RSF/Olivenhain area--general info and real estate mkt

[tb001]

Originally Posted by tstieber

Ex-Bay Arean here too! Although we keep a condo there. What city are you currently in? Just curious. Also, it would help ID areas for you here that might be the most similar in terms of vibe and schools.

In your price range, I also like Fairbanks Ranch within RSF, as it's gated and has huge custom homes on large lots in a lush, wooded setting. There's also a public elementary school within the community that's highly ranked. You would be rather close to daily amenities and ten minutes to the beach. Homes are a little older, but many have been redone.

I'm also thinking of a few other choice spots between Del Mar and Del Sur that would be great. PM me if you'd like more ideas!

Ah, thanks for the Fairbanks Ranch suggestion! I'd looked at that area but was having trouble figuring out if the feel was similar to SantaLuz. From your description, it sounds like we might like that area as well.

We're located in the east bay in Lafayette currently and really love the community feel and easy access to restaurants and shopping. It's nice to live in a place that feels like it's own town, if that makes any sense. And I love being able to see tons of wildlife on a day to day basis (though could do without all of our recent mountain lion sightings...)

[tstieber]

I had a feeling you might be from my neck of the woods based on the lot sizes, great schools, Etc. I grew up in Walnut Creek in the Northgate area and also lived in Lafayette for five years as a kid. Really great community! I understand how nice it is to have that feeling of being in a small City that has its own identity. My husband and I are often making comparisons between different communities within San Diego and the Bay Area because of different things that remind us of them.

Because the city of San Diego makes up such a huge part of the Metro area's population, we don't have as many of the smaller individual cities in the way the Bay Area does, but north county is definitely the place to be. I understand exactly what you did not like about Poway, as I live just south of there in Scripps Ranch, which I really love. I do like the setting and small City atmosphere in Poway, but the infrastructure is just so Bland.

Fairbanks Ranch really has an extremely different feel than Santa Luz, in fact, friends of ours that just moved into Fairbanks Ranch said they don't like the master planned, sparsely vegetated feel of Santa Luz, which was a main reason they moved to Fairbanks Ranch. The housing styles are much more varied and not his so uniform as they are at Santa Luz, and combined with the mature landscaping and trees, will remind you more of Lamorinda, Danville, or Alamo, only gated.

There are a couple of other gated communities completing or beginning construction that would offer luxury homes in your price range that I think you might really like the quality of. They also happen to have the Spanish Mediterranean architectural style that you (and I) love. The only downside is Nifty would be adjacent to some pretty madly built-out suburban sprawl and wouldn't give you that small City atmosphere you are looking at, even if the individual neighborhoods are quite nice. Just a thought. Let me know if interested, and I'll p.m. you more substantial info about them.

I think you and your family will really like living in San Diego. It seems to be a good fit for many of us from CoCoCo, as I find The Vibes much more similar to each other than, say, Los Angeles.

Anyway, let me know if I can get you more info on some of that stuff.

Originally Posted by tb001

Ah, thanks for the Fairbanks Ranch suggestion! I'd looked at that area but was having trouble figuring out if the feel was similar to SantaLuz. From your description, it sounds like we might like that area as well.

We're located in the east bay in Lafayette currently and really love the community feel and easy access to restaurants and shopping. It's nice to live in a place that feels like it's own town, if that makes any sense. And I love being able to see tons of wildlife on a day to day basis (though could do without all of our recent mountain lion sightings...)

[JakeDog]

Olivenhain has some areas that have nice cul-da-sacs where kids play, neighborhood feel but large lots.
Oilvenhain feels more down to earth to me and closer to amenities (parks, shops) unless you are looking at the more remote locations. Down to earth- probably because there is slightly more wealth diversity b/c the homes are not as expensive as RSF. IN Olivenain you can get a nice spot under $2million while that doesn't even get you in the door in RSF. So while not super diverse, you will get doctors, lawyers, middle management types in Olivehnain whereas RSF is generally more CEO, celebrities, trust fund/inherited wealth. I love the look of RSF, but it is a bit too much of a closed gate/mansion feel that IMO isn't as kid friendly. I'd also imagine, perhaps wrongly, that there are some uber-wealthy lifestyles that are hard to relate to for some kids even if you are making close to 7 figures.

[oddstray]

If restrictive HOAs are not for you, look carefully at RSF and Fairbanks Ranch before you decide to move there. I don't live there but I'm guessing their HOAs are as restrictive as it comes.