Can't wait to relocate to the SLO area (Woodland, Cypress: homeowners association, home)

[Retiring2SLO]

Brand new to this forum and so glad I found it. DH and I are hoping to move to the SLO area within the next year or so. He is planning to retire early from his job here in Silicon Valley and concentrate full time on riding his motorcycles, playing a little golf and wine tasting (the last activity includes me!) I also like the beach and would love to be within 15 - 20 minutes of one.

We are planning to meet with a realtor in the next few months but wanted to get people's take on Cypress Ridge in Arroyo Grande versus the SLO Country Club - mainly as we do not want to live too far from shopping and amenities. I hear Cypress Ridge is a little farther from things than the SLO club and would like to hear opinions on this.

Also understand both SLO and Arroyo Grande are great places to live. (We don't necessarily have to live in a gated golf community but will consider it.) Will be interesting to check out both towns. Templeton is also a possibility but we've heard that the weather is not as temperate there - i.e. can be very hot in the summer and colder in the winter.

Anyway, look foward to any replies and thanks in advance. We are ready for a new adventure in life and everything about the central coast really appeals to us.

[.highnlite]

I will toss in my 2 cents worth.
A. Motorcycles, plural? Would you not be happier on a little land with a shop and a garage? Dirt or Road? Gated communities often have pain in the butt CC&R's that restrict your freedom to work on your bikes in your driveway etc.
B. I am not generally fond of people who live in gated communities, as they seem to, as a sweeping generalization, have their noses stuck up in the air, "Why yes, we live in Cypress Ridge, not out among the little people".
C. A little land, grow a garden, everything grows here, tis worth doing.
D. Templeton is indeed hotter, as is the rest of north county (north county being north of Cuesta Grade) but, it never gets cold, even in north county. People don't even insulate their well heads, nor do they need trough heaters.
E. Don't combine wine tasting and motorcycle riding
F. You can ride here all year round, which is a definite cultural plus.
G. From SLO or AG, there are two roads north, and two roads south, and no roads west more than 10 miles, and no roads east...

[Retiring2SLO]

Thank you highnlite for your insight. I know - have thought about the whole gated community thing and possible restrictions on DH working on his bikes, etc. We are down to earth type people so will definitely have to investigate it extensively. Hmm . . . will also have to tell hubby about the roads - sounds like there are not as many places to ride as he had thought. He has two bikes and rides roads, not dirt roads. And we definitely use the car for our wine tasting trips! :-)

[.highnlite]

You just have to stretch a bit. I just got back from a 150 mile ride, down to Santa Ynez Valley and up into the hills, deeelightful. 40 of that was on dirt though, as I ride a dualsport. North of SLO there is a network of back roads, and of course Hiway 1 north to Monterey is a world class ride. Hopefully he doesn't ride Harleys, they really suck on our twisty back roads.

I have two rules for happy home owning.
1. Never live in a place where there are CC&Rs
2. Never live in a place where there is a homeowners association.

[ferretkona]

I found the temps get more extreme with each mile from the beach. My folks have 15 acres east of Atascadaro, hot summers cold winters and a lot of wind.
Right in Morro Bay a nice even temp all year with a few weeks dipping warmer and cooler. The difference is only about 25 miles.

[Cassino]

I just want to wish you good luck on your move and congrats. I went to school in SLO and have been dying to move back since I left. I didn't even want to leave but couldn't find many good jobs in my field. I hope to retire there one day, too.

[Retiring2SLO]

Uh oh - DH does have a Harley . . . . and a scooter though so appreciate the info on the twisty roads! Thanks to you all for your replies on the climate differencnes and SLO in general - very helpful. Cassino - I hope you can get back there someday too!

[.highnlite]

Well, there are a lot of Harley riders around here. Your husband should easily find a group to ride with if he wants. I had a road bike and a dirt bike. I got frustrated seeing interesting dirt roads and not being able to follow them, and trailering to dirt roads, so I bought a dual sport, now I am happy as a clam.

Where ever you wind up locally here you will love it. When we relocated here three years ago my daughters called this area "The Shire" as in the hobbit, a nice friendly place where the weather is always good, and bad stuff is just something you read about than happens in other places.

[Axxlrod]

Cypress Ridge, while having an AG mailing address, is really on the Nipomo Mesa. And its more isolated from shopping, restaurants, etc... than the SLO CC. There are a lot of undesirables on the Nipomo mesa. Plus Cypress will have many more foggy days than SLO will.

I would live in SLO, but not Cypress.

[ukiyo-e]

Originally Posted by .highnlite

1. Never live in a place where there are CC&Rs

A lot of neighborhood have CC&Rs and people don't even know it, because they often aren't given copies of them by the title company. When I worked as a Realtor, I once sold a home in Woodland to a young couple. We were aghast when the title company sent them the CC&Rs from decades ago, and read that they couldn't re-sell to a "Negro." My point being, they are ignored all the time. They seem to be enforced more often when there's also a HOA, because there's usually some busybody with too much time on their hands who polices the neighborhood for lack of anything better to do.