possible move to san diego, north county (Santa Monica, Carlsbad: sale, real estate)

[newmom11]

My husband and I live in Santa Monica, Ca and really want to buy a house. Because it's so expensive on the westside of LA we are looking into northern San Diego. We are new parents with a 9 month old and would like a safe, child friendly community with good schools. Ideally, we would love to be close to the beach, walking distance or short drive to restaurants, schools, shops, famers markets, kids activities.

What areas would you recommend?
What are the pluses and minuses of Carlsbad, Encinitas, Solana Beach, Del Mar, La Jolla?
How different is Solana Beach east of the 5 vs west of the 5?

We're professionals in our late 30's, enjoy hiking, restaurants, wine. We would love a neighborhood where kids are out playing in the street (does that exist anywhere in CA anymore) with lots of sidewalks. Would like to avoid cookie cutter communities if possible.

Thanks so much!

[sandiegogolfer]

What is too expensive?

Do you like ethnic diversity or do you prefer a lily white existence?

Do you like an artistic open place or a conservative place?

What part of town do you want to work?

[Fallbrook]

Google 3651 Northcliff. It's under $400k in the Gird Valley area of Fallbrook, that's the very good Bonsall School District. The street gets virtually no traffic, is a cul de sac. Great house and street for kids.

[newmom11]

we could spend up to 1.5 million but would be happier around the 1 million mark.

ethnic diversity and artisitic would be ideal but we're willing to be in a "whiter" area if it has everything else we're looking for (we're an interracial couple so we could supply the diversity) obama-loving neighbors would be nice

As for work, we would either look for employment close to where we live or work from home, so commute is not much of an issue.

thanks again!

[happymomof4]

I just wanted to pop in and say hello-and that we're looking for the exact same thing! We're native Californians who have been away for 14 years and are looking at moving back-either this summer, or more likely, next. This site has been such a great place to get info.

[NYSD1995]

1 million -1.5, I would look at Solana Beach, Cardiff, Encinitas, Carlsbad. You should be able to get a lot of house for that money. Stay west of 5 if you want to avoid ticky-tacky little boxes on the hillside. Diversity is not going to be a factor for the most part, certainly not compared to what you would see in LA. Most of these areas are uniformly upper-middle class ranging to ultra-luxe. Primarily white homeowners with a small scattering of other race and ethnic groups. Most of these areas are all fairly similar in character, they just range up and down the economic scale.

Carlsbad - most built-out. Most commercial. Most mixed socioeconomically. Most suburban in character. The tract areas are more popular than the old areas. Sometimes has a crowded, overbuilt feel to me.

Encinitas - the most character. Best quality commercial strip with a down-to-earth mix of boutique and utility. Mostly postwar homes and bungalows. Some custom homes but also many well-kepy modest homes. My personal favorite. It has not lost the beach town vibe.

Solana Beach - very similar to Encinitas overall, they have a similar feel. A bit less well-kept in some spots.

Del Mar - Wealthiest. Small commercial strip catering to uber-wealthy mostly. More custom homes. Lots of bungalows getting scraped for mansions. Lots of condos as well.

[EncinitasDave]

As it turns out, my wife and I are looking to move our family out of the San Diego area sometime during the coming year or so (pretty flexible on timing at this point).

That means our home in Encinitas will be available. It would be in the price range you mentioned and fits the description of the type of neighborhood of which you spoke.

We live in a quiet, gated community (rare in Encinitas) of around 70 homes. All are between 3,500 and 4,200 square feet (ours is about 4,000). Development is a little less than 10 years old (most homes in Encinitas are considerably older than this). The community overlooks the ocean from about a mile or so away from the beach. Also within a couple of miles of the main shopping corridor (Encinitas Towne Center and The Forum). There is also a private playground in the community and lots of sidewalks and quiet streets (thanks to the gate and the residents' mentality). Another bonus is the proximity of good schools (both public and private).

We are not close to listing the house, but a private sale would avoid real estate brokerage fees. This would of course be financially beneficial and help out on the price. So the timing could be good for all concerned.

This is not a general solicitation. It is just a fluke of timing that our mutual decisions to move are happening at the same time. And life is all about the timing. Let me know if you have any interest. In any case, best of luck on your relocation. North San Diego County is very nice and I am sure you will love living here.

[happymomof4]

Encinitas Dave-how many bedrooms does your house have? And which public schools are you zoned for? Thanks for the information!

[EncinitasDave]

Hi HappyMom.

The house has 4 bedrooms. That is 3 up and 1 down. The one down is quite large with ensuite bathroom and could be used for a granny suite. We currenlty use it for a recroom/playroom (large kids play area in one end and a pool table in the other).

The school district we are in is the Encinitas school district. It has one of the highest rated elementary schools (Olivenhein Pioneer Elementary...people from other communities apply to send their kids there on a space available basis), but I'm not sure how old your kids are.

I would be happy to let you know more details. I am new to this forum; does the "Direct Message" feature at the top of the page allow you to send me a non-forum type of post?? We could trade e-mail addresses to discuss further if you want.

[newmom11]

Thanks so much for the information - this forum has been so helpful in researching San Diego!