January 1st will be exactly 15 years that I moved out of the San Fernando Valley and California. I had a brief idea in 2010 to possibly move back, but after the 3rd day looking at homes and dealing with the traffic plus really looking at the numbers, no fucking way. That type of money can go a longways elsewhere.
Also, the taxes, permits, and all the third party BS needed to accomplish things in California is just fucked up. For instance.
The blue arrow is my house and the red arrow was heated RV parking, but I extended it 1100ft and put in plumping, septic tank, water in and filtered processing water out. In short, converted it to a seafood (caviar) processing plant. My permit allows me to process up to 10 tons of fish a day as long as I clean the water filter (glorified pool filters) every 10,000 lbs, or every 8 hours operational, and it cannot stay uncleaned overnight.
Anyway, the total cost for the licenses and permits was a whooping $4200 with $750 a year and took less the 15 business days to get all paperwork done. The total cost to expand, build, pipe in/out, equipment, plus licenses and permits? - Just under $150k, in 2014 all equipment and investment overhead will be paid off. There are 4 employees, me, my wife, and two others and due to this being a seasonal business they do not get benefits. This year after paying overhead, upkeep, and taxes we'll just be shy of 6 figures net profit. If this was California, you'd be given a gift from the business gods if you could do this within 6 months and under $500k.
Where I live has no traffic as my neighbor left owns a sugar plantation and my neighbor right works for Halliburton, both weekend homes. I can make it to an international airport within 2 hours and easily one of the most culturally diverse cities on the planet if I want fine dinning and well, anything, it's New Orleans.
The only downside, 4 months of the year bugs and you think your going to fucking die because of the heat. But after a decade of living in the PNW with the cold dark rainy winters, I'm drinking morning coffee with Hawaiian shorts, flip flops, and a wifebeater. I know for a fact I am going to die here.
..thanks op you gave me a great idea to blog about.