Pauma Valley (San Diego, Escondido, Ramona: real estate, houses, living in)

[diver110]

I am originally from San Diego and plan to retire there. Of course, real estate is much more expensive than where I live in Baltimore. It so happens that Pauma Valley is near something I want to be near, though it is in the middle of nowhere by southern CA standards. As a consequence, housing is cheaper. Any words of wisdom?

[hkbruin]

What is your budget? What exactly is it that you want to be near? Be aware that as long as you have a vehicle in SD, everything is within shouting distance, some moreso than others.

[diver110]

Well, using a reverse mortgage, I could go up to $500,000, but of course would like to spend less. Pauma Valley seems to be a chunk cheaper than Valley Center, which is in turn cheaper than Escondido. I would have to do more driving from Pauma Valley for shopping, etc., but as long as it is safe, I don't mind.

[Jehjeh]

Keep in mind areas like Pauma Valley are more at risk from brush fires. That may be another reason housing is cheaper there.

[RosieSD]

We live in Jamul, which is somewhat similar in terms of being, in most people's minds at least, the boonies. We've lived here for almost 30 years, and love having acreage, quiet and privacy. But, my husband and I have started to realize that as we get older, it may get more difficult to drive on winding two lane roads to get to medical appointments, shopping, and even to spend an evening out. We have seen both sets of our parents get into their late 70s/early 80s and have to give up their cars but they lived close enough to shopping, medical, etc. that they could easily arrange transportation after they had to give up driving. It would be harder to do so living in "the boonies." So, we are pretty sure that at some point we'll want/need to move closer into town as we get older.

This doesn't mean you shouldn't consider Pauma Valley for your initial retirement location -- It's a beautiful area. But, do consider what your plan will be should you get to the point where you aren't able to drive yourself from Pauma Valley to say Escondido for medical/shopping/entertainment. (Although Valley Center has built up considerably in recent years, so you probably won't need to go quite that far like you used to).

[NYSD1995]

Pauma Valley is primarily Luiseno tribal land it may be culturally not what you expected. The reason it's cheap is because there are no services and what services there are, are controlled by tribal concerns and geared towards tribal needs. I'm not going to go into that but you need to understand it and do your own research. The market of for-sale homes is small and much of the non-tribal land is the remnants of traditional large horse and cattle ranchos that are slowly shrinking due to the drier climate. Access to water is a big deal as many homes are on wells and rely on drainage from Palomar Mountain and San Luis Rey river. A home with a bad well could be worth a fraction of a lesser home with a good well.

If you are looking for typical exurban large lot homes, Valley Center, Ramona, Jamul is where you should be looking. Those are essentially suburban areas with typical services and municipal infrastructure. Beyond those areas you need to know what you are doing. You don't just move to a southwestern ranch from the northeast without investing serious effort into developing a new set of life skills. Rural western land is a lot different than rural northeastern land. You need to understand where water comes from, who owns it. You need to know about fire protection and who controls it. It's much more complex and primitive than someplace like rural PA which is basically just undeveloped farmland that has been worked for a long time.

[diver110]

Very helpful responses. Many thanks. Sassberto's response may explain why some Pauma Valley houses have been on the market for a long time. Rosie's point is also a good one. I am hoping I will be able to drive for a long time, but who knows? Sounds like I should stick to Valley Center or Escondido.