Potential job in Carlsbad from NY (San Diego, Riverside: real estate, apartment, rentals)

[Yov6cam]

Hi, have a potential job offer in Carlsbad, havent been to San Diego in years, would you recommend living in Carlsbad or somewhere closer to San Diego itself like La Mesa and commute.

I hear its quiet in Carlsbad, would still like to be close to the city.

Thanks!

[loveautumn]

La Mesa to Carlsbad would be a very long, time consuming commute. You'll be better off to live somewhere in North County. If you haven't been in SD in a long time, its grown and changed enormously. Carlsbad and Encinitas are cities unto themselves now with plenty of bars, restaurants and enough night life.

[RosieSD]

What are you expecting to pay for a place to live? Are you planning to rent or buy? Apartment or single family home? Do you have any speciic needs/desires in a community (i.e., suburban, more urban, etc.)? What part of NY are you moving from? Without knowing your approximate budget and what type/size of home you're looking for and a little bit more about your needs, it's hard to make recommendations for areas.

I agree 100% with loveautumn about the commute from La Mesa to Carlsbad -- I personally would not consider that unless you enjoy spending lots of time in the car. Commuting from downtown/midtown San Diego would also be a a slog during peak travel times, but depending on where you live and need to get to in Carlsbad, commuting by train *may* be an option from certain parts of downtown.

Definitely start checking rentals/home prices on sites like Craigslist, Zillow,com, Redfin, etc. so you can be prepared when it comes time to negotiate a reasonable salary.

[Yov6cam]

Thanks for the great feedback. I am looking for a 2 bed condo to buy for around 400k. Coming from Westchester County NY but commuted by train to Manhattan. Woukd love a community with pool, either close to beach or walking distance to stores bars etc.

My wife and I are hoping to buy a place that will grow in value so we can parlay that into a home after selling in about 7 years or so.

[RosieSD]

Originally Posted by Yov6cam

Thanks for the great feedback. I am looking for a 2 bed condo to buy for around 400k. Coming from Westchester County NY but commuted by train to Manhattan. Woukd love a community with pool, either close to beach or walking distance to stores bars etc.

My wife and I are hoping to buy a place that will grow in value so we can parlay that into a home after selling in about 7 years or so.

I'm originally from Westchester too.

No doubt you've already done a search of a real estate site like Redfin.com or Zillow.com and discovered that $400,000 is going to be really tough for a two bedroom condo in most areas "close to the beach" in northern San Diego County, including Carlsbad, Encinitas, and other north county coastal areas. I wouldn't immediately rule out Carlsbad or Encinitas, but you may have to compromise on the size of the condo you buy (i.e. one bedroom) to find something close to your budget.

One north county coastal exception might be Oceanside, which is just north of Carlsbad, so convenient for work. Like La Mesa, Oceanside has been undergoing a bit of a renaissance, and certain areas have gotten a lot nicer recently, so it might be a good place for equity growth. So, perhaps start there. I'd recommend working with a realtor who knows Oceanside well, as you will want to be a bit selective about neighborhoods there.

Vista, which is east of Oceanside, may also be worth a look for condos in your price range. However, do an advanced search of this sub-forum using the term "vista" to find recent discussions on Vista, and read up on the area, so you understand a bit about the area. I'd compare Vista to Yonkers -- has some decent areas, but also lower income areas you'll want to avoid.

You'll also find some condos/townhomes in your price range in San Marcos, which has grown quite a bit. Overall, the schools in the San Marcos school district have a better rep than the schools in the Oceanside school district, so that is always a plus when it comes to home resale. Most of San Marcos is very suburban, so you may have to compromise on the "walkable to shops and restaurants" idea a bit.

If you don't mind a little longer commute by car, you might look in the Mira Mesa and Sorrento Valley areas; you'll find some condos in your price range there, and that will put you in a more central area for the rest of the county, including downtown. That might be a plus if your wife will be looking for a job.

In terms of commuting by train, it is really going to be dependent on where you'll be working in Carlsbad. If your office isn't within walking distance of a Coaster station, it probably won't fly. You might do some research on the Coaster stations in relation to your place of work, and then use them as a guide for searching for possibilities close to stations closer to downtown. Here is the Coaster website: COASTER Stations | NCTD

A few areas closer to downtown that might work for your budget if you want to take the train would be Mission Valley (you could take the Trolley to the old town station), Point Loma (you'd need to drive to the station) and maybe North Park or Hillcrest (ditto). La Mesa actually might work too IF you found a condo that is on the Trolley line through Mission Valley going to Old Town, but I still think that would end up being a pretty long commute when all is said and done. If you want a more urban environment, you could see if there are any condos in your price range in downtown or Little Italy that would be walking distance to the downtown station. But, not sure what is available in your price range there, and downtown has some challenges (i.e., large homeless population) that are not everyone's cup of tea.

Good luck with your move!

[RosieSD]

Also, I just have to toss this in: if you're willing to take on a longer commute , you can probably find a single family home for around $400K in Temecula or Murietta, which are just over the San Diego-Riverside County line.

[L-Costa]

Rule of thumb - if you work in Carlsbad, stay in Carlsbad or Encinitas if you can afford it. Otherwise RosieSD gave excellent snapshot on more affordable alternatives.
RE: La Mesa or similar areas - that money for gas and extra 90 minutes you will burn in traffic, I would rather invest into used surfboard and wetsuite and learning to surf.

[Yov6cam]

Thank you all for great advice especially RosieSD, much appreciated �� my wife and I are visiting San Diego this week end to scope it out. We will definitely use the feedback here.

Just hope I won't miss NY too much.

[Suburban_Guy]

Help! Where should I live... chula to Carlsbad. $700k

Can a family of 5 afford Carlsbad?

http://www.city-data.com/city/Carlsbad-California.html

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