Chips Vista? (San Diego, Chula Vista, La Mesa: real estate, rentals, condo)

[ktran350]

Hello, well my little family and I will be moving to a Chula Vista for work in a few months and wanted to know if anyone can help point us in the right direction? Looking for an area in or around Chula Visa to live that is close to pre schools. We will be renting so we are looking at 2-3 bedrooms and 2 Bath houses. Budget is around 2300-2400 a month. I have no problem commuting to work as long as it's reasonable. Any ideas?

[Native Transplant]

Selling kettle chips?

[ktran350]

Nope

[hkbruin]

What sort of area do you like? Have you been to SD before?

[RosieSD]

The more upscale and newer area of Chula Vista will be east of the 805 freeway; this area is usually called Otay Ranch and/or East Lake, even though it is part of Chula Vista. The Bonita area (not part of Chula Vista technically but entertwined in many ways) is also nice.

West of the 805, you'll find mainly 1960s-1970s era tract homes, with some areas nicer than others. The further south you go in Chula Vista, the rougher it gets around the edges.

But, obviously, you need to get boots on the ground here to see which areas appeal to you most and what homes in your budget are like. I'm assuming that the employer you're relocating with can also give you some first-hand advice about where to look and possibly put you in touch with a real estate agent who can guide you.

There are plenty of daycare and preschool options in Chula Vista, so I wouldn't let that drive your decision.

Good luck with your move!

[Cardiff Kook]

Lol @ "Chips" Vista

[ktran350]

@hkbruin- No, I never been to SD.

@RosieSD- Thank you so much. This is exactly what I was looking for. We are trying to find the vicinity of the "newer" and "up scale" areas of Chula Vista. I've been doing some searches and found a lot of older homes west of 805 but will concentrate on the Eastside of 805 and will avoid anything too far south.

I found some nice places for reasonable prices around sweet water reservoir.

[RosieSD]

Originally Posted by ktran350

@hkbruin-

I found some nice places for reasonable prices around sweet water reservoir.

That area will likely include Spring Valley and Paradise Valley. You'll want to try to stay south of the 54 there if possible (that will be the Bonita area). The area of Spring Valley closest to the reservoir has nicer pockets the closer you get towards I-94, but there are also some pockets in there that are not the best, so use your judgement when looking at the neighborhoods. If you see a lot of bars on windows and closed or sketchy shopping areas, be more cautious.

If you don't mind a little farther commute, you might also check out the Rancho San Diego and La Mesa (in particular, the area of La Mesa between 94 and 8). These are very nice areas with good schools, and it would not be a bad commute down the 94 to 125 and then to 54 into Chula Vista (depending on where your office is). You should be able to find something in these areas in your price range.

Again, just be aware that there are some rougher areas in Spring Valley and Paradise Valley -- not necessarily horrible areas, but some areas better than others. Feel free to PM me if you have questions about specific areas (I live in Jamul, which is close by La Mesa/Rancho San Diego and used to live in eastern Chula Vista, so may be able to give you some general feedback if you have specific areas you're checking out).

Welcome to San Diego County!

[hkbruin]

Chula Vista is considered an older, less desirable part of SD county. There are plenty of nearby locales that have great affordable options w/ more upscale rentals.

[Bakeneko]

Originally Posted by hkbruin

Chula Vista is considered an older, less desirable part of SD county. There are plenty of nearby locales that have great affordable options w/ more upscale rentals.

East and West (of the 805) Chula Vista are like two different cities, IMO. I'd agree with previous posters that you should look in Eastlake or Otay Ranch area of CV. 91914 and 91915 zip codes. I'm not sure that you will be able to get a 3 bedroom detached house for that budget though. I have a 2 bedroom condo in that area that I rent out for $2200/month

I can't speak to preschool in the area. However, depending on your child's age/birthdate - they may qualify for transitional kindergarten