Why does San Deigo have cheaper houses? (San Diego, Chula Vista: for sale, real estate)

[LunatiqueRob]

I've been looking at houses via Zillow all over Cali, trying to find a city with nice weather, not out there in the middle of nowhere, with decent air quality, and affordable houses. It was nearly impossible, since the places that do have plenty of houses we could afford (under $250K), are out there in the desert (lots of brown and not much green) and very hot.

When we looked at San Diego houses on Zillow, we were surprised that there were actually quite a bit of houses in our price range. I've lived briefly in San Diego for about a month ten years ago, and it's a nice city, so I'm perplexed as to why there are many affordable houses? What's the catch? Some of the houses seem decent too, and don't seem to be in bad neighborhoods.

[shmoov_groovzsd]

San Diego is generally very safe in most neighborhoods and cities. There are just more desirable parts of San Diego that most people would rather gravitate towards (eg best schools, family areas, beaches etc).
The places that dont meet that criteria are generally passed up on or disregarded for obvious reasons.

To a local that may have grown up here their whole lives, San Diego has changed dramatically or in older areas have gentrified.But this pretty much no different than anywhere other city in the world that has seen an influx in population makeup.
For example where I live (9 miles east of downtown core) it used to be farms and lemon orchards which in the 1950s and 1960s saw post WWII growth with tract homes. People that have been here long enough know that this city used to be quite nice but has seen hard times over the years from the economy upswings and downswings.
But again this pretty much no different than anywhere other city in the world that has seen an influx in population makeup or development shifts. Regardless, San Diego keeps growing and life goes on.

What areas did you see that <250k homes? Areas like Encanto (south of Imperial Ave) will get you homes for that price (there are tons), Palm Ave area, San Ysidro, Otay Mesa, some parts of Chula Vista and National City in South San Diego. I dont know much about north San Diego, but have heard some parts of Oceanside and Vista have some homes in that price range.

For the negatives of that price range: Some of these areas are known for being active with gangs, higher unemployment rates, iffy schools and the "too close to the border" mentality to warrant buying a home there.
The positives: more affordable homes, close to beaches, older neighborhoods with more established roots or newer homes that are distressed

Since the housing meltdown the dichotomy in San Diego seems far more apparent between the haves and have nots. It seems better than a year ago and for some areas in San Diego that are more insulated from those changes, probably doesnt seem that apparent.

[LunatiqueRob]

Originally Posted by shmoov_groovzsd

What areas did you see that <250k homes? Areas like Encanto (south of Imperial Ave) will get you homes for that price (there are tons), Palm Ave area, San Ysidro, Otay Mesa, some parts of Chula Vista and National City in South San Diego. I dont know much about north San Diego, but have heard some parts of Oceanside and Vista have some homes in that price range.

This is the search filter I used for the $250K- homes:
San Diego CA Homes for Sale & San Diego Real Estate - Zillow

[shmoov_groovzsd]

Originally Posted by LunatiqueRob

This is the search filter I used for the $250K- homes:
San Diego CA Homes for Sale & San Diego Real Estate - Zillow

Thats all well and good.....by price alone to search that way. Keep in mind that zillow or many other websites dont exactly tell you when a house in 'short sale' status. You would need to use redfin for that and look at the details a little closer. More times than not in some areas, listing prices are strategically put up to 'tease' rather than list to market rates to generate interest.

Also, if the photos are done with a camera phone and there are no photos of the inside of the house, that can also be a dead giveaway that its in distress of some kind.

When you get more details about the areas you are seeing homes that seem safe, its a lot different to locals than it is on a map or 'on paper'.

I mean I could do the same you are for Hawaii and see homes <300k. But for someone like myself that has never been to the big island on the Kona coast (MovingAloha, any reasons ), I am sure there are some good reasons as to why you can buy a house in Hawaii for those prices.

List some zip codes you see houses you may like and the forums here have some good people that can give you a beat on whether its decent or not...from a locals perspective.

[MovingAloha]

Originally Posted by shmoov_groovzsd

Thats all well and good.....by price alone to search that way. Keep in mind that zillow or many other websites dont exactly tell you when a house in 'short sale' status. You would need to use redfin for that and look at the details a little closer. More times than not in some areas, listing prices are strategically put up to 'tease' rather than list to market rates to generate interest.

Also, if the photos are done with a camera phone and there are no photos of the inside of the house, that can also be a dead giveaway that its in distress of some kind.

When you get more details about the areas you are seeing homes that seem safe, its a lot different to locals than it is on a map or 'on paper'.

I mean I could do the same you are for Hawaii and see homes <300k. But for someone like myself that has never been to the big island on the Kona coast (MovingAloha, any reasons ), I am sure there are some good reasons as to why you can buy a house in Hawaii for those prices.

List some zip codes you see houses you may like and the forums here have some good people that can give you a beat on whether its decent or not...from a locals perspective.

LOL!! That is so true. I would love to be able to buy something in SD for under $300K but my Grandson would have to go to private school or I'd be in a location that was not conducive to my personal wishes.

As for Hawaii, you may find something <300k, but it usually means a neighborhood with sub-standard schools, a 500 sq ft Condo or a home where you will be a tenant in a Termite-owned dwelling.

[LunatiqueRob]

We don't have children so we are not concerned about school districts. We are mostly concerned about safety, and then a visually pleasing neighborhood. The rest isn't as important.

[caligirl2009]

Originally Posted by LunatiqueRob

When we looked at San Diego houses on Zillow, we were surprised that there were actually quite a bit of houses in our price range. I've lived briefly in San Diego for about a month ten years ago, and it's a nice city, so I'm perplexed as to why there are many affordable houses? What's the catch? Some of the houses seem decent too, and don't seem to be in bad neighborhoods.

The catch is the job market in San Diego is pretty soft compared to other major cities in CA. In addition, salaries are low compard to the cost of living due to the "sunshine tax."

[hitman619]

please give us some zip codes and we then can chime in!
Also are you going to be financing or is this a cash purchase?
If cash your money will go a long way.
If trying to finance "Good Luck"

[AsakSD]

You can find homes in that price range in El Cajon, Santee and Spring Valley areas. These areas are, for the most part, OK. El Cajon is actually a pretty large place, but what I'm referring to is El Cajon valley (once you get up onto the hills or into Rancho San Diego the prices are going to go up).

These are not the most desirable places in the metro area, but they are decent enough. They are not poor areas like City Heights, Logan Heights or even I'd say North Park (less so than the others). There are some bad parts-- and by bad I mean more apartments and maybe a little more crime, but not generally a war zone-- but there are also some pretty nice neighborhoods there.

In El Cajon in particular, off the main streets you can find little residential enclaves with very little traffic passing through them.

As long as your standards are not too high, I think you should be able to find something in the 200-250 price range that's also in a decent area, without too much difficulty. That being said, a lot of these sales are short sales, so the problem is you're going to have to wait as much as 6 months for the sale to finally close. Most of the time short sales aren't teaser rates so much, it's just the time to buy the property is so extended because the bank is so slow.

The other option is to buy a "flipper", which has generally been bought either in foreclosure or short sale and fixed up. You won't get as good a deal on these, but the advantage is they've already been fixed and tend to be in pretty good condition.

Here's an example of one of those: 493 Graves Ave, El Cajon, CA 92020 | MLS# 120013063

The guy bought it for $158K, probably in abysmal condition and has fixed it up and put it back on the market. Although, I think it's probably a bit overpriced at the current list price. It's on a fairly busy street, for one thing.

If you look at the grid of streets in El Cajon you can see a lot of areas where the streets do not pass through. There is much less traffic in those areas and they can be pretty nice blocks.

[AsakSD]

Another thing you can do is check the neighborhoods out using Google Maps street view. This only gives you a snapshot in time so it should just be a preliminary thing, but it can help you rule out places where many of the houses are run down (those areas generally will be in a lower price range than $200-250K though).

Do be careful of judging based on Google maps. I've noticed that the lighting can have a very profound impact on how a neighborhood looks. If the image happened to be taken on a gloomy day, it can really reduce your perceptions of that neighborhood compared to if it was taken on a sunny day. So, be aware of that when using Google street view to scope out an area.