Don't know what to do

[LdsMarco]

What's up guys. I have a bit of a concern. I just received an inheritance.

Long story short. I live in Long Beach, Ca. area and I want to GET OUT! I do not want my children to grow up here. If I had a choice to move, I would move to Arizona or Utah. I prefer Arizona.

It looks like this isn't going to happen any time soon. Perhaps in 10 yrs.

So the choice right now would be somewhere in the Menifee, Wildomar, Murrieta, Hemet area in California. (My goal is to leave Ca. asap)

This will be our first home we're buying. Cash, because they're so cheap. It will be an investment in the future.

Anyway, the issue is the Fault. As you know, we're waiting for the big one. I assume when the big one comes, it might not even matter if we're in Long Beach or Menifee area. Well, maybe a little??

That's one concern. The other is - Do any of you have manufactured homes? Meaning, mobile homes? If so, how safe are they and is it worth to buy one? Most likely it will be a new model, unless I can find one that is well taken care of. If I buy a new one, it would mean I need to buy land. If so, where would you live from the options above?

If you have anything to add, please do so. I need all the advice I can get.

Thanks!!

[Elizabeth]

I would choose Mesquite in Clark County, Nevada, adjacent to the Arizona state line and 80 miles (130 km) northeast of Las Vegas on Interstate 15.
Or...
Northwestern Missouri near the community of Gallatin and the valley of Adam-ondi-Ahman located in Daviess County, 70 miles northeast of Independence, Missouri.

No fault lines, liquefaction, landslides or rockfalls predicted or expected as they are in other LDS areas, and the weather not as extreme.

[Lizzy60]

I wouldn't wait 10 years (or even 10 months) to get out of California. Whatever is holding you there may not be worth it -- unless moving breaks up your marriage or something dire like that.

[gkearney]

OK dealing with the questions at hand here.

You want to be in a place where the house can hold or perhaps improve upon its value over time. I would suggest Hemet, California. Hemet is far enough to the east that it is adjacent to the mountains, giving you a decent place to escape the desert heat should you need to. There is also a flow of water coming off those mountains and a lake nearby, access to water in these arid eastern California communities is something to think about.

There are two kinds of manufactured houses. A true mobile home is not designed to be placed on a foundation. You will likely find it hard to obtain land to put such a thing on in most counties in California. The other option is a manufactured home. These are designed to sit on a permanent foundation with no intention of being moved once set up. They generally come in two halves which are joined together. A quality version of this kind of house is, when set up, indistinguishable from a site built home.

If your budget can stand it look at Idyllwild, California up in the mountains east of Hemet. Earthquakes will not be as much of a risk there, but fire and snowstorms would be. Better weather than down in the valley that's for sure.

[LdsMarco]

There are two kinds of manufactured houses. A true mobile home is not designed to be placed on a foundation. You will likely find it hard to obtain land to put such a thing on in most counties in California. The other option is a manufactured home. These are designed to sit on a permanent foundation with no intention of being moved once set up. They generally come in two halves which are joined together. A quality version of this kind of house is, when set up, indistinguishable from a site built home.

Are they safe or worth it? They're very nice and affordable. I'm just wondering if they last long.

Thanks.

[gkearney]

A quality manufactured house is as good if not better than most site built houses. You can even go all out and get them made with steel as opposed to wood framing.

You just need to be sure you have the set on the foundation by experienced contractors and don’t cut any corners. This is one time when the building inspector is your friend. Your contractor if reputable will be payed in full only when the building inspector signs off on the finished house.

[marc]

I used to live in a mobile home and also a modular. They're more cheaply built than conventional homes. As a general contractor and residential construction worker of 20 years, I would say all are fine. If you go the modular route, it's better to put it on a foundation, though check the local codes and see if you'll be in a seismic area and check how your home will be built/is built, and how it's all tied together with foundation ties, joist ties, and truss ties. Utah is outrageously expensive to build/buy. You will be gouged, because builders and real estate agents will have to recoup their fees from selling overpriced, overkill built homes. Not sure about Arizona. All that said and after having done your research on zones, codes, prices, fees, taxes and all other extortionist penalties and payments, inquire of the Lord! Trust that He will guide you to a place where you will need to be when He moves His hand again to gather His saints. Weary Him until you know where you need to be. Let your wife be part of the process, too. You might be surprised if He prepares a way for you to move sooner than expected.

[ParticleMan]

If you have anything to add, please do so.

If you feel you should move, do it. Don't delay. These days, CA is nicer to be from, although there is much to miss.

Check out http://www.joelskousen.com/Secure/secure.html. You might also consider contacting the author. A friend of mine did, as his number is/was in the book, and he was more than willing to answer questions.

[marc]

This guy has been pretty accurate at forecasting earthquakes. He forecasted the ones that just hit CA.

https://www.dutchsinse.com/11152017-wes ... n-in-flux/

[gkearney]

While we are giving options eastern Kansas has many nice towns with decent housing. The danger of tornadoes is, excuse the pun, greatly overblown.

[BeNotDeceived]

A quality manufactured house is as good if not better than most site built houses. You can even go all out and get them made with steel as opposed to wood framing.

Check a recent article in MIT Technology Review that suggests the use of hydronic radiant cooling systems. And also discusses a team of engineers at the University of Colorado, Boulder, who have formed a company, Radi-Cool.


Hot Arid environments work best, and may also condensate water from the air, too

This has the potential to supply air-conditioning at a small fraction of the current cost.

[Juliet]

I had a dream that there was a large CERN, a haldron particle collider underneath California, like the one they built in Switzerland but a lot bigger, and it was these scientists smashing protons together trying to open portals to hell that caused the "great" earthquake. Does that make me crazy?

Do what brings peace and calm. I say don't worry about the big earthquake. Just stay light hearted in the Holy Spirit. By doing that, you may find yourself on vacation out of California just as the earthquake hits. But, if you live in fear, even if you did move to UT or Arizona, chances are you would be on vacation back to California when the earthquake hits. Has anyone else experienced anything like that? It is better to be calm then to focus on danger because somehow the worry warts are always worrying about Murphy whether he comes or not; and the light hearted get by alright even if Murphy does visit.

[LdsMarco]

Do what brings peace and calm. I say don't worry about the big earthquake. Just stay light hearted in the Holy Spirit. By doing that, you may find yourself on vacation out of California just as the earthquake hits. But, if you live in fear, even if you did move to UT or Arizona, chances are you would be on vacation back to California when the earthquake hits. Has anyone else experienced anything like that? It is better to be calm then to focus on danger because somehow the worry warts are always worrying about Murphy whether he comes or not; and the light hearted get by alright even if Murphy does visit.

It's interesting you say that because I was given that EXACT impression. I was worried about the great big earthquake but then I was given a comfort feeling to not worry about that.

I've also had impressions that I might be on vacation when it occurs. Great minds think alike

[David13]

Hemet is known as the meth capital of the inland empire. Plus it's a real up and down housing market out there.
It's preposterously hot in summer and nice and plain cold in winter. And ugly windy much of the time.
I wouldn't recommend it.
Idywild is a mountain community like Big Bear. More of a summer resort, but year arounders do live there.
I wouldn't recommend Apple Valley or Palmdale or anything out that way. Grossly hot in summer and cold in winter.
Arizona, depends on the area.
St George Utah is nice but becoming a growing boom town, which is not so nice. As soon as you get past St George into Utah you get 4 seasons.

We did have a family in Los Angeles that moved to Utah. And a teenager went astray as soon as they go there. So it can happen anywhere.

We have had a number of families move to Utah. It is nice, except for the greater Salt Lake City area, which is like Los Angeles. Smaller, but all the evils scattered all around.

I'm in a real small town in Utah, central area. It's nice for me, but employment is a big issue. You really need a job if you come in here because you won't get one when you come here.

But if it's your concern, get to work on it. Don't wait til you are too old.
dc

[gardener4life]

A lot of people are leaving California. They are leaving for a reason. I don't want to tell you what to do but I'd not stay in CA. Trust your instinct. Your instinct is telling you it's not safe there.

[Older/wiser?]

It's nice to have input from other people, but really only the Lord knows what is in your future. My advise is counsel with Him. If you believe He will give you miracles regarding your moves and where to locate (and from reading your posts I believe you have the faith). I have had amazing experiences from hearing the spirit say "that house right there", to just last month hiring a friend's son to help repair a house we were getting ready to sell, he bought it paying $25,000 more than we were going to ask and no listing it fees. My point is, let the Lord guide you in this, all that we know, assume, or research can't place you where you need to be at the time you need to be there..Most of us know and believe this, it is just having the faith to totally trust and rely on Him to do this.

[brianj]

My thoughts:
Don't think of a house as an investment. There are plenty of economic signs to indicate the economy is going to have a significant "correction" in the not too distant future. If this is as bad as some are forecasting, it may be a long time before you could sell your house at a break even price or a profit.

I know some people who love Arizona and several more who live there. But, just like much of California, I have serious anxiety about the idea of living someplace where I would have difficulty getting water if pumping systems failed.

And manufactured homes doesn't really mean mobile home. Mobile homes are usually put on mounts instead of sitting on wheels, but manufactured homes are placed on a permanent foundation. I've known people who have them and love them, but not anybody who has been in a 20+ year old manufactured home so I don't know how long they will last.

[gkearney]

While Brian and I often disagree on this point I must echo his advice. You should never buy a house as an investment. You should buy a house to live in. The moment you start treating real estate as if it were a commodity is the moment it will start acting like a commodity and there is almost no faster way to loose money than commodities.

[brianj]

While Brian and I often disagree on this point I must echo his advice. You should never buy a house as an investment. You should buy a house to live in. The moment you start treating real estate as if it were a commodity is the moment it will start acting like a commodity and there is almost no faster way to loose money than commodities.

If we're in agreement, this thread should be in Signs of the Times.

[MMbelieve]

What's up guys. I have a bit of a concern. I just received an inheritance.

Long story short. I live in Long Beach, Ca. area and I want to GET OUT! I do not want my children to grow up here. If I had a choice to move, I would move to Arizona or Utah. I prefer Arizona.

It looks like this isn't going to happen any time soon. Perhaps in 10 yrs.

So the choice right now would be somewhere in the Menifee, Wildomar, Murrieta, Hemet area in California. (My goal is to leave Ca. asap)

This will be our first home we're buying. Cash, because they're so cheap. It will be an investment in the future.

Anyway, the issue is the Fault. As you know, we're waiting for the big one. I assume when the big one comes, it might not even matter if we're in Long Beach or Menifee area. Well, maybe a little??

That's one concern. The other is - Do any of you have manufactured homes? Meaning, mobile homes? If so, how safe are they and is it worth to buy one? Most likely it will be a new model, unless I can find one that is well taken care of. If I buy a new one, it would mean I need to buy land. If so, where would you live from the options above?

If you have anything to add, please do so. I need all the advice I can get.

Thanks!!

Hey there! I graduated from West Valley high school in Hemet and from MSJC in San Jacinto.

I agree with you not wanting to raise your kids in Long beach. I told myself I wouldn't raise my kids in CA at all! I will advise you against Hemet. I lived there for 7 years (moved there from Riverside). Hemet was going down hill when I was there 1998-2005, I left and everyone said it was a good thing we left when we did, it's HORRIBLE there now. Murrieta is likely better or Temecula maybe?
Buy ya, get out of CA, haha. The big one is always a fear there.

I have another aspect I can help on...I currently live in a manufactured home. They suck! lol. They could work for a temp dwelling maybe 10 years if you don't have any need to "work" on it or fix it up at all. They are terrible to remodel - impossible really. However, the one I'm in has a permanent foundation with a crawl space. It's sturdy and withstands the crazy weather we have. We can get to 65-70mph wind often and hail every time it rains. We put a trap door to the crawl space in the floor of the laundry room incase we ever needed to take cover from a storm. We live next to a coal mine which often does cast blasting which is the equivalent of a earthquake. I would say we get a 1 to a 3 or so on the scale of earthquakes. The house can rattle and the floor seems to have no barrier, I wouldnt expect this to stand up to a 7 earthquake, a 6 yes.

They are cheaply build as far as comparing to a stick built home. We chose to remodel ours and did some extensive work which became extensive simplyou because it's a manufactured home.

Examples: Doors are not normal sizes you find in the store. Replacing out double door in the back required my husband cutting up to the ceiling and placing a makeshift steel beam to support a door from home depot.

The front door is the same story, as well as the laundry door. All had to have the wall cut out to the ceiling to get a door to fit.

Interior doors are also difficult especially on the seam where the two halves of the house are put together. They do not sell doors at home stores that fit the huge frame that's needed.

Windows also are not standard sizes and cannot be easily replaced.

We have concluded after our 3 year adventure that they must make their own "parts" as nothing is easily replaceable with home depot supplies. Some we were never able to find replacements so we re-did the entire thing which involved making big openings in our home...lots of extra work.

The house has no house wrap under the siding, just Osb boards.
The cupboards in the kitchen are nother regular cupboards, they are attached and half cupboards, been a problem for us.

Floors are cheap and don't have the right pads and protection under to prevent moisture and can even produce a moisture problem because of the lack of a barrier.

If you like working on a home, don't get a manufactured. If you want a home to last more than 15 and be sellable, don't get manufactured. Others in my neighborhood don't have permanent foundations and when we had an F-1 come through, it lifted and shifted their homes right off the foundations.

The other issue I have with them is the materials used are very cheap and toxic. For example, the trim everywhere is pressed board of some sort with a laminate printing on to look like wood. We ripped ours out because of the bad smell, it must have absorbed 10 years of smell since it was very musky and irritating to our lungs.

Uggg, I don't really have anything good to say about these homes. We have transformed ours after lots of time and money and it looks great. But not reasonable at all to do again.

Any questions just ask, I have experience with both of your concerns.

I saw that someone mentioned Hemet as the Meth Capital...I always found those glass meth pipes every place I went on the city edge. I also saw an article stating Hemet as the no 1 "white trash" city. They have lots of problems there. If you want to save your kids move out of southern Cali. Everyone smokes pot there, your kids have a extremely high chance of doing it and possibly other things.

[David13]

There's good or bad in any type of house.
There are very cheap built manufactured homes, and top quality ones. It's all reflected in the price.
And the same is true of stick built, or old houses. Sometimes modifications were done without fixing the underlying issues, in other words, cosmetic repairs to sell the house.
So you really have to know what to look for, or find a good home inspector. Which is not easy. A lot of them have no idea what is good or not.
I have two manufactured homes near me. One about 40 or more years old, the other 20 years old. Both well kept up and so very good. One almost all original (the older one) the other somewhat modified. But just like any house you have to take care of it, keep it up.
The newest ones are the best, but a new top quality one is the very best. At a far better price than conventional site constructed.
dc

[MMbelieve]

I will add that despite me advising against Hemet and Socal in general, the absolute best members I have seen have been from Riverside and Hemet. I'm sure other cities are the same down there. GREAT members! Haven't found that quality and realness anywhere else. Next closest was Lakewood, CO.

[farmerchick]

LDS Marco,
Without knowing to much about your financial\job situation, it's hard for anyone to give sound advice to you. But....I am a real estate investor. Every house I buy is an investment, even the first manufactured home that I bought to live in. I have acquired many homes over the past 15 years. I have several manufactured homes and I have several stick built homes. I invest inside the I-5 corridor in western Washington. I specialize in mostly rural homes on acreage on the outskirts of several larger cities. I have remodeled several manufactured homes. I have bought new manufactured homes and installed them. I have built several custom homes as well. If I were you I would buy a starter home in a good area in a place where there are employment opportunities. I would leave CA...but that's just me. I would buy it with the intent that it is an investment and go as cheaply as possible and pay cash if possible. Put down as much money as possible. Most people only live in a home on average 6 to 10 years and then trade up. Pay it off.... sell it or rent it and move up to a better home. As some have mentioned, housing is cyclical. Right now especially in the sea-tac area we are peaking, but there are still good deals to be had if you look. You know your price range.... look for foreclosures that need paint and small non structural fixes. There is money to be made in the housing market. If you buy and lose some value because the market crashes, hang on. What goes down eventually goes back up. I usually buy alot during the down markets when everyone else is scared because of market volatility. I buy during the uptick of prices only if it's distressed and I get a good deal. I make money on my real estate during UPS and downs and I always pay cash. I started out poor and confused just like everyone else, but I realized that a house is just a house. Live under your means and work your way up to a better home. I rarely flip homes, I keep them as rentals. Right now I'm in a great position as rents have gone insanely high. As with anything, you have to be wise and know the housing market you are buying into. The best advice I could give you, is to pay cash for a starter house in an area you want to be in and live under your means. Good Luck!

[gardener4life]

I will add that despite me advising against Hemet and Socal in general, the absolute best members I have seen have been from Riverside and Hemet. I'm sure other cities are the same down there. GREAT members! Haven't found that quality and realness anywhere else. Next closest was Lakewood, CO.

Its cool that the faithful are out there still. And its reassuring to know this. Thanks for commenting.

[davedan]

Live next to a temple in Gilbert, AZ. Easy to buy a mobile home in AZ.