You know, I would love to live in warm Los Angeles, just a few
miles from the beach, but home prices in California and my state of
Missouri seem way out of sink.

I think a home that would sell between $600 k and $800 k in
Cali could be bought in the Saint Louis, Columbia, and Kansas City
areas for about $200 k.

Sure I'd like to live in warm L.A. but is it really worth an
extra half million dollars to me? Maybe, but right now I'm thinking
probably not.

I suppose if I really want to live in a warm seaside town, I
could move to the Texas coast. Texas and Missouri seem to have
similar home prices.

What do you all think. Can a good home in a good neighborhood
be bought in the greater L.A., Orange, Riverside, or
San Bernardino Counties for $200 k? Thanks.

"TenPercent" wrote:
What do you all think. Can a good home in a good neighborhood
be bought in the greater L.A., Orange, Riverside, or
San Bernardino Counties for $200 k?

Depends what you consider a good home. Does an outhouse qualify? Do
you need more than 12 square feet of living space?


--

A great many people think they are thinking,
when they are merely rearranging their prejudices.

....Edward R. Murrow

You already know the answer to your stupid question, so what was the
point of your post?

He's gotta be a troll.

TenPercent wrote

You know, I would love to live in warm Los Angeles,
just a few miles from the beach, but home prices in
California and my state of Missouri seem way out of sink.

I think a home that would sell between $600 k and
$800 k in Cali could be bought in the Saint Louis,
Columbia, and Kansas City areas for about $200 k.

Sure I'd like to live in warm L.A. but is it really
worth an extra half million dollars to me?

That calculation is oversimplified because it isnt money just spent.

Maybe, but right now I'm thinking probably not.

I suppose if I really want to live in a warm seaside
town, I could move to the Texas coast. Texas and
Missouri seem to have similar home prices.

What do you all think.

There's more to the question than just
the beach, temperature and prices.

The other consideration is work prospects for many.

Not all tho, most obviously with those that
can do what they do almost anywhere.

Then there's taxes etc too.

Can a good home in a good neighborhood be
bought in the greater L.A., Orange, Riverside,
or San Bernardino Counties for $200 k?

In article ,
TenPercent wrote:

You know, I would love to live in warm Los Angeles, just a few
miles from the beach, but home prices in California and my state of
Missouri seem way out of sink.

I think a home that would sell between $600 k and $800 k in
Cali could be bought in the Saint Louis, Columbia, and Kansas City
areas for about $200 k.


I am familiar with Missouri home prices and the difference is even
greater than you think. A 4000 square foot home in SW Missouri can be
had for under $200K. The same house in Los Angeles would cost well
over $1 million. *MY* house is worth about $700K and it is 1400 square
feet, the school district is bad, and it is more than 75 years old
with some of the attendant issues one might expect. However, there are
other advantages that make it worth it to me. I would never consider
moving to Missouri, even though I have some family there.


What do you all think. Can a good home in a good neighborhood
be bought in the greater L.A., Orange, Riverside, or
San Bernardino Counties for $200 k? Thanks.


No.


Dimitri

Look at zillow.com and compare price increase percentages per state and
county and communities vs. nationwide increase averages:

http://www.zillow.com/local

http://www.zillow.com/local/California

Annualized increase has been 7.4% nationwide on average whereas
California has been 14%. I think it might be in the top spot for
increases. My question is, who is buying these homes and where are they
coming from? Think of California homes like Google stock or Enron
stock. Eventually prices get too high and buyers dry up? Or California
becomes way too expensive to live on other fronts? Tons of land in
California, still home prices may be skewed by L.A. and San Francisco
properties.

TenPercent wrote:
You know, I would love to live in warm Los Angeles, just a few
miles from the beach, but home prices in California and my state of
Missouri seem way out of sink.

I think a home that would sell between $600 k and $800 k in
Cali could be bought in the Saint Louis, Columbia, and Kansas City
areas for about $200 k.

Sure I'd like to live in warm L.A. but is it really worth an
extra half million dollars to me? Maybe, but right now I'm thinking
probably not.

I suppose if I really want to live in a warm seaside town, I
could move to the Texas coast. Texas and Missouri seem to have
similar home prices.

What do you all think. Can a good home in a good neighborhood
be bought in the greater L.A., Orange, Riverside, or
San Bernardino Counties for $200 k? Thanks.
tell ya what i'll find you a home in my town for
200k that would cost 600k in LA and give me 100k
and we call it even k. I'll even pay travelling
expenses.

Yep i c your point though disregarding the above.
It's a tough decision. Property prices differ
so much in different areas. Personally that's a
tough one.

It's worth whatcha wanna pay. You wanna live in
LA you pay the price, etc. etc.

Hi I can't help with the US, but I thought you might find it of
interest that you can spend less for a nice place in Australia!

Check out realestate.com.au and select Victoria, and put in your
desired price range.

There are even country towns with houses around AU$100K...

Ever thought of moving?

Mercedes wrote:

Check out realestate.com.au and select Victoria, and put in your
desired price range.

There are even country towns with houses around AU$100K...

Ever thought of moving?

Yes, but immigration looks difficult. IIRC, you get 1 point out of 100
if you are a 30-year-old brain surgeon and you are willing to invest
$2 million in an Australian business.

OTOH, I've heard Oz is like the US in earlier times, that people encourage
people with good ideas, instead of making lists of reasons
why they will not work or should not be implemented.

Nick

wrote:
Mercedes wrote:

Check out realestate.com.au and select Victoria, and put in your
desired price range.

There are even country towns with houses around AU$100K...

Ever thought of moving?

Yes, but immigration looks difficult. IIRC, you get 1 point out of 100
if you are a 30-year-old brain surgeon and you are willing to invest
$2 million in an Australian business.

OTOH, I've heard Oz is like the US in earlier times, that people
encourage people with good ideas, instead of making lists of
reasons why they will not work or should not be implemented.

You need to get those ears tested.

On 16 Feb 2006 03:03:01 -0800, "Mercedes"
wrote:

Hi I can't help with the US, but I thought you might find it of
interest that you can spend less for a nice place in Australia!

Check out realestate.com.au and select Victoria, and put in your
desired price range.

There are even country towns with houses around AU$100K...

Ever thought of moving?



The commute to my job wuld be a real killer.

In article ,
Scott en Aztlán newsgroup wrote:

[snip!]

The cheapest condos (in a GOOD neighborhood) are already in the 400K
range. $200K might buy you something in El Centro or Blythe.


Also, the definition of "GOOD neighborhood" in LA is not what it is
in most other places. Lots of people in the rest of the country take
"GOOD neighborhood" to mean (white) upper middle class with a good school
system, low crime, and tracts of new homes separated by wide residential
streets where kids ride bikes and walk to school. These areas exist
in LA, but you don't know how often I've heard "I thought xxxxx city
was supposed to be GOOD" when driving out-of-town guests through LA
neighborhoods and they point out homeless people, graffiti, and
(what looks to them like) dilapidated homes built in the 1950s.
My response is usually something along the lines of "It is good. Houses
here cost $1+ million. You don't even want to go to the area where the houses
cost what you'd pay back home."


What people in other parts of the country would call 'GOOD
neighborhoods' we call Beverly Hills, for instance. Heck, the random
murders there in 2005 were the just the first in four whole years.


Dimitri

TenPercent wrote:

You know, I would love to live in warm Los Angeles, just a few
miles from the beach, but home prices in California and my state of
Missouri seem way out of sink.

I think a home that would sell between $600 k and $800 k in
Cali could be bought in the Saint Louis, Columbia, and Kansas City
areas for about $200 k.

Sure I'd like to live in warm L.A. but is it really worth an
extra half million dollars to me? Maybe, but right now I'm thinking
probably not.

I suppose if I really want to live in a warm seaside town, I
could move to the Texas coast. Texas and Missouri seem to have
similar home prices.

What do you all think. Can a good home in a good neighborhood
be bought in the greater L.A., Orange, Riverside, or
San Bernardino Counties for $200 k? Thanks.

No. You might find a fixer-upper out in the sticks where it's hot and smoggy,
though. 60-80 miles from the beach...

--
Cheers, Bev
=========================================
"Welcome to Hell, here's your accordion."

In article ,
The Real Bev wrote:

What do you all think. Can a good home in a good neighborhood
be bought in the greater L.A., Orange, Riverside, or
San Bernardino Counties for $200 k? Thanks.

No. You might find a fixer-upper out in the sticks where it's hot and smoggy,
though. 60-80 miles from the beach...


60-80 miles from the beach is Riverside or San Bernardino County. He won't
find anything there for that price.


Dimitri

In misc.consumers.frugal-living TenPercent wrote:
You know, I would love to live in warm Los Angeles, just a few
miles from the beach, but home prices in California and my state of
Missouri seem way out of sink.

What do you all think. Can a good home in a good neighborhood
be bought in the greater L.A., Orange, Riverside, or
San Bernardino Counties for $200 k? Thanks.

I grew up in Los Angeles and went to school in Riverside. I
left about 25 years ago and never looked back. As they say it's
a great place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there. In my
opinion anything inland is uninhabitable due to the smog, especially
in the summer.
Mark in Colorado

In article ,
says...
In article ,
The Real Bev wrote:

What do you all think. Can a good home in a good neighborhood
be bought in the greater L.A., Orange, Riverside, or
San Bernardino Counties for $200 k? Thanks.

No. You might find a fixer-upper out in the sticks where it's hot and smoggy,
though. 60-80 miles from the beach...


60-80 miles from the beach is Riverside or San Bernardino County. He won't
find anything there for that price.


Who would pay good money to live in either of those places,
anyway?


--
Want Freebies?
http://www.TheFreeStuffList.com/
Check The Free Stuff List

In misc.consumers.frugal-living D. Gerasimatos wrote:
In article ,
Mark Barrett wrote:

I grew up in Los Angeles and went to school in Riverside. I
left about 25 years ago and never looked back. As they say it's
a great place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there. In my
opinion anything inland is uninhabitable due to the smog, especially
in the summer.


The smog is better now than it was 25 years ago, but still bad.

Yes, I'm referring to today's smog. I went down I15 last summer
and I thought I was in some third world country with zero air
quality control. The visibility was probably less than 1/4 mile.
Mark



My observation (as an LA-area resident for most of my life) is that
it's a much better place to live than to visit.


Dimitri

In article ,
Andrew White wrote:

Who says that? Who in their right mind would call LA a great place to
visit? There's nothing there to see or do!


Exactly. Aside from the natural beauty, the tourist attractions like
Disneyland, the restaurants and entertainment, and all of the museums
there's nothing to do or see here. You might as well be in Little Rock.


More seriously, the reason I say that LA is a bad place to visit is
that most of the interesting things going on here are transient. Only
as a resident can you really appreciate all of the interesting and
diverse musical groups, cultural exhibitions, shows, and other events
which pass through here.


For instance, LACMA has had several spectacular exhibits over the past
few years which actually traveled here from somewhere else. The latest
was the King Tut exhibition, which will only be seen in a couple of
other US cities. As a tourist you probably wouldn't want to travel
here from Nebraska just to see that, but as a resident it's just one
of a handful of opportunities that frequently present themselves. From
an Andy Warhol retrospective (only North American stop was in LA) to the
World Rally Championship (also only North American stop was in LA), there are
a lot of things to do or see here that cannot be experienced anywhere
else - or perhaps only in a few other large cities like New York or Dallas.


Most of these are not worth the trip to LA in themselves, but as a
resident one can pick and choose what interests him. I think a lot
of tourists come to LA and see the Walk of Fame, Disneyland, Getty
Museum, Santa Monica pier, and Rodeo Drive and then think that they
understand the city, but the reality is that Los Angeles is so huge
that even I, as a resident of 25+ years haven't yet seen all that it has
to offer - and I never will. However, what LA affords is options. Whether
you want fantastic Korean food, an ocean sunset, a scenic garden,
shopping (for just about anything you could ever want), a rock concert,
or a place to play paintball you can find it here. That is not true
in most of the small cities across America. I would say only Chicago
and New York can truly compare and what LA has on them is that I don't
even have to own a jacket to go do it.


Dimitri

In article ,
Andrew White wrote:

You go to LA to see the ocean??? Seriously? I can name 20 places that
are better than LA to see the ocean that would also be cheaper, have
better food, better traffic, some real attractions (unlike the
HOLLYWOOD sign) and nicer people. Let's start with one that's close to
LA: San Diego.


San Diego:


1. Is more expensive

2. Does not have better food

3. Has better traffic though still bad

4. Doesn't really have more attractions, although the Zoo is very nice


I love San Diego, though.


So what are your 19 other places?


Dimitri

On Fri, 17 Feb 2006 15:26:48 +0000 (UTC),
(D. Gerasimatos) wrote:

In article ,
The Real Bev wrote:

What do you all think. Can a good home in a good neighborhood
be bought in the greater L.A., Orange, Riverside, or
San Bernardino Counties for $200 k? Thanks.

No. You might find a fixer-upper out in the sticks where it's hot and smoggy,
though. 60-80 miles from the beach...


60-80 miles from the beach is Riverside or San Bernardino County. He won't
find anything there for that price.


Dimitri


From Realtor.com

17141 ARAGON DR
Perris, CA 92570
$105,000
3 Bed, 2 Bath
1,440 Sq. Ft.
0.11 Acres

640 APACHE RD
Perris, CA 92570
$129,000
1 Bed, 1 Bath
672 Sq. Ft.
0.17 Acres

21655 OLIVE AV
Perris, CA 92570
$155,000
2 Bed, 1 Bath
720 Sq. Ft.
0.11 Acres

20191 HUNTER ST
PERRIS, CA 92570
$160,000
2 Bed, 1 Bath

1323 MAE CT
Perris, CA 92570
$175,000
2 Bed, 1.75 Bath
1,200 Sq. Ft.
0.16 Acres

22572 STROHM DR
Perris, CA 92570
$175,000
3 Bed, 1 Bath
0.18 Acres

17045 Aragon Dr
Perris, CA 92570
$180,000
2 Bed, 2 Bath
1,152 Sq. Ft.
0.21 Acres

22510 CARTER
Perris, CA 92570
$184,900
4 Bed, 1 Bath
0.13 Acres

17234 ALAMEDA DR
Lake Matthews, CA 92570
$189,900
2 Bed, 2 Bath
1,536 Sq. Ft.

17140 BONITA DRIVE
Perris, CA 92570
$190,000
3 Bed, 2 Bath
2,040 Sq. Ft.
0.11 Acres


20971 VERTA ST
Perris, CA 92570
$195,000
2 Bed, 1 Bath
576 Sq. Ft.
0.44 Acres

20744 MYRON ST
Perris, CA 92570
$195,887
2 Bed, 1 Bath
960 Sq. Ft.
0.39 Acres

150 DIANA ST
Perris, CA 92570
$199,900
3 Bed, 2 Bath
1,344 Sq. Ft.
0.17 Acres

618 N BOND DR
Perris, CA 92570
$199,900
2 Bed, 2 Bath
0.18 Acres


NO PHOTO 375 DIANA ST
Perris, CA 92570
$199,900
2 Bed, 2 bath

On Fri, 17 Feb 2006 14:15:26 -0800, Antipodean Bucket Farmer
wrote:

In article ,
says...
In article ,
The Real Bev wrote:

What do you all think. Can a good home in a good neighborhood
be bought in the greater L.A., Orange, Riverside, or
San Bernardino Counties for $200 k? Thanks.

No. You might find a fixer-upper out in the sticks where it's hot and smoggy,
though. 60-80 miles from the beach...


60-80 miles from the beach is Riverside or San Bernardino County. He won't
find anything there for that price.


Who would pay good money to live in either of those places,
anyway?


Someone who understands the concept of frugal living?

In article ,
Bob Ward wrote:
On Fri, 17 Feb 2006 15:26:48 +0000 (UTC),
(D. Gerasimatos) wrote:

60-80 miles from the beach is Riverside or San Bernardino County. He won't
find anything there for that price.


Dimitri


From Realtor.com

17141 ARAGON DR
Perris, CA 92570
$105,000
3 Bed, 2 Bath
1,440 Sq. Ft.
0.11 Acres



I stand corrected, but these are all in Perris. Even if Perris, do you
know that the median house price is $345K? Blythe is a good bet at
only $165K. In San Bernardino County you could try Needles ($87.5K)
or Barstow ($138K) if you like desert living and/or crystal meth.


Dimitri

wrote:

OTOH, I've heard Oz is like the US in earlier times, that people encourage
people with good ideas, instead of making lists of reasons
why they will not work or should not be implemented.

I wouldn't want to move somewhere where ideas weren't critically
considered, myself. In addition I doubt that Oz is more inclined that
way than the USA. (Is this consistent with making a list of reasons
why your good ideas won't work or should not be implemented?)

--
C

wrote:

wrote:

OTOH, I've heard Oz is like the US in earlier times, that people encourage
people with good ideas, instead of making lists of reasons
why they will not work or should not be implemented.

I wouldn't want to move somewhere where ideas weren't critically
considered, myself...

Chacun a son enfer.

In addition I doubt that Oz is more inclined that way than the USA.

Of course. But I have this on good authority from a friend who travels
there often. He was surprised and pleased to discover this. Not that
critical thought isn't good, but too much at the start can be kind of
depressing and overwhelming.

Nick

wrote
wrote
wrote

OTOH, I've heard Oz is like the US in earlier times, that people
encourage people with good ideas, instead of making lists of
reasons why they will not work or should not be implemented.

I wouldn't want to move somewhere where
ideas weren't critically considered, myself...

Chacun a son enfer.

Must be a wog.

In addition I doubt that Oz is more inclined that way than the USA.

Of course. But I have this on good authority
from a friend who travels there often.

Pity he is just plain wrong.

And you can check that anytime without even
travelling by having a browse of the aus.* groups.

He was surprised and pleased to discover this.

He's a fool.

Not that critical thought isn't good, but too much at
the start can be kind of depressing and overwhelming.

More mindless stuff.

In article ,
Bob Ward wrote:

Perris is within a reasonable commuting distance of San Diego, Orange
County, or Los Angeles.


You have got to be kidding. It's more than a 2 hour drive (each way)
from Perris to downtown LA in morning traffic - maybe even 3 hours.


Dimitri

D. Gerasimatos wrote:
Bob Ward wrote:

Perris is within a reasonable commuting distance of San Diego, Orange
County, or Los Angeles.

You have got to be kidding. It's more than a 2 hour drive (each way)
from Perris to downtown LA in morning traffic - maybe even 3 hours.

What is reasonable varies from person to person. Lots of folks
consider a one hour drive (one way) reasonable for a commute.
It's not entirely unthinkable that some would find a 2 hour
drive reasonable if it let's them have both a good job and a
good home. This is, after all, only 4 or 5 hours a day. If it's
the kind of job that has 10 or 12 hour shifts then a person
can still have a couple of hours a day to do other things.

Anthony

On Sun, 19 Feb 2006 00:38:51 +0000 (UTC),
(D. Gerasimatos) wrote:

In article ,
Bob Ward wrote:

Perris is within a reasonable commuting distance of San Diego, Orange
County, or Los Angeles.


You have got to be kidding. It's more than a 2 hour drive (each way)
from Perris to downtown LA in morning traffic - maybe even 3 hours.


Dimitri


Many people commute from Victorville, which is quite a bit further.

A two hour commute is not all that uncommon in many places.

We picked LA for our spring vacation last year. We had the money to
travel farther, considered Hawaii, but decided that with two little
kids, the plane trip wasn't worth it. We have friends and family in LA.
One of them, a generous person who's also a successful actor, made it
her business to help us have a good time. She checked out a couple of
hotels for me in her town (Venice). She made reservations for us at a
restaurant and then paid the bill (she didn't need to do that!!!) and
best of all, she lent us her nanny!!! And hosted play dates for our
kids with hers, so we could have time off.

Museums are my idea of a good time, along with the beach, good ethnic
food, bookstores and cafes. So we went to the Getty - two times! - the
Zoo, the railroad museum, the beach, the beach. It was super. And I
recommend the Best Western in Venice - ocean front suite was just
terrific for a family. No pool, however, and frankly the water along
that coast ain't the cleanest. But we have great pools in our area (too
cold to swim in the ocean for me)

My kids are asking me when we're going back to LA. They loved it as
much as we did. However we would spend as little time on the freeway as
possible.

Leila

In article ,
Scott en Aztlán newsgroup wrote:
On Sun, 19 Feb 2006 00:38:51 +0000 (UTC),
(D. Gerasimatos) wrote:

In article ,
Bob Ward wrote:

Perris is within a reasonable commuting distance of San Diego, Orange
County, or Los Angeles.

You have got to be kidding. It's more than a 2 hour drive (each way)
from Perris to downtown LA in morning traffic - maybe even 3 hours.

He's not kidding. Here in SoCal, that is considered a reasonable
commuting distance. Hundreds of thousands of people live in the Inland
Empire and commute every day to jobs in LA, Orange, and San Diego
counties. They spend 3 or 4 hours PER DAY in their cars, stuck in
traffic, breathing exhaust fumes. Part of it is because they can
afford a larger home in Perris or Temecula than they can in
Montebello.


I live in SoCal and I grew up in SoCal and I don't consider it
reasonable at all. My parents both commuted from the Inland Empire at
one point and it was ridiculous. I don't wish that on anyone. That was
15 years ago. Traffic has only gotten worse since then.


Bottom line, many of the people who moved out to the Inland Empire
back when travel times were tolerable haven't noticed that their
commute went from 45 minutes to 90 minutes over the last few years.


More likely from 90 minutes to 180 minutes. If you are buying a house in
Perris and working in downtown LA (say) you are better off being someplace
else.


Dimitri

In article ,
Anthony Matonak wrote:
D. Gerasimatos wrote:
Bob Ward wrote:

Perris is within a reasonable commuting distance of San Diego, Orange
County, or Los Angeles.

You have got to be kidding. It's more than a 2 hour drive (each way)
from Perris to downtown LA in morning traffic - maybe even 3 hours.

What is reasonable varies from person to person. Lots of folks
consider a one hour drive (one way) reasonable for a commute.
It's not entirely unthinkable that some would find a 2 hour
drive reasonable if it let's them have both a good job and a
good home. This is, after all, only 4 or 5 hours a day. If it's
the kind of job that has 10 or 12 hour shifts then a person
can still have a couple of hours a day to do other things.


If your job only pays you enough money to live in Perris then it isn't
really that great of a job. I like how you say it's only 5 hours per day
on the road. Is that it? I could live in Phoenix and fly in to LA in
less time than that. The money saved on housing (and perhaps only
needing one car instead of two) could almost cover the cost of the plane
tickets, too. You could get a lot of work done on the plane as well.


Dimitri

On Sun, 19 Feb 2006 09:31:24 -0800, Scott en Aztlán
wrote:


He's not kidding. Here in SoCal, that is considered a reasonable
commuting distance. Hundreds of thousands of people live in the Inland
Empire and commute every day to jobs in LA, Orange, and San Diego
counties. They spend 3 or 4 hours PER DAY in their cars, stuck in
traffic, breathing exhaust fumes. Part of it is because they can
afford a larger home in Perris or Temecula than they can in
Montebello.

Scratch Temecula from that list.
Median housing cost in 2000 was $191,000, more than twice the $91,300
for Perris.
Montebello's median price was $199,000 in 2000.

I shoot virtual tours for Realtors throughout Southern California, and
the highest priced listings for the agents I work for are pretty well
divided between Temecula and Lake Arrowhead. I've done very few in
Temecula for less than a million. The highest priced homes have been
in Lake Arrowhead, but there are a significant number of lower priced
hopmes in that area to bring the average down. (Lower priced being
600,000 to 800,000)

Scott en Aztlán writes:

Personally I agree with you. However, the fact remains that hundreds
of thousands of people DO think it is reasonable - you can see them
parked on the 91 freeway every morning and evening.

LOL...

--
Todd H.
http://www.toddh.net/

Scott en Aztlán wrote:
Personally I agree with you. However, the fact remains that hundreds
of thousands of people DO think it is reasonable - you can see them
parked on the 91 freeway every morning and evening.

i work with people that commute to E.LA from homes in riverside, lake
elsinore, apple valley.

id rather live in a condo in the ghetto and spend 20 mins total a day
commuting than to own a house in the desert and spend 4 to 6 hours a day
commuting. not to mention $2.30/gal gas, wear and tear, and increased
maintenance, and likely eating fast food 5 days a week because theyre
too tired to cook after upwards of 14hrs/day spent commuting and
working. all that time wasted just to be able to have a house they cant
enjoy except for days off and vacations.

4 years ago my dad offered to sell me his 3br/2ba townhouse in lake
elsinore, for $83k, but i declined.

On Tue, 21 Feb 2006 01:03:14 -0800, SoCalMike
wrote:

Scott en Aztlán wrote:
Personally I agree with you. However, the fact remains that hundreds
of thousands of people DO think it is reasonable - you can see them
parked on the 91 freeway every morning and evening.

i work with people that commute to E.LA from homes in riverside, lake
elsinore, apple valley.

id rather live in a condo in the ghetto and spend 20 mins total a day
commuting than to own a house in the desert and spend 4 to 6 hours a day
commuting. not to mention $2.30/gal gas, wear and tear, and increased
maintenance, and likely eating fast food 5 days a week because theyre
too tired to cook after upwards of 14hrs/day spent commuting and
working. all that time wasted just to be able to have a house they cant
enjoy except for days off and vacations.

4 years ago my dad offered to sell me his 3br/2ba townhouse in lake
elsinore, for $83k, but i declined.

Lucky for you that many people don't share your views - otherwise you
couldn't afford the condo in the ghetto either.

Bob Ward wrote:
On Tue, 21 Feb 2006 01:03:14 -0800, SoCalMike
wrote:

Scott en Aztlán wrote:
Personally I agree with you. However, the fact remains that hundreds
of thousands of people DO think it is reasonable - you can see them
parked on the 91 freeway every morning and evening.
i work with people that commute to E.LA from homes in riverside, lake
elsinore, apple valley.

id rather live in a condo in the ghetto and spend 20 mins total a day
commuting than to own a house in the desert and spend 4 to 6 hours a day
commuting. not to mention $2.30/gal gas, wear and tear, and increased
maintenance, and likely eating fast food 5 days a week because theyre
too tired to cook after upwards of 14hrs/day spent commuting and
working. all that time wasted just to be able to have a house they cant
enjoy except for days off and vacations.

4 years ago my dad offered to sell me his 3br/2ba townhouse in lake
elsinore, for $83k, but i declined.

Lucky for you that many people don't share your views - otherwise you
couldn't afford the condo in the ghetto either.


if i had to now, i couldnt. i think things have changed the last few
years- since real estate prices have shot up even in riverside and san
bernardino counties. people moving back toward the city, closer to jobs,
family, and friends. reverse migration, i guess youd call it.

but from what ive seen lately, prices have remained stagnant and/or
dropped a small bit. homes around here are on the market longer. gonna
be a hard time for the people with the ARMs, the interest-only
mortgages, and the people trying to make money fast by flipping properties.

In misc.consumers.frugal-living Andrew White wrote:
You go to LA to see the ocean??? Seriously? I can name 20 places that
are better than LA to see the ocean that would also be cheaper, have
better food, better traffic, some real attractions (unlike the
HOLLYWOOD sign) and nicer people. Let's start with one that's close to
LA: San Diego.

I'd agree with you that the beaches closest to Los Angeles
are slimy and nicer beaches are to be found to the south. The
overuse and lack of maintenance is very apparent. Southern
California is one huge over crowded metropolis, mostly the same,
whether it be Los Angeles or San Diego. My main draw to Southern
California are relatives, but I like seeing the ocean. My son's
boy scout troop backpacked across Catalina Island last summer and
we had a great time. However, if I had to pick where the nicest
beaches are it wouldn't be in Southern California, but in Florida.
Mark

Mark Barrett writes:
In misc.consumers.frugal-living Andrew White wrote:
You go to LA to see the ocean??? Seriously? I can name 20 places that
are better than LA to see the ocean that would also be cheaper, have
better food, better traffic, some real attractions (unlike the
HOLLYWOOD sign) and nicer people. Let's start with one that's close to
LA: San Diego.

I'd agree with you that the beaches closest to Los Angeles
are slimy and nicer beaches are to be found to the south. The
overuse and lack of maintenance is very apparent. Southern
California is one huge over crowded metropolis, mostly the same,
whether it be Los Angeles or San Diego. My main draw to Southern
California are relatives, but I like seeing the ocean. My son's
boy scout troop backpacked across Catalina Island last summer and
we had a great time. However, if I had to pick where the nicest
beaches are it wouldn't be in Southern California, but in Florida.

Amen.

I'd take a lot of Florida beaches over their counterparts in the
Bahamas, even Maui, and East and West Caribbean as well. When it
comes to wide sand beaches, it's mighty tough to improve on what
Florida has to offer.

--
Todd H.
http://www.toddh.net/

In article , Todd H. wrote:

Amen.

I'd take a lot of Florida beaches over their counterparts in the
Bahamas, even Maui, and East and West Caribbean as well. When it
comes to wide sand beaches, it's mighty tough to improve on what
Florida has to offer.


What I don't like about Florida beaches is the lack of surf. I feel
like I'm wading into a giant, tepid lagoon. The sand is great, the
water is warm, and it's good for swimming but I much prefer a beach
with waves crashing. Watching people try to surf in Florida is a sad
sight.


Dimitri

"D. Gerasimatos" wrote in message
...
In article , Todd H. wrote:

Amen.

I'd take a lot of Florida beaches over their counterparts in the
Bahamas, even Maui, and East and West Caribbean as well. When it
comes to wide sand beaches, it's mighty tough to improve on what
Florida has to offer.


What I don't like about Florida beaches is the lack of surf. I feel
like I'm wading into a giant, tepid lagoon. The sand is great, the
water is warm, and it's good for swimming but I much prefer a beach
with waves crashing. Watching people try to surf in Florida is a sad
sight.

Chuckle- try the downwind side of the Gulf of Mexico, around the Louisiana
mudflats. You can walk out till you can barely see the shore in some places,
and still only be chest deep. Not a pretty beach, either- always a scum line
and trash, marking high tide. Haven't seen them post Katrina/Rita, but I
understand a lot of the beaches (and some of the towns) are simply gone.
The half-dead marshes now run right up to the waterline in a lot of spots.

aem sends...