This video is all about the 15 things that you definitely want to know before you make a move here to Temecula, California. I've lived here in the Temecula Valley for over 20 years. I think I give you guys a really good perspective on what it's like to actually live here in the area. And this is a list of 15 things that you definitely want to know before you make the move here. Most of these things, I don't think you're going to find most places online. I think it's going to give you a really good perspective on what it's like to actually live here. So let's go ahead and get into it.

Hey guys. Hey, again, my name is Justin Short. I am a realtor and team leader for the short real estate team here in Temecula, California in Murrieta of California. And like I mentioned, this video is all about the 15 things that you're going to want to know before you make a move here to the city of Temecula, California. So the first thing that I want to mention though, if you are liking videos like this and you want to see more of them, please do me a favor. Please hit like, please hit subscribe. So we're creating videos each and every week that we're posting out online, talking about the best neighborhoods here in the Temecula area, talking about the worst neighborhoods, best schools, et cetera, what part of town you want to live in, what part of town you don't, et cetera. So if you want to see more videos like that, definitely I'd love for you to subscribe.

And of course, we already have dozens of videos that have already been posted too that you can go back and look through as well. And then if you guys have any real estate questions, would love to hear from you. So you can feel free, you can call, you can text, you can email. I have people that reach out to me all the time, almost every day. And happy to answer any questions that you may have or at least point you in the right direction, or if myself and my team can actually help you with your home search. Of course, we would love to help you out with that as well. But let's go ahead and we'll get into the list here. So the perspective that I had when I was coming up with this is to try and give you guys good information that you're not going to find in most places online.

So I think it's really easy when people are relocating here. It's very easy. You can get up, you get on the Google machine, you can get on xlo.com, is it Zillow or Redfin or realtor.com or any of these other websites, and look at pictures of houses and listings and prices and kitchens and all that type of stuff. So I think that's really easy. Yes, it's a job of a realtor to help you through that. Yes. But for this, we wanted to give you a perspective on what it's like to actually live here. So I'm going to go through my list and hopefully give you guys some good things to think about before you decide if this is actually the right area for you. So first one is really just all about temperature. So really it's here in Temecula. It is super, super hot two months of the year, but the other 10 months of the year, it's actually, it's a really, really nice climate.

So in the months of August and September, the average temperature is over 92 degrees right now is what the stats show. But living here, I can tell you we definitely have these big, huge, crazy heat waves that'll take us over a hundred. So we'll get up heat waves up to a hundred and 104, sometimes even 105 degrees outside for a couple days at a time. And honestly, it's just hot. It's pretty unbearable. I mean, everyone's going to have ac, right? But you don't want to go outside when it's 104. It's not comfortable. The one good thing to know is here, unlike most areas where it gets hot is we will get a really, really nice breeze in the evening. So even if it gets up to 104 in the afternoon, by the time six o'clock, seven o'clock comes around, usually it's going to cool down to about 70, 75 degrees.

We are pretty close to the ocean, and so we actually get a breeze that comes over from the coast that really cools off the temperature at night, which is nice. A lot of areas like say Palm Springs, it's out in the desert or even Vegas or something where it never dies down. It's always going to stay miserable. So know that about the heat that we have. But other than that, the other 10 months of the year, the weather's super, super nice. We don't get a ton of rain. I think we have less than 10 days on average per year of rain, very, very little, right? We need more, I guess over the last six months we've probably had more rain than I've ever seen, right? It's definitely a little bit of an anomaly, but we needed it. So it's a good thing. But that's just the one thing to know.

If you're going to move here, it's it's going to be hot. You're going to be uncomfortable for a couple months out of the year. You do get used to that. Yes. So over time it bothers you less and less. I'm very comfortable at 90 degrees outside. I think it feels good, feels good to be out in the sun, but if you're moving from somewhere in the back east, you're going to be melting even at 90. So you want to know that. Number two on my list is about the wineries. So Temecula wine country has grown a ton over the last 20 years. Now it's over 50 wineries here in the area. They won a lot of awards. They have reds and whites and all types of different stuff. And actually a lot of the wineries also set themselves up as venues too. So they have really nice, a lot of times really nice fine dining restaurants that are there.

A lot of times they'll have a bar scene at night. They do all types of events. So some of the wineries do from pumpkin patches to ice skating rinks to concerts set up on the weekend, et cetera. They really make themselves for a venue like a destination where you can go out to. And because of that, with all the wineries, they've really done a good job with tourism for the city of Temecula. So the last sat I showed or saw, last sat I saw there was over 3 million people per year that was coming to the city of Temecula for tourism. So they'd come into the wineries for weddings, they'd come in for bachelorette parties, they'd come in for getaway weekends, et cetera. And so it's really become much more of a destination, and that's really one of the things that have put Temecula on the map.

So a lot of people don't realize that the wine country is so big and expansive and such a big thing out here. I actually personally don't really like wine, but it's nice to have because we can do so many different functions and stuff and hang out with friends there and whatnot. So number three on my list is actually the casino. So a lot of times people do not know this, but there is a very large casino here in Temecula. So that's the Pechanga Casino. There's also an Indian reservation at kind of the edge, edge of town, but Pechanga Casino is one of the top ranked casinos in the state of California. I think it was the top ranked this last year. But they're massive. They're always doing new additions and from parking structures to pools and expanding the casino and expanding the hotel, et cetera.

But it's really, it's a destination for people, if you like that type of thing. But it's really grown so much. They sponsor a lot of major, a lot of the major sports teams in Southern California. So they sponsor the Lakers, I think they sponsor the Angels. I think they sponsor the Ducks right now, but they have a lot of money that they reinvest into the community, and they also do that at the city level too. So Pachanga is always working with the city of Temecula and they have new projects and new things they're funding and new grants, et cetera. So they're really a big asset to the city and someone that brings in, obviously it's a lot of income that comes from casino as well. All right, so number four on my list is all about HOAs. And this is something that a lot of people don't know if they're relocating from a different area, but I would say about 50% of the neighborhoods here in Temecula have an HOA.

So a lot of times my conversation when I'm talking with potential clients, et cetera, they're talking with me and they're like, Hey, I absolutely do not want to live in a neighborhood that has an HOA, and that's totally cool. I get that right. Some people don't want to have the rules and the regulations that an HOA is going to have, but just know if that's going to be your mindset that there's probably 50% of the city that you're not going to be able to move into. So because about half the neighborhoods have an HOA, so the costs on those HOAs, they may range on the low end from starting about $40 per month. That would be kind of a lower end cost. HOA a lot of them are right around the a hundred dollars per month range, a hundred, $120 per month depending what neighborhood you're in.

And then a high end cost HOA would be over 200 bucks a month. So you have a widespread, depending what type of amenities or strictness you're really looking for. Some people want to have that super strict HOA and some people are like, no, absolutely not. I would never want to live in HOA at all. So just something to be mindful of. If you are conscious about an HOA or something you're opposed to, then you just want to make sure you and your agent hopefully us can pay special attention to for yourself. Alright, and then the fifth thing on my list is just all about location and commute. So really the point that I want to drive home is that with the way the traffic is, we're in southern California, we have the 15 freeway and two 15 freeway that are close by is depending where you are going to live in the city, can drastically affect your commute time.

So for example, if you're going to in the northern part of Temecula and you're going to be commuting down south to San Diego, the difference that that commute is going to make to you from living on the north side of town as opposed to the south side of Temecula could mean additional 20 to 30 minutes each way depending on what time of day you're commuting, et cetera. So basically, if you're going to be commuting, you really, really want to pay attention to what part of the city you're going to live in and think about if you're actually going to be okay with how that's going to commute, how that commute is going to be at rush hour. So a lot of you guys are going to be out doing research, you can get on Google Maps and look at realtime traffic and look at ways and expected commute times, et cetera.

But you really want to do that during rush hour and think about what that commute is actually going to look like because that drive time at 12:00 PM is going to be a heck of a lot different than that drive time at 6:00 PM. So if you're going south, you're going to go commute San Diego, it's much more beneficial to live in South Temecula. And if you're going to go north, it's going to be much more beneficial to live in the north part of Temecula. So just something you guys are going to want to keep in mind. Alright, number six on my list is the military. So a lot of people do not realize this, but there is a huge military presence here in the city of Temecula. So we do have a few bases that are close by. So there's Camp Pendleton is going to be the biggest one that's kind of in the Oceanside area, close to the beach also. The further you get into San Diego, there's several more. So

There's Miramar, there's Coronado, there's a few different bases down in San Diego, and there's even bases out in the desert out in the 29 Palms area as well. So there's a lot of military families that live here that will live here. And then the husband or wife, whoever's in the military will commute to the military base or a lot of people that maybe get stationed here at Pendleton live in Temecula for a little bit, get out of the military and decide to stay here in the valley. So that's a big thing out here. So you see a lot of military flags, you'll see a lot of military stickers, a lot of military support from the community, obviously. I think it's a great thing, right? Obviously I think it's a great thing to support the military and something I'm passionate about and obviously have a lot of friends in the military and family and all that type of stuff.

But if you are from other parts of the country, that may be a little unusual. You might not necessarily be used to that. So to me, it's something that makes me feel safe. I think it's a great thing, but something you should know. Alright, so number seven on my list is political. And I have to be a little bit careful how I tote the line here. I don't really care what your specific political views are if you lean left or right or blue or red or green or whatever it is that you do. But something that I think can be a little bit surprising to people they think of the state of California is traditionally a very, very liberal state. It's a very, very blue leaning state, very left-leaning state. I think that's fair to say that a lot of people are surprised that our counties, we are South Riverside County, and this is one of the few areas in southern California that actually is going to lean a little bit more red.

So it tends to skew a little bit more conservative, it tends to skew a little bit more red. I definitely think it's fair to say that people of all types of different political parties and viewpoints, et cetera, are welcomed. But it's just something to know and something to be aware of and make sure you're going to be comfortable in that environment if that makes a difference or not to you. Alright, so number eight on my list is all about the city of Temecula. So I think you'll hear me talk about this in some of my other videos as well. But basically the general point is the city of Temecula is very, very, very proud of the city that they have built. So they have really come such a long way over the last 20, 25 years. They've brought in a ton of infrastructure. They taught, brought in a ton of businesses, they've grown wine country area, they've grown the old town area and renovated that, et cetera.

They're just really, really proud of the city that they have become. And honestly, I would be too, I'm proud to live here and have seen so many changes, et cetera. But what does happen is the city, because they are so proud of where things are, they are not real apt for change going forward. So what that means is anytime if there's some new things that are maybe a little bit more, I don't know if risky is the right word, or people are trying to maybe change the culture a little bit or maybe have different ideas, et cetera. The city at the city level, city managers, and I guess mayors, et cetera, city council are very, very resistant to implement those things. So for example, recently over the last couple of years, the city of Temecula has banned Airbnbs or any type of short-term rentals from existing inside city limits inside the city of Temecula.

So that would be an example of a newer thing over the last decade that the city's like, Hey, we don't like that, boom, we're going to squash it, right? There could be. And there's other things like that too. Lots of other parts of California have marijuana dispensaries and the city basically has banned those. So they don't exist in the city of California, but many other cities in southern California, especially like Orange County, San Diego, they do exist. The city wants to squash that. Or it could be the state of California has changed some of the zoning laws to allow for duplexes and triplexes and ad used to be built very easily. And the city of Temecula is like, eh, we're kind of squashing that. We're not going to be so apt to implement that and we'll put some barriers in your way. So really it just means that the city is, they're not real apt to change.

So just know that and I think it's a great place, but just know they're not super up on changing everything anytime soon. Alright, so number nine on my list is all about the horse community here in Temecula. And believe it or not, there's actually a very large horse community here in the city of Temecula. So a lot of people don't realize this, but in southern California there are only so many different cities that you can find large plots of land where you can have a house on them. So Temecula has several different areas that have, you can get one acre, two acre, three acre, four acre, 10 acre parcels, have a house on there, and that acre just going to give you the space to be able to have maybe a horse barn, maybe a horse corral, a stable for horses, areas for feeding, et cetera, right?

If you're going to have horses, you need that space. You can't do that in a tract home. And in Southern California in a relatively affordable area, Temecula tends to be a really big draw for the horse community because one, it's kind of central, and two, you can easily get that type of space. It's very hard to get space for acreage down in La Jolla, California or in Del Mar or in anywhere by the coast, et cetera. So a lot of people don't realize how much of a horse community there is here locally, I think it is kind of funny sometimes I'll have a client or someone that I meet that's maybe from out in Montana or whatnot, and we maybe have a three four acre ranch out here and they're used to a 90 acre ranch out there. So not quite exactly the same thing, but there is a very large horse community here in town.

We have a lot of friends that have horses, take care of horses, et cetera. So just know that I think it's kind of cool. Okay, so number 10 on my list is about schools. The Temecula Valley Unified School District is one of the top ranked school districts in the state of California. So not only that, they also have one of the top 1000 schools in the entire country. So the top ranked school here in the valley is Great Oak High School that's located in South Temecula. It's a super, super highly rated school. I think this last year they're actually ranked in the top 900, but super desirable. A lot of people will move here and live here just for their kids to be able to attend that school for their four years of high school. So that's something to know. But in general, the school district is really, really highly rated and it's one of the reasons that people live here to be in a good school district, in an affordable area in Southern California.

Alright, and that's going to tie into number 11, which is about the private schools. So in addition to the really, really great public school system, there are also some really, really good private schools that here are here in the city as well. So from religious schools, so from Christian schools to Catholic schools, to sports academy schools. There are some really good options for private schools if that's something you guys are interested in as well. So number 12 on my list is all about this area really being a medical hotspot. So even with all the growth that we've seen over the last 10, 20 years here in the city of Temecula and all the surrounding cities as well, one of the things that they've done a really good job at is keeping the medical system in place and continuing to build hospitals, making sure there's enough infrastructure to support everyone that lives here locally.

So here close by, there's actually four major hospitals that are here close by. So in the cities of Temecula, Murrieta and Wildomar. Also, there's the Rady's Children Hospital that's here close by in Murrieta, so that's a big massive children's hospital down in San Diego. And so they have a satellite branch here in Murrieta as well. And now they actually have two Kaiser locations as well. Those are not full service hospitals, but they are medical centers, have doctor's office, stuff like that. And then number 13 on my list is all about the activities that the city of Temecula puts on. So I would say most, I mean almost all of the activities that the city of Temecula puts on is really geared towards families or children. So because the average age is someone that lives here in the valley, I think it's like 36 years old is the last number that I saw.

So that tends to be a younger person with a younger family or maybe older kids, et cetera. But because of that, so many of the events that the city puts on is really tailored towards that. So they're all super kid friendly from being city events to all the different sports leagues. I mean, there's dozens and dozens of sports leagues from, there's multiple soccer leagues, multiple baseball leagues, multiple softball leagues, multiple basketball leagues. You've seen some of my other videos talking about the parks. I think there's over 50 parks right now in the city of Temecula. There's just so many different things that are geared towards the family, families and family aspects or younger kids, et cetera. And I think the city really does a really good job of gearing things towards them since I guess that's really their demographic. But just something, especially if you have kids, there's going to be a ton of options and a ton of things for them to do.

And then number 14 on my list is what I think is really reality as a real estate agent is if you are a first time home buyer, this is a really tough city to buy your first home in. So it's not impossible people do it, people do it all the time. So it definitely can be done, absolutely, but when you're going to come in as a first time home buyer, because our average price point has really gotten so high, the average home right now in the city of Temecula is now over $750,000. So to buy that as your first home, it can just be really tough. It's tough to save up that type of down payment. It's tough to, even if you can save up the cash for the down, it's tough to maybe have the income from your job to qualify for that without a large down payment, et cetera.

So really we tend to see this area as either a move up or move down buyer. People do absolutely move here as a first time home buyer and just know it's just a little bit tougher. You got to really work to save up that extra cash. But usually we'll see someone maybe buys a home somewhere else close by, they own that for two, three years, they pay it down, they build up some equity over time, then they sell that, take that large chunk of proceeds and put that down on the 750,000 house in Temecula. So just something to know you can definitely do as a first time buyer, but it's a little bit tougher with our average price point. Alright, and the last thing on my list and number 15 is all about tax rates. So when you are looking at homes online, it's really, really important to know that the tax rate that you will pay from one home can drastically differ from a tax rate to a different home.

So from one side of town to the other. The general rule of thumb is the newer homes tend to have the higher taxes. You're going to see a range anywhere from a 1.2% tax rate all the way north of a 2% tax rate. And although it doesn't sound like a huge difference, less than 1% per year, that could really, the cost difference could be anywhere from 3000 to $4,000 per year. So you're breaking that up per month, right? That's anywhere from 250 to almost $400 a month in savings or that you're going to pay extra on a higher tax house. So just something to know when you're looking at homes online that most people are going to finance a home. You're going to pay a monthly mortgage, you're going to build your taxes into your mortgage payment. And so that means your monthly payment could differ between 250 to $400 a month depending what neighborhood you're looking at.

So if that's something you're going to be concerned about and you're going to be payment conscious that most people are going to be, that's definitely something you're going to want to talk with your realtor or a local real estate agent. Of course we'd love to help you, but you'll make sure you get the specifics on that and make sure you know what the taxes are going to be in the home and make sure it's going to be affordable for you and your family. So hopefully that gives you guys a really good perspective. That's my list of 15 things. If you guys have any comments, feel free to leave 'em below. Like I mentioned though, if you're liking the videos, hit like, hit subscribe, of course. Love to answer any questions you guys may have and hopefully talk to you soon. Thanks for watching.