Our trip to SD this week... (San Diego, Santa Ana: short sales, 2009, rentals)

[PharmboyinNC]

We are flying in Tuesday night (Sept. 22) and out first thing Sunday. I'll try to post daily updates and pictures.

Our objective is to meet with UCSD faculty (work related), travel around the area to get to know which neighborhoods we like, drive during morning and evening rush hours, and hopefully get some Kayaking in.

If there is anything up in SD during our time there, feel free to update us on local events.

[Encinitan]

It's kind of a quiet time for local events and festivals, being after Labor Day and all. Nothing major that I know of, but others here may be able to better update you on that.
Be sure to pack your warm weather clothes. We're supposed to (notice the wording, "supposed to") have a real heat wave starting tomorrow and lasting into the weekend. Forecast is to be high 80s, maybe even 90s at the beach and warmer inland. Fire weather, as we call it here, with mild off-shore Santa Anas forecast. Pretty typical weather for Sept/Oct. Good news for kayaking, the water is still warm (about 70 in most areas) and no big swell is forecast, which is no fun for us surfers but good new for kayakers.
Anyway, enjoy your trip.

[cruitr]

If you want something really unique to do, Taste of Downtown is Thursday nite. Here's the flyer:
http://downtownsandiego.org/events/r...oster%2009.pdf

You get to visit and sample food from 60 restaurants for $35. My wife and I usually attend events like this but we have a prior commitment this Thurday nite.

[skeke]

ADAMS AVENUE STREET FAIR September 26-27 Over 70 live performances. There will be over 300 food and merchandise booths, three beer gardens, and carnival rides and games. 10am-10pm. Jim Schneider (619) 282-7329 or

[cruitr]

Originally Posted by skeke

ADAMS AVENUE STREET FAIR September 26-27 Over 70 live performances. There will be over 300 food and merchandise booths, three beer gardens, and carnival rides and games. 10am-10pm. Jim Schneider (619) 282-7329 or

Here's a link: *Adams Avenue Street Fair San Diego California

[PharmboyinNC]

Landed in SD around 8:30PM PST and noticed how humid/foggy it is. Since we are from NC, we get some heavy humidity, but I thought SD was a dry environment. Is this due to the proximity to the water and is this humidity typical?

We rented a car from Hertz. People there were very nice and upgraded us from a Chevy Malibu to a Mercedes Benz E350 for a small fee. Seems that all the cheaper cars had been taken and since we came in a late flight, they had a couple of cars ready to go out. When we get to the hotel, the car display states maintenance is needed->air pressure. I'm tired and don't know how to navigate through the display, so I guess I'll be swinging by Hertz tomorrow. Grrr.

[cruitr]

San Diego dry? You must be reading our Visitors Bureau marketing materials. Did they say you can swim all year round in the ocean too? ha ha ha

Coastal San Diego gets lots of fog. We call it the 'marine layer.' It usually burns off before noon. Although some days it hangs around most of day. A lot depends how close to the coast you are. Alpine (about 30 miles inland) is reporting 81 degrees and sunny right now.

[PharmboyinNC]

Must be reading the propiganda. Drove up Mt. Soledad and got above the fog layer around 9AM today...pretty cool. Later, the fog burned up to reveal a clear day. Much lower humidity than what we get at home. The water is still cool/cold (subjectively).

We talked to a couple of realtors and they all said that we are priced out of La Jolla, although there are house short sales that were very attractive, like a house in Bird Rock with a short sale price of $750k. Interestingly, we were told by realtors that there are many properties in La Jolla that post rentals privately. We drove around Southern La Jolla, North Pacific Beach and found several nice homes with For Rent signs. Unbelievable!!! Houses costing near one million renting for ~$3500/month. We ran into ONE big problem, many of these nice properties do not allow pets. Still looking.

We drove around the Bay Park area and really liked the prices and view into Mission Bay, so that is still a possibility. As we drove north into the Bay Ho area, there were pockets of nice property, but would have to drive through some unkept areas. The north Bay Ho area is still on the list because we could easily take the 52 to the 5 and the next exit was Gilman which went straight into UCSD.

We took some time to drive around the Hillcrest area and found some nice places. I plan on focusing more time around the Mission Hills, Hillcrest, and the area north of Balboa park in search of rentals and sales. Any recommended areas?

Tomorrow, we plan on driving to some sites in UTC, then drive through Sorrento Valley, visit Carmel Valley, and then drive north through Solana Beach, Cardiff/Encinitas/Leucadia, and then Carlsbad.

[esmith143]

Originally Posted by PharmboyinNC

Must be reading the propiganda. Drove up Mt. Soledad and got above the fog layer around 9AM today...pretty cool. Later, the fog burned up to reveal a clear day. Much lower humidity than what we get at home. The water is still cool/cold (subjectively).

We talked to a couple of realtors and they all said that we are priced out of La Jolla, although there are house short sales that were very attractive, like a house in Bird Rock with a short sale price of $750k. Interestingly, we were told by realtors that there are many properties in La Jolla that post rentals privately. We drove around Southern La Jolla, North Pacific Beach and found several nice homes with For Rent signs. Unbelievable!!! Houses costing near one million renting for ~$3500/month. We ran into ONE big problem, many of these nice properties do not allow pets. Still looking.

We drove around the Bay Park area and really liked the prices and view into Mission Bay, so that is still a possibility. As we drove north into the Bay Ho area, there were pockets of nice property, but would have to drive through some unkept areas. The north Bay Ho area is still on the list because we could easily take the 52 to the 5 and the next exit was Gilman which went straight into UCSD.

We took some time to drive around the Hillcrest area and found some nice places. I plan on focusing more time around the Mission Hills, Hillcrest, and the area north of Balboa park in search of rentals and sales. Any recommended areas?

Tomorrow, we plan on driving to some sites in UTC, then drive through Sorrento Valley, visit Carmel Valley, and then drive north through Solana Beach, Cardiff/Encinitas/Leucadia, and then Carlsbad.

My personal opinion is that La Jolla, and, more generally, most areas west of 5, have not corrected enough and prices will fall further. Bay Park, Bay Ho, Pacific Beach will present a problem if you choose to raise children, because public schools in those areas are substandard. Those areas are quickly turning blue-collar (and, in California, blue collar means Hispanic). There's also strong college student presence in PB.

If you don't plan to have children any time soon, Hillcrest could be your cup of tea. Depends on priorities - would you prefer a walkable neighborhood 20 min away from work, or a less walkable but more well-kept neighborhood 5 min away? Personally, I never liked Hillcrest that much, I lived in UTC for 5 years and I'd move back if I could find a 4-bedroom there on my budget. But UTC is mostly condos and townhouses. Check out communities west of interstate 5 and south of La Jolla Village Drive.

FYI, we're having a heat wave right now, it's normally cooler this time of year.

[cruitr]

Your biggest challenge will be finding a nice place that allows pets. In the mind of most landlords/property managers, the risk of pet damage just isn't worth the rental income. In California, any damage (both inside and outside the home) caused by a tenant's pet is a liability risk for the owner. For example, if a tenant's pet bites a neighborhood child the parent of the child can successfully sue the owner of the property for damages.

I live in Bay Ho. My house is right across from Soledad Mtn (behind the Costco on Morena Blvd). Both Bay Ho and Bay Park offer very convenient locations to anywhere in coastal SD. But there are nice areas and crappy areas of both Bay Ho and Bay Park. Sometimes just one street makes a big difference.

If money were no object, I'd probably live in Bird Rock. It's very quiet, safe, and walkable. The beach is close, lots of nearby shopping/restaurants, and there's always something to do in PB/Mission Bay to the south or La Jolla to the north.

I look forward to more of your impressions of the San Diego area. Hwy 101 in coastal North County is a fun drive.

For a quick diversion, try this place: Torrey Pines Gliderport
There's always somebody hang-gliding above the cliffs. Black's Beach (clothing optional) is directly below the Gliderport.

Here's a map: Torrey Pines Gliderport, San Diego, California 92037 - Google Maps