Starter home for young family (suggestions) (San Diego, Oceanside: for sale, to rent, condos)

[dtg_]

Hi,

My wife and I (+ 3 young kids) are looking at moving to the San Diego area without much knowledge of the area besides downtown. We are coming from the Chicago suburbs, where we already own a SFH and plan to put it up for sale within ~2 years to start our move out west.

My initial thought was to rent a place for a year or two to get learn the area more before deciding on where to live for the foreseeable future; are there any suggestions on good towns for young families? Obviously, things like good schools are important for us and I don't mind being further away from the city for more square footage. A co-worker of mine who went to UCSD mentioned Poway, Mira Mesa, Miramar, Clairemont, Escondido as potentially good areas to scour, but I wanted other opinions here. I was also referred to areas closer to the coast like Oceanside and Carlsbad, which sound enticing as well considering we love the water.

I know the housing market is really competitive right now so I don't expect to find the ideal home right away. Finances are stable where we make ~$200k/yr before taxes and our housing budget would be in the $700k-$850k range. Fortunately I can work remotely from anywhere and wife will likely look for an education related role after a year or two when kids are closer to elementary.

Thanks for reading!

[1AngryTaxPayer]

Originally Posted by dtg_

Hi,

My wife and I (+ 3 young kids) are looking at moving to the San Diego area without much knowledge of the area besides downtown. We are coming from the Chicago suburbs, where we already own a SFH and plan to put it up for sale within ~2 years to start our move out west.

My initial thought was to rent a place for a year or two to get learn the area more before deciding on where to live for the foreseeable future; are there any suggestions on good towns for young families? Obviously, things like good schools are important for us and I don't mind being further away from the city for more square footage. A co-worker of mine who went to UCSD mentioned Poway, Mira Mesa, Miramar, Clairemont, Escondido as potentially good areas to scour, but I wanted other opinions here. I was also referred to areas closer to the coast like Oceanside and Carlsbad, which sound enticing as well considering we love the water.

I know the housing market is really competitive right now so I don't expect to find the ideal home right away. Finances are stable where we make ~$200k/yr before taxes and our housing budget would be in the $700k-$850k range.

Thanks for reading!

Where will you be working? That would be a huge help. All of those areas are good but the differences are night and day. Some areas can still be sketchy even in San Diego.

[eastcoastbias]

Originally Posted by dtg_

Hi,

My wife and I (+ 3 young kids) are looking at moving to the San Diego area without much knowledge of the area besides downtown. We are coming from the Chicago suburbs, where we already own a SFH and plan to put it up for sale within ~2 years to start our move out west.

My initial thought was to rent a place for a year or two to get learn the area more before deciding on where to live for the foreseeable future; are there any suggestions on good towns for young families? Obviously, things like good schools are important for us and I don't mind being further away from the city for more square footage. A co-worker of mine who went to UCSD mentioned Poway, Mira Mesa, Miramar, Clairemont, Escondido as potentially good areas to scour, but I wanted other opinions here. I was also referred to areas closer to the coast like Oceanside and Carlsbad, which sound enticing as well considering we love the water.

I know the housing market is really competitive right now so I don't expect to find the ideal home right away. Finances are stable where we make ~$200k/yr before taxes and our housing budget would be in the $700k-$850k range.

Thanks for reading!

Will you work from home? If not it is a good idea to move within 10-15 miles of your job.

Very wise decision to rent for a year find out if you like it here and find out what communities you like before getting locked into a home.

Close to beach = $$$ and potentially less space on your budget. You may want to look East of the 15.

[dtg_]

Originally Posted by 1AngryTaxPayer

Where will you be working? That would be a huge help. All of those areas are good but the differences are night and day. Some areas can still be sketchy even in San Diego.

Fortunately I can work remotely from anywhere and my wife will likely look for an education related role after a year or two when kids are closer to elementary.

[dtg_]

Originally Posted by eastcoastbias

Will you work from home? If not it is a good idea to move within 10-15 miles of your job.

Very wise decision to rent for a year find out if you like it here and find out what communities you like before getting locked into a home.

Close to beach = $$$ and potentially less space on your budget. You may want to look East of the 15.

Thanks, any recommendation or thoughts from the locations I listed? I do like the idea of being closer to the beach, but I know I'd be sacrificing square footage/space considerably. I figured Carlsbad and Oceanside look far north enough to be a little more affordable.

As I mentioned to another poster, my work situation is very flexible (100% remote).

[NYSD1995]

That is a tough price range but here goes...

San Carlos / Lake Murray - Good Schools and good community feel, closer-in, older, some smaller homes that will need remodeling
Rancho P / 15 Corridor areas including Poway - Great schools, more of a suburb feel, at that price range will be tough
Bonita / Eastlake - I like this area if not commuting. More diverse but similar to 15 corridor north county
Carlsbad east - if you can afford something in this area, probably best bet if you dont have to commute. Newer homes, lots of families.

I cant really recommend coastal or central in that price range - too variable and schools are going to be tough.

[1AngryTaxPayer]

With your housing budget and a love for some beach you cannot go wrong with Clairemont. It's a huge area and some of it is almost at the bay and the farthest is a couple of miles from it. If you are going the public school route you can choice your kids into any school in the area. Look into it. There are some decent public school options open for you.

[jnojr]

Originally Posted by dtg_

Thanks, any recommendation or thoughts from the locations I listed? I do like the idea of being closer to the beach, but I know I'd be sacrificing square footage/space considerably. I figured Carlsbad and Oceanside look far north enough to be a little more affordable.

Define "affordable".

We sold a 3/2 1100 sq. ft. house built in the '80s that's several miles inland from the ocean in Oceanside three years ago. Went for $469K Zestimate today is $633K

[hitman619]

RoflRoflRoflRofl A starter Home in San Diego. Might be time to bring back my "Looking to move to San Diego looking for the impossible Thread"

[NYSD1995]

Originally Posted by hitman619

RoflRoflRoflRofl A starter Home in San Diego. Might be time to bring back my "Looking to move to San Diego looking for the impossible Thread"

I hear you... I did it though. The idea of buying a house, selling and moving up seems to be a relic of the past. Too complicated and expensive now. I think condos still serve this purpose to a degree.