Family can't move into house they bought

[Chief Pagan]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

In most cases, the real estate prices in California (outside of the $2+ million homes) aren't reflective of the quality or size of the home at all. You're paying for the "privilege" of living in California or in simple terms, the land.

My home is worth 2-3 times that of family that lives in Leawood but our home is nowhere near 2-3 times as nice or even "nicer" at all, nor do we have an HOA nor modern conveniences of those that live in that area.

I've never understood why people that don't need to live in California, live in California. There's a freaking surcharge for every aspect of life on top of the highest taxes in the union. And while sure, Disneyland and the beach are great, unless you can afford to live at the beach, it means nothing. The nearest beach is 45 minutes from my home and I'm lucky if I make it down there 4 times a year and many years, that number has been zero.

I guess a lot of it all depends on your particular situation and what you are looking for. So I live in a modest 3 bed/2 bath house that would sell for well north of a half million. Yes, most of that is the lot. That really hit home when I found out my home owners replacement policy only covers ~$150k or so for the house because you don't have to rebuild the lot if everything burns down in a fire.

Sure, I could probably buy something twice as big in KC, but what would I do with that? I'm not sure I need twice as nice either. And I don't want a HOA.

I'm not sure what modern convenience I'm missing.

I live in a pleasant University town and work ten minutes from my office when I'm not working remotely. It has nice parks, nice green belts, nice schools, no crime.

No snow, no ice. Nine months of constant sunshine. The town is surrounded by farmland so I'm at minimal risk of the fires, although it was pretty smoky last fall.

Yes, the cost of living is higher. If I was struggling to raise a family living paycheck to paycheck, I would certainly be looking for some place cheaper.

Before a bad back sidelined me, I spent a huge number of hours rock climbing in Yosemite and other locations in northern California. No McMansion in Leawood/Overland park is going to make up for that, for me. I was also fortunate to have a flexible schedule so I mostly avoided weekend traffic.

And again before I slowed down, I enjoyed that I could drive down to SF in only 90 minutes (if I left in the afternoon), have dinner, have a couple of cocktails, see a live show, and then make it back home in 90 minutes. SF is a really cool place to visit.

Your mileage may vary.