›

Moving back to the now-cheaper California

The_TimThe_Tim
edited November 2008 in Seattle Real Estate
Anybody remember back when I posted the first direct King County to San Diego County median price comparison back in March, and I said this about San Diego becoming cheaper than Seattle:
The Tim wrote:
I predict that if such a turnaround does take place, it won't last long once people realize that they can move back to California and buy a home for less money than in Seattle.
Well, as San Diego has continued to become cheaper than Seattle, home prices in other parts of California are even cheaper still, and people are indeed choosing to move back to California. I don't know how many people are moving back from Seattle, but check out this web cartoonist's story about his plans to move back to California from Texas:
Greg Dean wrote:
Well, I've waited to post this until it was basically official, and after our little house-hunting excursion this past weekend, it is indeed - Liz and I are moving back to California. :)

See, the main reason we came out here to Texas is because the housing market in CA was basically crap - the median house price in Rancho Cordova was somewhere around $300K+, and there's no way in hell we'd ever be able to qualify for that kind of loan - let alone pay for the mortgage that would go alone with it. Our plan was to come out here, wait a year, buy a house, and then slowly build equity in it, so that when we DID move back to CA someday, we'd actually have something worthwhile to put down on a house to that we could actually buy something.

There's no way, of course, we could have known that only a year after we made this move, the crumbling economy would see foreclosure rates of almost 2/3 in some areas, sending house prices plummeting. After talking with my dad on the phone a few weeks ago, he confirmed it - we could basically buy an equivalent house in California to something out here in Texas for just about an equivalent price. Given that our families are still in CA, our choice is pretty clear - pack up and head on back westward.
Wow. I would imagine that if people are moving back to CA from TX, a lot of recent CA transplants up here in WA might be considering the same plans.

Comments

  • mukohmukoh
    Have you been to SD lately Tim? My house would be $1.5m there. The median is not an accurate metric.
  • TheMightyQuinnTheMightyQuinn
    I will be moving to San Diego in a couple of years (for work.) Maybe this is because I'm a native Washingtonian, but SD is a third-world crap hole with an awesome zoo, Seaworld, and beaches. I simply couldn't believe all the homeless, in some areas they actually outnumbered everyone else. Great Mexican food, but couldn't find any good Asian food.
  • TrinaTrina
    Wow. I would imagine that if people are moving back to CA from TX, a lot of recent CA transplants up here in WA might be considering the same plans.

    I think that it would depend on the reason why they moved up here in the first place. The lifestyle up here is quite different then in California. While California has some pluses there are also some downsides. So it would depend on your personal situation.

    As far as the article from Texas- I didn't catch what city he was living in. Overall I thought that Texas home prices were are much cheaper then Southern California. Especially if compare house to house.

    Have you been to SD lately Tim? My house would be $1.5m there. The median is not an accurate metric.

    I think that is this is a pretty acurate statement.
  • mukohmukoh
    I spent quite a bit of time in SD this summer, was shocked at things like "Perfect Starter Home" for $700k a 1500 Sq Ft townhome. That is pretty regular there.
Sign In or Register to comment.