Open Question: Move to California .. or not? (Earthquake, housing prices, etc)?

So I'm a recent grad - went to college in the Bay Area and moved to Texas for a job so that I can save money in hopes of moving back to California in the near future, but I'm weighing out the pros and cons. Obviously it's beautiful but I have some concerns. Is it a good idea for a young person to ponder moving to California now, even given that scientists have made it quite clear that there is > 98% chance that a large quake the magnitude of which we have not seen before will hit by the year 2037 (evil San Andreas!), and given the many home foreclosures, skyrocketing housing prices, and general high cost of living? I wonder if I were to move there if I would ever have the hope of owning a home, particularly if I moved to SoCal (because honestly the Bay Area gets tiresome after a while) . I'd like to hear from Californians on whether they worry about these issues. None of the Californians I know seem to mind, and it's always curious to me how one can so blissfully ignore the situation? more…

Never in my life did I think I would have to deal with alligators, but living in Florida, we just bought a home outside of town with 5 acres. It was a good deal, a foreclosure. It was vacant and neglected for over a year. Well, I bought a used lawn tractor and tried to tackle the high grass, successfully killing the old mower in nothing flat. Fed up, I hired a man to bush hog the place, then got a new 26HP lawn tractor with a 54 inch cutting deck. I got a call the day after Mr. Bush Hog was done - congratulating me on having a gator family in the pond! Mama gator was about 6-7 feet long with babies (Where, and how big, was dad?). I called the state trapper who came out - no sign of the gators. Here's my problem: I'm cleaning up the outside of the property so the kids can get out safely, so I am riding this tractor alongside the stream and pond to "finish mow." Has a gator ever attacked a riding mower? Should I put chainlink fence along the stream to protect my kids & pets? more…

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Tags: home equity loan, foreclosure