Buying a House Under $400k? (San Diego, Chula Vista: apartments, rent, HOA)

[Kendra85]

Hi all,

My husband and I currently rent in North Park (near the South Park border) and love it. However, I am tired of paying someone else's mortgage AND of walking my dogs all day and not having a yard (or getting the brunt of neighbor complaints about barking dogs when my dogs are not the only dogs on the block with vocal cords).

My husband and I have started the process of applying for a mortgage and buying a home. The issue is, we are not independently wealthy and do not have parents that have a heaping load of money to just give us for a down payment, which makes buying in San Diego difficult. We have determined we can comfortably afford a mortgage of about $350-400k.

The areas I'd love to live in (Ocean Beach, North Park, South Park, Golden Hill, Talmadge, Kensington, Normal Heights) are untouchable for our price range. Yes, there are condos, but I do not want to pay an HOA and really, condos in San Diego are essentially expensive apartments (also, I have more than 2 dogs and most HOAs don't take kindly to that).

My husband and I started looking in the City Heights (around Teralta East and Van Dyke) area and Mountain View/Barrio Logan/Grant Hill area. My concern is that there are VERY diverse opinions about whether or not those areas are safe. Opinions also run the gamut of whether or not those neighborhoods are really "up and coming."

My biggest concerns are (1) I want my dogs to be safe if they are left at home while we are at work and (2) I can walk at night without fear of bodily harm. I get that in any urban area there will be crime - even North Park still has drug deals going on and muggings and such. I just would prefer the crime around my home to be of the petty variety :-)

Any opinions or insight are greatly appreciated!

[moved]

City Heights, Mountain View/Barrio Logan/Grant Hill, are pretty much the only areas that you can buy a house for what you can afford, but you might want to also check out National City.

I lived in Shelltown/Barrio Logan for three years, and didn't have any problems.

[NYSD1995]

The areas you are considering have deeply entrenched multi-generational crime, poverty and education attainment problems that will never go away. Be very, very careful considering Teralta or Mountain View in particular, there is a toxic combination of illegal dumping, low-income apartments, gangs, homeless and drug crime pervasive in those areas. You might not have any problems but I woundn't invest in those areas even with someone else's money. The idea that they are up-and-coming is wishful thinking.

You might try to look at Rolando, Rolando Park, La Mesa, those areas are just a bit over your price range but are the ones transitioning fast to higher income urban areas right now. Alternatively, there are affordable areas in South Bay that are quiet and safe, just east of 805 in older parts of Chula Vista.

[1AngryTaxPayer]

After looking at Zillow anything in the 300 range is either a dump or in a scary area or both.

[T. Damon]

I would add Fairmont Park/Azalea Park to your search-better than most any other area in City Heights proper. We had some good friends who lived up the street from us in South Park and they bought there a few years ago after also finding themselves prices out of this area and have had a great experience with the neighbors/neighborhood. Also, you are right up the hill from Chiquita’s Mexican restaurant

Most properties there have edged beyond $400k to the solidly $500k range but there are still a few bargains to be had if you are lucky.

[moved]

Take a look on here, and you might to consider Lemon Grove, too.

www.zillow.com
www.trulia.com

[TacoSoup]

Can’t comment on this house but I know the street, my wife and I put an offer in on the next street over. I would rather be in Redwood Village over City Heights any day of the week, not to mention 92115 is much more desirable than 92105 from a investment/re-sale point of view. There’s still houses to be found <$400K in decent areas of 92115. I honestly would stay away from most other areas of the City of San Diego in that price range. I would also extend your search to certain neighborhoods of El Cajon, don’t let the reputation scare you away. I’ve been here since 1982 and had no idea how nice some areas are in the county that I would never of gave a second thought to six months ago. Good luck and don’t get discouraged you’ll find something, it just takes a lot of patience and a very knowledable and honest realtor.


https://www.redfin.com/CA/San-Diego/...m_content=link

[USDefault]

If the only options are (a) continue renting, or (b) spend close to $400k on a dump in City Heights or Barrio Logan, the choice is very easy: welcome to lifelong renting.

You'd be much, much better off bumping the budget $50k to $100k and looking in places like La Mesa or Eastlake, and consider townhomes. The prior Lemon Grove recommendation also makes sense, or maybe a fixer in Mira Mesa. These neighborhoods are orders of magnitude better than the ones you are considering.

Finally, if you are young and just starting out, and/or want to start a family, consider moving to a low cost-of-living state. You could buy a home for half of what you will spend in San Diego, pay it off quickly, put money away hand-over-fist for early retirement, future kids, or anything else you want to do. You'll be in a much, much stronger position financially versus slaving away for 30 years on a mortgage. San Diego will be here. And this sounds much better than slaving away for two decades so you can eek out a spot in Teralta or Mountain View.

[supercad55]

I second the azalea park/ Fairmont area right across from south park. Home prices look to be on the rise about 480 to 600k. Also oak park/ Webster Lemon Grove and North encanto. The Grant Hill area just had a 3bd 2ba house on a small slope everything remodel for 419k. It was next to a school and pizza hut, walkable but pretty sure some traffic noise. Golden Hill a short walk away same with south park next door. National city gets a bad rep but it's still pretty central and affordable. Bigger homes, more space, and the south park/ gh/ north park is a short drive away. North park has just as much crime as any area in San Diego, and walking in any neighborhood in America at night can be a risk.

[shmoov_groovzsd]

Some really good feedback you got here!

This isnt meant to scare you, but we sold our 1k sq ft home in Lemon Grove for nearly a half million in 48 hours and a dozen offers.

I can tell you that I was a little more than surprised at the number of showings I had from folks priced out of the areas you mentioned. It appeared that may have been looking longer than you guys have been so there may be some wisdom to take from that if they decided to "move on" from what they thought they were compromising on, which was ultimately to buy in PB, North Park etc.

My suggestion is that if you REALLY want to buy right now and stay inside your financial comfort zone, maybe consider adding a few more miles east in your search and evaluate what you really get for your money and if the additional mileage will kill your commute. I reckon a decent agent would advise that.
As many of the regulat city-data posters know, we never though we would live in Lemon Grove, but it turned out pretty ok for seven years, which was about when we ready to leave. I cant imagine life would have been "that much" more improved in SD proper, for the same price range we were looking and amount of time we wanted to live there.
It all comes down to goals. At this price range, it advisable to think a bit more strategically about what your next step looks like or if this is your forever home.

I wish you the best as it seems the price range is very hot