Lincoln vs. Roseville/Rocklin (San Diego, Vista: real estate, foreclosure, HOA fees)

[kathylopez02]

We went house hunting in Roseville & Rocklin and found some homes we liked in the $250-300k range, however, when I looked online, Lincoln has some MUCH bigger homes in that range. Is Lincoln far out there? Are there drawbacks to it? Why are homes so much cheaper there?

Can someone give me the scoop on where is better to live? Thanks!

[DyaneRiemer]

Lincoln is not all that far from Roseville/Rocklin, and the newer areas, in many respects, is not all that different. However, there are many subdivisions in Lincoln, namely Lincoln Crossing, that have exhorbitant HOA dues/Mello Roos combinations. So although you may find a big house with a low price, you will need to tack on about $250-$300 to your payment each month to cover them. That said, the homes there are newer and nice, and have a community pool and recreation center that you can use.

An area that is nice is Twelve Bridges which borders Rocklin, and most subdivisions there don't have HOA dues. Then again, most of the homes in there are a little more expensive than other areas of Lincoln.

There are some nice aspects to Lincoln, but there are also drawbacks to consider. The traffic to get in via Highway 65 is congested at best, and can add to your commute time. Also, I've heard rumors that the City is going bankrupt. No telling what the consequences of this could be, but one thing is for certain: they've already nixed plans to build the new high school.

If it were me buying and I wanted to be in Lincoln, I would stay in the Twelve Bridges area because you miss most of the traffic, it has newer schools, is close to shopping, and the home values are a little higher.

[moovin]

Go to google maps and find the high schools in the area you're interested in. Then go to greatschools.com and find their test score results. Compare that to say Granite Bay High. You'll find Lincoln High does not perform nearly as well as Granite Bay High, Rocklin High, Folsom High, Whitney, Del Oro, Ponderosa, Vista Del Lago, etc... That right there is your list of good places to buy real estate. It's also the list of affluence and housing cost. It's always been like that - the best schools are in the areas where it's expensive and nice to live in and have the most stable real estate.

I would not buy in Lincoln. It's in the middle of nowhere and the schools are mediocre. If a parent had a choice they will go elsewhere. That will drive the value of Lincoln down in many ways.

Originally Posted by kathylopez02

We went house hunting in Roseville & Rocklin and found some homes we liked in the $250-300k range, however, when I looked online, Lincoln has some MUCH bigger homes in that range. Is Lincoln far out there? Are there drawbacks to it? Why are homes so much cheaper there?

Can someone give me the scoop on where is better to live? Thanks!

[JenniferLynn]

The main reason Lincoln has good housing values is because it was overbuilt just before the real estate bubble burst.

Concerns with quality of schools and traffic may be valid, but Lincoln is NOT in the middle of nowhere. The feverish home-building of the last few years has effectively connected Roseville to Rocklin and Rocklin to Lincoln. It's difficult to tell where one city ends and the other begins.

[JenniferLynn]

Forgot to say, personally I would pay a little more and live in Rocklin, which I think is the best of the three.

[kingsfan4ever]

Though Lincoln has certainly grown over the last few years (and it was ranked the #1 City in California for growth a few years back, too), I agree with the Realtor who indicated that if you choose Lincoln, your best bet is to stay toward the Twelve Bridges area. That said, my personal opinion is that I would choose Roseville or Rocklin over Lincoln, any day of the week! Schools are better in either of those two cities (especially the high schools). You're seeing lower prices in Lincoln because so many people who bought there during the boom years are now losing their homes to foreclosure, etc. I hadn't heard about the City going bankrupt, but I do know that the City made some very bad financial decisions and is now paying the price (no pun intended!).

Best wishes to you, wherever you decide to live!

[amplified]

We bought in Lincoln (moved from San Diego) in 2006 and we love it. I'm so tired of hearing things like- It's in the middle of nowhere-They have high HOA's etc.....

Is it really in the middle of nowhere? OF COURSE NOT! It actually connects up with Rocklin and Roseville and near twelve bridges it is hard to even tell what is Rocklin and what is Lincoln. You can get to most of Roseville in 10-15 minutes (Mall, Movies, Food etc)

Now to address the HOA's...Yes Lincoln Crossing has HOA's and Mello Roos but what they won't tell you is that you get Fiber Optic DSL and use of the Gym/Pool etc. which included in the HOA fees. Unless you plan on never working out and never using the internet you would have to spend money on these so the HOA dues in my opinion are a Non issue.

Overall we really like Lincoln and prefer it to Roseville and Rocklin which are much more congested and crime is a bigger issue.

I love the friendly people and nice parks and bike/running trails that are all over the town. Not to mention the quaint downtown area and all of the new growth with new businesses.

Don't let these people fool you.....

Lincoln is a great town and an excellent bargain right now if you are buying a home. You owe it to yourself check it out.


Note- Rocklin is very nice too and doesn't have much crime but I can say that I feel much safer in Lincoln then I ever would in Roseville, Auburn, Citrus Heights...

Rocklin is the exception. It would have been our second choice if it weren't for the higher home prices.

[kingsfan4ever]

I agree that Lincoln offers some VERY good real estate deals right now. For many reasons. HOWEVER... if you have a son/daughter attending high school, I highly recommend that you visit Lincoln High School before you purchase a home in Lincoln. The "promised" new high school is not being built. Existing Lincoln High just doesn't have the room for all of the students it needs to house. Better yet, talk with Lincoln High students or their parents and see what they have to say.

[TP98]

Amplified, thanks for your post! I wanted to add that with all that is being built right around the Lincoln Crossing area, our trips to Roseville have gone way down in the last year. Almost every shopping need can be walked to or at least bike-riden to if you choose. They are planning a state of the art movie theatre complex as well that will really add to the entertainment choices in this area.
We moved here from the Southeast US four years ago, and are glad we chose Lincoln over Elk Grove and Folsom. Its a great place to live!

[dogmom]

We are empty nesters hoping to come back 'home' to Placer County..We like Lincoln, our son has lived there the last year and every trip we make back we are always surprised at the new stores that have opened. I don't see a reason to be driving to Roseville or Rocklin, Lincoln has most of what we shop for unless we need the Mall..

They are struggling with their schools right now, but it will turn around at some point. We don't have school age kids anymore, ours are both grown, but it does help property values to have good schools. Price is an issue for us as we are retired and keeping costs down.

We are going to be looking at Twelve Bridges area, Lincoln Crossing and Foskett Ranch and have done a lot of driving around...all good areas and seem very family oriented and friendly..