Temecula, California: Pros and Cons in 2023
In this blog post and video, we will discuss what we feel are the most significant pros and cons for Temecula, California, in 2021. If you plan on moving to the area, this blog post and video are for you. At the end of the blog post, we have a free home search so you can get a good feel for the price of homes in this area. Depending on where you live in America, home prices in Temecula can either be a huge pro or a massive con. Let’s get into it.
Home Prices (Benefits and Drawbacks)
I thought I would start off by talking about the housing market, as this can be either a pro or con, depending on where you are coming from in the United States.
For some of you, Temecula home prices are going to be a huge pro! Others? Not so much. At this moment, as I am writing this article, a family of four with a 2300 square foot home can expect to pay anywhere from $650,000 to $725,000. Of course, there are many variables. If you want to pool, it’s going to cost more. If you want to land, it’s going to cost more. Generally speaking, in a tract home, after putting 20% down, expect to have a payment of around $2,800 a month, give or take a few hundred.
For many people relocating from the East Coast or other parts of Southern California, Temecula is it. For the amenities, weather, schools, etc., this is an unbelievable value when you put it into perspective. Many of these people in these areas looking to relocate also have the luxury of selling their residence and coming away with hundreds of thousands of dollars, sometimes even millions.
There are also many areas of the country where home prices average anywhere from $150,000 to $300,000. Temecula Market, in 2023, will actually be a massive sticker shock.
For people looking to relocate, there are options if you are worried about whether or not you will like the area. You can start off by renting something small; a one- or two-bedroom condo will run around $2800 to $3400 a month. The issue right now is that with interest rates at 3%, you can basically buy something and have a smaller payment than renting. That’s why the housing industry in many parts of the country is going absolutely bonkers.
Safety (Pro)
With everything that has gone on over the past year, many people are moving from big cities, seeking safety and some sort of normalcy. For the foreseeable future, I do not see the Temecula or Murrieta area becoming a place where you don’t feel completely safe. My wife and I have lived in many places throughout Southern California, and I would say Temecula is probably the city that I feel most comfortable in. When we lived at the beach, it got to the point where I wouldn’t walk along the beach trail at night. So many drugs, tons of petty theft, and just an overall irascible vibe sometimes.
This is not the case in Temecula; we aren’t nervous walking at night, cars don’t seem to get broken into as much, and the bike on your porch will probably be there in the morning when you wake up.
Schools (Pro)
I’m not going to spend too much time going over school ratings or why Temecula and Murrieta schools are better than most areas in Southern California, but it’s definitely a pro. If you do your homework and look online, you will always find ratings of 8 or higher, great test scores, and an overall rating of 9 for most schools or areas. You really can’t go wrong in either one of these cities.
Weather
I hear it every day: The mass exodus of California residents continues. Yes, California has major problems, but one of the biggest reasons it will always be a huge draw is the weather.
Personally, if you’re moving for the weather, southern California is much better than up north. We have spent a great deal of time in Northern California as well as sold many homes to people from up north. Although it is beautiful, it’s going to be colder with more rain, so choose wisely. In Temecula specifically, we have, in my opinion, absolutely wonderful weather. I love waking up 330 days a year to sunshine. Right now, as I write this blog post, it’s December 28th. The sun is shining, we have cool mornings, and by mid-morning temperatures usually rise to 65 to 80 degrees.
Convenience (Pro)
We have 20 million people in Southern California; we literally have everything you could ever imagine within a half-hour drive. Whether you want to buy old vinyl records or have lunch at a rare Indian restaurant, we have you covered. This is one of the things we sometimes take for granted and don’t realize until we travel. The luxuries in Southern California are absolutely astounding. Yes, we pay more to live here than in most areas of the United States, but with that cost comes the availability of an amazing experience.
Location (PRO)
In our opinion, this is one of the greatest pros of living in Temecula, California. Where do I start? I won’t go into great detail, as many of my other videos and blog posts go into specifics on things to do around Temecula.
The mountains for skiing, the beach for swimming, Vegas for gambling, Palm Springs for relaxation, airports within an hour’s drive, wineries within a 10-minute drive, San Diego for beautiful weekend getaways, and Julian for apple pies These things are all within an hour of Temecula. I’m sure I’m missing many things that we have access to, but the bottom line is that we have everything. It’s one thing to be centrally located, but it’s another thing to be centrally located in an area where you have mountains and beaches all at your fingertips. I could literally go skiing right now, come home, jump in the car, and go to the beach all in one day.
If you have specific questions about visiting this area, please reach out. We have pretty much lived or stayed everywhere within a 2-hour radius of our home. If you need an itinerary, we have you covered. Reach out; we’d be glad to help.
Quality of life
I’m not going to say this is a pro or a con because there will be a difference of opinion depending on who you talk to. I’m sure there are people in Temecula who absolutely hate it here, but they will hate it everywhere. For me personally, and this is just our point of view, Temecula has an absolutely amazing quality of life. If you can get past the home prices being a little higher than many other places in America and realize gas might cost you an extra thousand bucks a year, you’re going to be well on your way to enjoying fun in the sun.
CONS
These are legitimate reasons why Temecula or Southern California might not be the best fit for people.
Employment and Travel (Con)
Unless you’re a teacher, work at a bar or winery, are a firefighter, etc., there is not much employment here in Temecula. To be completely honest, many Temecula residents drive or commute to San Diego for work. Temecula is definitely a commuter city, which is, in my opinion, a major reason you might not like it here. I can’t stand traffic; if I had a job where every morning I had to wake up and drive an hour and a half, I’d probably move; for me, it’s just not worth it.
Infrastructure
In my opinion, the infrastructure in this area is not great. I believe there are insufficient exits for the number of people or population in many of these areas. Just thinking about getting off the Newport exit near Menifee during lunch gives me anxiety. As the population grows, the freeways and roads generally stay the same. With Temecula being a weekend getaway or vacation destination, it gets even worse than other surrounding cities like Murrieta, Menifee, or Fallbrook. During morning or evening rush hour, even the side streets in Temecula are pretty crazy. Going 5 miles in Temecula at 6 p.m. at night could take 25 minutes.
(Con) Population Growth
Depending on how you look at this, population growth can be either a pro or a con. I’m saying it’s a con because, personally, I don’t want more people.
Why is it pro? Home prices will undoubtedly rise as Temecula grows in popularity. Right now, there are about a hundred thousand people in Temecula. When you talk to locals that have been here for many years, they hate it. They have lived in Temecula since it was basically horse country. Although there is still the feeling of a small town, Temecula is definitely changing.
The one thing that I talked about in many of the other videos that I love about Temecula is the fact that many areas are zoned for larger properties. Why is this important? You can’t build home communities or have massive population growth when a lot of these properties are zoned for single-family residential and are 2–5 acres in size. There is one massive home community being built right now called Somers Bend, but after that, I don’t know where these communities will be built anymore.
Cost of Living (CON)
Yes, the cost of living is going to be higher in Southern California than in many other places in America. One expense that is obvious? Gas prices. As of right now, gas is going to be around $5.30 a gallon. Generally speaking, most of the country is half of that. There are some things you’re going to have to pay a premium for to have the weather, amenities, and conveniences that Temecula has to offer. The two expenses that are substantially higher in Temecula when compared to other parts of the country are housing and gas. Other than these two things, I don’t find it terribly expensive.
Air Pollution & Skin Cancer (Cons)
Although I don’t consider this to be an issue, with 30 million people, air quality is bound to be worse than in other parts of the country. If you have allergies or breathing issues, you might want to take an extended vacation, live here for a few weeks, and see how your body reacts. Of course, if you are susceptible to skin cancer, the sun shines here most of the year. This is obviously something that you have to take into consideration. Make sure you’re always wearing sunscreen, especially on your face.
So there you have it, some of the most important pros and cons of Temecula in 2023. Overall, Temecula is a wonderful place to live, and if you have any questions, please contact us. We have extensive knowledge of this market. We appraise and sell hundreds of homes a year and would love to help you realize the dream of living in a beautiful city in Southern California.
Thank you for reading our blog. If you have any interest in moving to Temecula or the surrounding area, please read the Google reviews here for Greenleaf Real Estate & Appraisal.
We are licensed as both real estate brokers and certified residential appraisers. We love what we do and will bring a great deal of passion, experience, and expertise to the table for you.
