My Experience after "Leap of Faith" move to SD (Long Post) (San Diego: real estate, rent)

[sdurbanite]

Thanks for sharing your moving experience with others I think it will help others who are also thinking about moving here in the near future.

One thing that confused me in your original post is how you mentioned how overrated living near the beach is, yet you recently purchased a condo in PB? I'm guessing when push came to shove, the beach area isn't a bad place to live.

Sounds like you got a good price on it, too. Check out latest Dataquick chart for home/condo sales in Southern California, and you can see it varies greatly by area. You'll notice that the tides have changed once again, and that average home prices in SD are again higher than LA.

DQNews - Los Angeles Times Zip Code Chart

[sdurbanite]

Originally Posted by ajnsd

No offense to anyone, but as long as you stay away from National City, and some San Diego neighborhoods along the 805/94/5 corridor, most neighborhoods are very safe. I'm not picking on the southern neighborhoods since there are really nice areas in Chula Vista & Eastlake as well. SD residents who move from one part of town to another are generally more concerned about commuting times and housing costs than they are about crime.

Ok, I'm not offended, but you need to know that some of San Diego's most charming and desirable neighborhoods sit along the 805/94/5/15 corridors.

[djxpress]

Originally Posted by ajnsd

For example, I recently closed on a 2 bedroom, 1275 SF condo in Pacific Beach for $232K. I could have gotten an even better deal or bigger place if I opted for a non--beach community...

One disappointing discovery I made was how overrated living at the beach can be. It's great to live close to the beach as I do know, but I have no desire to ever be next to the water.

I guess "reasonably priced" is a relative term, as in many other parts of the country you could buy a 2,000 SF house for the same price.

You did nail it right on the head about living at the beach. Seems like most people who are transplants have this primal urge to live within a mile of the beach. While there can be many nice things about living at the beach, the way I see it everyone who lives in San Diego is within 30 minutes of a beach, so we all technically live by the beach. Some of us just have the option of leaving and going back home when we're thru, plus we don't have to pay the 1.5x markup just to smell the salty air.

[sdurbanite]

Originally Posted by djxpress

I guess "reasonably priced" is a relative term, as in many other parts of the country you could buy a 2,000 SF house for the same price.

Exactly. Have you seen what $232,000 can get in you in Phoenix, Houston or Las Vegas?

[beachbabie]

Thanks so much for the great info! My husband & I have been contemplating a move to San Diego for 2 years now, but just haven't gotten the courage to go for it. I've applied for jobs, but either receive no reponse or a response indicating they are only looking for candidates already living in San Diego. Any advice on how to secure a job before moving there or is it just impossible? I think it's too big of a risk to move there without a job right now considering everyone's comments about how bad the economy is and how difficult it is to secure a job there. We live in the Midwest currently so the cost of living is considerably lower, but so are salaries. I am hoping that the cost of living in San Diego would coordinate with the salaries there and not be too much of a shock to us. We are also getting to the point where we will probably start a family soon and we have a nice house here that would be hard to give up for a 2 bedroom apartment in San Diego. There are just so many things to think about that it gets overwhelming, but I can't help but dream about moving to San Diego every day!

[ajnsd]

Originally Posted by sdurbanite

Exactly. Have you seen what $232,000 can get in you in Phoenix, Houston or Las Vegas?

Ya, I agree both of you guys are right. "Reasonable" is a relative term. I suppose that after having lived in Mission Beach, anywhere else seems "far." My place in PB is closer to Kate Sessions than it is to the beach, which is why I made that statement.

The price I paid for my place was really good but if I applied that money towards a place back home (Vegas), I could buy a McMansion in Summerlin.

But then I'd have to live in Vegas.

[MovingAloha]

Originally Posted by ajnsd

Ya, I agree both of you guys are right. "Reasonable" is a relative term. I suppose that after having lived in Mission Beach, anywhere else seems "far." My place in PB is closer to Kate Sessions than it is to the beach, which is why I made that statement.

The price I paid for my place was really good but if I applied that money towards a place back home (Vegas), I could buy a McMansion in Summerlin.

But then I'd have to live in Vegas.

My thoughts exactly. We had considered, really considered the Raleigh/Durham area because of the cost of housing, the schools, etc., etc., but it just came down to the fact that we would, at the end of the day, be in North Carolina. Beautiful State, but not what we're looking for and totally not comparable to San Diego.

[magsterly]

Originally Posted by ajnsd

Duncan, with regards to your question about inland neighborhoods, I'd suggest Rancho Bernardo & Rancho Penasquitos. Both RB & PQ are great neighborhoods for families, have plenty of trails for riding, running, or hiking. Both are part of the Poway School District which is an award winning school district.

--AJ

What if you don't have kids and don't want to pay for award winning school district neighborhood prices, like my husband and I? We are hoping for a rental with small backyard for veggies for $1500 range.

[Just1Lion]

Originally Posted by beachbabie

We are also getting to the point where we will probably start a family soon and we have a nice house here that would be hard to give up for a 2 bedroom apartment in San Diego. There are just so many things to think about that it gets overwhelming, but I can't help but dream about moving to San Diego every day!

i am in a similar spot- ive been dreaming of moving to SD for nearly 5 years. visit every year and it only makes it worse. im married with a house now. and i got a killer deal on my house- and it would be stupid to sell it now but i still want to bail and go to SD. i also have a decent job, even though i hate it. it probably isnt smart to leave it at this time. my thoughts are clouded though with daily daydreams of a happier life out west.

[MovingAloha]

Originally Posted by Just1Lion

i am in a similar spot- ive been dreaming of moving to SD for nearly 5 years. visit every year and it only makes it worse. im married with a house now. and i got a killer deal on my house- and it would be stupid to sell it now but i still want to bail and go to SD. i also have a decent job, even though i hate it. it probably isnt smart to leave it at this time. my thoughts are clouded though with daily daydreams of a happier life out west.

We had an acquaintenance, not a close friend, but someone we saw now and then at parties. He worked as an executive with a major Hotel Chain. I remember him talking about moving to Costa Rica and managing one of the hotel down there, but he just couldn't pull the trigger, even when a possibility open up for him, due to his fear about uprooting his home life there in Virginia, his kids were in college out of state. Well while driving to work one morning a semi lost control on the flyover lane above him and tumbled its load of lumber on him killing him instantly. I always thought about what if he had taken that sweet job in Costa Rica - Life is Random! Sometimes you just have to take that leap of faith - alas you know your own situation best.