Should I Stay Or Should I Go?

[ratwastard 0]

If you can deal with the infestation of Mexicans,

one of them will probably stab you at some point in your life. like after you hand over your wallet and you think he's going to leave, but no! instead he shanks you

[SpiderGuard 0]

i haven't read any responses (i can only assume the ridiculous).i assume by west coast, you mean l.a. specifically. i for one would choose not to raise kids in the actual city of l.a. i would opt for burbank or the valley (which are further away from the casinos), but your best bet would be orange county (also 45 minutes to the casinos).in my experience "l.a. children" are a little jaded (my guess is similar 20-something marriage rates to NYC), the l.a. public schools are bad, and the city itself is such a fantasy land, i just don't picture it being the ideal for a family.if NLHE is your game, then it's gotta be l.a. casinos all the way. my and a floor woman at the bike (very very knowledgeable) discussed at length the profitability of the 5-10 game there. she said 7K a month, but i think it could easily be 10K, and the commerce is often better. another great great idea is san diego. talk to socal_j, i think he does very well at the SD casinos and the city is awesome w/ people generally more down to earth. if your going to the series we can talk more about what southern california has to offer or you can PM me.goodluck.

I would agree with all of this, and of course Balloon Guy's excellent post. I'd probably try to live closer to San Diego than LA if I could, but again, it is more expensive. Much nicer areas though, and San Diego's the nicest place on the planet.I think something to think about is how kids in LA grow up. Most of the 20-somethings I know here who grew up here have completely messed up value systems. It seems to be different among the San Diego folks, probably some "new money vs. old money" thing.

[FoxwoodsPro 0]

Hello! Arizona for the win ship it! CA is expensive like NY, but the weather is the nuts obv. Nobody thats comes west ever goes back east :)Mark

BLASPHEMYAMENTSSSSIf I got to choose a coast I got to choose the EastI live out there, so don't go thereBut that don't mean a **** can't rest in the WestSee some nice breasts in the WestSmoke some nice sess in the West, y'all ****** is a messThinkin I'm gon stop, givin L.A. propsAll I got is beef with those that violate meI shall annihilate theeCase closed, suitcase filled with clothesLinens and things, I begin thingsPeople start to flash, 818's, 213's313's, B.I.G.Frequently floss hoes at Roscoe'sIf I wanna squirt her, take her to FatburgerSpend about a week on Venice BeachSippin Crist-o, with some freaks from FriscoCali got gunplay, models on the runwayScream Biggie Biggie gimme One More ChanceI be whippin on the freeway, the NYC wayOn the celly-celly with my homeboy LancePass hash from left to rightOnly got five blunts left to light, I'm set tonightPaid a visit to Versace storesBet she suck until I ain't got no more, only in L.A.Bust on bitches be-lly, rub it in they tummyLick it, say it's yummy, then **** yo' man**** your plan, is it to rock the Tri-State?Almost gold, 5 G's at show gateOr do you wanna see about seven digitsCali, great place to visitMove to Boston SHIPP IT

[MikeJohnson724 0]

Do you know where in Cali you're thinking about moving? I am from a nice town between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara. Look up Ventura County. That is definately a nice area to raise a family. I can give you more input if you're interested.

[11 to 1 0]

No offense, but asking a poker forum if you should do something as big as MOVING YOUR FAMILY and expecting real responses is kind of ridiculous. ....

Maybe not. People in poker forums are also.....people. (Some of them, anyway.)'OP:We have moved four times to two different states in under three years. We have made a suicide pact if we have to move again - I personally loathe Florida, but if you are all doing well there, kid likes it and is in a good school, spouse likes it and is making friends, you like it........moving is probably only a really great idea, worth the expense and stress, if there is a compelling reason to go. BUT - if you are wishing you'd gone there in the first place, if the family is ok with that move, IF you think you'll spend the next 6 years wishing you'd just moved there originally because of the cardrooms or whatever, then this is a MUCH better time to move again than in 2-3 years when everyone else has found a new best friend or the perfect church community or that really great golf group they don't want to give up.OTOH, maybe the poker won't be better somewhere else, maybe you'll just get better if you work on it and be a little patient. Family first, in any case.

[nutzbuster 7]

Hello! Arizona for the win ship it!Although the poker here sucks, but we're close to Vegas and LA when you need a live fix.CA is expensive like NY, but the weather is the nuts obv. Nobody thats comes west ever goes back east :)Mark

WORRRRRRRRRRRRRD!GetcherASSoutHereBro!!! :icon_dance:Palm Springs is nice. San Diego has the best weather. L A Casinos are awesome. Vegas is...duh! And Phoenix is a half hour flight to all of them. HOLLA.

[GeneralGeeWhiz 0]

Snake, I live in Cupertino which is a great area for kids and adults. It's a safe area with good schools. If you move to CA, move to the south bay of the bay area near San Francisco. PM me if you have any questions.

[flyingdonkey 0]

What about New Mexico? Beautiful MountainsDecent Pokerhttp://www.sandiacasino.com/pages/poker.htmlSome of the hottest Mexican women around!!!!

[Al Smooth 0]

$0.02I've lived in Los Angeles for my whole life so I think there's nothing like it. You're close enough to Vegas, San Diego, Palm Springs, the beach, the mountains, and if you grew up with the traffic, you know how to avoid it whenever you can (yes, sometimes it's unavoidable). I've given some advice to some of the young guns on this site about home buying decisions and for me, basically it comes down to one simple fact...if you're a poker player who doesn't own a home, you need to move to Nevada...not Las Vegas exactly, but nevada definately. The lack of state taxes mixed with VERY affordable homes makes it the perfect place for a young player to get his/her start in life and have a HUGE leg up on everyone else their age because of the money they'll save while at the same time building credit and equity in something that will ALWAYS go up in value (for those who don't know, buying a home is ++EV). Snake, you seem to be in a little different situation so you may have more flexibility. Moving from NY to FLA, you know what I'm talking about tax wise...but if you move to California, you'll be right back in the same tax crunch you were in in NY. I love Los Angeles, and always will, but Cali can be a hard place to live for some people. Here's some quick thoughts.Depending on your financial situation It basically comes down to Los Angeles - Pros, Great weather, great poker options, and it's so spread out that you can find a neighborhood that is to your liking Cons, Traffic can be a *****, cost of living is high, if you don't have a big savings, it's not really a great place to moveSan Diego - Pros, Great weather (like L.A. Lite) has pretty good poker Casinos but not as many L.A., Homes are expensive, but a significant step down from LA Prices Cons, Cost of living is still high, poker options are fewer and farther Palm Springs - Everything is very well detailed aboveLas Vegas adjacent (Summerlein, Henderson, etc) - Pros, VERY affordable housing...less than half the cost of Los Angeles for the same house/land, casinos everywhere (obv), NO STATE TAX! Cons - Vices (if you're an addictive personality this may not be the place for you), weather is very extreme (either very hot or very cold, but rarely just right).

[AAsnake88 0]

TY to everyone who chimed in on this, now I have a bunch of places to research.As for what I do, BG, for the last year I've only played poker. In the past I've owned a couple of businesses and invested in real estate, and also spent some time as a real estate agent.I enjoy playing poker, but I will also be looking for something else to do.

[Vick12 0]

Montgomery IL.....obv

[DB10-2 0]

i've lived in LA for six years and genuinely think it's on the decline. the crowding and traffic just in the time i've lived here has become extreme, as has the cost of living. real estate seems to be on the decline, though likely not as much as the rest of the country, because there are still not that many desirable places to own a home here. also, for the most part unless you get lucky, forget the idea of sending your kids to local public schools.

[ratwastard 0]

$0.02 credit and equity in something that will ALWAYS go up in value (for those who don't know, buying a home is ++EV). Las Vegas adjacent (Summerlein, Henderson, etc) - Pros, VERY affordable housing...less than half the cost of Los Angeles for the same house/land, casinos everywhere (obv), NO STATE TAX! Cons - Vices (if you're an addictive personality this may not be the place for you), weather is very extreme (either very hot or very cold, but rarely just right).

i agree with most of this -- vegas, taxes, etchowever, concerning a home, the damn things are expensive, time consuming and require continual maintenance -- not to mention a big expense furnishing it.homes DON"T always go up in value. some times the market can be bust for a long time. i just had a real estate woman over my house a few days ago. she flat out told me i'd lose money and she's correct, at least 20,000 so i'm stuck (my vegas plans are on hold till i can dump this damn thing). the house was built in 2001 but the market is bad. and i know all about the thousands and thousands that go into the damn thing. i'm looking at $1000 worth of patio furniture that i never use and don't give a damn about. there's about $15,000 in furniture that i could have avoided had i instead bought a small 2 bdrm condobuying a home is stupid unless you have a family, or you are certain the market is going to boom. i remember reading this in a book by a leading financial consultant a long time ago, wish i had listened.

[Balloon guy 158]

i agree with most of this -- vegas, taxes, etchowever, concerning a home, the damn things are expensive, time consuming and require continual maintenance -- not to mention a big expense furnishing it.homes DON"T always go up in value. some times the market can be bust for a long time. i just had a real estate woman over my house a few days ago. she flat out told me i'd lose money and she's correct, at least 20,000 so i'm stuck (my vegas plans are on hold till i can dump this damn thing). the house was built in 2001 but the market is bad. and i know all about the thousands and thousands that go into the damn thing. i'm looking at $1000 worth of patio furniture that i never use and don't give a damn about. there's about $15,000 in furniture that i could have avoided had i instead bought a small 2 bdrm condobuying a home is stupid unless you have a family, or you are certain the market is going to boom. i remember reading this in a book by a leading financial consultant a long time ago, wish i had listened.

Last 2 years I made over $500K in real estate appreciation. That's $125 an hour for 8 hours a day 5 days a week, weekends off.I won't always make that much, but California real estate is a pretty good bet.California real estate is so +EV that everything else is just dumb.

[finztotheleft 0]

Does your family love Florida ? How did you come to choose Florida for your last move ? How old are your kids ? If they are really young a move doesn't matter much but if they are in school each year they have spent with these friends makes it harder to displace them.Does your wife still have family in California ? I think it's awesome for kids to grow up knowing their cousins/grandparents well by getting to see them often.

[theresa113 0]

If the family wants to go then I say go for it. I am in Florida because all of my family and my friends are here and I have a pretty decent job. However, I have been tempted to move many times. If there were others who would happily move with me, I know it would be a no brainer.

[Balloon guy 158]

Kind of funny, but last night I was looking at a luxury real estate mag that somehow I get sent to me and I was wondering if I would like to move to the Keys when I retire.I guess the grass is always greener?

[AAsnake88 0]

I am actually planning on retiring in the keys...if of course I still want to in 20 years.

[theresa113 0]

Kind of funny, but last night I was looking at a luxury real estate mag that somehow I get sent to me and I was wondering if I would like to move to the Keys when I retire.I guess the grass is always greener?

The keys are nothing like the rest of Florida. I absolutely love Key West.

[ratwastard 0]

Last 2 years I made over $500K in real estate appreciation. That's $125 an hour for 8 hours a day 5 days a week, weekends off.I won't always make that much, but California real estate is a pretty good bet.California real estate is so +EV that everything else is just dumb.

your situation is not the norm. i assume the 1 or 2 homes that appreciated for you were originally worth at least 1.5 milthe entire housing industry is in trouble right now. couple days ago they had an hour long show on CNBC, and they think things are going to get worse. all i know is that i'm stuck and not happy about it.

[Al Smooth 0]

Real estate will ALWAYS go up if you look at it on a long enough timeline. If your house went ujp in 2001, and you're stuck 20k right now, I'd bet that 12-18 months ago you would have been about 50k ahead. It's all about timing, and right now is the WORST time in a long time to be a seller. Give it two years and you'll be ahaead on the house + have two more years worth of equity. Anyone who thinks real Estate is not a long term +ev investment really needs their head checked.

[SpiderGuard 0]

Real estate will ALWAYS go up if you look at it on a long enough timeline. If your house went ujp in 2001, and you're stuck 20k right now, I'd bet that 12-18 months ago you would have been about 50k ahead. It's all about timing, and right now is the WORST time in a long time to be a seller. Give it two years and you'll be ahaead on the house + have two more years worth of equity. Anyone who thinks real Estate is not a long term +ev investment really needs their head checked.

(This post is NOT directed at Al, his post is the sign of someone who understands the concept of what real estate investments are supposed to be...this is directed at the good people of Southern California who know nothing about real estate yet insist on "investing" in it)The idiots who think it's a short-term, guaranteed, +ev investment are the ones driving up the market right now, and are the ones that are getting burned by foreclosure. When the day-trading yentas were only involved in the idiocy that was the Beanie Baby economy that's fine, but the artificial high in the real estate market created by these idiots who don't know their *** from a hole in the ground really screwed up the market for 20-somethings who want to buy their first home. The only difference between currency speculators and many of the latest round of real estate investors is that currency speculators are evil, fly-by-night real estate people are just stupid.

[ratwastard 0]

well, i needed that little boost of optimism to keep my spirits up.for the record real estate doesn't always go up. there's such a thing as declining neighborhoods. whether it be due to undesirables and crime moving in or the fact that the houses fall into a state of irreparable decay.

[AAsnake88 0]

Long term, real estate is definitely +ev. I'm sure there are areas that have gone down just because the neighborhood went down the shitter, but if you buy in a decent area, your % return in the long run will be about the same whether it's a 200k property or a 1m property.I sold a commercial property in 2005 for a 125% profit over what I purchased it for in 1998, but my house that I'm now selling I'm only looking at about 75% over what I bought it for in 1999. There are some that are better than others, but in the long run (5+ years) dirt and that built upon it are the way to go.

[11 to 1 0]

the entire housing industry is in trouble right now. couple days ago they had an hour long show on CNBC, and they think things are going to get worse. all i know is that i'm stuck and not happy about it.

There are pros and cons to every idea but have you thought of getting a mangement company and renting it out? Depending on your house payment, you might make a little money, get the tax breaks, and still be able to leave. Real estate will not come back for a while, probabaly until after the elections. Also, talk to a real estate attorney about carrying the loan yourself to sell it now. That can also be a good deal., if you are careful, buyer and seller do better.