[sddreaming]

To each their own. Wherever your heart is, that is where you need to live. Currently, I’m living in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Home prices are such that I’m looking to move back to San diego. I’ve been in Dallas many a times and I don’t see the attraction. Flat landscape, hot summers, icy winters, and yes, tornadoes.

Here, in Ann Arbor, it’s really amusing. I see articles in the paper that mirror SD. High inventory. Leading the nation in the bubble. EVERYONE wants to live here. (Don’t you just love that?) Doesn’t everyone want to live in Ann Arbor?

McMansions are + $1M. Typical suburbia is min $700K. Bill Ford just listed his home for $3.9 M. Land is roughly $100K/acre. For What??

Okay. This is a really great place to raise kids. Ann Arbor is the most educated city in the USA. I prefer my kids to think a PhD is the norm, as opposed to Botox and physical perfection. Schools are great. Weather sucks, but that’s ok. Kids love the apprehension of the next season. It’s a lot of fun. And you get days off school when the roads are bad and/or its too cold.

From San Diego, I miss so much, still. The Pacific. Rent a boat from Harbor Island Yacht Club and set sail for the Coronados. Set your anchor and sleep on the Pacific. Just inhale and exhale. That changes me every time. I love everything about the Pacific, I love the diversity of San Diego. Where else can you wake up in sunshine and 70 degrees, surf, drive east, see snow, and ski, come back home, and well, just love life? I could go on and on. What do you love the most about SD? Where else in the world can you find that?

I remember the first summer in Mich with my ex, a SD native. the mid of July I was frantically swatting flies away from my baby and me. He just watched me like I was totally nuts as I tried to explain that black flies don’t only bite, they suck. That first fly bite was priceless.

It’s a personal passion. If you don’t have it, then move. It’s important to youu then honor that. Do what is important to your own self.

[sddreaming]

Probably half of my ziprealty listings went inactive on me in January. I think most of these people wanted to see if they could make an easy few million by selling their homes at bubble prices. When low or no offers came, they took them off.

[sddreaming]

Very interesting read. Note the footnote, with the examples of downward prices in NYC:

A two-bedroom, two-bath penthouse at Fifth Avenue and 93rd Street, first offered in November 2005at $12 million is now being listed at $7 million;

– A one-bedroom, two-baths condominium on Central Park South, first offered in April 2006 at $2.5 million is now going for $1.575,000;

– A one-bedroom, one-bath penthouse at 22nd Street and Madison Avenue, first offered in November 2005 at $2.5 million is now listed for $1.595,000

Perhaps not highest end in NYC, but certainly desireable areas.

[sddreaming]

Was it really 80 degrees today? That was a typo by SDUT, right?

[sddreaming]

Earlier today, I was thinking about this post and where I would want to retire. My thoughts were along the lines of, wherever it is I am happy, fulfilled, and productive, which today is Ann Arbor, Michigan. But, then, I ran errands, with my 5 and 7 year olds, and had a flat tire while on the freeway. BTW, the high actual temp today was 3. The wind chills are about -20. I’m re-thinking.

[sddreaming]

Isn’t it a shame how she was rewarded for her brave and excellent work?

[sddreaming]

It gives me great pleasure to hear Brent Wilkes is suffering. I’ve worked with him in the past. He is a narcisstic SOB, thinks he is impervious to the touch of the law. If anyone should go down with Duke Cunningham, it’s Brent Wilkes.

[sddreaming]

Here is an example of the last down turn in Temecula. There was a 10 acre equestrian property in the De Luz area, with a nice home and nice facilities. It went on the market for $850K. At that time, this was a pretty high price. One year later I put an offer on it for $225K. My offer was too late. It actually sold for $220K. Be patient. Temecula and Murrieta will again be hit hard. Sure there’s more going on there now, but it’s also way over built. As prices go down in Escondido, San Marcos, and Oceanside, San Deigo commuters will be attracted to those areas. I bet the percentage of people who live and work in the Temecula area is pretty low. Again, be patient. No one knows how low it will go, but I doubt we’re near the bottom yet.

[sddreaming]

I think it’s definitely the land going here. But, yes, delusional. Is poway land really worth $1M an acre? I don’t think so.

[sddreaming]

Where do you live BikeRider? I’ve lived in Michigan, NYC, San Diego, and now Ann Arbor, Michigan (again). For years I traveled extensively throughout the US. Now that I have kids of my own, I would love to live in San Diego again and experience it through the eyes of my non-jaded children. California may be expensive and have a lot of traffic, although nowhere near the traffic of NYC. DC, or Boston. Yet San Diego certainly has a lot going for it.

I guess ownership and living somewhere are separate issues. Here in Ann Arbor a decent house is $700,000 and the Pacific and decent weather is ~2700 miles away.

[sddreaming]

Thanks for the feedback CardiffBaseball. I would like to stay coastal when returning to SD. Sounds like schools should not be an issue.

However, I’m a UM alumnus and a die hard Michigan fan, so I’m not so convinced that Big Blue will go down. But, Ohio is awesome this year. I think this is going to be THE Michigan-Ohio game.

[sddreaming]

Thanks for your comments sdrealtor. What school district are your children in? Assuming your children, like mine, are in elementary schools, how do the middle and high schools in your district rate? Ann Arbor does a great job with its lower level schools, but not as well with the high schools.

[sddreaming]

Hi everyone. I’m a San Diego transplant to Ann Arbor, Michigan. I’ve been a sporadic reader of this site for a long time. I started when I watched in shock as San Diego housing sky rocketed for no apparently logical reason. Anyways, lately I’ve been thinking of returning to San Diego. My biggest concern is along the lines of this thread, how is San Diego to raise children? I have a 7 year old and a 4 year old. When I was in San Diego, I didn’t have children, so I never paid much attention to schools and other factors. Those of you with children, are you satisfied with the quality of education your children are receiving in San Diego? Are the San Diego schools a victim of corrupt spending?

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