San Diego for retirement (Del Mar, Rancho Santa Fe: condo, mortgage, townhouses)

[expatCA]

Originally Posted by skeke

I am retired and now live in Rancho Bernardo. I have not found it to be run down at all. It is very attractive everywhere you go. I used to live down in the city where the main drags in my area were run down and there is a huge difference up here. That said, living in the city was more fun. Easy access to all SD has to offer and cooler restaurants. I moved up here after my divorce. We split the equity after the sale of our city home and a condo was all I could afford. I knew there were many attractive options in Rancho Bernardo and since I have kids and grandkids in Poway I picked Rancho Bernardo. If I did not have family here I would not have moved here. That said, I can't complain. I jumped right in and am very actively involved with lots of people to do things with, dining out, movies, art exhibits, current events discussions and so forth. Where ever you are you can always find many interesting things to do.

The key ... "you". No one should expect it to just appear for them.

[JakeDog]

Rancho Carlsbad is a retirement mobile home community. I know that sounds terrible, but it is actually pretty nice. You own the land there and they have a pool/gym/tennis. It isn't far from the beach. You could also look at Lake San Marcos- a nice retirement area. California does have high taxes, but it isn't as expensive as some suggest on this thread. Plenty of happy retirees.

[californiabred]

Originally Posted by USDefault

Not happening on a $500k budget. Double it, and then you're in the ballpark, especially for Solana Beach and Encinitas. Carlsbad, maybe, but it's going to be older product needing work, and not close to the water -- and realistically in the $500k range, you're looking at an older condo. Could find a studio condo for $350k in south Carlsbad, but this is what you typically get for around $500k in Carlsbad, with HOA dues of $500 a month, plus property taxes.

As others have mentioned, you need a lot of loot to retire comfortably in San Diego. If you don't have it, you're going to be making a lot of compromises, which is going to defeat the reason for retiring to California in the first place.


And $500k for a home is going to come with location compromises and not be anywhere close to the coast. And this is something I've noted before: if you are living in San Diego's hot interior (Temecula, Alpine, Ramona, Vista, El Cajon, etc.) and paying a fortune to do so, what's the point? You can get similar living conditions in many locations around the country, for a lot cheaper, and with a much lower cost-of-living. And get it out of your head you'll be driving to the beach every day; heavy traffic and zero parking will kill your desire to do this real quickly. Ask the average San Diegan how often they make the trek to the waterfront? Answer: rarely. Too much hassle, too many people, stupid parking meters, homeless and drug users accosting you for money. You'd be much better off in Florida, where you can get a nice place that's true oceanfront or on the Gulf; steps from the beach and water. Or Arizona, dirt-cheap housing, very low cost-of-living, and now you can afford to travel in July and August to avoid the hottest Arizona months.

As a resident of north San Diego for over 10 years, I.E. Del Mar, Carmel Valley, RSF area there infact places in the area which OP could retire. I'm not sure the intent of contesting my suggestion yet agreeing in the same sentiment.

[Curious.In.California]

Originally Posted by metoque

Don't retire in CA unless you're really loaded. This state will suck the life out of you.

AGREE!!

Originally Posted by loveautumn

I agree, most retirees here have lived here awhile and just “retired in place” or are very wealthy and money is not an issue. Middle class and those on fixed incomes are being squeezed out, lots of folks are fleeing California. In 5 years SD has changed dramatically. I’d sure think twice about retiring here.

AGREE!!

Originally Posted by Tall Traveler

I wouldn't consider retiring in San Diego with less than $4M minimum. There are areas of Cali that are much cheaper but then again, you're compromising on many of the reasons to move to Cali.

AGREE!!

I'm in my 30's and my hubby is in his 40's and we've already decided we have no desire to retire here. San Diego is my husband's hometown, his mom has been retired for awhile now and she lives in El Cajon. I see all the many struggles she has endured living here as a retiree. She's a born and raised San Diegan turning 80 this year and has had one heck of a hard time the last 10 years or so. We know for a fact if she were living in a different state right now (or at least a different city), one that has a cheaper cost of living, her trials wouldn't nearly be as difficult.

We don't want to end up on a similar path as her. All of her friends and siblings left and moved to other more affordable cities to retire but she stayed. Everyone else has been able to travel, their money goes farther, they're healthier (physically and mentally) and generally happier. My mother-on-law is not happy at all and she admits she wishes she left a long time ago.

Beach? Fun SD activities? Not for her. She hasn't been to the beach in years because she's too sick, always in the hospital, living on a fixed income and can't afford to even use her a/c during the summer so she just sits in the heat. Its depressing as heck. Back before she retired, she used to be this spunky, confident woman who traveled everywhere and had many friends. Life was good for her...until one day it wasn't...and that became her new normal and its been that way the last 10 years.

Unless we're making some serious money, I don't see living in SD long-term as a smart choice us. Like the poster mentioned above, I wouldn't even consider it unless I was making $4M, minimum. But that's just me.

[USDefault]

Originally Posted by californiabred

As a resident of north San Diego for over 10 years, I.E. Del Mar, Carmel Valley, RSF area there infact places in the area which OP could retire. I'm not sure the intent of contesting my suggestion yet agreeing in the same sentiment.

Great places to retire, yes. But there is no way, none, you're getting a townhome for $500k in Del Mar or Rancho Santa Fe. That's why. Cheapest Del Mar house on the market is listed for $1.075 million, cheapest condo is a $775,000 fixer from 1962. Cheapest homes in RSF are well north of $1 million, and the cheapest condo is $995,000.

[spoonman1]

California is fools gold for sure. SD is a great city, but people clamoring to go there thinking they will saunter down to the beach and chill crack me up. Not directing this toward the OP, but this happens over and over. Like people going to Hollywood to get famous.

OP would probably be happier in quaint walkable town, somewhere on a lake, or Florida.

[NYSD1995]

Originally Posted by spoonman1

California is fools gold for sure. SD is a great city, but people clamoring to go there thinking they will saunter down to the beach and chill crack me up. Not directing this toward the OP, but this happens over and over. Like people going to Hollywood to get famous.

OP would probably be happier in quaint walkable town, somewhere on a lake, or Florida.

This weekend I met a couple in their 40's (2 kids) who sold their home in NJ and moved here... because of the weather. They have been here 3 years, renting and now just figuring out they can't afford to buy anywhere near where they want to live (they want to be as close to the beach as possible, in a walkable, urban setting). They have this whole idea fleshed out in their head that SD is about to boom and all these marginal areas are going to get fixed up. It's total delusion.

Retirees who aren't already here with a paid off home should be running as far away from SD as possible.

[spoonman1]

Good points. I could see the marginal areas get fixed up because housing is so high in the nicer areas, but that certainly won’t help affordability for those people.

[sfosyd]

Originally Posted by Sassberto

This weekend I met a couple in their 40's (2 kids) who sold their home in NJ and moved here... because of the weather. They have been here 3 years, renting and now just figuring out they can't afford to buy anywhere near where they want to live (they want to be as close to the beach as possible, in a walkable, urban setting). They have this whole idea fleshed out in their head that SD is about to boom and all these marginal areas are going to get fixed up. It's total delusion.

Retirees who aren't already here with a paid off home should be running as far away from SD as possible.

Agree with the specific points here but if you are talking about a retired couple who live in a high cost of living area such as NJ, San Diego can make a lot of sense. If they own a paid off home in a high cost, high property tax suburb in Jersey, and want a more urban lifestyle, SD could make a lot of sense. They could sell their house, buy a high rise condo downtown for half the cost and taxes of NYC or even Jersey City and be much closer to their kids in the Bay Area. I know a couple who did exactly this but they went into it with their eyes wide open. San Diego is not about to “boom”. It is an easy flight to the job machine of the Bay Area where millennials are flocking to and the weather and safety are huge drivers especially for folks who want a more urban lifestyle.

This type of situation i.e. folks who are used to a high cost of living and want the location/weather benefits of San Diego are what is driving the housing market. That said, San Diego is making huge strides in diversifying it’s economy but I don’t think enough to justify the current housing.

[Larry Siegel]

Originally Posted by californiabred

As a resident of north San Diego for over 10 years, I.E. Del Mar, Carmel Valley, RSF area there infact places in the area which OP could retire. I'm not sure the intent of contesting my suggestion yet agreeing in the same sentiment.

I agree. I've stayed in a $600K condo in western (better) Carmel Valley and it was gorgeous. But it is an apartment suitable for one or two people, not a family home. Relocating in retirement is all about tradeoffs and if you want a close-to-coastal location, you'll pay a lot but it is possible.