Taking a scouting trip to SD in 10 days. I've done the research, but looking for a sanity check (San Diego: sales, real estate market)

[sdurbanite]

Originally Posted by BilboTBagginz

Coming to the area to check it out multiple times was the whole point of my post. I said we were coming to visit next week to narrow areas down then coming back before we move to spend a week checking it out. I'm not going into this blind.

Bay area housing prices blow my.mind. We currently rent, because there's no way we could afford to spend that kind of money buying a house there.

I realize SD is going to be different than what we remember, that's why we're doing recon before making a decision.

My bad. Not sure how I missed the part about you coming down next week. What areas do you have memories of from your last visit? Maybe we can give you a heads up on what to expect now.

[NYSD1995]

In your price range would focus on condos in better areas, closer to the beach or in a village setting vs an SFH. You could get into downtown, north county coastal for that range. I think you are going to be really disappointed in what a 650k SFH is going to be like in Oceanside, vista or university city, both neighborhood, type of neighbors and the home itself.

[pacific2]

Originally Posted by BilboTBagginz

Hey all!

I'll start with some background/context and then jump to what I've learned research wise up to this point.

My wife and I (we're in our late 30's and mid 40's)are currently living in the Bay Area. We're moving back to the Midwest in March 2020 to sell our house, and then move out of the Midwest sometime in late 2020 or sometime in 2021. We have 4 kids, 3 are in college. That's the reason why we'll be staying in the Midwest for a short time after we sell the house. The kids won't be moving with us since they'll either be in grad school or early in their careers by then. We have 2 100lb + dogs, one of which is on the "restricted breed" list. I share that fact because it narrows down the choices we have when it comes to renting/leasing if we went that route. The dogs are 7 years old now, they may or may not be here by the time we move but I have to factor in the fact that they'll still be around in 2021.

We both work remotely. I've been working for Bay Area companies for the last 4 years. I fly there (when I'm not actually living there) every quarter. Commuting to work is not an issue for us.

We've decided to spend the time that we're living in CA to look for potential landing spots when we leave the Midwest. SD is one of those places. It's been decades since we've both been there, but we both LOVED it and I've always said if I was going to make the move to CA one day, it would be to SD. We'll be in town for 3 days and I'd like to take a day or day and a half driving around and checking out potential places to live. I KNOW that it's not enough time to make a solid decision, which is why we've both agreed that if we're still in love with SD, when it comes times to actually make a move, we would come back and spend a week checking out different areas. Maybe renting an airbnb in or near each place we want to check out. The purpose of this upcoming trip is to narrow that list down.

Our requirements:

• 3+ bedrooms
• 2+ baths
• Fenced in back yard for the dogs
• Approx 2000 sq ft (up to 2500ish, but no lower than 1600)
• No/Low HOA fees (preferably under $150)
• Access to shopping (Trader Joes, some retail, etc)
• Low maintenance yard (Not talking all dirt, just something that doesn't require a bunch of hands on. Been there, done that)
• Decent amount of diversity
• Some sort of nightlife. More urban and less rural.
• Relatively low crime (crime happens everywhere, I just don't want it to be something we're stressing about on a daily basis). More so of an issue for my wife's safety.
• Near the beach is great, but realistically the budget may dictate we live more inland. If so, I don't want to be more than 30-60 mins away.
• Single family detached home preferred
• Updated interior (Kitchen cabinets, etc). We're looking to downsize and not have to deal with a remodel or upgrades.
• Pool optional, but would prefer having one
• 2 car garage
• Good school system, for resale value
• Budget: Around 600k, willing to push to 650k if necessary

From doing preliminary research, you obviously get more bang for your buck the further inland you go. Areas like Temecula and Murrieta tick the boxes for me home wise, but they're probably at the very edge of how far I would want to be away from the coast. My wife and I LOVE oceans, and living in the Midwest and now in the bay area has given me confirmation that I always want to live somewhere near an ocean. I've also come across some houses in the Coachella valley, but again, that looks like it's more desert than anything and I'd have to drive there to see if we'd be willing to live there. I've read Oceanside is hit or miss, so that's one area I plan on scouting. I've also read coastal communities like Carlsbad, University City and Clairemount Mesa are great, but they appear to be out of our price range. Chula Vista pops up a lot in our searches, but I haven't done much in the way of researching whether being close to the Mexican border will be an issue or not.

Are there coastal/inland areas I should be checking out that I'm missing?

If you had a day to drive through, which areas would you target given my criteria above?

What's the realistic commute time to the beach from the various inland areas? From looking at the map and reading comments on this forum, it looks like a lot of it is 1 way in, 1 way out.

Are areas in the Inland Empire all rural, or do they have a somewhat urban feel to them?

Anything else I'm missing? (I may have thought about it already but forgot to mention it here)

Thanks in advance!

I feel like an intruder since you didn't ask about OC, but you did ask about other areas that you might be missing. Have you considered Aliso Viejo? You won't be able to buy a SFR on your budget, and HOA fees for a townhouse/condo are average for the region. Still, you should be able to get most of what you want.

AV is a diverse, low crime city located next to Laguna Beach (10-15 minute drive to the beach the last time I checked) with good schools, shopping, 22 parks, etc. There is also a new dog park here with one section dedicated to large breeds. There are some townhouses available with backyards, like this one listed @$649,999 (3bd/2.5bth/1860 sq ft ). Ignore the décor.

https://www.redfin.com/CA/Aliso-Viej...6/home/5454863

[pacific2]

Go inland a bit more in South OC and you'll find a few houses in Rancho Santa Margarita for $650K:

https://www.redfin.com/city/15422/CA...max-price=650k

[LaJollaEast]

Since you and your wife work remotely I would suggests looking for a sfh in the Otay Ranch area which is east of Chula Vista. Here is one that is new construction and within your budget.

https://www.redfin.com/CA/Chula-Vist...home/167956053

[BilboTBagginz]

Originally Posted by sdurbanite

My bad. Not sure how I missed the part about you coming down next week. What areas do you have memories of from your last visit? Maybe we can give you a heads up on what to expect now.

It was so long ago and I knew nothing about SD to even know where I was. I remember the Gaslamp district but obviously not looking to move there.

[BilboTBagginz]

Originally Posted by pacific2

Go inland a bit more in South OC and you'll find a few houses in Rancho Santa Margarita for $650K:

https://www.redfin.com/city/15422/CA...max-price=650k

I'll take a look. Thanks

[BilboTBagginz]

Originally Posted by LaJollaEast

Since you and your wife work remotely I would suggests looking for a sfh in the Otay Ranch area which is east of Chula Vista. Here is one that is new construction and within your budget.

https://www.redfin.com/CA/Chula-Vist...home/167956053

Gonna take a look later today. Thanks!

[BilboTBagginz]

Originally Posted by pacific2

I feel like an intruder since you didn't ask about OC, but you did ask about other areas that you might be missing. Have you considered Aliso Viejo? You won't be able to buy a SFR on your budget, and HOA fees for a townhouse/condo are average for the region. Still, you should be able to get most of what you want.

AV is a diverse, low crime city located next to Laguna Beach (10-15 minute drive to the beach the last time I checked) with good schools, shopping, 22 parks, etc. There is also a new dog park here with one section dedicated to large breeds. There are some townhouses available with backyards, like this one listed @$649,999 (3bd/2.5bth/1860 sq ft ). Ignore the décor.

https://www.redfin.com/CA/Aliso-Viej...6/home/5454863

OC is an option, thanks for the suggestion.

The problem with condos and townhomes is that most if not all of them will not allow an Akita. We we're lucky in the bay area because the home owner was renting the house themselves and not a part of a company that owned several rentals as a business That and she is a dog lover. So, I haven't been including condos in my search because the reality is I won't be able to buy one while my Akita is still with us.

[expatCA]

Originally Posted by BilboTBagginz

It was so long ago and I knew nothing about SD to even know where I was. I remember the Gaslamp district but obviously not looking to move there.

Be careful of new build communities as the HOA will be low as the developer pays for what is needed until the majority own the development, then the HOA goes up. The developer keeps it low to appeal to buyers. The Mello Roos will not be listed but they are in effect a 2nd property tax for years.