Okay yall, I could use some outside perspective.
Hubby and I have two young kids. (Under 4 years old). Currently we live in Northern CA in the wine country (Sonoma county). We’re a one income household, as if we were both to work, that second set of income would go just toward childcare and that’s all.
We’re feeling really squeezed tight where we’re at in CA. All four of us are tucked into a condo that we can barely afford and it’s already the cheapest that’s out there in our area rn.
All that said, we’re looking at options for relocating somewhere with a better cost of living. We’re tired of working ourselves to the bone just to stay barely above water.
Here are our priorities:
✔️ Family friendly
✔️ Walkable area
✔️ Close proximity to nice parks
✔️ Good school systems
✔️ Not too far of a commute to nearby cities for work
✔️ Would prefer somewhere with equal parts nature and city (open to a drive to see city views)
Would love to buy a home (budget is roughly $600K and that’s the high end)
Open to renting for the right place. Max monthly budget would be $2,900