Taking a scouting trip to SD in 10 days. I've done the research, but looking for a sanity check (San Diego: for sale, HOA)

[BilboTBagginz]

Originally Posted by Sassberto

In your price range would focus on condos in better areas, closer to the beach or in a village setting vs an SFH. You could get into downtown, north county coastal for that range. I think you are going to be really disappointed in what a 650k SFH is going to be like in Oceanside, vista or university city, both neighborhood, type of neighbors and the home itself.

See my previous posts about why we require a SFH.

[pacific2]

Originally Posted by BilboTBagginz

OC is an option, thanks for the suggestion.

The problem with condos and townhomes is that most if not all of them will not allow an Akita. We we're lucky in the bay area because the home owner was renting the house themselves and not a part of a company that owned several rentals as a business That and she is a dog lover. So, I haven't been including condos in my search because the reality is I won't be able to buy one while my Akita is still with us.

Actually, I don't think that particular one has any breed restrictions. I've been there to visit friends and there were always dogs of every description being walked. It's dog friendly.

I'd suggest that you find out the name of the property management company and call them regarding the dog policy if you are interested, because a large updated townhouse like that with a backyard may not last long.

Also, I suspect, but don't know, that breed restrictions are uncommon for Aliso Viejo condos/townhouses since there are plenty of dog enthusiasts here, and most of the owner housing is of the condo/townhouse variety, with relatively few SFRs.

[RosieSD]

Originally Posted by pacific2

Go inland a bit more in South OC and you'll find a few houses in Rancho Santa Margarita for $650K:

https://www.redfin.com/city/15422/CA...max-price=650k

Originally Posted by LaJollaEast

Since you and your wife work remotely I would suggests looking for a sfh in the Otay Ranch area which is east of Chula Vista. Here is one that is new construction and within your budget.

https://www.redfin.com/CA/Chula-Vist...home/167956053

Interesting. Two homes in similar communities 94 miles apart. $599K in one gets you a 1000 square foot 3 bedroom home on a 3500 square foot lot built in 1988. $579,000 in another gets you a 2300 square foot 5 bedroom home on a 4000 square foot lot built in 2019. Both look nice, but very interesting to see the differences.

Just for fun, let's see what that price range - $579 - $600K might get you in a few other communities in San Diego County (I just picked a few listings at random -- there are many others):

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/4...16601615_zpid/

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1...17055503_zpid/

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/5...17197754_zpid/

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1...16638860_zpid/

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1...16798010_zpid/

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/3...17147728_zpid/

And for even more fun, let's throw in one in Temecula: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/4...61303267_zpid/

Guess this points out why having a good realtor is so important.

[pacific2]

Originally Posted by RosieSD

Interesting. Two homes in similar communities 94 miles apart. $599K in one gets you a 1000 square foot 3 bedroom home on a 3500 square foot lot built in 1988. $579,000 in another gets you a 2300 square foot 5 bedroom home on a 4000 square foot lot built in 2019. Both look nice, but very interesting to see the differences.

Just for fun, let's see what that price range - $579 - $600K might get you in a few other communities in San Diego County (I just picked a few listings at random -- there are many others):

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/4...16601615_zpid/

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1...17055503_zpid/

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/5...17197754_zpid/

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1...16638860_zpid/

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1...16798010_zpid/

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/3...17147728_zpid/

And for even more fun, let's throw in one in Temecula: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/4...61303267_zpid/

Guess this points out why having a good realtor is so important.

It's amazing that the differences are so huge, especially when the Temecula home is considered.

[expatCA]

Originally Posted by RosieSD

Interesting. Two homes in similar communities 94 miles apart. $599K in one gets you a 1000 square foot 3 bedroom home on a 3500 square foot lot built in 1988. $579,000 in another gets you a 2300 square foot 5 bedroom home on a 4000 square foot lot built in 2019. Both look nice, but very interesting to see the differences.

Just for fun, let's see what that price range - $579 - $600K might get you in a few other communities in San Diego County (I just picked a few listings at random -- there are many others):

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/4...16601615_zpid/

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1...17055503_zpid/

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/5...17197754_zpid/

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1...16638860_zpid/

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1...16798010_zpid/

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/3...17147728_zpid/

And for even more fun, let's throw in one in Temecula: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/4...61303267_zpid/

Guess this points out why having a good realtor is so important.

Hi Rosie,


If I were ever to consider moving back to SD, I would ask you for such help. You always do a good job.

[BilboTBagginz]

Originally Posted by pacific2

Actually, I don't think that particular one has any breed restrictions. I've been there to visit friends and there were always dogs of every description being walked. It's dog friendly.

I'd suggest that you find out the name of the property management company and call them regarding the dog policy if you are interested, because a large updated townhouse like that with a backyard may not last long.

Also, I suspect, but don't know, that breed restrictions are uncommon for Aliso Viejo condos/townhouses since there are plenty of dog enthusiasts here, and most of the owner housing is of the condo/townhouse variety, with relatively few SFRs.

Interesting about the potential lack of breed restrictions. I'll do some digging. As far as calling about that property, I hopefully didn't forget to spell out that this move is happening up to a year from now. This trip, and a longer trip closer to move time is to do some recon on the different areas.

Originally Posted by RosieSD

Interesting. Two homes in similar communities 94 miles apart. $599K in one gets you a 1000 square foot 3 bedroom home on a 3500 square foot lot built in 1988. $579,000 in another gets you a 2300 square foot 5 bedroom home on a 4000 square foot lot built in 2019. Both look nice, but very interesting to see the differences.

Just for fun, let's see what that price range - $579 - $600K might get you in a few other communities in San Diego County (I just picked a few listings at random -- there are many others):

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/4...16601615_zpid/

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1...17055503_zpid/

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/5...17197754_zpid/

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1...16638860_zpid/

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1...16798010_zpid/

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/3...17147728_zpid/

And for even more fun, let's throw in one in Temecula: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/4...61303267_zpid/

Guess this points out why having a good realtor is so important.

Yeah no doubt! I've been using redfin with a few customized searches and I've noticed the drastic difference in some areas.


Thanks everyone for your help. I'm currently I'm Vegas on my phone, but when I get back to the hotel room tonight I'm gonna take a look at the links everyone has provided and respond with my feedback/questions.

[BilboTBagginz]

Originally Posted by expatCA

Be careful of new build communities as the HOA will be low as the developer pays for what is needed until the majority own the development, then the HOA goes up. The developer keeps it low to appeal to buyers. The Mello Roos will not be listed but they are in effect a 2nd property tax for years.

Oh really? Damn I didn't realize the HOA fees could swing like that. That's good Intel.

I've been educating myself on Mello Roos so I know to factor that into the asking price Also, who owns the solar panels.

EDIT:damn autocorrect

[pacific2]

Originally Posted by expatCA

Be careful of new build communities as the HOA will be low as the developer pays for what is needed until the majority own the development, then the HOA goes up. The developer keeps it low to appeal to buyers. The Mello Roos will not be listed but they are in effect a 2nd property tax for years.

Actually, that's not always the case. Mello-Roos was eliminated for most of Aliso Viejo, but the city did not make any huge increases in HOA fees. They have always been very small at less than $500 a year.

[RosieSD]

Originally Posted by BilboTBagginz

Oh really? Damn I didn't realize the HOA fees could swing like that. That's good Intel.

I've been educating myself on Mello Rooms so I know to factor that into the asking price Also, who owns the solar panels.

A few other sites that may be useful:

The county of San Diego maintains an updated list of all areas in the county with active Mello Roos assessments at this site - it's a good quick and dirty way to get an idea of which parts of the county have active Mello Roos assessments and special bond assessments:

https://www.sandiegocounty.gov/conte...or/pdf/cfd.pdf

Once you start working with a realtor, they should be able to give you the information needed about a specific property to to plug into the county's site at the link below to get the actual assessment amount and its particulars such as the assessment's date of expiration: https://arcc.sdcounty.ca.gov/Pages/M...formation.aspx

In addition to Redfin, you might also find this site helpful in getting an overall sense of the real estate market in specific areas of the county. In particular, I find the "daily changes" link for specific areas useful in understanding how home sales in that area are moving day to day (or week to week), as that's not info that sites like Redfin and Zillow really cover day to day: https://www.sdlookup.com/

The site http://www.bubbleinfo.com/ may also be helpful if you are focusing mainly on buying in the North County. It's a realtor's blog, but he provides a lot of good information about real estate in San Diego County, again focused mainly on North County homes.

Finally, it sounds like you wont need this for your kids, but since school districts can play a role in home resale values, here is a link to the map showing all of the school districts in the county -- it's a good general reference for anyone home shopping in San Diego county. I know Redfin and other RE sites list districts for homes, but it is good to just understand how the district boundaries work overall as you plan your home search as the districts here don't always align with city names.

https://www.sdcoe.net/about-sdcoe/Pa...Districts.aspx

[BilboTBagginz]

Originally Posted by Sassberto

I think you are going to be really disappointed in what a 650k SFH is going to be like in Oceanside, vista or university city, both neighborhood, type of neighbors and the home itself.

I'm genuinely curious as to what you're thoughts are here. PM them if you don't want to share publicly. I'm just trying to maximize my short time there and if I know ahead of time if there's an area I should put lower on the priority list, I'd like to do that.

Thanks