Moving to San Diego to work at NMCSD, where to live? (La Mesa: real estate, 2013)

[Valtisiyo]

Hi, everyone. I'll be moving to San Diego in a couple of months to begin work at the Naval Medical Center near Balboa Park. I've only ever visited San Diego on weekend vacations, and then only once or twice, so I don't know anything about neighborhoods and I could use some suggestions for good places to rent.

My budget is max $2k/month and I'm single with no kids. I've got about $10k in reserve for moving costs. I am looking for a commute that's 30 mins or less with traffic, but I'll suffer through something longer if I must. I also prefer a quiet, suburban neighborhood where I might be able to rent a townhome/house with a yard because I plan to adopt a dog. Proximity to predominantly Asian neighborhoods/restaurants/supermarkets would also be a bonus since I'm Chinese, but not required. I've been poking around and it seems like La Mesa/Allied Gardens/San Carlos might be good options. What do you think?

Also, I have been living in Miami for the past two years where a real estate agent is basically required in order to locate rental properties and sign leases. I've heard this is different for San Diego, and I'd do better just browsing Craigslist and Zillow and the like. Is that true?

Any and all help welcome. Thank you!

[RosieSD]

Originally Posted by Valtisiyo

Hi, everyone. I'll be moving to San Diego in a couple of months to begin work at the Naval Medical Center near Balboa Park. I've only ever visited San Diego on weekend vacations, and then only once or twice, so I don't know anything about neighborhoods and I could use some suggestions for good places to rent.

My budget is max $2k/month and I'm single with no kids. I've got about $10k in reserve for moving costs. I am looking for a commute that's 30 mins or less with traffic, but I'll suffer through something longer if I must. I also prefer a quiet, suburban neighborhood where I might be able to rent a townhome/house with a yard because I plan to adopt a dog. Proximity to predominantly Asian neighborhoods/restaurants/supermarkets would also be a bonus since I'm Chinese, but not required. I've been poking around and it seems like La Mesa/Allied Gardens/San Carlos might be good options. What do you think?

Also, I have been living in Miami for the past two years where a real estate agent is basically required in order to locate rental properties and sign leases. I've heard this is different for San Diego, and I'd do better just browsing Craigslist and Zillow and the like. Is that true?

Any and all help welcome. Thank you!

Congratuliatons on your new job, and welcome to San Diego!

Yes, La Mesa/Allied Gardens/San Carlos would work. If you pick La Mesa, try to get a place near the "village of La Mesa" (Look for La Mesa Blvd. on a map). There are a lot of changes going on in the village, and it is becoming a great walkable neighborhood with new restaurants, cafes, etc. But the area around Lake Murray is also nice.

You don't need a real estate agent here in San Diego. You DO need to be ready to act fast on dog friendly SFHs for under $2000 -- there aren't that many available here. So, as you suspect, you may have to look beyond those areas to find a place.

In terms of asian markets, there are a few smaller markets in the mid-city area (mid-city area is still pretty suburban by most standards), so you may want to look in neighborhoods like Normal Heights, North Park, Talmadge, Rolando, Mission Valley, and the College area (area around SDSU).

But the larger asian markets are clustered around Clairemont Mesa. So, I'd add Clairemont Mesa, University City (UTC), Kearny Mesa and Tierrasanta to your list as well. Those areas wouldn't be bad for commuting to Balboa NH.

If you aren't having any luck finding places, add Point Loma, Rancho San Diego (La Mesa's neighbor to the east), and Santee to your list. Point Loma has a lot of townhomes for rent; Rancho San Diego has SFHs in your price range for rent sometimes. Santee does too, but would be a longer commute to work. Mira Mesa might also be worth a look, but, again, a longer commute.

Use Craigslist, Zillow.com, possibly Apartment.com to narrow down options then call right away when you see an ad. Zillow.com and Apartment.com will let you search with the criteria of "pet friendly." Don't rent anything without seeing the actual property first. You can check local area crime stats for any address on crimemapping.com.

Good luck with your move!

[1AngryTaxPayer]

You need to check out Clairemont to Mira Mesa. I work with a bunch of guys/gals from China(visa workers) that live in that range and they love it. The hardest part will be finding you a house for your price range unless you are ok with roomies. Convoy street is going to be your go to place for the best grocery stores and eats. Don't tell nobody cause that's where I shop.

[Valtisiyo]

Thank you very much for the help! I will check these neighborhoods out.

[sprez33]

This might help.

EAT – Convoy District

Convoy District's Vision To Become San Diego's Next Great Neighborhood | KPBS

In addition to a lot of restaurants, there are several large supermarkets focused on Chinese, Korean, Japanese and possibly other ethnic cuisines. Don't necessarily need to live there but you'll find no shortage of markets and restaurants.

[broncosilly]

These are all very good recommendations. I know San Diego as well as anyone. Been here since 1950.
In 1970 I was stationed at Balboa Naval Hospital. Get on Google maps and view from the position of the hospital and go up North on Park Blvd. That entire area may do nicely, and, it is very close to work. Of course unless you live in big buck area there will always be an element of losers so as the others mentioned, do a visual and look at the surroundings. The area around University and Park then go west on University. Trader Joes and small cafes. I like it up there.
The Hillcrest area is a peach