Is Vista an affordable and "nice" area to live? (San Diego: real estate, oceanfront)

[someguy10]

Originally Posted by LuvSouthOC

It's mind boggling how people from outside of California imagine they found a hidden gem that has every amenity they've ever dreamed of, all at bargain prices. Cheaper prices should alert the buyer to the possibility of less desirable characteristics.

This is a good point that I've mentioned before. The market in SoCal--especially during one of the periods in the upper half of the cycle--is very efficient. It's unlikely someone accidentally underpriced a property by $100K or whatever. If a price is noticeably lower, it typically indicates there are factor(s) that are a major deterrent to the average buyer.

However, for certain buyers, that factor may not be so major and may therefore represent a value opportunity (for that specific buyer). An example that comes easily to mind is proximity to a major road or the coaster train. For someone who used to living downtown in a big city next to a tram/train track or stop, being next to the coaster track may be no big deal.

[1AngryTaxPayer]

I think the area OP is looking for is going to be Mira Mesa. Just my .02 cents.

[patryuji]

Originally Posted by LuvSouthOC

It's mind boggling how people from outside of California imagine they found a hidden gem that has every amenity they've ever dreamed of, all at bargain prices. Cheaper prices should alert the buyer to the possibility of less desirable characteristics.

"a hidden gem that has every amenity they've ever dreamed of" I suppose that is correct, as I like to live a simple life: a roof over my head, a place to park my car, moderate weather, decent library and biking paths comes close to "every amenity" I've "ever dreamed of".

"all at bargain prices" I think you've been in California too long and are anchoring to an unreasonably high price for a house to be an "okay" place to live. In reality, a bargain price would be closer to the $100,000-$150,000 you pay for housing in Ohio, Indiana, Tennessee, Texas, Arizona, etc. I am okay with paying as much as $500K if housing and neighborhood expectations are met. If this cannot be met, then I can go back to my prior stance of striking Southern California off of our list.

I find it quite surprising that just under $500K buys you a house in a slum. Either the poor working class in California are impressively wealthy/well paid, or there is something fundamentally wrong with the market.

[patryuji]

Originally Posted by someguy10

This is a good point that I've mentioned before. The market in SoCal--especially during one of the periods in the upper half of the cycle--is very efficient. It's unlikely someone accidentally underpriced a property by $100K or whatever. If a price is noticeably lower, it typically indicates there are factor(s) that are a major deterrent to the average buyer.

However, for certain buyers, that factor may not be so major and may therefore represent a value opportunity (for that specific buyer). An example that comes easily to mind is proximity to a major road or the coaster train. For someone who used to living downtown in a big city next to a tram/train track or stop, being next to the coaster track may be no big deal.

I'm not sure how underpriced the results I pulled up were, I just found many results at under $500K. I was looking at smaller homes (under 2200 sq ft) with at least 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.

[LuvSouthOC]

Originally Posted by patryuji

"a hidden gem that has every amenity they've ever dreamed of" I suppose that is correct, as I like to live a simple life: a roof over my head, a place to park my car, moderate weather, decent library and biking paths comes close to "every amenity" I've "ever dreamed of".

"all at bargain prices" I think you've been in California too long and are anchoring to an unreasonably high price for a house to be an "okay" place to live. In reality, a bargain price would be closer to the $100,000-$150,000 you pay for housing in Ohio, Indiana, Tennessee, Texas, Arizona, etc. I am okay with paying as much as $500K if housing and neighborhood expectations are met. If this cannot be met, then I can go back to my prior stance of striking Southern California off of our list.

I find it quite surprising that just under $500K buys you a house in a slum. Either the poor working class in California are impressively wealthy/well paid, or there is something fundamentally wrong with the market.

Vista is certainly not a slum. However, it has some areas that are not desirable.

[1AngryTaxPayer]

Originally Posted by patryuji

"a hidden gem that has every amenity they've ever dreamed of" I suppose that is correct, as I like to live a simple life: a roof over my head, a place to park my car, moderate weather, decent library and biking paths comes close to "every amenity" I've "ever dreamed of".

"all at bargain prices" I think you've been in California too long and are anchoring to an unreasonably high price for a house to be an "okay" place to live. In reality, a bargain price would be closer to the $100,000-$150,000 you pay for housing in Ohio, Indiana, Tennessee, Texas, Arizona, etc. I am okay with paying as much as $500K if housing and neighborhood expectations are met. If this cannot be met, then I can go back to my prior stance of striking Southern California off of our list.

I find it quite surprising that just under $500K buys you a house in a slum. Either the poor working class in California are impressively wealthy/well paid, or there is something fundamentally wrong with the market.

The words are rent and multi-family. You think it's bad here try San Fran or New York.

[someguy10]

Originally Posted by patryuji

I'm not sure how underpriced the results I pulled up were, I just found many results at under $500K. I was looking at smaller homes (under 2200 sq ft) with at least 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.

Housing and its perceived value is a subjective thing. There are a number of areas in Vista where I would not buy and some where I would not even rent. The Shadowridge area others have mentioned is a good area in Vista where I would buy or rent. You can get a 3/2 in there for under $500K, although it's probably going to be more in the 1600 sq ft range and be somewhat dated. That said, I would say those parts of Shadowridge are two full notches down in terms of neighborhood level from what half that amount would get you in my state of tax residence -- a larger, midwestern city in a prime neighborhood with schools in the top 100 countrywide. As I said, it's all about tradeoffs and priorities which determine individual value.

[daferraro14]

Originally Posted by LuvSouthOC

Vista is certainly not a slum. However, it has some areas that are not desirable.

I have a sister who lives there who got her car stolen!

[RosieSD]

Originally Posted by patryuji

Either the poor working class in California are impressively wealthy/well paid, or there is something fundamentally wrong with the market.

You might want to spend some time reading this thread all the way through: GET REAL About San Diego Rental and Real Estate Prices

Someguy is spot on in his observation that the housing market here is all about compromises, at least for those of us who don't have unlimited budgets. Tract homes on tiny "pocket lots" sell for $900K and up in some areas here, and people are happy to buy them.

The median single family home price in San Diego is somewhere around $540,000 or so (it changes month to month.) So that means that at least half of single family homes are selling for more, and half for less.

In general, what you will find with homes in the $500K and under range is that they will fall into one or more of these categories, that some people may find undesirable:

(1) they are in areas with a lot of racial diversity (here in San Diego, that means expect to hear your neighbors speaking Spanish). Diversity can also mean more working class neighborhoods. OR
(2) they are in areas outside of the "best" school districts (that doesn't mean that the schools are necessarily horrible) OR
(3) they are in areas where the weather is warmer for some months out of the year (but most of San Diego County is NOT Phoenix, so "hot" is relative to SD) OR
(4) they are in areas where there is more crime including gang related crime, or at least the perception of more gangs and crime (you can check crime stats for addresses at crimemapping.com) OR
(5) the home is in need of major upgrades and repairs (some people don't need granite though) OR
(6) the location is not convenient for commuting to the areas where most jobs are located OR
(7) the location is more rural (or semi rural) and farther from shopping, etc.

I think the comments about Vista people have made here are not because all of Vista is a horrible place, but just that people here are aware of the compromises that certain parts of Vista might involve. (In case you're wondering, my hunch is that the perceived compromises with certain parts of Vista would be 1, 2, 3, 4 and since most homes in Vista are older, perhaps 5 as well.)

With all that said, there are indeed single family homes that sell for $500k and less in San Diego County, and one person's compromise is another's happy home purchase.

As others have mentioned, if your goal is to buy a home in that price range in the San Diego area, you might want to consider some other areas of San Diego County in addition to Vista, just to broaden your options. In the North County, other areas to consider might include San Marcos, Oceanside, Fallbrook. Heading a little south, Mira Mesa is a good suggestion, as is Tierrasanta. Heading a little East, Santee, La Mesa, and Rancho San Diego are all great places to live. (La Mesa has a particularly nice library and a walkable "downtown" area that is undergoing a major transformation with new restaurants, by the way). A little further south, east Chula Vista and Bonita are nice as well. And, Temecula and Murietta are very nice as well (although not in San Diego County).

All of these areas still might involve "compromises" in order to get into a home in the $500K range, but again, your idea of compromise may be different than someone else's.

So, best advice is to come out for another visit and actually view some of the homes available in different parts of the county in your price range. A good realtor can steer you towards the right areas for your budget.

Good luck with your decision!

[BreeB]

I can speak to the San Diego County library system - it is great. I am also familiar with the King County Library System (resident there for 30 years...) and the system here compares favorably.