Chardonnay Hills, Paseo del Sol, Vintage Hills- Temecula? (Murrieta, Morgan Hill: HOA fees, house)

[Kmd413]

My husband and I are looking for a home in Temecula and are overwhelmed by all the choices!

We're pretty sure we want to be in central Temecula because of ease of access to shops, the freeway, etc. We're looking for a community that is central, has a good yard, mature landscaping, and paths, playgrounds, etc. There are many beautiful communities, but some all have the same "look," rows of brown stucco color homes with little greenery. There's nothing wrong with that, but we'd prefer a neighborhood where there is at least a little diversity in the "look". We're also looking for neighbors who have pride in ownership, take care of their property, etc.
Does anyone have suggestions. So far we really like:

Chardonnay Hills
Vintage Hills (although homes seem to be plain, generic colors)
Paseo del Sol (although homes seem pretty close together).

We want a great elementary school and a really nice community feel. Is there any reason you would or wouldn't live in one of these communities?

Thanks in advance for your help.

[EllleElle]

Something you may want to consider in helping you pick a location is which way you're going to commute. If you're heading south I would recommend living as far south as possible, and conversely if you're going to commute north I would possibly scrap Temecula and live in west Murrieta off of the 15 to be as far north as possible. The commute through town is a headache, and you can save significant time by your choice of location.
As far as the neighborhoods that you mentioned, they are all nice. There really are no "bad" neighborhoods in Temecula. I love the entrance to Chardonnay Hills. It's really pretty. I love the open space and greenbelts throughout Paseo Del Sol. I live on the south side, but if I was considering moving I would definitely consider Paseo. All of the neighborhoods that you mentioned are a little older so they have large trees, and give the neighborhoods a really pretty look. Something to look out for is mello roos and HOA fees. A lot of developments here have these, and they can add a substantial cost. I personally feel they are worth it, but some people want to avoid them like the plague.
Regarding schools, again their are no real "bad" schools here. I'd maybe avoid the couple of elementary schools that ranked a little lower, but other than that I think they're all between an 8 and 9 out of 10. Great schools is a good resource for test scores if you haven't all ready checked that out. It sounds like you probably have young kids, but my advice regarding schools is to look to what middle and high school you'll be slated for. Your kids will be there sooner than you think! It can be very difficult to get a transfer for some of higher scoring/ in demand schools here, so you want to make sure you like the schools you're zoned for. Again, I really do think all of our schools are pretty great, but there are some differences in ratings if that's important to you.
I've lived here for 10 years now (3 in Murrieta, and the last 7 in Temecula) and we love it.

[Danalysd]

^^^^^ What EllleElle said. Schools are great but from what I have heard if you were to rank them Great Oak would be the highest. Driving around town is a task. My daughter goes to a preschool up in Harveston Lake and we live down near Great Oak High(furthest south) and it takes 20-25 minutes to get there on a regular day and its 9 miles in total. Other than traffic, its a great place to live with kids and families. Been here since 2009.

[stefanwest]

There are a ton of options out here and that can be challenging. The first thing you should look at it what feels best for you BOTH environmentally and financially. As far as schools and traffic go, there isn't a ton of difference as you will likely use Rancho Calif exit over S79 anyway. The traffic off of S79 is getting silly.

School wise - it is really hard to get bad schools here, thus all the traffic . Abby Reinke remains a top elementary school in Paseo but others are super solid as well.

Socially, Paseo and Vintage are probably better bets for future school friendships than Chardonnay hills. It is a little bit more secluded but this is not a huge difference as we are literally talking a couple of extra minutes. But it is also across Rancho Calif so could impact future kid's friends riding safe pathways to and from your house and theirs. Paseo is probably the best fit there.

Financially, Chardonnay and Vintage Hills have cheaper tax rates or less special assessments, making them a bit more affordable depending on list price.

These are all really good tracts and tough choices. But that means you could be open to all. I personally love them all but really like the combination of social components of Paseo Del Sol. But Chardonnay is elegant and close to wine country. LOl. I hope I helped a bit. My suggestion is go see the homes and what appeals from the inside of the home. You will have to live there and the styles are definitely different.

Also, go and see when kids are out and see how that feels or what an average weekend feels like (not a holiday weekend). These neighborhoods are all very alike but they certainly FEEL different. I have shown lots of homes in each of them and guess what, buyers always ended gravitating to the intangibles that seem to fit with who they are.

Sorry for the metaphysics but I have seen to sooooo many times . Please let me know if you need more info. Also you might read up on tax assessments regarding Temecula property taxes.

Stefan

[Kmd413]

Thanks for the responses. While we love central Temecula, the Great Oak high school component is certainly a factor. I've heard lots of people move to Southern Temecula once their kids hit high school, although we'd really have to decide if that would be best for our children.

Does anyone have suggestions for Southern Temecula that track to GOHS and also have mature la escaping, strong community feel, etc?

[stefanwest]

There are quite of bit of homes that go to the Great Oaks High School. Homes that would have mature landscaping would be some of the older Red Hawk homes. There are also new communities like Wolf Creek, Morgan Hill, etc.

I would need to get a better idea of what you are ideally looking for and then likely give better examples . In Red Hawk there are many difference communities that have HOA, no HOA, high and low taxes, etc. Also Pechanga would also be a factor as some homes are very close to the casino in adjacent communities but have mature landscaping and low taxes.

If you are buying, the price point will be a big factor to know as far as what you can get that is comfortable for you when it includes HOA and property taxes.

[theoaks]

New interchanges between Temecula and I-15 are starting soon. There are some you tube videos with the economic development director and city manager discussing this. Links, later.

[Tool Shed]

Lived here since 90. All three of the neighborhoods you mentioned are great choices. Great oak high school is nice but the others are as well. Central Temecula is more convenient.