Rent - Are prices just crazy in California?

[Cylotron]

My co-worker's been looking for an apartment for a few weeks now & has been keeping us up-to-date on his progress. He was hoping for a 1bd, but is having a hard time finding an affordable studio. The cheapest he found was a 300sqft studio for $1,295/month. I thought "no way!" and decided to help him search. Yep... prices are terrible.

He's been here a bit longer then me so not sure how much he makes, but I'm getting $23.5/h ($3,760/m) - we're in IT. On top of that, these rental places require that you make 3 x's/rent. So on my pay I would only qualify for a studio myself(1bd's start around $1,400+/m).

He decided to also look into "affordable"(low-income) housing but does not qualify(you have to make less then $1,000/m). So he makes too much money for low income housing, but struggles to find an "affordable" regular apartment. - this is San Diego btw.

I've heard horror stories about San Francisco, but it appears it's getting like that all around California. What's it like where you guys are?

 

[@M]

I just checked the classifieds in the local paper and you can get 1 or 2 bedroom apartments here for about $500-700 a month on average. Saw one for $395 with all utilities and heat included to boot, which sounds a little too good to be true to me. Two houses for rent too, one for $475 a month (on a lake even!), the other $600.

 

[NeoSneth]

Rural CA is not that bad, but you need to be far from the major cities. Anywhere within an 1.5-2 hours of a major city is not cheap.

Most places are crazy, and the banks have created crazy ways to purchase homes there.
Anyone sitting on a CA home loan that's interest-only is betting on their entire future on the housing market.

I've had some decent job offers in CA, but not decent enough for the daily grind out there.

 

[100proof]

Here in "the big city", 1 brs go for about $700-800 and 2 brs are around $1k. When we first moved down here 10 years ago, they were about 20% less across the board. Go 20 miles out in to the more rural areas and it's still probably under $600 for a studio.

 

[ForeverSublime]

. . . unless your friend is tied to a job the employer is trying to pay "non-CA" wages, it wouldn't surprise me to hear your friend also doubles their salary.

 

[Dr Shroom]

If you think it's any better in the major cities over here, you're wrong.
Or where I live, a city with a 215k-something population.

 

[Kid Panda]

Here in the Carolinas where I'm at you can get a brand new 2,000 sq ft home for 130k. You only have to deal with ignorant rednecks but I just stay in the house.

 

[Neodogg]

Here in the Carolinas where I'm at you can get a brand new 2,000 sq ft home for 130k. You only have to deal with ignorant rednecks but I just stay in the house.

Is that with or without the wheels still on?

 

[Lagduf]

Here in the Carolinas where I'm at you can get a brand new 2,000 sq ft home for 130k. You only have to deal with ignorant rednecks but I just stay in the house.

My home, which was built in the late 1940s, is 1300sq ft and valued at over $350K. It's 650 sq ft upstairs and 650 of finished basement. It has two bedrooms (one up, one down) but legally may only be one because building codes, etc.

Anyway.

California has done Disney's Bonkers.

I live in Placer County, about an 45min to an hour away from Sacramento.

 

[Lagduf]

Couple Years back I rented a 2 bedroom, 1 bath, house with garage and decent sized yard for $930ish?

Was a real fucking slum of a house. This was in CA in Nevada County, population 100,000. Was more of a thing I lucked in to and the price was alright for the size, but that house was an absolute piece of shit. Just the worst. Heat didn't work, NO AC, etc, etc, etc

 

[StevenK]

Do the property taxes differ much between states?

 

[madman]

Do the property taxes differ much between states?

They differ between cities.

 

[kitkit.com]

Yup. Rent is San Francisco is nuts. Many people have to rent a room. Teachers cannot afford to live in SF. Average rent is $2,000 to $3,500. Here is a website to get you some idea:

https://sf.curbed.com/curbed-comparisons-san-francisco

I've heard horror stories about San Francisco, but it appears it's getting like that all around California. What's it like where you guys are?

 

[wyo]

Do the property taxes differ much between states?

Yes. They can also vary significantly between counties and cities within the states since each demands a slice.

 

[Kid Panda]

Is that with or without the wheels still on?

Without, and free underpinning!!!!

They differ between cities.

Down here it's within counties. Alot of people are moving out of Mecklenburg cause it's getting out of control. You really want to get raped on taxes though? Move to MA or NJ.

 

[HDRchampion]

I guess i need to raise the rent again!

 

[Jibbajaba]

My friend just rented a condo in Denver for $2800/mo. I don't know how big it is or where it is exactly, but that's about twice what I pay on my mortgage here in NorCal.

 

[Lukejaywalker23]

Here in the Carolinas where I'm at you can get a brand new 2,000 sq ft home for 130k. You only have to deal with ignorant rednecks but I just stay in the house.

I was just in Apex. It's that by you?

 

[Lagduf]

Do the property taxes differ much between states?

A few states don't even have property tax.

 

[LoneSage]

I paid my rent off for a whole year all at once last August. One of the benefits living here is rent is cheap as hell (buying is a different story though). Not gonna lie, I'm scared if I go back home just thinking how expensive rent is. It is absolute insanity that home prices and rent have risen so much yet salaries have remained somewhat stagnant. The American Dream is elusive now. I used to be against a $15 min wage about 10 years ago but it is clearly time for it now.

 

[norton9478]

Zoning laws are another way that the baby boomers have screwed future generations by driving up housing costs..

 

[Cousin_Itt]

Yup sounds about right in San Diego. Your best bet in looking for a cheap price is just look for someone renting a bedroom or garage. You might be able to find something reasonable more inland like in El Cajon or Escondido. I literally slept on my families couch for 400 a month when I was in San Diego a few years back.

 

[Heinz]

It cost me 385k for a 2 bedroom unit with a single car garage about 3 years ago now. Rent for the same thing would be around $1400 a month. Which is funny because my mortgage payment is at the minimum only a few hundred more.

Have to keep in mind though im 35km from the city though by the sounds thats not far enough to drop the price in Cali.

 

[100proof]

I was just in Apex. It's that by you?

Opposite side. Apex is a Raleigh suburb.

 

[snes_collector]

Rent is around $600 a month or so near me for a two bedroom apartment. Houses are cheap too, tons of retired Northerners come here to retire. Sell their small home in wherever and trade it for an entire small farm.