Please register to participate in our discussions with 1.5 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Returned 2/5 from spending six days in San Diego (and 3 days in LA prior). This was the first time I'd been back to SD in my adult life and the first time the girl had ever been. We've been to LA slews of times but wanted to get a better handle on certain areas there, and came away liking LA as much as we always have, no big surprise there.
What was unexpected was how much we ended up enjoying SD. We knew we'd like it but it was pretty apparent within a couple days that this is where we need to be. I think we were developing a pretty good idea that was the case even as we tooled down 101 into town for the first time that Monday . The whole area is just drop dead gorgeous. Photos don't do any of it justice.
We spent the first three nights at the Pacific Terrace Hotel, and poking around La Jolla, PB, Point Loma and Mission Hills/Old Town, doing all the touristy stuff like the cove and Old Town. Where, incidentally, I found maybe the best cigar shop I've ever seen. Ate sushi one night at Ota (freshest uni I've ever had), Indigo Grill one night, met friends for dinner another night at C Level. Breakfast at Kono's a couple times (cheap, maybe overrated, great view though). Poked around neighborhoods trying to get a handle on the place. Watched the sunset and walked Sunset Cliffs. Went down to La Jolla Shores. One afternoon, hiked Torrey Pines (we'll run it next time...can't wait). Drove up Mt. Helix and while the view was awesome, immediately ruled it out of consideration for relocation.
Spent the last 2 nights downtown at the Omni so we didn't have to drive as much. Checked out all the neighborhoods surrounding the park that were suggested, as well as Park West. Went out to Point Loma again, ate at Point Loma Seafoods for lunch (just awesome), checked out Cabrillo and the tidal pools. Ate at Blue Point one night (sense a theme here?). Watched the sun set at the Hotel del Coronado. The last full day was spent tooling around North County, in and out of neighborhoods and stopping along the way. Hit every single beach town, drove around in Olivenhain and Rancho Sante Fe to get a feel for that area. Stopped for lunch at Swami's (great place) and hung out for a while at Moonlight.
We. liked. everything. about San Diego. Well, almost everything. Gaslamp was meh after being there for a couple nights but it's an area we might get to every so often. Did enjoy a wine and cigar bar whose name escapes me - big, mustachioed bald dude named Sam runs the place. Randomly chose a place called TOAST off of yelp for dinner one night, which we really enjoyed. Simple menu but good food and a nifty automated wine tasting bar with about twenty bottles. So it was good we didn't have to drive.
The only disappointment with regard to neighborhoods was the whole swath of Golden Hill - South Park - North Park - Hillcrest. Much grittier and more urban than I was expecting. Denser and more block by block than I was imagining I guess. I can see why people like those areas but they aren't for us.
Mission Hills was a pleasant surprise, as were Point Loma and Bird Rock. We're looking pretty hard at those areas along with La Jolla, Clairemont and north PB right now. We're starting to wake up about the need to rent out there prior to buying so we're about 75% set on doing that, at least for the short term. When it eventually comes to buying, we might look a little harder at some areas we loved like Cardiff/Encinitas/Olivenhain, Del Mar/Heights, possibly Carlsbad but I think it's just too far from SAN in traffic. Bird Rock is probably the favorite of both of us right now by a decent margin, but who knows how soon that will change.
So things will move relatively quickly for us now, as we're decided on SD and on renting initially, and in which general areas. We're planning a return visit within a few weeks to do some more fact finding and at least one more prior to nailing down a rental. Had the realtor out yesterday, she's doing a market and we'll probably take a couple months to get the house in order prior to putting it up, and the market won't pick up here for a couple months anyway. We're hoping to be in SD before the snow falls here next winter and that's probably a conservative time frame if the house sells quickly (which it could).
We seem to be finding a lot of nice 3-4 bedroom homes for rent in most any area for about $2500-3500. Is that about what to expect in some of the areas we're looking at?
Thanks a lot of all the help so far. We just found SD to be relaxed, friendly, easy to get around, just beautiful views at every turn. Can't wait to be able to be outdoors all year round. Is 35 too old to learn how to surf?
Which reminds me, I don't know anything about renting in California.
We want to rent a 3-4br single family home with a decent yard in a relatively quiet area where a person could run a few miles from out their front door. Should we reconsider any of the areas we are looking at? One month's rent as damage deposit typical? Apart from that, we've got an overweight, arthritic cat which I assume will probably demand an additional damage deposit.
Are short term rentals uncommon for the type of housing we want? Would hate to find the right time to buy a home and be glued to a year lease.
Returned 2/5 from spending six days in San Diego (and 3 days in LA prior). This was the first time I'd been back to SD in my adult life and the first time the girl had ever been. We've been to LA slews of times but wanted to get a better handle on certain areas there, and came away liking LA as much as we always have, no big surprise there.
What was unexpected was how much we ended up enjoying SD. We knew we'd like it but it was pretty apparent within a couple days that this is where we need to be. I think we were developing a pretty good idea that was the case even as we tooled down 101 into town for the first time that Monday . The whole area is just drop dead gorgeous. Photos don't do any of it justice.
We spent the first three nights at the Pacific Terrace Hotel, and poking around La Jolla, PB, Point Loma and Mission Hills/Old Town, doing all the touristy stuff like the cove and Old Town. Where, incidentally, I found maybe the best cigar shop I've ever seen. Ate sushi one night at Ota (freshest uni I've ever had), Indigo Grill one night, met friends for dinner another night at C Level. Breakfast at Kono's a couple times (cheap, maybe overrated, great view though). Poked around neighborhoods trying to get a handle on the place. Watched the sunset and walked Sunset Cliffs. Went down to La Jolla Shores. One afternoon, hiked Torrey Pines (we'll run it next time...can't wait). Drove up Mt. Helix and while the view was awesome, immediately ruled it out of consideration for relocation.
Spent the last 2 nights downtown at the Omni so we didn't have to drive as much. Checked out all the neighborhoods surrounding the park that were suggested, as well as Park West. Went out to Point Loma again, ate at Point Loma Seafoods for lunch (just awesome), checked out Cabrillo and the tidal pools. Ate at Blue Point one night (sense a theme here?). Watched the sun set at the Hotel del Coronado. The last full day was spent tooling around North County, in and out of neighborhoods and stopping along the way. Hit every single beach town, drove around in Olivenhain and Rancho Sante Fe to get a feel for that area. Stopped for lunch at Swami's (great place) and hung out for a while at Moonlight.
We. liked. everything. about San Diego. Well, almost everything. Gaslamp was meh after being there for a couple nights but it's an area we might get to every so often. Did enjoy a wine and cigar bar whose name escapes me - big, mustachioed bald dude named Sam runs the place. Randomly chose a place called TOAST off of yelp for dinner one night, which we really enjoyed. Simple menu but good food and a nifty automated wine tasting bar with about twenty bottles. So it was good we didn't have to drive.
The only disappointment with regard to neighborhoods was the whole swath of Golden Hill - South Park - North Park - Hillcrest. Much grittier and more urban than I was expecting. Denser and more block by block than I was imagining I guess. I can see why people like those areas but they aren't for us.
Mission Hills was a pleasant surprise, as were Point Loma and Bird Rock. We're looking pretty hard at those areas along with La Jolla, Clairemont and north PB right now. We're starting to wake up about the need to rent out there prior to buying so we're about 75% set on doing that, at least for the short term. When it eventually comes to buying, we might look a little harder at some areas we loved like Cardiff/Encinitas/Olivenhain, Del Mar/Heights, possibly Carlsbad but I think it's just too far from SAN in traffic. Bird Rock is probably the favorite of both of us right now by a decent margin, but who knows how soon that will change.
So things will move relatively quickly for us now, as we're decided on SD and on renting initially, and in which general areas. We're planning a return visit within a few weeks to do some more fact finding and at least one more prior to nailing down a rental. Had the realtor out yesterday, she's doing a market and we'll probably take a couple months to get the house in order prior to putting it up, and the market won't pick up here for a couple months anyway. We're hoping to be in SD before the snow falls here next winter and that's probably a conservative time frame if the house sells quickly (which it could).
We seem to be finding a lot of nice 3-4 bedroom homes for rent in most any area for about $2500-3500. Is that about what to expect in some of the areas we're looking at?
Thanks a lot of all the help so far. We just found SD to be relaxed, friendly, easy to get around, just beautiful views at every turn. Can't wait to be able to be outdoors all year round. Is 35 too old to learn how to surf?
Sounds like you had a blast and really went to all the right places. You did and saw more in a short time than most residents I know do
Hopefully, by spring, there will be far more quality housing inventory than what has been out there recently. Its just been medicore-bad at best with most the "scraps" left over since the Government Freebate came out.
I hope you're right but even now, we found a lot of houses we liked. We were pulling up homes on zillow as we drove around and there was at least one, in Bird Rock, that we probably would have snapped up if the timing were right.
We're in the same boat with our house now, pickings are slim in this neighborhood after last April so hopefully it goes fast.
Which reminds me, I don't know anything about renting in California.
We want to rent a 3-4br single family home with a decent yard in a relatively quiet area where a person could run a few miles from out their front door. Should we reconsider any of the areas we are looking at? One month's rent as damage deposit typical? Apart from that, we've got an overweight, arthritic cat which I assume will probably demand an additional damage deposit.
Are short term rentals uncommon for the type of housing we want? Would hate to find the right time to buy a home and be glued to a year lease.
Hey Dirt,
It sounds like you did your trip right. Glad you had a productive and fun trip!
Regarding short-term rentals, you might want to try sites like VRBO.com and Homeaway.com When we knew we were definitely moving to the area, we decided it would be wise to rent a few months before we bought a house. Although we've been looking online and spent some time looking at houses as well last summer... we thought the best thing would be to rent 4/5 months to get a good feel for all the areas.
Rents jump around depending on the location and amenities of the house and how close it is to the ocean or ocean view it seems. (Big premium) but many owners were willing to discount from their posted prices for a multi-month lease.
We list several rental properties we own with VRBO and had terrific luck with rental clients. We've also rented several properties from it over the years and always had really great luck with it.
Returned 2/5 from spending six days in San Diego (and 3 days in LA prior). This was the first time I'd been back to SD in my adult life and the first time the girl had ever been. We've been to LA slews of times but wanted to get a better handle on certain areas there, and came away liking LA as much as we always have, no big surprise there.
What was unexpected was how much we ended up enjoying SD. We knew we'd like it but it was pretty apparent within a couple days that this is where we need to be. I think we were developing a pretty good idea that was the case even as we tooled down 101 into town for the first time that Monday . The whole area is just drop dead gorgeous. Photos don't do any of it justice.
We spent the first three nights at the Pacific Terrace Hotel, and poking around La Jolla, PB, Point Loma and Mission Hills/Old Town, doing all the touristy stuff like the cove and Old Town. Where, incidentally, I found maybe the best cigar shop I've ever seen. Ate sushi one night at Ota (freshest uni I've ever had), Indigo Grill one night, met friends for dinner another night at C Level. Breakfast at Kono's a couple times (cheap, maybe overrated, great view though). Poked around neighborhoods trying to get a handle on the place. Watched the sunset and walked Sunset Cliffs. Went down to La Jolla Shores. One afternoon, hiked Torrey Pines (we'll run it next time...can't wait). Drove up Mt. Helix and while the view was awesome, immediately ruled it out of consideration for relocation.
Spent the last 2 nights downtown at the Omni so we didn't have to drive as much. Checked out all the neighborhoods surrounding the park that were suggested, as well as Park West. Went out to Point Loma again, ate at Point Loma Seafoods for lunch (just awesome), checked out Cabrillo and the tidal pools. Ate at Blue Point one night (sense a theme here?). Watched the sun set at the Hotel del Coronado. The last full day was spent tooling around North County, in and out of neighborhoods and stopping along the way. Hit every single beach town, drove around in Olivenhain and Rancho Sante Fe to get a feel for that area. Stopped for lunch at Swami's (great place) and hung out for a while at Moonlight.
We. liked. everything. about San Diego. Well, almost everything. Gaslamp was meh after being there for a couple nights but it's an area we might get to every so often. Did enjoy a wine and cigar bar whose name escapes me - big, mustachioed bald dude named Sam runs the place. Randomly chose a place called TOAST off of yelp for dinner one night, which we really enjoyed. Simple menu but good food and a nifty automated wine tasting bar with about twenty bottles. So it was good we didn't have to drive.
The only disappointment with regard to neighborhoods was the whole swath of Golden Hill - South Park - North Park - Hillcrest. Much grittier and more urban than I was expecting. Denser and more block by block than I was imagining I guess. I can see why people like those areas but they aren't for us.
Mission Hills was a pleasant surprise, as were Point Loma and Bird Rock. We're looking pretty hard at those areas along with La Jolla, Clairemont and north PB right now. We're starting to wake up about the need to rent out there prior to buying so we're about 75% set on doing that, at least for the short term. When it eventually comes to buying, we might look a little harder at some areas we loved like Cardiff/Encinitas/Olivenhain, Del Mar/Heights, possibly Carlsbad but I think it's just too far from SAN in traffic. Bird Rock is probably the favorite of both of us right now by a decent margin, but who knows how soon that will change.
So things will move relatively quickly for us now, as we're decided on SD and on renting initially, and in which general areas. We're planning a return visit within a few weeks to do some more fact finding and at least one more prior to nailing down a rental. Had the realtor out yesterday, she's doing a market and we'll probably take a couple months to get the house in order prior to putting it up, and the market won't pick up here for a couple months anyway. We're hoping to be in SD before the snow falls here next winter and that's probably a conservative time frame if the house sells quickly (which it could).
We seem to be finding a lot of nice 3-4 bedroom homes for rent in most any area for about $2500-3500. Is that about what to expect in some of the areas we're looking at?
Thanks a lot of all the help so far. We just found SD to be relaxed, friendly, easy to get around, just beautiful views at every turn. Can't wait to be able to be outdoors all year round. Is 35 too old to learn how to surf?
Great, great trip report! Looks like you really got around to get a feel of the entire region. You are like me in that whenever I visit a new place, I make it a point to explore its every nook and cranny. Did you make it over to Coronado? It's one area that you didn't mention.
But I refuse to accept that you found South Park, North Park, Hillcrest, Park West, etc too gritty and urban! There's definitely grit, but you also have access to some of the best independent restaurants/coffeehouses in the city. If you venture off the main drags, that's where you find it's charms.
You'll be glad to know after living here all these years, I never get tired of the views that you witnessed when driving around. We're sparse in the foliage department, but the open skies and distant vistas more than make up for it. And no, 35 isn't too old to surf. There are plenty of old timers in their 60's who are still surfing today.
Bird Rock is a great area if that's where you decide to settle. Hope everything works out for you both!
Last edited by sdurbanite; 02-16-2011 at 12:39 AM..
Great, great trip report! Looks like you really got around to get a feel of the entire region. You are like me in that whenever I visit a new place, I make it a point to explore its every nook and cranny. Did you make it over to Coronado? It's one area that you didn't mention.
Yeah, we did get to Coronado just long enough to see the sun set at the Hotel del over drinks and apps (and a cigar) but that was about it, didn't do any exploring at all.
Quote:
But I refuse to accept that you found South Park, North Park, Hillcrest, Park West, etc too gritty and urban! There's definitely grit, but you also have access to some of the best independent restaurants/coffeehouses in the city. If you venture off the main drags, that's where you find it's charms.
heh, I respect your opinion...same with a few others here who seem to prefer those areas, and we didn't get to see nearly enough those neighborhoods to have an informed opinion at this point. I really don't think those areas are for us but we're not ruling them out by any means.
You'll be glad to know after living here all these years, I never get tired of the views that you witnessed when driving around. We're sparse in the foliage department, but the open skies and distant vistas more than make up for it. And no, 35 isn't too old to surf. There are plenty of old timers in their 60's who are still surfing today.
Bird Rock is a great area if that's where you decide to settle. Hope everything works out for you both!
Thanks so much for the links, really appreciate that. The lack of tree cover is sort of a double edged sword I guess. Living in the midwest, it's absurdly green about five months of the year and the rest of the year it's completely barren and brown, so it's probably a wash. Not to mention the prospect of year round gardening in SD and the range of plants you can grow. Actually, the foliage is a big part of what we liked about SD. Driving through Del Mar and walking along the beach at Moonlight with the cliffs erupting in bloom in early February = NICE.
Can't wait to head back out and do some more exploring. We got the market research back from the realtor and it looks a little better than we were hoping, and I'm going to start a couple minor remodeling projects this weekend. If things go well the house should be on the market by the first of may.
One question - are any of the areas we are considering particularly bad areas for runners? As much as we loved Olivenhain, it seemed like a dicey area for running, as one example, while Point Loma and Bird Rock/La Jolla and Mission Hills seemed like particularly good areas for avid runners.
Well, then. It has been a while, thought I'd provide an update now that we have one. We are finally getting around to getting the house on the market here in Minnesota as work related crap has finally fallen in line on wifey's end. We had a little couplethree year career sidetrack thanks to the growth of her employer (a startup software company) so first she had a territory, then she didn't (ok here's our opportunity!), then did again ( ). The housing market in our neighborhood is going bananas right now with houses selling over ask during an open house and others that are being razed with new construction in their place. We are deciding whether to take the money and run (likely) but might rent the place out. Anyway...
we are now shooting for late summer/early fall but have significant flexibility so if we had to, we could get out there sooner (or later) as I can see the housing market has tightened up significantly, so timing seems to be an issue.
As a refresher, we are 35 and 37, both telecommute (don't need jobs), plenty of income, plenty of savings, zero debt, no children. However in addition to one cat, we have managed to pick up two dogs along the way, both right at 60lbs. each, one female Belgian Malinois and one female Belgian Tervuren. Both are still basically puppies (14 months Terv and 23 months Mal), are very well trained and extremely well behaved. I point this out because I realize we might have some difficulty finding a suitable rental. If we had to we could rehome the cat fairly easily which is something we are debating anyway as he primarily roams free and would probably get snatched by a 'yote out there. Two dogs might be a little easier. We are fine paying extra pet deposits and/or increased rent, anybody have suggestions as to what might be a "fair" fee per animal? These are not untrained destructive beasts and are constantly supervised (work from home) or crated when we are gone. We are really looking forward to being able to run, bike, hike, swim, train with the dogs every day of the year. They will miss winter but won't miss the summers here.
Will be in town the second weekend in early June and spend four full days trying to nail down specific neighborhoods. We would like to see a house or two in each area (rental or sale) in order to get a better handle on some areas we didn't get to spend much time in last trip. Is a realtor a good idea at this point or is it a waste their time (and ours)?
As far as buying goes, she leans towards it and I'm somewhat opposed to the idea right now as we just don't know the area well enough. If we fall in love with a neighborhood and have trouble finding a rental, buying is an option.
I think we are now down to roughly:
La Costa/Encinitas
University City
Del Cerro/Allied Gardens/San Carlos
maybe Clairemont
the part of La Mesa west of 125 that has sidewalks
Kensington/Normal Heights/Talmadge
Point Loma (specifically Fleetwood, la playa and wooded area)
longer shots:
South Park/North Park/Golden Hill (too "urban". mostly.)
Mission Hills
Del Mar, Solana Beach
If we buy it would probably be an area like Del Cerro, University City or maybe Encinitas. The other areas we like have about one digit too many in the selling price or we aren't sure about yet.
We are both a little bit concerned about noise levels during the day in the neighborhoods around Balboa Park but South Park seems more out of the way and we didn't explore it much last time. Is this a fairly quiet neighborhood? Is the jet noise significant there?
Where in Point Loma can we reasonably avoid aircraft noise or is that possible? University City? Is noise from the military bases at all predictable in those areas or would we have a situation where wife's on a video demo with 40 people and an F18 lands on top of the house?
Reading more about Clairemont, it seems a little bit sketchier in some areas than we realized, is this fairly accurate? We need a neighborhood where the wife can run and feel safe even without the dogs.
Del Cerro is started to look really good. House size, yard size, era (midcentury), and price are all right. It has sidewalks. Mature landscaping. We can run Lake Murray or Mission Trails from the front door. Seems like a reasonably convenient location to downtown, the airport, her Barre class (Hillcrest I think), Fiesta Island (dogs), etc. Plenty close to the beaches. What are the negatives of living there apart from the suburban-ness? Is the weather like La Mesa's with warmer summers and cooler winters?
The Mt. Helix area is absolutely perfect for us except for the lack of sidewalks which is a deal breaker. Can't safely run from the house and the other problem, one of the dogs is a neat freak and won't poop in her own yard. So first thing in the morning she's at the front door ready to doggie walkies.
What else should we look at? Bonita maybe? Thanks in advance and sorry for the rambling post.
Will be staying at the Dolphin Motel on Point Loma, btw. I about fell out of my chair when the guy who answered the phone quoted rates and it gets great reviews on the travel sites. Seems too good to be true?
Dirt...
Since you now have two large dogs, you will probably find it hard to rent a nice place. Buying is probably your only option at this point.
I looked thru your prior posts and I didn't see a pricing range for a purchase. What are your housing budget and size requirements ie. beds, baths, lot size etc?
You like lots of SD neighborhoods. Price and size may help you narrow things down a bit.
Dirt...
Since you now have two large dogs, you will probably find it hard to rent a nice place. Buying is probably your only option at this point.
I looked thru your prior posts and I didn't see a pricing range for a purchase. What are your housing budget and size requirements ie. beds, baths, lot size etc?
You like lots of SD neighborhoods. Price and size may help you narrow things down a bit.
Yeah we still have some more ground to cover. Four full days of hunting neighborhoods in June is going to help tremendously with that.
We have backed down on our original square footage and lot size requirements as we have come to appreciate that the living space extends outdoors basically all year, and that we will be able to run, bike, etc. every day which takes the edge off the dogs. Ultimately, rear yard size is more important than lot size, if that makes sense. I've seen some decent sized backyards in small properties (say 6000 sq ft) where the house is closer to the street, and some with almost no backyard that are 9000 sq ft. Ideally 10k (.22 acre or so) and up is ideal but I understand every property is a little different. Room for a small pool with some leftover grassy areas would be ideal. Enough room for a couple 60lb dogs to chase and wrestle. The dog who plays fetch would probably do so in a phone booth so even a smaller yard should be ok.
We are thinking 3/2 at least, as one is a full time office. 4/2 would be ideal, or 3/2 with a detached mother in law which would work fine. At least one car garage with reasonable parking for 2 or 3 cars. Two car garage is preferable.
Budget could range anywhere from 550-$850k ish, 650-800k seems to be the sweet spot from what we are seeing. Had we remained in Minnesota the range would have been the same, just would have been a little more house and lot for the money. Actually in the case of Mt. Helix would have been almost identical.
We are seeing a lot of stuff ~550-$650k that either needs significant work (kitchen, floors, bathrooms) or where someone has done cheapo remodel job. Now we are probably more open to one of those remodel jobs if the house would be easy to rent out down the road. I see a lot of those in Clairmont and south park, seems like they all have the same bathroom tile, carpet and kitchen cabinets.
Last edited by DirtMagurt; 04-11-2013 at 04:59 PM..
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $53,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 1.5 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
There's definitely grit, but you also have access to some of the best independent restaurants/coffeehouses in the city. If you venture off the main drags, that's where you find it's charms. 
). The housing market in our neighborhood is going bananas right now with houses selling over ask during an open house and others that are being razed with new construction in their place. We are deciding whether to take the money and run (likely) but might rent the place out. Anyway...
So first thing in the morning she's at the front door ready to doggie walkies.
