Land to build modern/not in a subdivision/ no HOA (Los Angeles: for sale, homes)

[spyrye]

Would really appreciate some help directing us to an area where we can be inland, and where property/land
taxes might be lower, I'm guessing Riverside County over Orange County, and it appears everything is either within a tract neighborhood/urban sprawl vs having an 1/2 acre- 1 acre to build modern.

We are finding cool modern homes near the beach are crazy expensive and it doesn't appear through my searches that anyone is building modern that is reasonably priced, for example in an area like Trabuco Canyon.

We are looking from San Diego, North, through Los Angeles, going East. Would be nice to be about 45 min (in traffic) to an hub airport (LAX, SAN, SNA?)

Thanks for your help!

[saibot]

You can find such lots, but you may have to compromise a little.

For example, here's a 1-acre lot in Menifee for $200k. https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sal...598_rect/7_zm/

It's not within 45 minutes of any major airport, though. On a good day if you get lucky you might be able to get to either John Wayne or Ontario Airport in about an hour.

Are you looking for a specific environment? Hillside, canyon, etc.? What is your budget? Do you mind being in the desert / very hot, dry, arid location?

How familiar are you with the difference in climate, amenities, lifestyle between living at the coast and living in inland CA? You mentioned having looked at beach properties. It's hard to imagine that a person who really wants the one would be satisfied with the other.

[RosieSD]

Originally Posted by spyrye

Would really appreciate some help directing us to an area where we can be inland, and where property/land
taxes might be lower,

Property taxes are going to be computed the same way everywhere in California, thanks to Prop 13. If you're not familiar with it, this will explain:

https://www.californiataxdata.com/pdf/Prop13.pdf

Some cities and school districts have voter-approved assessments that can increase taxes, but your property taxes will be computed via Prop 13 where ever you buy.

In San Diego County, if you want acreage for a reasonable price (by Southern California standards), you'll need to look eastwards and perhaps a little south of north county. In particular, look in the unincorporated areas of the County, especially if you don't want HOAs. Some examples of areas where land is still readily available would include: Ramona, Bonsall, Valley Center, Alpine*, Descanso, Jamul*, Dulzura, Harbison Canyon*, Crest*, Pine Valley, Julian but there are are many other areas as well.

(I've starred the areas that would be within 45 minutes or less to the SD airport, but some of the others have closer in areas as well)

Here is a map of the unincorporated areas of San Diego:

http://www.sandiegocounty.gov/conten...ommunities.pdf

It is quite possible to buy sizable acreage in many of these areas for under $200,000. I live in Jamul, about a half hour from downtown San Diego and the airport, and there are several nice pieces of property with great views currently on the market here for under $150,000.

So, there is fairly reasonable property available. BUT it's the cost of construction that will add up; it's not going to be cheap to build a home anywhere in Southern California, unless you are able to do a fair amount of work yourself. And building a home in more semi-rural areas sometimes comes with challenges you may not expect, like the need for a well, wildfire considerations, grading, paving long driveways, etc.

If you want to build anywhere close to the ocean in Southern California, you'll need a big checkbook and a steady disposition, as most of the land along the coast was built out long ago, and even buying a tear down and building on the property will require you to jump through hoops to get permits from the coastal cities and the county.

Still, there are many older sections of cities along the San Diego coast where there are no HOAs and where it is possible to buy an older home, tear it down, and build something new. I've seen a lot of this in Solana Beach, but you could also look at older areas in places like La Jolla, Pacific Beach, Encinitas, Carlsbad and Oceanside as well. (Note: "older sections" does not mean less expensive or less desirable in these coastal communities).

Just bring a big checkbook for those areas, as you could easily spend $900,000 for just the tear down.

You didn't say what your budget for land and construction was, so it is hard to give you specific suggestions of places to look. However, your best bet is to find a good realtor who has experience with selling undeveloped land and ask for their advice. Alternately, talk to realtors in the coastal cities about how difficult it is to buy an existing home and do a tear down and rebuild.

[RosieSD]

I forgot to mention that some of the incorporated inland cities in San Diego may also work for you. For instance, here are a couple of lots for sale in La Mesa, which is very close to downtown:

https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sal...68_rect/11_zm/

And, in north county, here's a lot available in San Marcos: https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sal...71_rect/11_zm/

Again, your best bet is to find a good realtor who has experience selling land. They may also be able to put you in touch with a couple of reputable contractors so you can get insight into actual construction costs.

[LuvSouthOC]

Warner Sorings and surrounds as indicated to you on the OC forum.

[RosieSD]

Originally Posted by LuvSouthOC

Warner Sorings and surrounds as indicated to you on the OC forum.

There's property available in SD county that would be MUCH closer to the coast than Warner Springs.

[Axxlrod]

Originally Posted by spyrye

Would really appreciate some help directing us to an area where we can be inland, and where property/land
taxes might be lower, I'm guessing Riverside County over Orange County, and it appears everything is either within a tract neighborhood/urban sprawl vs having an 1/2 acre- 1 acre to build modern.

We are finding cool modern homes near the beach are crazy expensive and it doesn't appear through my searches that anyone is building modern that is reasonably priced, for example in an area like Trabuco Canyon.

We are looking from San Diego, North, through Los Angeles, going East. Would be nice to be about 45 min (in traffic) to an hub airport (LAX, SAN, SNA?)

Thanks for your help!

Your total budget will determine everything. What is it?

Also, if you'er gonna have go all the way out into Riverside county to afford to do this, then might as well keep going into AZ. It will be much easier/cheaper, and Riverside get almost as hot as AZ, so not much difference there.

[LuvSouthOC]

The price provided on the OC forum was 90k to 125.

[Axxlrod]

Well that ain't gonna happen then.

[RosieSD]

Originally Posted by Axxlrod

Well that ain't gonna happen then.

There's still plenty of available land in inland San Diego County in that price range within 45 minutes of the airport, but obviously, it's not going to be right on the coast. Rather, it will be in areas like those I listed in my posts above. And, you still have to factor in the cost of construction, which isn't going to be cheap even for a pretty basic house.

If you want to buy coastal land in that price range, you'll probably need to look into far Northern California, the Oregon Coast, or Western Washington state to find it. There *might* also be some options along the Central Coast (i.e., North of Santa Barbara) too.