Is buyng or renting any cheaper now? (San Diego, Escondido: short sales, real estate)

[Liza54]

Moved from San Diego to NC about a year and half ago, after having a baby and realizing that a nurse's salary just wouldn't buy me a thing. I found a job opening in SD, and would LOOOOOOVE to come back...but is the housing prices or even renting anywhere close to dropping into a nurse's price range ( 200k?)? or comfortablely $1400/mo rent. I'm almost embarassed to inquire, but I want to come back!! What about foreclosures? thanks.....

[NYSD1995]

renting is still affordable here but is going up fast.

buying is way less although it's harder to get a loan.

So overall, I'd stay it's still expensive given the salaries here.

[tsuyoi_racing]

Originally Posted by amymcc

Moved from San Diego to NC about a year and half ago, after having a baby and realizing that a nurse's salary just wouldn't buy me a thing. I found a job opening in SD, and would LOOOOOOVE to come back...but is the housing prices or even renting anywhere close to dropping into a nurse's price range ( 200k?)? or comfortablely $1400/mo rent. I'm almost embarassed to inquire, but I want to come back!! What about foreclosures? thanks.....

geez, i didnt know RN get paid that much.

[Sampaguita]

Originally Posted by tsuyoi_racing

geez, i didnt know RN get paid that much.

I thought she meant house in the 200k price range.

[NYSD1995]

Originally Posted by Sampaguita

I thought she meant house in the 200k price range.

she did

[SomeThings]

I would say you can pick up a basic 2 bedroom condo in some areas at/near that price, but you’ll be limited and they may be condo conversions. I’d maybe check San Carlos – I have a friend with a 2/2 condo in a complex I like off Hyde Park Drive (looks nice with the remodeled kitchen) and they’re decent layout/feel at about 1100 sq. ft – major downside is no laundry in the unit (there are laundry facilities onsite somewhere). There’s a pool/clubhouse area, and I would feel comfy and safe there with a child. I see some listed now for the 180 to 190 range, but they may need a little work.

Since you’re familiar with the area, I’d suggest looking online at some of the real estate sites. I like sdlookup . com, but the data/mapping isn’t always 100% accurate. It lists properties for the entire county by neighborhood, and you can sort by house/condo and also see them on a map (when that function is working properly). You should be able to get up to speed quickly.

Craigslist is good for getting a feel for rentals, (I google map the location as well) but not all of the listings are legit. (You’ll be able to weed them out pretty quickly.) To me, it doesn’t seem that renting is any cheaper than it was a year and a half ago, but some complexes are offering incentives. I have historically rented from private owners, but just moved to a complex in north county coastal and got $1,000 off first month’s rent with a 1-year lease (paying 1550 for a 2/1.5 bath, if that helps provide perspective).

Not sure what kind of nursing you do, but I’ve seen places in San Diego offer signing bonuses to bring in nurses. They may also help with relocation expenses (or locating places to live), so don’t forget to look into that. A good nurse is hard to find…

[bdean]

Give it 4 or so more months. Renting is unrealistic right now. Homeowners want $1800 for their 2 bed / 2 bath condo (pipe dream). Essentially, they're trying to get their mortgage covered for the overpriced unit they purchased 2-3 years ago.

Buying is getting substantially cheaper, but like I said, wait it out another 4 months. With $300k homes losing 10-15k each MONTH, they'll be a whole lot more realistic as time goes on. Right now, even though the market is saturated with foreclosures and short sales, sellers still aren't being realistic. I'd speculate the median home will lose another 100k by the end of the year--right down to reality.


As far as nursing goes, I'm not an expert, but it seems to be rough now. Palomar Hospital in Escondido is doing massive layoffs and has a hiring freeze.

[Liza54]

I feel pretty safe being a nurse job-wise. I must get 5 phone calls a day from travel companies wanting to talk.
I will wait a bit longer, I guess, since it still all sounds very much out of my price range. I make less than 60k after being in a critical care specialty for 10yrs! That plus 2 kids and a husband won't go far in SD.
WAaaaaaah!

[f_m]

Maybe you will make more in SD than where you are now. Doesn't your husband work too?

[TristramShandy]

The prices are coming down rapidly. There are certainly houses around $200,000 now - - just depends on what you'll accept.