Living and Working in the Inland Empire

I've lived in the Inland Empire for the past twenty-five years.  In that time, many things have changed, but what I've noticed the most is the development of the area's real estate.  When my family moved from West Covina to Chino as a freshman in high school, I thought we had moved so far out in the boonies that we must be close to Texas.  I was not used to seeing cows and horses in my every day life as a kid growing up in Los Angeles County. As I recall, when we exited the Pomona Freeway at Mountain Ave. the off ramp took us to a two-lane road with four stop signs.  A Bob's Big Boy and a 7-11 sitting next to a field of corn was about the only thing that marked the landscape.  Today, that cornfield and everything around it has been developed into commercial and residential real estate.

As a young man I couldn't wait to leave Chino, the sight of that cornfield shrinking in my rearview mirror.  I wanted to see what the rest of California had to offer. Over the years, I've lived in Orange County (Brea), San Diego County (Escondido), Los Angeles County (Claremont), and a few other places along the way--but it seemed I always wanted to come back to Chino. Ten years ago this year, I met my wife, who at the time was living In Los Angeles.  When I told her we would settle and live in Chino, she said it would never happen!  As she put it, "I'm not going to live in the desert".  Inland Empire...the desert...funny stuff.  Now, looking back, she can't believe she once lived near downtown Los Angeles.   In fact, she sometimes struggles with the fact that our small city gets bigger every day.

Today I am the owner of Inland Empire Appraising, a real estate appraisal firm. We provide appraisals for single-family residences, condominiums and PUD's. I really enjoy my career as an appraiser because I get to drive throughout the Inland Empire; every day I get to see how every city has grown up over the years.  In particular, the last couple of years has brought incredible growth.  New subdivisions are springing up everywhere.  From Moreno Valley to Hemet, and all throughout Riverside and San Bernardino Counties, the growth has been amazing.  I can't believe how the city of Corona has really exploded recently.  Recent sales have slowed some but home values have not dropped like the Internet ".com" bust of the 90's, even though some experts would have you believe the real estate "sky is falling".  

I don't know what the future will bring for the Inland Empire, but I do know that it's a great place to live and work and I'm glad to be a part if it.