area chaotic, to say the least.
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In LV, click on the “California Showsheet” link here:
http://www.nellisforcesupport.com/ITT_.php
IIRC, Nellis is located NE of town. It’s been more than 20 years since I visited the exchange there.
This is as cheap as it gets brian and you could save hundreds of dollars, so cull your list of “friends and associates” and make an “eligible friend” a deal to drive you on base and buy them for you. You will need to carry enough cash to give them to buy the appropriate tix for you unless you have your own military ID.
You don’t have to have a military ID to USE military tix at the attractions because military purchasers are allowed to buy them for guests. Most of the tix they sell for attractions are for a whole season, not a particular day, so their use is flexible.
Have fun!
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