Planning a move to rural San Diego County (Riverside, Escondido: sales, real estate)

[Nona1104]

Hi all,
My family and I are planning to move to San Diego County around June and I am looking for some advice on;

Rural towns with less than an hour commute to the city/beach, we will be renting at first but plan to buy later on and hope to have a garden, horses, etc. I currently have 2 dogs and 3 cats.

Would like to have decent schools, public or charter.

Some amenities in town like Wal Mart and a couple of good restaurants, basics.

Less expensive, 2,500 for rent 350,000 for purchase. We need at least a 3 bedroom 2 bath.

Would also love some decent weather, we get up to 110 in the summer here and I can't deal anymore. I would say a high of 90 in the worst part of summer would be pleasant.

I have been researching Jamul, Ramona, La Mesa, but would just like a little more advice from those who would know more. I am also worried about crime, would like to live somewhere safe.

I am finishing up a master's degree and plan on getting my secondary teaching license soon. My significant other plans to go to school for computers. We have two children. We are under 30.

Any positive advice or constructive criticism is appreciated. Thanks in advance!

[oddstray]

Most of rural San Diego County is inland. These areas will all be at least sometimes higher than 90 in summer.

All the town you mentioned will accommodate horses (I think - only maybe for La Mesa). You might also look at Bonita, and some parts of Poway.

Teaching jobs are generally difficult to come by, in San Diego County.

[LuvSouthOC]

Try Perris, CA.

[armourereric]

Alpine, Descanso, Pine Valley, Boulevard (I already live there)

[Nona1104]

Thank you for the suggestions, I will start looking into these places. I used to live in Perris, that's quite a way from San Diego County. I am originally from Lennox, and lived in Riverside county until 2001 when we moved to NM, so I have some ideas outside of San Diego county, but like to no more about San Diego county.

More suggestions are welcome!

[USDefault]

Originally Posted by Nona1104

Would also love some decent weather, we get up to 110 in the summer here and I can't deal anymore. I would say a high of 90 in the worst part of summer would be pleasant.

Inland San Diego won't be humid, but in the summer it will be hot. Some like it, some don't. You've been given some good areas, also check out east El Cajon, some nice properties. But be prepared for the 90s and lots of AC in the summer, and 100+ isn't out of the question from August to early October. San Diego inland areas had very hot temps last month. Also, wildfire is a true concern anywhere rural in San Diego. Rural areas burned in 2003, 2007, and just a few months ago, and billions of dollars in homes went up in smoke. I think the tally from the 2007 fires was over $1 billion. In the 2003 Cedar fire, just under 4,000 homes were burnt to a crisp, and you could see Southern California burning from space (search for the images). If you are in areas like Ramona, El Cajon, Julian, Jamul, wildfire will be a concern and you will have to undertake remedial measures to limit the possibility of wildfire damage. Don't underestimate southern California wildfire danger, and the impact the CA drought is having on everything. I was up in Fallbrook three months ago, it was shocking how all the vegetation was dead, you could have started a raging fire simply by taking a match to some of the dead scrub brush.

Concerning good schools, that's going to be tougher, because the top-tier public schools are, not surprisingly, in the pricier areas of San Diego, and these generally are closer to the coast in North County and not too far inland (Poway, Scripps Ranch, Carlsbad, Encinitas, La Jolla, Del Mar and the remainder of this corridor, you could also look a bit further north). A single family home in these places is generally going to be over ~$600k, and the closer you are to the water or to the best schools, the prices quickly shoot into seven figures.

Personally, I don't see the point of rural living in Southern California. If you are going to be paying high California taxes (highest-in-the-nation income tax and gas tax, one of the highest sales tax rates in the country), and then pay high San Diego real estate prices, the only reason to pay it is to be on or very near the water. If not, don't bother. For the amount of money you'll pay for a rural San Diego home, along with the high CA tax drain on your wallet, you could have a beautiful estate property in many other areas of the country for a fraction of the cost, and markedly lower taxes on your income, purchases, energy, and likely property taxes (due to much lower cost basis).

[Nona1104]

What about Escondido or other parts of North County?

[oddstray]

The central part of Escondido won't accommodate horses, but the edges probably would (and are nicer than the center, generally). Also, Valley Center. Both of those will have hot summer weather. I have no idea about what sorts of rents you'd find there.

[sdurbanite]

Originally Posted by armourereric

Alpine, Descanso, Pine Valley, Boulevard (I already live there)

There's also Bonsall, Fallbrook, Ramona, Rainbow, Valley Center. Note that all of these areas mentioned have average highs in the 90's during summer.

[bigdaddy5]

Rural inland = hot. And you'll have a long drive to the freeway.