affordable?

[blondmom]

4s ranch is a fantastic area, and new roads have recently opened making it very accessible to the coast. the new schools are opening, and home prices seem to be dropping from the highs of a couple of years ago.

if i were moving here with a family, it is the 1st place i would look if my budget is under a million.

you may want to rent for a bit, to check out the area before making a comittment

[inara9]

Yes. It is expensive. 700K should get you into a nice 3 bdrm in a good school district (the best are Poway, Carlsbad and Encinitas, pretty far from San Diego downtown).

Here is my list of pro's and con's, very subjective obviously..

Cons: We've found it isn't just the housing that is expensive. Pretty much everything is: property taxes (thanks Prop 13!) food, gas, utilities--we barely use gas and heat and our bill for 2K sf is always over $200. Conservative city and out lying areas, traffic is horrible (even by NY and DC standards), lack of diversity...


Pros: It is really beautiful, the weather is perfect and there are lots of great things for the kids: Legoland, Seaworld, Zoo/Animal Park, beaches, etc etc etc., casual culture.

[CrissCT]

Originally Posted by inara9

Yes. It is expensive. 700K should get you into a nice 3 bdrm in a good school district (the best are Poway, Carlsbad and Encinitas, pretty far from San Diego downtown).

Here is my list of pro's and con's, very subjective obviously..

Cons: We've found it isn't just the housing that is expensive. Pretty much everything is: property taxes (thanks Prop 13!) food, gas, utilities--we barely use gas and heat and our bill for 2K sf is always over $200. Conservative city and out lying areas, traffic is horrible (even by NY and DC standards), lack of diversity...


Pros: It is really beautiful, the weather is perfect and there are lots of great things for the kids: Legoland, Seaworld, Zoo/Animal Park, beaches, etc etc etc., casual culture.

While I agree on your point that everything here is expensive - I'll add vet. expenses if you have a pet. I disagree on the utilities aspect. We have a 3k sf house and our bill is only around $100 a month. I've heard other people complain though and I just wonder if they are leaving lights on in the house all day or something or if they have a pool -those things use a lot of electricity. I think that is super cheap - my family lives in upstate NY and they can pay upwards of $400 per month on BALANCED billing and they don't have A/C and their houses are much smaller.

I also disagree on the traffic and diversity factor. My spouse's commute to work here is shorter than when we lived in Cleveland (about 20 minutes). And as for diversity, my kids have Muslim, Jewish and Christian friends and our neighbors are from all over the globe. It probably just depends what neighborhood you live in I guess.

[kelhuck]

CrissCT, Blondmom (or anyone else): Sounds like you might have the answers I am looking for. We are contemplating a job transfer, and are looking at renting a house in 4S Ranch. It would probably be around 2500 sq ft, about $3500/ month and we have 3 kids. For budget purposes, can you give me an estimate on what to expect on the following:
Electric: $100+? according to prev posts
//Gas:
//Water:
//Cell Phones:
//Cox Cable/Internet/Phone bundle: (We might keep our vonage, though)
//Gardener: (We would be responsible for this, according to the listings we like......)
//Sewer:
//Trash:
//Rent Insurance:

I know that there are many different factors that will affect the prices above, but if we had a starting point, it would be extemely helpful!! Thanks for any input......

[f_m]

You should probably be aware of possible Mello-Roos taxes and/or HOA that you would have to consider in certain neighborhoods.

[kelhuck]

Thanks, f_m. Actually, I already know what the HOA dues are, since they shown in the listings. I also see what the Mello Roos are, except I *assumed* they would be paid by the home owner........ I hope so, anyway!!! I guess that's something I'll have to find out when we talk to the realtor.