Murrieta vs. Temecula (San Diego, Riverside, Morgan Hill: fit in, crime, live in)

[marshallnoise]

Originally Posted by dweej

You'll find larger lots in the older neighborhoods mostly- so those will be in the central part of town, north of Temecula Pkwy, but south/east Winchester (basically). Homes along Rancho Vista, Pauba and Rancho California starting at Ynez and going east to about Butterfield Stage will probably be your best bet for a bigger lot. Meadowview is also an incredible neighbohood, but I don't see there being a home there for $220K....so you'll probably have to cross it off the list. Check out 30669 Southern Cross Rd. If we were in the market, I'd wanna give that place a look.

Also: 41608 Corte Seda and 32178 Camino Nunez could be good options

Good luck!

I really like Southern Cross Rd and the others are super nice too. I like the idea of no HOA fee. I DO hate the thought of a short sale, but you never know what will go down and its always worth a shot.

Thanks for seriously quality information. I really appreciate it. Being that we are in Vista, it's hard to get out to Temecula to drive the 'hoods. Most all we came across seemed really good though. So for us, it was "pick a house you like and don't worry about the neighborhood so much."

edit: Of course I am an idiot. Almost everything in Temecula is a Short Sale. So I guess if we want anything, that is the way we are gonna roll. I am cool with it. Just have to wait on the big man upstairs and let Him have a shot at the Short Sale scene.

[dweej]

The Southern Cross house is in a neighborhood called Starlight Ridge which won't have any HOA fees, but of course also won't have pools/tennis courts, etc. The other two homes are both in Vintage Hills which has an HOA, but that means you get pools, parks, courts, etc. So it's a trade-off depending on what your priorities are when choosing your home. Some of the homes will be short sales, but a lot of them will already be bank owned, which I think is a faster process than the short sale. Try to get a realtor that's done a lot of work in this area versus someone who's from Vista....I think the extra experience with these shenanigans will prove absolutely invaluable if you're serious about purchasing in this market. Hope things work out for you guys!

[Meredith001]

We call them (those guys with the huge raised trucks and boring tattoos) "flat-billers" and their trucks are called "mud-whompers"!!!

[Californiagreengal]

I lived in Murrieta back in 03 for a year. We lived right on the border of Murrieta and Temecula, so we got to experience both cities. Yes Temecula has many things to do, the wineries, Pechanga Casino, the old town, and lots more shopping. It wasn't that bad to drive to where we wanted to go. Sometimes the traffic was bad, especially if you are on the side streets headed for the fwy. But I always felt I was in a rush in Temecula, because everyone else was. It just seemed more congested and more people.
We bought a house in Murrieta last year because that is where we eventually want to move back and we couldn't pass up the housing. Our home was built in 2003 with 3000 sf that was half the price as it was a couple years ago. We live in Camarillo right now which is very nice and 10 miles from the nearest beach and weather is always wonderful. But the prices for an old house built in the 1960's is about 450's price range for maybe a 2-3 bdrm house. To rent is usually over $2000 a month for a smaller home.
So yes living by the coast is great, but it also comes with a higher price tag. I would say that Murrieta and Temecula are very similar, but as you can see I chose Murrieta. Maybe someday they will work on the traffic problem.

[dands]

My husband and I are thinking of moving to Temecula from La Crescenta (just north of LA). We're concerned that it's so far from a city-center. If you live in Temecula, do you have any opinions on this? Do you miss the city much? Do you feel disconnected at all? Thanks.

[dweej]

Originally Posted by dands

My husband and I are thinking of moving to Temecula from La Crescenta (just north of LA). We're concerned that it's so far from a city-center. If you live in Temecula, do you have any opinions on this? Do you miss the city much? Do you feel disconnected at all? Thanks.

I'm sure I've mentioned this in other posts, but yes, for me this is one of the downsides to Temecula. Until we moved here with our family, I've always lived near the city, if not right in the city. There was a lot I took for granted and even just the (forgive me for using this word) "vibe" of being closer to the action is something I miss. I also don't like being so far from an airport. For many people this isn't a big deal, and these days I'm only flying about twice a year, but if you add in people coming to visit (if your family and friends are from out of town) it can be a big irritation. For me it is, at least. But this is the quandary of southern California...if you want: relatively affordable+safe+good schools+nice neighborhoods, it tends to get you pretty far from city center. I know, I know "But you can get to San Diego in an hour! You can get to the beach in 45 minutes!". If that is close enough for you, then great. So far, we've enjoyed our time here despite those distances, but I can tell you that my kids have only ever been to San Diego once or twice in their entire lives, and to L.A. never. When you have several small ones and that long drive there and back, and no train going from here to there, you just end up not doing it. We're on the City Ballet mailing list, but I've only ever taken my girls to the ballet at the tiny Temecula Theater. Anyway, so I guess that's the long answer to a short question, from my perspective as a former city girl, soon to be mom of 4, who would love Temecula even more if it was 20 miles from the city rather than 60 .

[brittanykayy]

Murrieta. It's prettier, more natural, and has a more "small town feel". Temecula is only 3 minutes from Murrieta anyway. murrieta is also a little cheaper.

[that1guy]

Originally Posted by brittanykayy

Murrieta. It's prettier, more natural, and has a more "small town feel". Temecula is only 3 minutes from Murrieta anyway. murrieta is also a little cheaper.

It's exactly the same. Hell, the same housing developers can be found in both towns. They have the same demographics, and same climate. It's really hard to be completely different in roughly the same geographic location with the same demographics...

[AddieJane]

Originally Posted by marshallnoise

Hey all, I am new to the forum but have been lurking for a while.

My wife and I are going to be moving from Vista, CA to either Temecula or Murietta. We feel that for our price range, the 78 corridor is over priced and generally offers piece of crap homes. We are in the introductory $220K range and all we have around us is either Condos or 1960s tear downs.

Temecula and Murietta (Temecula in particular) offers a nice option to us. We both work in Carlsbad but feel that the commute would be long, yet worth it. We don't want a problem home or one that needs tons of work to make decent. We don't want crappy neighbors bumping polka until all hours of the night. So Temecula is it for us.

We just got back from a drive up there this evening (Friday) and didn't notice horrible traffic. I would be interested in knowing what kind of traffic people are talking about? I understand that the 79S is a nightmare and that was pretty obvious but seemed related to the Casino.

Anyone have anything to offer?

I am so confused about the traffic comments. What traffic???!! I guess if you are coming from a rural town with population of 50, then this would be traffic, but I've never encountered real traffic in Temecula. I could get from S 79 to Harveston in 15 minutes during rush hour. That's not traffic...

[AddieJane]

Originally Posted by brittanykayy

Murrieta. It's prettier, more natural, and has a more "small town feel". Temecula is only 3 minutes from Murrieta anyway. murrieta is also a little cheaper.

I disagree. Temecula's wineries are unrivaled by Murrietas brown hills. It's much prettier in Temecula. Though I agree, this argument is silly. It's basically the same town. It's like comparing San Clemente to Capistrano Beach...