Sparks vs Fernley? (Reno, Spanish Springs, Fallon: HOA, insurance, mortgage)

[.highnlite]

Originally Posted by HereOnMars

Lots of great information on this thread. Also interesting to know that Fernley doesn't get the same amount of snow that Sparks, Reno, or areas north and south of them receives each year. Reminds me of a small town in Washington state that only receives 9 inches of rain a year while surrounding areas are over 50. Mother Nature is a mystical lady.

Not mystical, just rain shadow.

[Oheidhin]

I am also interested in the Fernley area. I will be moving from WA. What's this I'm hearing about the flood, no disclosure on sales, repair due to flood, etc.??


I'm not at all opposed to commuting 35 minutes on 80...snow isn't a big deal if you have the right tires.

[humboldtrat]

Originally Posted by Oheidhin

I am also interested in the Fernley area. I will be moving from WA. What's this I'm hearing about the flood, no disclosure on sales, repair due to flood, etc.??

An irrigation canal broke a couple of years ago and flooded some homes. There's no problem as long as you don't live next to an irrigation canal! Otherwise, Fernley is a nice little town with not too much to do. There are a couple of small casinos, a Walmart, Lowe's and Amazon.com has a big distribution center there. Reno is about 32 miles down the road.

[JGC97]

If you google Fernley flood 2008, one site shows the map of the area that flooded. Really helpful when doing online searches for real estate in the area. I saw one real estate site that had a house in Fernley selling for $15K. Nice 3bd/2bth two-car garage. Inside photos weren't great but you could see something wasn't right. Finally, the description disclosed it was a flood home. I noticed that same street on the googled flood map and it must have been one hit by the flood in 2008.

I'm still curious about the wind, though. A while back, I called some business in Fernley and asked them about the wind. They said that Fernley wouldn't be a good place to live because it was like a wind tunnel there and winds were worse than anywhere in Nevada.

I don't know if the person was trying to be funny or just wanted to keep people from moving to the area but it was confusing. I'm no stranger to wind but when I read posts on this site by people saying the wind blows "all the time," I can't help wonder what their definition of "all the time" means. I love small towns and I think Fernley would be a great place to live, if you like a quiet life.

[Oheidhin]

hmm....I don't like wind very much. Where I come from a town only 30 miles away is notorious for its wind. I think the sound bothers me the most.

[JGC97]

Originally Posted by Oheidhin

hmm....I don't like wind very much. Where I come from a town only 30 miles away is notorious for its wind. I think the sound bothers me the most.

Please, don't take what I wrote about the wind as gospel. This was told me to by someone in Fernley ... who was telling me this over the phone. Like I said, I'm not sure this person just didn't want people coming to the area or was just trying to be facetious by fabricating a story. Wait until you actually hear from someone here who lives there. I think there are a couple of people that do and they would probably be most helpful in answering questions.

[sagewitch]

Don't move to Nevada if you can't put up with wind. Wind that will effectively relocate everything you leave outside. I watched a 100 mph gust snap a very old pine tree at the base a couple winters ago. Fences are a waste of time, but people keep putting up the standard fencing, just to watch it tear down every so often. Some years the wind is worse than others. There's a reason tall trees don't exist here and smaller ones grow sideways. Fernley homes were built quick and cheap by fat and happy developers. You get what you pay for. The property values are going to take a long time to come close to what they were 5 or 6 years ago - and they may stay bad since cheap houses rarely retain much value. And don't be fooled either - Fernley has crime. My friend was walking his dog last month and found a dead body in an open field in back of his house, and he lives in a decent neighborhood. Police eventually showed and cleaned it up - most likely drug related. Ever see Breaking Bad? Meth and heroin are drugs of choice in Fernley. Be careful.

[Oheidhin]

Thanks Sage, and Mars, I live in central WA where one would not expect crime of that sort, NOT! In a nearby town, Toppenish, the are drive bys and everything. Many of the people that have moved here came from L.A., however. My realization is that it's everywhere, so are drugs, and from what I hear of the average high schooler, pot isn't even given a wince.

[Brazlo88]

You mentioned a small town in the state of Washington that receives only 9 inches of rain. Where is this town as it sounds very interesting. Brazlo88

[Ellipses]

I lived in Fernley for the past nine years and only recently moved to Reno. From my time in Fernley I can say from first hand experience, having survived the most recent flood with massive property damage, that the maintenance of the levies is non-existent, the areas subject to flooding are still at high risk, and properties damaged in the flood are still being sold without disclosure of the damage. (which in most cases included horrendous mold damage and most families living in those homes are unable to get well and have let the houses go back to the banks and taken huge financial losses)

As for medical care- Fernley does not offer adequate medical care in the least. If you need to see a doctor, even infrequently, expect to travel roughly one hour to see the doctor, and one hour to get home. It is an inconvenience.

Also, the price of groceries and necessities, as well as availability of items, in Fernley, compared to the Reno area, made it almost a necessity for me to purchase the things I needed in Reno. Again, expect that two hour round trip.

Another inconvenience- if you enjoy an active or social lifestyle that is not related to bars or drinking, do not expect to find it in Fernley. I sure didn't.

Good luck in your decision!