LIVE EPISODE: What's It Like to Move to El Paso

LIVE EPISODE: What's It Like to Move to El Paso

Why We Started Doing Live Episodes

Hey El Paso, hopefully we're actually live this time. We tried this a couple of weeks ago but had some technical difficulties, so bear with us since this is still pretty new for us. The reason we're doing it is because we've made tons of videos but haven't had much personal interaction with a lot of you. Plenty of you have used our services in real estate, but there are also a lot of people out there who enjoy the channel and the content, so we wanted to be a little more personable and come to you live.

Alex was pivotal in making this happen. He thought live streams, or live video episodes, would be a good way to interact with everybody, since a lot of people always have questions when they call about El Paso. It's also a way to say thank you for supporting the channel. If there's anything you want us to talk about on these live episodes, let us know, since we want to cover things that are actually relevant to you rather than just what's going on with us.

The Pool Renovation Project

Before getting into that, John gave an update on what's been going on with him lately. If you follow the channel, you've probably seen episodes filmed from his backyard, which has a decent view of the Franklin Mountains. It's not a mansion, it's just that his house sits elevated above some of the surrounding houses, which is really common in El Paso. The yard is tiny, but it does have a swimming pool. The house was built in 1984, and he doesn't know exactly when the pool was added, but the pool and pool deck have been falling apart, partly because of the three big dogs running around on it. So the pool is getting refinished, through a company called Flame Tech that uses a newer process instead of standard plaster, and the project has been dusty and loud for the last three days. They're also converting the pool to saltwater, which is supposed to be gentler on skin and require fewer chemicals than a chlorine pool, which needs its pH kept perfectly balanced or algae can start growing and the water turns green.

Part of what prompted the renovation was that the pool's circulation motor was going out and making an awful noise. In the process, John talked to the pool company about what it actually costs to build a pool in El Paso right now. A basic, nothing fancy new pool runs $55,000 to $60,000, whereas if you buy a house with an existing pool, even one in total garbage shape, you can redo the whole thing for around $15,000 and end up with basically a brand new pool. That comes up constantly when John is showing houses, since buyers often ask how much it would cost to build a pool. It depends on how fancy the materials are: they've seen pools starting around $40,000 to $50,000, and others at $100,000 to $110,000 or more. Maintaining a pool is its own project too, whether you do it yourself or pay someone, which runs somewhere around $100 to $200 a month. For that price, the pool company isn't doing a ton, mostly adding chemicals and maybe vacuuming.

What We've Been Up to Lately

Alex said his week, especially Tuesday, had been mostly just work, though he had some time off coming up the following week. He's been adjusting some of his routines and also planning out things to do in the future, since there are quite a few events happening in El Paso, in New Mexico, and a couple of other places. He mentioned they've recently started doing things they hadn't done before, like the Chihuahuas game and the Locomotive game, and enjoyed both more than expected, enough that he wants to make them a regular thing, similar to how they already talk about going to the races all the time. John agreed, saying he loves going to the Speedway because it's a lot of fun and not that expensive, compared to other things where a ticket might run $70 and he'd rather just get a pizza instead.

A Trip to Kilbourne Hole

John also shared that he and Leah recently drove out to Kilbourne Hole, which is in New Mexico in a Bureau of Land Management area. They live on the west side, and it's only about 20 to 30 minutes away. They have a Jeep, but a regular vehicle could probably make it out there too, depending on conditions. They caught an epic sunset on that trip. It's a nice, cheap, easy thing to do, though it can be hot during the day, and it was gorgeous at night when they went. They've also been thinking about camping in the area, but are debating waiting until it's not so hot, since there are places four, five, or six hours away where it's already cooler. Going up to Cloudcroft and Lincoln National Forest, only a couple of hours away, is another option for cooler weather.

How Alex Ended Up in El Paso

From there, the conversation shifted to the main topic for the day: their own experience moving to El Paso, since neither Alex nor John is originally from there. John has been in El Paso about four years at this point.

Alex explained that he isn't originally from El Paso either, and that he's lived in a lot of different places, including Mexico City and Portland, Oregon, which gives him a different perspective than John and than viewers who may or may not be from El Paso themselves. Overall, his experience has been great, though different from what he expected. Whenever he told family members or coworkers he was moving to El Paso, they'd ask why, and bring up the usual stereotypes: that it's dangerous, that it might be dirty, that it's a little tiny town. He never really bought into that mentality, partly because his parents had lived in El Paso before and prepared him, telling him that what you see on the news and hear people say isn't really how it is, and partly because watching this channel's videos helped him understand El Paso a little better before he got there. Since moving, he's been happy the whole time, to the point that time has flown by rather than dragged, which he takes as a sign he's not miserable there. He's especially happy because of the people, who he described as very welcoming, which he thinks is the most important thing.

How John Ended Up in El Paso

John gave his own backstory. He was actually born in Dallas, then his family moved outside of Houston, where he grew up, so he's originally from Texas. Houston's traffic was already insane even when he was a kid, and he can't imagine what it's like now. From there he lived in Kansas City, Missouri for a long time, where he went to high school, then lived in Chicago for a while during some college work in education, then lived in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, about an hour north of Milwaukee on Lake Michigan, which he said he misses probably the most of anywhere he's lived. After that, he and Leah tried to move to Belize and ended up living in Mexico for about a year instead, where he admits he still can't speak Spanish even though he tried. From Mexico they moved back to Florida, landing in Fort Myers, which he knew he didn't want to stay in, partly because of the vibe and mostly because of the heat and humidity.

He and Leah knew they wanted to live somewhere with different weather, someplace hot but not humid, and they actually thought they were going to move to Tucson. On the way there, they passed through El Paso and stayed one night. They loved it immediately: this was before COVID, there was a bicycle race going on downtown, and the city was full of young people. It blew away Fort Myers, at least. They continued on to Tucson, decided against it, and a couple of months later came back to El Paso just to make sure their first impression was right. After that second trip, they decided that was it, they were moving to El Paso. What really drew them in, beyond weather they already knew would be good, was the vibe of the city, the people, and the energy of a younger population, in contrast to Florida, where a lot of people are retirees and the demographic where they lived skewed a lot older.

Why El Paso Over Austin or Tucson

Asked whether they considered Dallas or other cities, they said they did look at Austin, which John called beautiful, with Texas Hill Country scenery, South by Southwest, and an epic music scene. But even before COVID and the tech boom, it was already expensive, and the traffic was getting really crazy, so they were looking for something different. Alex agreed that El Paso just feels different from anywhere else he's lived, including Mexico City and Portland. It's smaller, which he actually likes. He doesn't think El Paso is for everybody, especially people who want a big city with big crowds and pop star concerts every weekend, but if it fits the stage of life someone is in, which for a lot of people moving there means starting fresh or raising kids, it works well. For him personally, it meant less traffic, fewer people, and a slower pace that he didn't realize he needed after living in Portland and Mexico City.

John added that he tries to be careful how he says this, but he does think it's true: since El Paso's population is primarily Hispanic, over 80% by his last check, the more laid back, family focused vibe of the city has a lot to do with that culture. Education is a big deal locally too, with a median age in El Paso in the early 30s and a lot of young families with kids. He always talks about how nice the schools are, paid for through property taxes, and that they're still performing well, which he thinks also appeals to families.

Which New Mexico Cities Are Worth Moving To?

One viewer, who said they were born and raised in El Paso and are planning to move to New Mexico, asked which New Mexico cities they'd recommend. John said Las Cruces is nice. He and Alex had considered getting into that real estate market themselves, but decided it was a little too far away, since neither of them wanted to have to drive from El Paso to show houses in Las Cruces. If they had gone that direction, John's plan was to start a YouTube channel called Retire Las Cruces, since he thinks Las Cruces is great for retirement: way lower property taxes than El Paso, though New Mexico still taxes income at the state level, a nice vibe, a lot of beautiful houses, some really nice restaurants, and an epic farmers market. It's a smaller city, but still close enough to El Paso to go there for the big city amenities. He's heard some interesting things about crime in Las Cruces that he wasn't aware of before, but that was his overall take.

On Albuquerque, John said he's had friends who moved from Albuquerque to El Paso, and they did not have good things to say about it, even though he knows it has some cool areas and good tech jobs. Of the other New Mexico cities he's visited, Santa Fe and Taos, he went in October and the weather was miserable, cold and rainy, though he still thinks those cities are pretty great overall. Alex said he doesn't know much about New Mexico beyond Las Cruces, which he's driven through on the way to Arizona. He did mention that some guys from Las Cruces he met while filming at a bar told him they come to El Paso just to hang out, go to bars, and see concerts, since it's not as big a city as El Paso. Price wise, he said Las Cruces is fairly similar to El Paso.

Responding to a comment that being the Sun City and getting so much sunshine makes people happy, John agreed, saying he's heard that scientifically, sunshine does make people happier, and that a place like Seattle, where the sun doesn't shine as often, reportedly has much higher rates of pressure or low mood. Having lived in Portland for years himself, he said it's kind of depressing to be outside all the time thinking about the weather because it's raining and you're dragging muddy dogs around. In El Paso, you don't think about the weather most days because it's just nice and sunny, aside from complaining a bit when it's especially hot. He said he'd take that any day over nine months of not great weather with maybe two weeks of sun.

Do You Ever Run Into Beto O'Rourke?

Asked whether they've seen Beto O'Rourke since moving to El Paso, John said yes, he has. There's a restaurant close to downtown called Savage Goods that he takes clients to all the time and has dragged Alex to as well, which is his favorite local spot. It's in Sunset Heights, which is actually where Beto O'Rourke lives, and one time John was outside Savage Goods when Beto happened to be walking up the street, on his way home from there. John was on the phone at the time so he didn't say anything, but he described him as a charming looking, tall guy.

Favorite Places to Eat in El Paso

Asked about his favorite place to eat in El Paso, John said he checks out a lot of taco places, and welcomes recommendations since he's admittedly spoiled having Alex and Miguel around, who are both from Mexico. He said he's currently settled on a taco spot that's part of a small local chain as his go-to, though he's still open to better suggestions. He also likes L&J's, and really likes Lucy's Cafe on Mesa Street, near a bar he thought was called Excalibur, or something like that. Both places are delicious, affordable, and have been around forever.

Alex added that for people who want something a little more high end, El Paso has been getting more nicer restaurants lately. Elemi, a restaurant downtown at the Hotel Indigo, came to mind, where the chef has won a prestigious award a couple of years running. There are also some nice new hotels with good restaurants inside them, and Casa Pantera, a cool spot in the northeast. For himself, though, he still prefers something simple and laid back like Savage Goods.

For steak, they mentioned Cattleman's Steakhouse, about 30 minutes outside El Paso in Fabens. It's a wild, crazy place with animals on site, including a rattlesnake den, an ostrich, rabbits, goats, and more, so it's a fun spot to take kids, like a petting zoo. Except instead of just petting the animals, you can pick which one you want to eat. John admitted he never picked anything but chicken as a kid.

Favorite Home Builders Under $500,000

Asked about favorite home builders for under $500,000 in El Paso, John said Palo Verde is his personal favorite, mainly for their style. Other good options include Desert View, which has some great homes, and Hakes Brothers, which has a very good reputation, with nice, clean looking homes in a lot of colors. Under $500,000, John said picking favorites is easy. It gets a lot harder if you ask about builders under $300,000, since when he moved to El Paso four years ago and started the channel, you could get a new house for $200,000 to $250,000 pretty easily. Those days are mostly gone. After the big home price appreciation during COVID, it's hard to get into one of the builders they mentioned for less than $300,000. Alex noted that in some areas of the northeast, Palo Verde homes now start around $280,000 and up, and that the builders still hitting the lower $300,000s tend to be different ones, closer to the Horizon City area.

What the Weather Is Like Through the Seasons

One viewer from Chicago asked about the weather. John mentioned he'd just filmed a video with his friend Mike, a meteorologist who lives in El Paso and has been there a couple of years, walking through what to expect temperature wise across all the seasons, which was about to be posted. For fall specifically, he estimated lows in the 50s and highs in the 70s to 80s. Overall, he said the weather in El Paso is very nice, and most of the year you don't really think about it, aside from when it gets hot, sometimes up to a pleasant 105. In winter, toward the end of January and beginning of February, nighttime temperatures get a little cold, since it is still the desert, but otherwise the weather is very pleasant.

Can You Still Find a Home Under $200,000?

Asked whether it's nearly impossible to find a nice home under $200,000, John said it's tougher, not impossible. You can find something around $180,000 to $190,000 depending on location, but those tend to be older homes from the 1950s and 60s that likely need remodeling, which usually means an updated kitchen and similar work by the time it's done. It's getting harder over time to find homes at that price point because a lot of people and companies are moving to El Paso and prices keep climbing. He doesn't see prices coming down anytime soon barring something unexpected, especially since COVID already showed that even a crisis can push prices higher rather than lower.

Alex added that homes under $200,000 do still exist, but they're also the most competitive, so if a decent one comes up around $185,000, there's likely to be a flood of interested buyers, which drives multiple offers and pushes the price up further. So while there are still totally fine homes in good areas under $200,000, the sheer demand at that price point tends to push prices higher.

One viewer commented that they'd gotten an Edwards home in Horizon City for $256,000 two months earlier. John said that tracks, since Horizon City homes in that range, from around $210,000 up to $250,000 or $260,000, are pretty common. Builders like Edwards, Classic American, Saratoga, and Casas de Leon were all still building around that price point. Their general advice for anyone asking about builders, which comes up all the time, is to check the reviews other buyers have left. There will always be some negative reviews, but if the majority are negative, that's worth taking seriously.

Affordability and the Cost of Living

Circling back to weather and affordability, both of which matter a lot to people considering the move, they acknowledged prices are going up across the board, not just for houses, mostly because of what happened with COVID and because of a broader housing shortage nationally. Inflation is raising the price of everything else too, food and gas included. Still, the data shows El Paso remains on the more affordable side compared to other mid to large size cities, which matters because the comparison has to account for wages too: housing might be cheaper, but if you're working a minimum wage job here, it's going to be a lot lower than in a lot of other places.

Alex shared that affordability is actually one of the main reasons they moved. He used to live in Portland in a two bedroom apartment with five dogs for around $1,300 to $1,400 a month, nothing fancy, just a normal place. When COVID hit and interest rates dropped, his parents refinanced their Portland home and ended up buying two houses in El Paso, and his family moved into one of them, paying a bit more than they used to pay in rent, but for a nice, big house with a backyard for the dogs. He also pointed out that everyday prices are higher elsewhere: at McDonald's in El Paso, he can get a meal for around three dollars, but the same thing costs about twice as much when he visits Phoenix.

John agreed that affordability was a big part of their decision too. Every other place he'd lived, Houston, Kansas City, Chicago, and Fort Myers, was more expensive. Sheboygan, Wisconsin wasn't, but it was a town of about 50,000 people where you could still get a beer at the bar for around two dollars, so El Paso isn't quite on that level, but compared to bigger cities, it's still pretty affordable. He noted that people sometimes push back on the idea that El Paso is affordable, and the reason usually comes down to Texas's minimum wage, which is a little over eight dollars, maybe around $8.50. If you're living on minimum wage, El Paso isn't going to feel affordable at all. But if you're working in a field that pays a more respectable salary, it's still likely to go further here than in a lot of other places. Alex added that a lot of remote workers take advantage of this. Seattle used to be the place to go for remote work, but it's gotten very expensive, so they've seen a lot of remote workers moving to El Paso instead.

Will El Paso Ever Get a Major Sports Team?

Asked whether El Paso will ever get a major sports team, John said he thinks so eventually, though he's not sure whether it would be soccer or baseball. His reasoning: as cities grow, they attract more people and more investment. He pointed to the current Locomotive soccer team as an example of a team that isn't major league yet but plays in a huge stadium to packed, enthusiastic crowds, the kind of foundation that can eventually turn into major league status as a city grows. It's hard to say exactly how many people live in El Paso, but say it's around 800,000. If the city keeps growing, he thinks it's likely to happen, though he was clear this was just a guess with no real basis behind it. If he had to pick, he'd lean toward baseball, mainly because El Paso already has an existing team, the Chihuahuas, to build on, and because of El Paso's geographic isolation out in West Texas, all on its own, with the nearest big city being San Antonio, probably around eight hours east, or Phoenix.

One commenter mentioned they try to get down to El Paso at least once a month, and that every visit, the city feels bigger, with more places to eat. Alex noted that not everyone from El Paso is happy about that growth, since prices are also going up, but pointed out that a lot of the people fueling that growth are coming from smaller New Mexico cities like Las Cruces, just to eat at different places, hit the bars, or catch concerts.

How Locals Feel About El Paso's Growth

John said he sees a lot of comments from people who sound like they're originally from El Paso, expressing concern about how much things are changing. He understands the sentiment, people saying things like when they were younger, or 30 years ago, it was this or that, but as he put it, change is the only constant, and there's no stopping it. Alex agreed, adding that sometimes the disconnect is that the community wants the city to go one direction, but the city council decides otherwise. He recently went through something called the Neighbor El Paso Neighborhood Leadership Academy, which is free, to understand how the city works behind the scenes. His big takeaway was that even though people gripe about government, and often rightly so, El Paso's city government struck him as legitimate: not perfect, but from what he saw across the different departments, a pretty well run operation doing good things on behalf of residents. He also pointed out that people visiting from elsewhere in the U.S. often comment on how clean and nice El Paso is, which he thinks reflects well on both residents and the city's spending on things like education and general upkeep.

More Thoughts on Albuquerque

Someone else weighed in that they think the closest city to El Paso is actually Albuquerque, about four hours away. John agreed Albuquerque has cool areas, but said friends have told him homelessness is a real problem there, with the downtown area apparently pretty dangerous because of it. He noted that in Albuquerque, almost nobody with money in the tech jobs there lives downtown, they live out in the surrounding, probably gated, suburbs, which points to a bigger gap between the haves and have nots than you see in El Paso.

Best Areas for Investment Property

Asked which part of town is best for investment, far east or west side, John said it depends what you're looking for. For single family, long term rentals, he'd point to the far east as probably the best bet: there's a lot of movement there, with single family homes, not necessarily new, generally priced from about $150,000 up to $200,000 or $220,000, which makes it the most popular area for investors. South central and northeast are also worth a look. Central east and the west side rent fine too, it just depends on the investor's strategy, whether they're planning to flip or hold. He added that they deal with investor questions constantly, and always tell people up front: demand for rental properties in El Paso is strong and prices are still relatively low, but property taxes are what will really mess up your cash flow.

Traffic on the East Side

A viewer commented that their top reasons for moving back to El Paso were the people, the weather, and the cost of living, calling those their top three as well. They also noted that as the city grows, traffic has gotten heavier, and living on the east side now means about 40 minutes to drive downtown. John agreed, recalling a recent showing on the west side near I-10 and Artcraft, an intersection that's also gotten pretty heavy, though there's a lot of construction on I-10 there right now that should ease things once it's finished. He said when he first moved to El Paso, he never thought twice about traffic heading out to Horizon City or the far east, but now, especially during morning or evening rush hour, that stretch of I-10 is tough, and the 375 exits to get into the far east are intense.

Alex said it's also a matter of perspective. Coming from Mexico City, El Paso traffic barely registers to him personally, though he agrees it's gotten worse since John first moved here, and he gives the city credit for at least visibly working on it, pointing to the ongoing I-10 construction on the west side.

Dry Heat vs. Humidity

A viewer from the San Antonio area said they dream of El Paso. Alex related to that, saying he used to live somewhere very hot and humid, Puerto Vallarta, especially during August, where you'd get out of the shower and immediately start sweating again. He said he prefers El Paso's dry heat. John agreed, noting that even in a hot month, if he and Alex were standing in direct sun they'd be sweating, no doubt about it, but stepping into the shade, they'd be fine. That dry heat makes a real difference.

Addressing the Pebble Hills Crime Rumor

One viewer said their property manager was concerned about crime in the far east, specifically Pebble Hills, worried that families might be hesitant to live there, and asked if they'd noticed a real difference out there. John said there's no city on earth where people don't complain about traffic or worry about crime, and that everything is relative: the worst areas of El Paso don't compare to what he's seen in Portland or Mexico City. Alex said he'd recently seen an article, shared through a popular local app, calling Pebble Hills the new "devil's triangle," and his reaction was basically confusion, since he doesn't live there but goes there all the time and knows people who do live there, and hasn't heard any complaints. When he actually read the article, it mostly seemed to be saying that as more people move to the area, there's the potential for more crime, without much specific evidence. John pointed out that Pebble Hills is actually one of El Paso's most popular suburbs, especially with military families because of its proximity to the base, with nice, newer homes, affordable prices, parks, and new stores and amenities, so hearing there might be a crime issue there struck him as strange. If anything, he guessed it might be referring to property crime, which some cities in New Mexico have been dealing with, but he said he'd look into it further.

How Weather Affects Day-to-Day Life

One viewer, Ana, shared that she lived in Portland for five months, from November 2009 to March, and that it rained every single day the whole time, and it was miserable. John agreed that people don't always believe it, but weather really does affect your day to day life and your mental state. He said he'd take El Paso's weather any day of the week, even with a little complaining about the heat for a month or two, or about the colder nights in winter, over living somewhere like Portland. He said he loves Portland and its people, but the weather there is genuinely miserable.

Is El Paso Actually Safe?

Someone brought up hearing about a murder and said they suspected it was more about perception than reality, but wanted to check if the hosts had heard anything. Alex said he'd seen the same rumor circulating on a popular local app and that it read to him more like sensationalized news than anything substantiated, but since more people were bringing it up, they'd look into what the truth actually was. He said it didn't match his experience of the area, which he described as full of nice, new houses, suburbs, families, and military retirees.

John added that he personally subscribes to the El Paso Times, which he considers about as unbiased a source as you're going to find, and reads the daily headlines. He was clear that they're not claiming El Paso is some perfect, crime free place, that would be insane for a city of 800,000 people, and that yes, every so often something bad happens, including incidents involving younger people and parties that go wrong. But comparing it to what shows up in the news in a city like Portland, where there's a shooting reported in the northeast seemingly every other day, El Paso just isn't on that level. He said you can feel the difference walking around: Portland felt less safe to walk around than El Paso does. He also pointed out that cities really struggling with property crime and assault, places like Albuquerque, Portland, and San Francisco, tend to be the ones dealing with large, overwhelming homeless populations, which creates problems like devalued properties from people camping in yards, something that isn't happening in El Paso. El Paso does have homeless people, but nowhere near the scale that's become the norm in a lot of other cities. Alex agreed it comes down to perspective: Portland, which he knows well, is just a very different environment, homeless population included, but for all the reasons discussed, he said he's very happy in El Paso, while acknowledging no place is perfect for everybody.

Best Jobs in El Paso Right Now

Asked what the best jobs in El Paso currently are, John mentioned he'd been talking with someone relocating from outside Dallas who was blown away by how many healthcare jobs are available, to the point that they ended up going into healthcare themselves, after expecting the job search to take a lot longer and be a lot harder. Healthcare, he said, is definitely huge right now. Education is doing well too, given how many kids and schools there are, and construction remains a big employer as well. Looking ahead, he mentioned that El Paso is also pushing to grow its manufacturing sector, particularly around aerospace, the kind of STEM focused jobs the city is actively trying to attract, even though there's still a long way to go in that area.

Wrapping Up

They thanked everyone for the comments and for engaging, saying the whole point of doing these live episodes is to answer questions and connect directly with viewers. They said they'd get better at the format over time and hoped to bring in more footage in future episodes so it isn't just their faces the whole time. One viewer had recommended a new restaurant on the west side called Cedar and Sage, and they said they're open to spotlighting local businesses like that if people have suggestions. They closed by thanking everyone who tuned in, whether or not they commented, and thanking longtime subscribers in particular for their support over the years.