Semi Rural San Diego Area Affordability?

[malcorub16]

Originally Posted by RosieSD

First, as a former horse owner myself, I'm sure you've already thought of this, but it still wouldn't hurt to mention: if you're bringing horses with you, be sure to investigate the costs of feed, shoeing and vet care here. They may be more expensive than you're currently paying in New Mexico.

Second, would your wife consider boarding the ponies on an equestrian ranch? That would free you to look at homes in a wider range of areas, closer to your job. For the least expensive boarding options, consider any of the areas I've mentioned below; all of them have boarding options, but there are also boarding options in more suburban parts of San Diego County. So, again, if your wife is open to a boarding facility, you might find more options for homes closer to your work.

However, it sounds like you want a horse property where you can keep the horses with you. So, here are the areas I'd recommend for less expensive horse properties.

Ramona would be a good starting point for your search. One thing to know about Ramona is that there is only one main route to where you'll be working from Ramona; it is NOT a freeway, and it can be a bit of a bottleneck in rush hour. Still, depending o where in Ramona you're located, it will probably take you less time than getting from any of the other rural areas -- just be aware that Ramona is very spread out so the drive distance can vary enormously and still be considered Ramona.

There are some areas of Poway that have older horse properties, so that might also be worth looking into. They're not as common as they used to be, but you may get lucky.

You might also look in the Lakeside area. There are horse properties off of route 67 (look for Eucalyptus Hill on the map, then look just east of there), which you can take up and over through Poway to get to your office. Lakeside has a fairly active horse community (and rodeo), so may be a good option for a horse business.

I live in Jamul, and we love it here. We don't have horses currently, but have had them in the past (we have just under 4 acres), and we can be in downtown San Diego in 30 minutes (non-rush hour). Jamul, however, is farther south than Lakeside, so it would take me about 45 minutes from my house to Poway, so it may not be an ideal commute, especially as less expensive properties will be located farther out than where I am located.

There are some areas in El Cajon, Dehesa, and Alpine that might work. You'll need to be careful here, as traffic on the 8 and 15 to where you'll be working might also be a longer commute. Alpine will be the farthest. From parts of Alpine to Poway will take you close to an hour without any traffic. But, again, these are spread out areas, so there may be pockets that will have shorter commutes, or alternate commuting routes.

Going North, Valley Center, Fallbrook, Bonsall and some of the more rural areas of Escondido have horse properties, but the drive south on 1-15 may not be ideal rush hour traffic.

That said, you should figure on a MINIMUM budget of $500,000-$600,000 for a property with older (small) home with enough land for horses in San Diego County -- but properties in that range are going to be few and far between, and mostly in areas that are in more outlying areas. With outlying areas, you'll also have to consider what the market for your wives services will be. If you need or want more house AND a horse property, or want a shorter commute, you'll likely need to pay more, probably much more.

Good luck with your home search!

This is what you need to read, Rosie knows her stuff. Why waste my time.

I will say this, I always get a kick out of the Beamers and Mercedes with license plate frames that read "Scripps Ranch - Country Living."

I shake my head and think to myself, there is nothing country about Scripps Ranch...at least not in 2015.

[LagunaMom]

The air quality in Alpine can be horrid.