Moving to the USA - california

[perfecto pug]

Hi, i am thinking of moving to Cali from the UK

thinking of looking around the bay area, hayward, mainly Alameda county.

what can you recommend??

what sort of house is available for $300,000

also did you ever get the 8-series in the states??

i fancy a 850Csi:D now that gas will be affordable, you guys are moaning about $2 a gallon, in the UK its more like $8 going on $10:eek:

[volfman]

Yah we have 8-series here... :)

[Dinan330ic]

it will be next to impossible to find a house here for $300,000 unless it's in the ghetto.

[shragon]

agreed. you might be able to find a small condo.

and yes, we did get the 8er here in the states.

[///RBR]

Some nice places (up in the hills) in Hayward but not for $300k. You might want to consider Fremont, Union City also. But again, newer single houses goes well over $300k. Good luck.

[badmonkey]

Don't move to California, it sucks here. :rolleyes:

[sfhighroller]

Don't move to the Bay Area! Move to LA or San Diego. There is nothing to do here, the women are ugly and the weather sucks. You could easily by a house for $300K in those areas. Good luck!

[AgileM3]

San Diego's a better value - but figure on spending at least 350k for a nice home in a nice area..

Besides, our weather is better, we don't have the loser Raiders as next door neighbors, we're don't have to watch what we call Frisco for fear of our lives, and summer here is really summer...:)

[shragon]

what's there to fear in sf?

raiders? who are they? lol.

anyway, i agree, sd would be a nice place to move to.

[Dinan330ic]

Fear the car whilstles WOOO WOOOOOO

[shragon]

lol! Wooooooooooo Wooooooooooooooooooooo!

that's the wrong side of the bay though. that's only to fear in oakland among other things, hahahhahaha!

[Dinan330ic]

That reminds me. I hear they have cheap houses in some parts of Oakland. You have car whistles waking you up for breakfast, people breaking into your cars, your house, and murders here and there. Life can't be better.

[sfhighroller]

Seriously, I mean, who wouldn't want to be neighbors with Bubb Rubb?

I know you're not from around here, but just to let you know, this is what you get when you move to Oakland: http://www.templeofblackjesus.com/othergraphics/rubb_clip.wmv

[perfecto pug]

so what sorta money are we looking at for a 4bed house with 2-3 car garage in a nice area

my folks house is worth about £550,000 or about $800,000 but we are thinking along the lines of having 2 houses, the smaller being back in the UK

[perfecto pug]

this is one of my rides back in the UK

http://www.xsoc.co.uk/jimpug/MVC-002S.JPG

http://www.xsoc.co.uk/jimspug/205mypugfront.jpg

http://www.xsoc.co.uk/jimspug/205on19sfront.jpg

http://www.xsoc.co.uk/jimspug/p1010009small.jpg

its a Peugeot 205 - did they ever sell them in the US

its rolling on 19's now, but has had 17in chromes in the past.

[Dinan330ic]

no comment

[perfecto pug]

i am planning to get either an E36 M3 Evo or a 850Csi

proper cars - lol

[Jon97]

Originally posted by perfecto pug
so what sorta money are we looking at for a 4bed house with 2-3 car garage in a nice area

my folks house is worth about £550,000 or about $800,000 but we are thinking along the lines of having 2 houses, the smaller being back in the UK

The house you describe in San Francisco will be at least a million dollars US, without a doubt. Certainly lower if you live in a suburban track hosuing development in the Bay Area boonies.

I live in SF, and I'm about to buy a one bed/one bath condo in a very nice, desirable neighborhood. Very little square footage, but it has a garden and wood-burning fireplace -- $450K. Painful, huh?

The streets of san francisco suck -- literally. The road conditions and pot holes are criminal. I just spent the weekend in San Diego, and was thrilled by the roads. Awesome. It's like driving on a well-maintained track.

As for as your Pug, it reminds me of something that would appear in Redline (I work for the US arm of the UK publishing company that publishes Redline). Not my cup of tea (we'd call it rice), but hey, there's some major cultural differences between UK motor nuts and US motor nuts. Have fun in the US, pal!

[///DavidC]

A house of that description in a decent neighborhood in San Jose (South Bay) would go for probably US$450,000 at a minimum, and the sky is the limit from there. Since the economy took major hits in this area those prices are much lower than the highs of a couple of years ago where you probably would have been looking at $550-600k+.

The farther you get from the urban job centers the cheaper things tend to become. If you're willing to accept a lengthy commute or don't have to commute for some reason, you can get a place for much less in "the boonies."

With such a drastic move, I would suggest renting until you get to know the area and commit to buying a place - particularly in the East Bay. You'd have much more freedom to see things in person and make an educated decision. Of course, that may or may not work for your specific situation, I don't know. Normally I'd also warn against moving to the Peoples' Republic, but what I see as the economic and social problems in this state are still better overall than what you have in the UK. :D

Best of luck in any case.

[perfecto pug]

Originally posted by Jon97
As for as your Pug, it reminds me of something that would appear in Redline (I work for the US arm of the UK publishing company that publishes Redline). Not my cup of tea (we'd call it rice), but hey, there's some major cultural differences between UK motor nuts and US motor nuts. Have fun in the US, pal!

thats a coincidence, the last photo was taken on taken on a redline photo shoot, he was front cover with a peugeot 106 on 19's, and my car will be going front cover of redline later in the year

over here we dont see this as 'rice' but there is more and more jap imports coming into the uk to the stage where it is fashonable to have a jap car. i still wouldnt turn down the misubishi evo though:D

[Jon97]

Originally posted by perfecto pug
thats a coincidence, the last photo was taken on taken on a redline photo shoot, he was front cover with a peugeot 106 on 19's, and my car will be going front cover of redline later in the year

over here we dont see this as 'rice' but there is more and more jap imports coming into the uk to the stage where it is fashonable to have a jap car. i still wouldnt turn down the misubishi evo though:D

Understood, but in the states, "rice" simply speaks to the look of a car, not it's actual country or origin.

So Redline shot your car? Did you meet Sona (the art director)? What a fox!!! She's better looking than "Alana," Redline's official model. Hmmm... I still owe Sona and the Redline boys a box of American junk food...

[shragon]

not my cup of tea either, but i'm sure that car would do well at import car shows over here.

[Tahoe M3]

I would definately recommend SoCal if you are bringing that car with you. (One state, two cultures).

[NegativeCambre]

Living in northern california my entire life, I love it up here... but a lot of what people say about soCAL is right, and there is a stronger car-enthusiast influence down there (not to mention most manufacturers have design studios in soCAL), but northern california is a bit friendlyier I think. I'm in DAVIS right now, the butthole of California pretty much. Oh well, still close enough to oakland and SF for autocrosses and soon, Sacramento will be firing up their SCCA season. Woohoo.

Steve

[Mickey]

California, north or south, is an interesting counterpoint to the UK. By all means, come out here for a holiday (err, vacation) and rent for six months or a year. Visit the San Francisco Bay Area *and* the LA/SD corridor. Enjoy Manhattan Beach and Chula Vista Desert State Park. You'll find places on your budget all over, with a bit of searching. Near SF you might consider Alameda. My father and sister are now there. Email me for any specific questions you might have.

[Sticky]

You welcome to come, as long as that car stays overseas.