Moving to San Diego with family (Chula Vista, Vista: short sales, renter, condo)

[susaninbirmingham]

My husband and I are thinking about moving to San Diego. We're in our 40's with 2 boys, 8 and 11. We've both moved around in our younger days (I'm actually a California native), but not with kids. My biggest concern is finding a good cultural fit. We're currently living in Birmingham, AL and don't really like it. We live in a country club neighborhood, but find it too superficial. People here really focus on showing off their wealth (even though many are overleveraged) and are very cliquish. It's like being back in high school. We're looking for a little more maturity. We're looking for a community that's within 30-40 minutes of the airport, friendly, safe, has great schools and lots of kids. We could spend somewhere between $500-700k for a house. Any suggestions would be appreciated, especially if you could tell me if there are distinct personalities to different areas of SD.

[raellis28]

DON'T BUY !!! Rent for two years ! Things are only going down. Don't listen to the agents hype about "the bottom" they have been saying this for a year now. That said ,look to rent in Cardiff or Encinitas. $500,000 -$ 700,000 is our price range for a home, and with that you will get a old fixer upper .

[indecisive]

Just moved here from St. Louis 6 weeks ago, bought a home in Carmel mountain ranch. Nice neighborhood, close to everything and 30 minutes from downtown. Thought of renting, but found a house with potential at a good price and bought it.

Are we at the bottom? who knows, you'll never know until prices start to climb again and by then you would have missed the bottom anyway. If you find a house you like at a price you can live with, and plan to stay put for awhile, go for it. From what I've seen, prices are falling in certain areas, in others, like mine, they seem more stable.

[raellis28]

indecisive, this I know for sure, home prices will NOT go up for a long time. If you plan on staying in a home for 10 Years you probably will be okay . Homes in Encinitas are still overpriced by lets say...... 40% . San Diego still has one eye shut .

[NYSD1995]

Depends what you are looking for ... do you want a coastal community with smaller older homes but charm and beach access? Or a stripmall suburban area with large new homes on small lots? I would start by looking at Encinitas and 4S ranch to contrast what is available to you at your price range, and work into more specific areas from there. I would plan on spending more like 600k+ if you are want to be near the coast. Under 600k the options are still not great.

For good schools you will mostly be looking at inland and coastal north county. In the primo areas the housing bust has not nearly impacted the home prices the way it has in more marginal areas. I don't see Encinitas as any cheaper than it was 2 years ago... that ship has sailed.

[raellis28]

The bust is like a tidel wave, its wiped out the inland and is slowly coming back to the ocean. Short Sales are in Encinitas right now.

[NYSD1995]

Originally Posted by raellis28

The bust is like a tidel wave, its wiped out the inland and is slowly coming back to the ocean. Short Sales are in Encinitas right now.

Maybe, maybe not. No one knows for sure. There's no rush, that's for sure. Usually people with kids tend to want to buy and be done with it and aren't interested in moving around a lot. That said, all of my renter friends are buying now, 2 of my friends have just closed - one on a brand new luxury 400sf studio in Brooklyn (400k) and one on a 1970's tract home in Chula Vista (400k)

[indecisive]

Originally Posted by Sassberto

Maybe, maybe not. No one knows for sure. There's no rush, that's for sure. Usually people with kids tend to want to buy and be done with it and aren't interested in moving around a lot. That said, all of my renter friends are buying now, 2 of my friends have just closed - one on a brand new luxury 400sf studio in Brooklyn (400k) and one on a 1970's tract home in Chula Vista (400k)

thats right. things are different when you have kids, if I didnt have kids I would have rented a small condo somewhere, but with kids, you try to find a good deal in a safe community near good schools. I'll move, but only if i get relocated. Until then, I'll hope for the best and stay away from ARM's

[raellis28]

We just sold our home and are now going to rent untill things calm down . Renting does suck , but so does losing money. I hope for you and your friends things work out. We want to buy in Encinitas for around $600,000- $700,000 and I think for our situation we will just sit and rent. My hope for Everyone in this ugly mess is to be Happy and Not house poor. Want ever you decided Good Luck !

[raellis28]

I have a 2 year old and we hope to expand our family this year. Encinitas is a great family community .