Rancho Santa Fe... a good idea? (San Diego, Corona: appointed, house, landscaping)

[aztoga]

There is no doubt that RSF is absolutely beautiful. But with regards to relo, my first impression was that Rancho Santa Fe's home prices were all completely out of my reality- multimillions. But as I look more closely, I am finding a few homes here and there that are in my price range.

My question for you locals (especially those of you who may live in or near RSF or Olivenhain) is this: do you think that there would be pressure to 'keep up with the Joneses' for folks living in the lower price range of RSF? Even though we may be able to afford a home there, we would not be part of the elite country clubs and equestrian clubs... are my kids going to feel left out in school? Would Olivenhain be better? Maybe I'm projecting too much on this and we should just live wherever the heck we want?

As always- thanks for your advice.

[Encinitan]

IMHO, if you can't afford to live the RSF lifestyle (the cars, the travel, the private schools, the country club memberships, and all that comes with it) then it's not for you. Rancho is one of the most expensive and exclusive communites in the U.S. It's always on the list with Greenwich, Conn. and Palm Beach and places like that. So, yes, you will feel like an outcast if you can't send your kids to Bishop's or Cathedral Catholic or some ritzy schools like that. Yes there would be pressure to provide a new car on your darling's Sweet 16. You will stick out in the Village like a sore thumb rolling by in your 2000 Honda. It's not that RSF people are snobs (although some certainly are), it's just that it is what it is.
Even Del Mar, Coronado, and other wealthy places in SD aren't Rancho in terms of prestige and wealth and exclusivity. San Diego County has a lot to offer. I think you should be careful to take your time and make a good choice, or else risk being one of those people who move here and are disappointed with what they find.

[NYSD1995]

I get the impression that a lot of people up there are connected through the horseback riding community. I see them all over Del Mar, usually older women stepping out of their Mercedes in their riding outfits. You could just as easily get a large luxury home on a much less-expensive-to-maintain lot nearby, i.e. Carmel Valley just south of 56. Don't underestimate the cost of maintaining an acre+ lot with landscaping.

I have a friend who married a guy from RSF. His parents were successful small business owners who bought their house in the late 70's (when it was not as exclusive an area). Their property is not all that impressive either, it is sort of an oversized spanish-style tract home. He is latino and said that growing up there was horrible and everyone was a racist snob. He has a bit of a chip on his shoulder, needless to say. He says there are 2 parts of RSF, the ultra-wealthy within the covenant and the rest which range from wealthy to aging / retired.

[aztoga]

I have a better picture now. Thank you. At risk of oversimplifying, perhaps what you are talking about Sass is the difference between old money and new money. I'm sure there are some places that were purchased decades ago and don't have the grandiose prestigiousness that some other new ones do.

The horseback riding thing is appealing to us but not at an elite or exclusive level. My daughter rides and we would like for her to have her own horse one day but perhaps we should get a little closer to Olivenhain or the areas you mentioned.

Thanks!!!

[Oerdin]

If you can afford $12-$50 million for a place in the convenient zone then I say do it.

[Encinitan]

RSF is mostly old money. People who have been there, as Sassaberto noted, from the 70s and earlier. They paid $150,000 for their homes and never left. Smart people, I'd say.
All the new money in the area is either in Fairbanks Ranch, the Bridges, or the Crosby.

[tande1n5]

I'd say most of the old money in the covenant area is mostly above keeping up with the Joneses, and just enjoy their nice lives. The new folks that have moved in, especially around the fringe areas that some consider RSF but aren't the covenant itself - are the aspirational ones that are trying hard to look a certain way.

edit: pretty much the areas just as Encinitan said.

[dweej]

Just to support what others have mentioned- I used to work in Del Mar at a store serving the "elite equestrian community" and the people who live in RSF are, almost to an individual, definitely keepin' up with the joneses. This is not an effort to stereotype or be small minded, just my actual, specific experience: girls graduating from high-school would get a BMW and/or plastic surgery as a graduation gift, women with their 4 carat engagement rings driving their Porche Cayennes would eye each other and whisper about the others' bad nose jobs. If you've seen the Real Hosewives of the OC.....they are like a cheap, poser version of the folks in RSF.

[Encinitan]

Dweej said: "If you've seen the Real Hosewives of the OC.....they are like a cheap, poser version of the folks in RSF."

Classic! I love that show. And now I'm picturing the Real Housewives of the Ranch. Tennis at the club in the morning, lunch at the Inn, plastic surgery in the afternoon, then dinner. There's episode 1 right there!!

[aztoga]

dweej-

I just love the way that you called them "HOSEwives"! Whether your misspell was intentional or not, it fits. ; o )