California costs too much! Let's compare it to Texas

[Diablo del sol]

My youngest daughter has a burr up her butt to buy a place. Not the best time, trying to get her to hold off a bit as she is young, single, and may have other job opportunities that require a move. She is looking in North San Diego County, and things aren't cheap. The cost and her impatience are driving her to look elsewhere. One city she keeps exploring is Dallas. She found a house in Dallas, comparable to a town home in SD County she is interested in. 600k house in Dallas, comparable to 700k townhouse in CA.

Now she will need me to help with down payment along with mortgage, basically 50/50 partners, she also knows there is no way I will invest one damn cent in TX. So quickly compared the numbers for her. The Texas house is 100k cheaper, but yearly taxes are higher and utility bills will be higher. As the Orange turd and repubs put a cap on SALT deductions she would immediately hit the cap with mortgage/property taxes and likely have about 15k a year that is NOT deductible. (same in CA, but the number is a bit lower)

Utilities would be more in TX. In CA new builds require solar so she would have a 10k investment in solar upfront. (possible to roll it into mortgage) and have much lower utility payments per year. Guessing around 2k per year.

Then I hit her with a real life comparison, the cost/return on my house in SoCal compared the cost of our good friends house in Dallas suburbs. Both houses were bought in 1998. My house was 50 to 75k more. Housing size, mine a bit bigger, maybe 100 to 200 sq ft. Lot size, basically the same. With the extra cost of property tax and utilities, our good friends likely paid slightly more per year.

But here is the big difference. My house has appreciated over $1,000,000 more over the time frame as compared to our friends in TX. That is over 40k per year! Almost $3,500 per month of opportunity costs to have the privilege (misfortune) to live in Texas.

I am all good with people living where they want, my good friend became a RW tRump lover, started out middle of the road, but 35 years in Texas changed him. The point is, and the point I was making to my daughter, they paid (more correctly cost themselves) a whole lot of money by living in the "better run," "less expensive," Texas. Both descriptions are laughable.

Now to stop her from claiming things may change, I ended with this quote. “If I owned Texas and Hell, I would rent out Texas and live in Hell” ― General Philip Henry Sheridan

That was a quote from the 1860's - nothing has changed. And the CA economy is going to implode B.S., been hearing it for almost 50 years. Over that time frame, the CA GDP continued to rise, rose to the point that currently we would be a G7 Country if we were a Country. Fifty years ago, I believe we would have just cracked the top 20.

Texas is the poster child for Low cost of entry (barriers to entry) Easy to get into, but the profit margins are low.

[Karadeniz]

1. Never heard that quote!!! It's so true!!

[LiberalFighter]

2. Good points to compare. That too many ignore.

[BigmanPigman]

3. Taxes and utilities are higher in TX.

Wow, I thought San Diego was about as bad as it gets. SDG&E is through the roof these days.

[inthewind21]

73. Texas is cheaper is a myth

Taxes, utilities and insurance. ALL insurance are more in Texas. I was born and raised in TX. Lived there 42 years, moved to CA, bay area, I got a better, bigger house in CA, yes the selling price was more but, the monthly payment was less. My taxes, and insurance were way less thus making my monthly payment way less. And when I sold my TX house, I lost money. When I sold my CA house, I banked almost double what I paid for it. Everyone focuses on the state income tax. Yes there is one in CA and not one in Texas. But by the time Texas rapes you over taxes, utilities and insurance, ALL insurance, home, car and health, it's actually better in CA. I tracked it for 3 years. It cost me less to live in CA than it did to live in Houston TX.

[BigmanPigman]

76. I had no idea it was that expensive.

I thought it was cheaper all around and that was the reason people chose to live there. So if the money isn't a factor I guess TX has some appeal that I'm not aware of. I would never live there due to their political attitude as well as other factors like weather, etc. I wonder how FL compares to TX and CA.

[DBoon]

4. also note property tax increases are limited in CA

If you can afford the CA property taxes now, chances are you can afford it for years to come. Taxes are based on purchase price, not current market value.

While in TX, a home may be re-assessed and you will get a jump in taxes.

You pay for the absence of an income tax in TX in other ways.

[Lonestarblue]

22. Yes, my property taxes increase every year to pay for Abbott luring companies from California.

I don’t known what tax breaks Musk got to relocate here, but I’m sure they were significant. So new roads had to be built, water and electricity access created, similar infrastructure for new housing developments near his Tesla manufacturing facility, and eventually new schools for the workers moving to that part of the county to work. And even though those workers will also pay property taxes, many of them were already paying property taxes elsewhere in Texas.

Since we have no state income tax, property taxes pay these costs. And even though Texas has billions in a rainy day fund, hat money is rarely used so we have a bond issued every time we need a new car road or a new school—which, of course, increases our property taxes. With the change in the SALT deductions, I come nowhere near being able to use all my deductibles. Instead, I’ve also paid several thousand more in federal income taxes each year. So much for that tax cut Trump said we all got.

[WarGamer]

5. I've lived in SoCal for 30+ years...

But I must say you certainly put a rosy hue on the situation...

I love Dallas.

I have friends in Highland Park.

It's as nice as Beverly Hills, Bel Air or the Holmby Hills... probably nicer.

If you're picking out CowTown, TX and comparing to Calabasas, CA... maybe you should be comparing CowTown to something up in the Central Valley.

And Texas is more affordable, clearly.

My son lives in Ohio, living the dream with a young family and a 180k house... can't do that here.

We're researching getting out of California, at least part time... to rural Italy, maybe on an Olive Tree grove. Slow down life, ya know?

[Diablo del sol]

8. The two houses are located in Orange County and Dallas suburbs.

So fairly equitable to compare to quality of life, access to jobs, etc.

Best wishes for rural Italy, sounds very nice.

Edit to add - do I pay more in the OC, yes. but ROI is much higher. So short term cost for the privilege of not having asshole politicians run a state. Why do they have asshole politicians, because of the electorate. No ifs ands or buts, I came out way ahead of my friend, don't have to deal with assholes, and have much better weather.

[peppertree]

21. That gorgeous coastal SoCal weather - don't remind me!

I had to leave in no small part because of high costs (I now live in Colorado).

But the weather - and those spellbinding spots and views - I'll miss for as long as I live.

[Bluesaph]

56. Where in Orange County?

Because Newport and Huntington Beach areas are full of asshole Trump humpers with their stupid flags and trucks.

I live in chino hills. Not a lot of humpers.

[Diablo del sol]

58. NB and HB are part of Orange County

County between San Diego and Los Angeles. Yes both Huntington Beach and Newport Beach are full of tRump humpers. The County has been blue the last two Presidential cycles. Irvine has Katie Porter as a Rep. My neighborhood is 50/50. Unfortunately my area has been moved to a new district that runs from north OC to middle South OC. Currently the Rep is a repub.

[Buckeyeblue]

6. That's a 5400.00 mortgage payment

Living in SD County would be way better than Texas. Way better than a lot of places. But once you paid your mortgage most people wouldn't have much money for anything else.

[Sympthsical]

12. How'd you figure?

I bought a home 3 years ago for a bit more than the amounts we're talking here, and we pay significantly less than that - and we're on a 15 year.

I feel like you'd have to put absolutely nothing down on a 15 to reach that figure.

One thing I'll note the OP has left out is sq feet of house and property. The reason Texas is so attractive to many is because you can get three times the amount of house for the same price as California.

Just for fun, I glanced around at homes in the Dallas burbs with similar floor area and bed/bath as my house. As suspected, 35-50% of the price. And that's not counting the property which is significantly bigger.

There are trade offs in all things.

[Diablo del sol]

13. My house is basically the same size as my friends in the Dallas area

Likely within a 100 sq ft, with lot size the same. Agree that newer builds here in CA are getting ridiculously tight. Good call on the 15 year, I started out 30 and flipped to 15, would have been much smarter to live with the 15 year payment and finish up rather than flipping and taking 21 years to clear it off.

[Sympthsical]

14. We actually just refinanced a few months ago

Our current value is up 45% since purchase (ah, the Bay Area). We ended up knocking a few years off the mortgage while still making more or less the same payment. We have about 9 years left at the moment. I'm in my early 40s now, so that'll be nice.

We had a tenant for about a year and just put his rent against the principal. He just moved out this month, and we were contemplating getting another tenant. At first, we were just helping a friend of a friend, but now, if we can knock out the mortgage in, say, six years . . .

My partner's 50, still paying student loans , so I keep pushing things so he'll have a good 10 years of putting it all away. Meanwhile, I plan on working another 25 years, so having the house out of the way for the bulk of that would be nice.

[Diablo del sol]

18. One of the things missed in evaluating CA is how many people like us that exist.

Yes we have some stiff payments at first, but make it through the first few years then we have a very solid backstop due to home value. Trying to get that point across to my kid, she needs to wait for the drop, then jump in. I basically had zero appreciation in the first house I bought. Had I held onto it, would have been a 4x appreciation. Want her to understand that buying at the peak means a correction may take 5 years to get her value back up to purchase price. So for anyone single, under twenty-five to thirty, wait it out. Then dive in and is twenty years a person will be sitting pretty. (I bought the current house at near the bottom, was off by about six months.) In the meantime they hang out at the beach on weekends, jump into a car and ski or hit Central Coast on any given weekend. A great life for kids just out of college as long as they don't rush out and get $600 per month car payments or have to live near the beach and pay outrageous rent.

Side but related note, had I taken every cent I put in 401k's/saved and put them into housing market, I would be retired with easily 2 to 4x in retirement funds.

[Buckeyeblue]

46. I was adding escrow for property taxes and insurance

I was doing a quick X6 on a 90K mortgage. But thinking about it, the insurance and taxes may not be proportional.

[haele]

7. Also, California has run a surplus for the past two years.

Texas has more environmental challenges than California. We may pay a sunshine tax, but that tax gives us better services, especially health services for women, children, and mental health. There are also more legal and consumer protections in California that we take for granted.

Our infrastructure is better. Especially transportation, water, and power.

We may seem to cost more in terms of housing, and certainly don't have enough housing for the amount of people that are here, but our buildings are to code for earthquakes and we don't have tornados that can pull apart a house in the blink of an eye.

Texas and California both have fires and flooding, however, Texas doesn't do much to try and mitigate these issues in more affordable areas, if you know what I mean...

Actually, if she really wants affordability with some amenities she would be better off in one of the bigger cities in New Mexico.

She might want to spend a month or so "visiting" Texas before planning on settling there.
Ten years ago, we considered San Antonio, but San Diego, even if it was and is more expensive, was still better for our needs, costs, and cultural preferences in the long run to San Antonio. The taxes, fees, odd "exemptions" and utility costs even then suprised the hell out of us.
The only way my brother can afford his property taxes is by using his extra three acres to raise mini-cows. He's lucky he can work from home for the most part instead of making the 75 mile commute to Ft. Worth where his employer is headquartered that he used to do.

Haele

[Diablo del sol]

10. I actually like the hill country outside of San Antonio

If it wasn't in Texas it would be GREAT!

One CA problem, downsizing. I basically can't. Downsizing from my current house to a small condo in my area would increase my monthly costs. So in reality, I live my life out in my current house, put some money into it now so I can cut down upkeep later. The definition of a first world problem!

During the next downturn I hope to get into a condo in North SD County or San Clemente, stay there most of the time, then have my current house to turn over to my kids. Other option might be the Central Coast, will just come down to timing.

[haele]

17. I did too. But the commute to get to work or to specific destinations

The sorts of places we found there similar to where we like to go to around here, like a really nice bookstore, or one of the excellent French or Mexican restaurants, or the Riverwalk or Paseo del Rio...
Laz's dad, a retired Air Force Colonel, lived there since Laz was 10. So he knew all the great places around.
But, man oh man, he was always complaining about the taxes. His wife #5 bought a townhouse similar to their townhouse in San Antonio in OC, CA to visit her dad occasionally in 2007 and she still has it, paying close to $7k less a year in property taxes on the California townhouse than their San Antonio townhouse. Even though the Orange County townhouse cost over $120k more than the San Antonio townhouse they bought in 2003.

Haele

[Diablo del sol]

19. THIS

To be filed under "Ain't nothing free"

Again, I encourage people to live where ever they feel is best suited for their lifestyle. Point is, Texas being cheap is way over hyped. And in the long run, it may cost you a hell of a lot more.

A Daewoo was cheap to buy, but a person would have been much better off paying for a Hyundai or Kia. (Both solid cars)

[MichMan]

9. People profiting by double or triple what they paid for a home just by living in it

Should have to pay a substantial windfall profits tax on the appreciation. They didn't do anything to earn it in many cases other than just living there.

[Diablo del sol]

11. taxes are paid at time of sale

Except for a one-time exemption for Seniors.

[MichMan]

20. I was thinking around 30% would be a starting point

Buy a house for $400k, live in it for several years and sell it for $1million. Owe the government $180k in windfall profit tax on the proceeds.

[quakerboy]

28. Or just tax it like any other income.

I think we ought to stop having different classes of income that are taxed in different ways. Income can be income

[oldsoftie]

31. Selling your house isn't "income". You have to live SOMEWHERE & it costs money.

Taxing personal home sale increase in value would instantly depress home sales. And what about older people? You sell the family home for something smaller & save the rest to help pay your living expenses
Not to mention, increase in value is partially due to inflation. 100k in 2000 was worth a lot more than 100k today.

[haele]

37. Selling your house is capital gains.

Which gets taxed at a lower rate than income usually is at that amount, especially if you're also paying off a Greenspan "use your house as an ATM" mortgage or turn that money around to buy a new home, leaving you with far less in hand to have to pay taxes on.

If the estate is selling a home, it gets taxed at another rate altogether under the estate tax - but only if the proceeds go over the estate tax exemption.



Haele

[oldsoftie]

48. If you're married you're exempt up to 500k over what you paid,

plus whatever improvements you made.
Most people won't get taxed unless you're in those crazy markets. And that amount hasn't changed in over 20 yrs. No way any Congress will REDUCE that number

[inthewind21]

74. No there is not

Selling a PRIMARY residence there is no capital gains tax. Selling a vacation or second home there will be a capital gains tax.

[quakerboy]

54. You know..

The place i live is being sold for 4 times what it was sold for last time. 4 times its value. Thats the gain of one decade of "investment". Pretty sure that passes up inflation by a fair amount and that the seller could afford to pay some taxes. But then again, Im a fan of a lower cap on taxes. I cant see any reason people making under a certain income threshold should be paying taxes at all.

Id suggest thats a problem. Maybe a more stable housing market would be better. Same basic principle as those who suggest that fees or taxes on stock trading might help keep a more stable market and encourage long term investment

[MichMan]

57. If a corporation raised prices 400% over a decade because that is what the market will bear

We would call it gouging and demand something be done about it.

Let an individual do the same thing and we call it a smart investment.

[oldsoftie]

68. I definitely support a tax on HFT transactions.

Maybe individual stock transactions of a high dollar amount.

You said "the place you live in"; does that mean you're renting? Because if so, then all the profit IS taxable for the investor unless they do a 1031 exchange

[oldsoftie]

30. You aren't taxed on any gain from sale of your residence.

Its not an appreciation of an investment property.

[usonian]

15. I would LOVE to move to SD area. From the beautiful Sierra Foothills, no less.

That said, there are places in CA that are half the cost of SD.

A place like Fresno has amenities, (I drive 50 miles to shop there, for exotic items that hardware stores don't stock) and has a good airport, ethnic foods, is on Amtrak and is very close to two national parks. There's a bus to Yosemite except in winter. And the weather is better than most of Texas, I believe.

And there are others.

Agree on the appreciation. It doesn't have to be business OR people. That's the story oligarchs would love you to believe.
CA has a few benefits.
I paid under $200,000 for my place.
Has a nice view, too.

[jimfields33]

16. A few things left out

Texas Has no state taxes. The SALT goes away 2027 when many of the tax cuts go away as well except for the extreme rich whose rates are permanently kept. Ugh!


https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-10-26/latest-salt-limit-idea-has-two-years-off-then-four-years-on

[YoshidaYui]

23. California may be expensive but I will never leave here

I will be in San Francisco forever!

[hunter]

55. I have relatives who feel the same way.

One of my nephews tried the bigger house in a less expensive place and hated it.

He moved back to San Francisco as soon as he could.

I think he'd rather rent in San Francisco and walk to work than own a home anywhere else.

My wife and I have lived most of our lives in California. We once bought a house for $8,000 in the Midwest. The neighborhood was a little rough, but improving. We could have stayed in the Midwest, and honestly, that wouldn't have been bad, I liked the city we lived in, but our families are mostly here in California and sometimes I need to go to the beach and yell at the ocean. The ocean calms me.

[UGADawg]

24. My son's property tax in TX is 3x mine in Ga. The homes......

are taxed on the same value. He is in Tom Green County.

[Ilsa]

33. I noticed that as well.

My home in Georgia was twice + the size of my house in Texas, but the property taxes were slightly higher in Texas. My taxes here in Georgia have gone up, but so has the size of the livable space since we have built out the basement.

[Fiendish Thingy]

25. My brother just move from CA to TX

The sold their mobile home in San Jose for nearly $400k, paid off their mortgage, then paid cash ($185k) for a 3bd/2ba home in Perryton (pop. 8,000). So, in that regard, they came out ahead.

Time will tell how TX property taxes, utilities and insurance compare to their CA expenses.

[FakeNoose]

26. My friend, the rapid increase in property values will not continue on the same pace

Mark my words. We had an exceptional growth spurt in the last several years but it will not continue forever. Our population increases slowed down considerably to the point of almost leveling off (due to adjusted birthrates) about 10 years ago. Yes there is still pop. increase but mainly due to immigration, and even that rate has been inconstant. In about ~20 years we'll be reaching the time where the people looking to sell their houses will be a higher number than people looking to buy houses.

I'm not a fear-monger and I believe it will all be OK in the end. BUT some people who are over-investing now because they think they're going to kill it will end up being disappointed. It's really hard to predict beyond the next 20 years. So our buy/sell decisions should be made in a 10-year time-frame, nothing beyond that.

I'm saying this, and yet I've owned my own home for over 25 years. I don't have plans to sell in the near future even though my property value has more than doubled since I bought my house. I'm 71 years old now, and I don't know if I'll still be around in another 10 years. If I am, I probably won't be living in this house. But we'll see.

The homeowning advice we give our children needs to encompass a future reality, and maybe we're not part of that.

[Diablo del sol]

32. Agree - this last run up was out of control

Correction likely to be similar to the one in late eighties early nineties where the first house I bought didn't appreciate over 7 years. If I recall the drop was a bit over 20% then a five year run to get back to even. Was told the same thing happened in early 60's. Expect this one to be the same. Bigger correction, longer time to recover.

That being said, I expect it to be much worse in other areas, Boise, Salt Lake, Phx, Las Vegas, multiple Tennessee and North Texas markets.

As for CA, the loss of population was 100% attributed to migration from Asia, basically COVID impact. Even with that there was a net gain in college educated and six figure incomes. The market is over inflated now, but it will correct and the CA market has been the best over the past 100 years, I expect it to continue for the rest of my life and for another 50 years.

[viva la]

27. She should consider whether she will need healthcare

They have already shown they're going to ban abortion. Several forms of birth control might be next. She will have girlfriends whose lives might be damaged by these pernicious laws.

And many of the men she meets might be gun nuts.

Does she want to raise a family there now?

[oldsoftie]

29. One big difference; Texas doesnt have an income tax.

[Diablo del sol]

35. But it does have higher property taxes.

It also has two complete asshole Senators, an asshole Governor and Lt. Governor, numerous asshole Reps.

They got a one start rating and were so proud of it the put it on their flag.

[oldsoftie]

49. Probably has higher sales tax too; to make up for it.

But no income tax is very attractive to younger workers.

[inthewind21]

75. And they will be

very sorry later when they realize they WILL pay for that lack of an income tax elsewhere. And it WILL BE PAID elsewhere. Been there done that. It's a bait and switch. Homeowners insurance in Texas, it's required if you have a mortgage that is not 80-20 LTV as most places. And, insurance companies are allowed to raise your rates yearly based on not what you owe on the mortgage and not what you owe on the property but how much it would cost to rebuild it today. Imagine what those costs are right now.

[uponit7771]

61. +1,

[Hulk]

34. I drive through Texas twice a year....

... from Laredo to Albuquerque. I have always stopped in Uvalde at Brett's BBQ for some of the best barbecue brisket in the country. Uvalde was a pretty little town that I always thought I could live in. I'm heartbroken to see what has happened to that sweet little community.

There isn't another place in Texas where I would stop for more than one night.... and if someone gave me a home I would either rent it out or sell it outright. So much of it smells like oil and is covered with scrub brush. The governor and two idiots senators embarrass me.

You couldn't make me live in Texas. So much of it looks really depressed... were you drive by huge parcels of land with fifty to a hundred small trailers where people live and work from. A right-to-work state.... and more Dixie flags flying in that state than anywhere else I've driven through.

There are some good people that live there .... but I think they are far outnumbered by Evangelical Bible-thumping gun freaks. Just my two cents worth.

[Diablo del sol]

36. Some of the towns north of Uvalde, in the Hill Country are nice too.

The part of the State where most don't have the Texas drawl.

[Hulk]

40. Spent a year at Ft. Hood Texas in 1970

Was really happy to get out of there even back then.

That did seem to be a prettier part of the state...around Uvalde. A lot of the state has some pretty sad looking smaller towns. I thought I should swing through Pecos, Texas...because when I was a kid, I remember watching that cartoon where Pecos Bill(?) Had his sweetheart bouncing on her balloon bun out of reach. Sticks in my head even at 74😁. Very sad town. Scared me, it looked like something out of Grapes of Wrath.

I live down in central Mexico now. Live well, enjoy the weather all year round, have good hard working and decent neighbors, and the food, drink and music are the best. Got priced out of the Northwest. Can live very well on $3000 a month down here. It barely covered my rent and utilities up north. I don't worry about going to the store, the movies, church, sending my kids to school or going out for an evening. I worry about the US being the ONLY country on earth where you aren't sure you are going to see each other again when you step outside the door because of some sick bastard with a gun.

[UpInArms]

38. I left Texas in 1992

and have NEVER regretted it.

[UTUSN]

39. Not to mention the cost of therapy to live with Deplorables around.

[txwhitedove]

41. Well, Sun Devil, seems like a lot of Texas bashing on here. I love Texas and

prefer to try voting to change the system. Must be working slowly cause Houston is now Democratic. I live in Houston area where it is very green. Bought my 3bd, 2 bath, 2 car garage, fireplace, big backyard, 13 years ago and it has tripled in value. It's all electric and bill was $55 last month. Big and flashy will always cost you more just about anywhere. Dallas is very red country so no thanks, and never liked it the times I visited. Pecan Lodge is yummy though.

[DFW]

45. Dallas is red?

That's new to us!

[txwhitedove]

47. Hi. No offense, but from what I've seen and read Dallas is more Republican

than Houston.

[uponit7771]

62. That's Fort Worth, not Dallas. Fort Worth is bigger than Vegas and votes red because of no ...

... Stacy Abrams like ground game in Arlington.

Used to live there, 3 knocks on the door from GZP ... none from DNC even though the area I moved into was affluent Hispanic and Black.

I'm glad Stacy Abrams organization is there now

[DFW]

67. Ft. Worth is like the evil twin of Dallas.

[uponit7771]

71. lol

[DFW]

64. I haven't been to Houston in 40 years

I did have a nice long talk with Bill White that year he was running for governor, but that was about it.

But, if it's any consolation, Dallas has a huge Democratic population, with fundraisers almost every two days for Democrats, both statewide and nationally, and sometimes held at the homes of Highland Park billionaires who are our allies.

There are the bad guys, of course, but by and large, we are more a blue city than a red one. Ron Kirk wouldn't have been our mayor if that weren't true.

[txwhitedove]

65. Good to know, thank you.

[jalan48]

42. Better weather in So Cal and the Pacific Ocean as well.

[Texasgal]

43. Hmmm...interesting.

I'm a native Austinite and everyone new I seem to meet has moved here from California. Most claim affordability.

[madville]

44. Sounds like she's just using the idea of TX

To get you to buy her a place in CA since she knows how much you hate TX lol. What’s her current income? You have to compare state income taxes, TX is $0 and and California could be around 10%, so on a 100k annual income it could easily be a $10,000 difference.

[Celerity]

50. CA is, on balance, a vastly better State. TX, as a whole, is a christofash Red-run dystopian entity.

If you are a Boomer or older, you might, I say with a heavy heart, never live to see a Blue Texas. The whole 'demographics is destiny' mantra for TX is being exposed as more than a wee bit faulty and wanting. Go look at the Latino voting trends, which will likely only further swing Right as the number of Latino evangelicals (the fastest growing religious group by far in the US, and a subject I have covered here in fair detail multiple times in the past) continues to explode.

[edhopper]

51. Texas has been a pox on this country

For most of the time it's been part of it.

[Initech]

52. Also too, I feel much more comfortable living in a state with a modern power grid.

[Xolodno]

53. Don't forget the cost of homeowners insurance.

It's a hell of a lot more to insure in Texas. Due to hail, high winds, tornado's, etc. a homeowner never has to actually worry about their roof hitting end of warranty. The insurance company will usually come in at some point, but guess what, you still pay for it via insurance. And there are hefty deductibles that go along. Whereas in California you can blow past your roof warranty and should it leak on the rare heavy rain storm, a few hundred dollar patch will fix it right up.

Have an old friend who just recently moved to Texas, he gave a phone tour of the house they got, the square footage, ridiculous amount of rooms, etc. After the call, my wife said "no way in hell will I clean a house that fucking big". Then I brought up to his brother, "how on earth is he going to furnish that much space? And do you need it?".

[Patterson]

59. You can't count on having electricity in Texas and it might cost a fortune.

And there will be three of the biggest crooks for some time - Abbott, Paxton and Patrick. Not to mention heat waves and ice storms.

[Skittles]

60. yeah but

you have to live in TEXAS

[orleans]

63. i guess i lead a sheltered life

but i can't imagine a young woman wanting to live there
(regarding the disrespect for a woman's healthcare and freedom of choice)
(and their yee-haw fucking gun laws)
(and a republican government)

[AntivaxHunters]

69. Thank you!

I just took a screenshot of this & sent it to my brother who lives in Dallas & is in California on vacay with his little kids. He moved to Dallas in the last few years from Denver for a job. I keep telling him he needs to move back here to Denver because Texas is absolutely f'ed up. But seeing as how he's in LA currently, maybe this will make him think some.

[CousinIT]

70. I have relatives who live in CA and are considering moving to TX

One moved from CA to TN to retire. All sorts of issues and expenses now with his new house (builder was a rip-off artist who I believe paid the inspector to pass the house for occupancy). Oh sure TN has no state income tax. Utilities are cheaper. Property tax is lower. But now they have a lawsuit against the builder. Lawsuits are not cheap. I hope they win but... I also know they wish at times they'd stayed put in CA.

Others haven't moved to TX yet. All are MAGA though so they'll love TX. And TN suits 'em too.

[JCMach1]

72. Taxes, definitely higher... Utilities, depends. I live in a CoOp area

McKinney, TX (North of Dallas burbs). Frisco ISD= extremely good public schools and extremely safe crime wise...

You can't compare price rise state to state as this areas price rise is recent and extremely sharp. We will be at CA levels very quickly.

Collin county is purplish bending to blue.