Sea Summit - San Clemente (Thousand Oaks, Santa Barbara: HOA fees, houses, school)

[ElleW]

I've recently been given the option of telecommuting, and since my husband already works from home, this has freed us up to move pretty much wherever we want in SoCal. We currently live in west LA, but I have always hated the traffic and smog here and would really like to move to a smaller town.

Our must haves are beach proximity (10 minutes or less walking), little traffic, and some good restaurants and shops. My husband also wants a newer house, and since we both work from home, we want something with at least 3K square feet. We have dogs, so we need a decent sized lot- at least 5K square feet, bigger would be better. We also have a cabin in Big Bear, where we spend a lot of time, and don't want to move too far from there. In terms of interests, I work A LOT and in my free time like running, playing with my dogs, and shopping. My husband loves the beach and surfing. We don't go out a lot, but I do enjoy a craft cocktail or nice dinner out if we can do it with a minimum of hassle.

We were initially considering Santa Barbara (I went to college there and we lived there for a short time a few years ago) but have had trouble finding a larger house near the beach. We also like Malibu, but same issue. We then started checking southern OC and came across the Sea Summit development in San Clemente, which ticks all of our must haves in terms of yard size, beach proximity, new development, etc.-- my only reservation is that we know NOTHING about the area. We don't have kids, so school quality is not a primary concern (just relevant for property value). I am concerned about the perception by existing residents of the new community, which I'm sure isn't positive, and about the area itself since it's right next to an outlet mall and a U Haul.

We are also considering Dana Point, in one of the gated communities near the Monarch Beach Resort, but it seems like there may not be a lot to do there if we don't golf (well, H golfs, I don't). It also seems like it might tend towards an older demographic (we are late 30's).

I would welcome any thoughts on these areas or others in SoCal that you think we should check out. We know we are looking in pricey areas, and though cost is of course a concern, we know what we are getting into, so our primary concern at this point is just whether we will like the town.

[pacific2]

Given your ages, I think that San Clemente might be a better match for you than Dana Point.

San Clemente is definitely nice, but I wonder about noise levels near the Sea Summit area. It's wedged between the very congested I-5 "San Clemente Bottleneck" (with the new mall, the Outlets at San Clemente, acting as a buffer, of sorts), and the busy streets of Avenida Pico and El Camino Real. There's also a Metrolink station nearby.

I don't live in San Clemente, but that's just my impression. Maybe someone from the city has a different take on things.

Depending upon your budget, you might have to sacrifice a few things from your want list, like a 10 minute walk to the beach, or size, in order to find a place where you really feel comfortable.

[LuvSouthOC]

Originally Posted by ElleW

I've recently been given the option of telecommuting, and since my husband already works from home, this has freed us up to move pretty much wherever we want in SoCal. We currently live in west LA, but I have always hated the traffic and smog here and would really like to move to a smaller town.

Our must haves are beach proximity (10 minutes or less walking), little traffic, and some good restaurants and shops. My husband also wants a newer house, and since we both work from home, we want something with at least 3K square feet. We have dogs, so we need a decent sized lot- at least 5K square feet, bigger would be better. We also have a cabin in Big Bear, where we spend a lot of time, and don't want to move too far from there. In terms of interests, I work A LOT and in my free time like running, playing with my dogs, and shopping. My husband loves the beach and surfing. We don't go out a lot, but I do enjoy a craft cocktail or nice dinner out if we can do it with a minimum of hassle.

We were initially considering Santa Barbara (I went to college there and we lived there for a short time a few years ago) but have had trouble finding a larger house near the beach. We also like Malibu, but same issue. We then started checking southern OC and came across the Sea Summit development in San Clemente, which ticks all of our must haves in terms of yard size, beach proximity, new development, etc.-- my only reservation is that we know NOTHING about the area. We don't have kids, so school quality is not a primary concern (just relevant for property value). I am concerned about the perception by existing residents of the new community, which I'm sure isn't positive, and about the area itself since it's right next to an outlet mall and a U Haul.

We are also considering Dana Point, in one of the gated communities near the Monarch Beach Resort, but it seems like there may not be a lot to do there if we don't golf (well, H golfs, I don't). It also seems like it might tend towards an older demographic (we are late 30's).

I would welcome any thoughts on these areas or others in SoCal that you think we should check out. We know we are looking in pricey areas, and though cost is of course a concern, we know what we are getting into, so our primary concern at this point is just whether we will like the town.

Sea Summit is great but the lots are small. I have been eyeing that development.

[pacific2]

Originally Posted by LuvSouthOC

Sea Summit is great but the lots are small. I have been eyeing that development.

I haven't visited the development and don't want to mislead the OP. Does noise from the surrounding area, including train noise, penetrate it to any disturbing degree?

[LuvSouthOC]

Originally Posted by pacific2

I haven't visited the development and don't want to mislead the OP. Does noise from the surrounding area, including train noise, penetrate it to any disturbing degree?

The whole area sits well elevated from the ocean and the train tracks that run near it. Thus, I am sure the train could be heard, but it wouldn't be overwhelming. I don't think noise is a concern. Another huge plus:

Access to the ocean via trails and amazing ocean views.

As for that new outlet mall, yawn, not my thing and there is not anything decent to eat there that I have seen.

[pacific2]

Originally Posted by LuvSouthOC

As for that new outlet mall, yawn, not my thing and there is not anything to decent to eat there that I have seen.

I think the only plus to the mall, if you can call it that, is that it sits between the development and the very congested and noisy I-5, but trees would have been better.

However, I suppose it may also be expected to bring more traffic into the area.

[LuvSouthOC]

Originally Posted by pacific2

I think the only plus to the mall, if you can call it that, is that it sits between the development and the very congested and noisy I-5, but trees would have been better.

However, I suppose it may also be expected to bring more traffic into the area.

I don't see great success for that mall; mediocre performance at best. The larger houses at Sea Summit are nice and priced fairly, but they have Mello Roos plus HOA fees (ouch) and I (like many others) want more outdoor space. Despite these negatives, I think they will all be snapped up and I think some of us may regret not getting one. The location is amazing.

[ElleW]

The lot we are considering is 8K square feet, which is bigger than we've found anywhere else near the beach. So that seems to be okay. We pay mello roos now, and they suck, but it's part of the price of the house, so we are just calculating it in.

There was more of a polished feel in Dana Point, and my mom (visiting for the holidays) seeming thinks we are crazy for preferring a house near an outlet mall, but we are willing to sacrifice a lot for a view of the ocean. We've spent time there and aren't really worried about train or traffic noise, but I am less than thrilled about the outlet mall and about the fact that we will have to drive everywhere except the outlet mall. I also think as a financial matter that outlet malls are a dying breed and it won't take off- which means there will be risks associated with unfilled residential space.

[Smuddboy]

Since you're familiar with Santa Barbara and Malibu I personally would suggest Newbury Park. There are great hiking trails to Sycamore Beach for biking and hiking, trails all over the open spaces mountains for dogs and horses. The Dos Vientos housing community is Beautiful with nice restaurants inside the community. It's very close to UC Channel Islands, the Camarillo Outlets, Thousand Oaks and downtown Ventura.
It's a great option if you know the area and area relocating from the Santa Monica/ South Bay areas.

[ElleW]

Thank you everyone! After days of house hunting, on Friday, we put down a deposit on a Plan 3 in the Sea Summit Sapphire community. The house won't be ready for several months, but we are looking forward to choosing finishes this week.