Moving to San Diego from Boston (Vista, San Marcos: apartments, foreclosures, lease)

[zrbite]

I am planning on moving to San Diego in about 8 months. I still have a lot of time, so I am now starting to find some information.

I am 28, will be married by the time I move, with no kids, and will do a job transfer to the BAE Systems at technology place. I have always lived in apartments, so I will also be a first time home buyer.

I am trying to find a good location to buy a house at that is safe and has a good school system for starting a family. From reading the forums, it seems like my options are Poway, Rancho Penasquitos, or Rancho Bernardo. My house price range is $400,000 at max, with $350,000 being my comfort price. We are also asain, so an asian community would be nice as well.

Are those areas I said right for me? Out of my price range? Any other ideas or suggestions for me? Thanks.

[esmith143]

Those are certainly safe locations with good schools. There are very few houses available in those areas in your price range; you should be able to find something, but it would be "low-end". Also, it's hard to say what prices will be like in 8 months.

There's considerable asian population in all of these locations. I'm not sure if they have a "community".

[blja]

I relocated here from Boston three months ago. I am Chinese and currently live in Rancho Penasquitos (PQ) and find that there is an Asian presence especially in the nearby neighborhood of Mira Mesa-mostly Filipino. You will find several grocery stores similar to Super 88 or Mings along Mira Mesa Blvd. Good selection and reasonable prices. You need a car to get around San Diego. The public trans system is nothing like the T except when you are in the downtown areas.

Housing prices is another story. In the areas that you mentioned, 400K won't get you much for a single family. However, condos may be the way to go. There are lists of condo foreclosures that you can get for a bargain. The market here is much softer than in Beantown. The job market is still tough as unemployment hovers around 6.5%.

With all that said, I love it here. The temps are still in the 60's and 70's. Lots of sunshine despite the fact that we are entering the rainy season. It still beats the snow and cold!! ;-)

Good luck.

[kettlepot]

Unless there is some kind of employer provided relocation financing that you must "use or lose" I would suggest renting first, and getting a better feel for the city. Also, unless you anticipate a pregnancy immediately after (or before) marriage, perhaps the neighborhood with the good schools should be where you make your 2nd home purchase. The time between now and school for the kid is nearly six years away. Why lock yourself into a suburban lifestyle right away? Plus, the people you are now, may not be the people you will be in six years. Yes, it will suck to move to San Diego and then move again in a year, but you will be making a much more informed decision, and that could be worth tens of thousands of dollars.

[ubringliten]

In addition to Mira Mesa which is mostly Filipins, the biggest Asian community in terms of Chinese/Koreans/Japanese would be Kearny Mesa and Clairemont. There are 99 Ranch supermarket, two Korean supermarkets (Zion and First Korean), two Japanese supermarkets (Mitsuwa and Marukai), all within a couple of miles from each other. There are bunch of Chinese, Korean, and Japanese restaurants too. Then there's two Vietnamese communities, one in Linda Vista and one in City Heights.

I agree with Kettlepot. You guys are too young to start on a house. My girlfriend and I (both Chinese), in our 20-30s, mistakenly bought a home here in Scripps Ranch after living in NYC. We felt terrible for the bulk of the time, and recently we are adapting. We really feel out of place in our neighborhood. It is hard to talk to our neighors when they have kids and are at different stage of their lives. You don't want to pay other families' kids to go to school, and that's what you will be doing by buying a home. The suburbia here could be really boring. There is such a huge sprawl that could make you feel isolated from the rest of the world. Because of the topography here (tons of hills and valleys) that divide the communities up.

Moving to a new place already is very stressful, adding a new workplace and a new home, will drive you crazy. I went through that, and I will never repeat it again.

[Keh06]

San Marcos is also a nice neighborhood with alot of schools shopping facilities as well and yes like the others said Kearny Mesa, Mira mesa is a popular ASian community. And you will LOVE SAN DIEGO!!!!!! You can leave those giant winter coats in Boston!:-)

[pballnc]

do these asian communities mind white people living near them in their communities? i know it sounds weird but the area i live in is not diverse at all. plus i was raised in wisconsin where 90% of the state is white with european heritage.

[blja]

Here is my insight to your question.

Any of these neighborhoods referenced as Asian communities doesn't mean it is solely or in a high percentage way inhabited by one race. Asians tend to form tight knit communities situated within a larger community ususally because of family connections, language issues, sense of safety and where their native foods are available. However, there is usually a diverse mix of folks in these neighborhoods. For instance, I work in City Heights. I have met people of various nationalities/languages i.e. Asian, African, Spanish and Anglo etc. I think this is typical of immigrants coming into a new country and as they assimilate they will begin to branch out into other areas. Certainly, the next generation will tend to explore places outside of these communities.

[ubringliten]

Originally Posted by blja

Here is my insight to your question.

Any of these neighborhoods referenced as Asian communities doesn't mean it is solely or in a high percentage way inhabited by one race. Asians tend to form tight knit communities situated within a larger community ususally because of family connections, language issues, sense of safety and where their native foods are available. However, there is usually a diverse mix of folks in these neighborhoods. For instance, I work in City Heights. I have met people of various nationalities/languages i.e. Asian, African, Spanish and Anglo etc. I think this is typical of immigrants coming into a new country and as they assimilate they will begin to branch out into other areas. Certainly, the next generation will tend to explore places outside of these communities.

Spot on.

[zrbite]

Thanks for all the replies. It was very helpful. I will most likely rent in a place first and get a feel for the area before considering a house.

On that note, are there any places with lease terms less than one year?