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Seeking opinions on ClaremontUser Forum Topic
Submitted by atr on February 23, 2008 - 2:05pm
Greetings, fair piggs. . . Although it is admittedly a bit north of the San Diego area, I am seeking some educated opinions on real estate values in the Claremont area. (The one in far eastern LA county, home of the Claremont colleges, not the Clairemont in SD.) My family and I moved to Temecula last summer and are currently renting while we watch the market and save our pennies. We initially picked Temecula because of it's proximity to dh's workplace in Ontario, cost of living, and decent school system. DH travels for work, using Ontario as a hub, so the commute isn't an ongoing issue. Although Temecula is a perfectly nice town, we have come to feel that perhaps it isn't the best long term fit for us. Claremont appeals because of its proximity to Ontario, its walkability, cultural opportunities, educational opportunities for me once kids are raised, good public schools, etc. We initially considered Claremont before moving down here, but discarded the notion because of the great expense. It seems to be shifting a bit downward, as are all areas, and although I am inclined to believe that it will continue to shift downward based on most of the posts here, I am having a fit of anxiety about moving up there and having it NOT shift downward. While I certainly don't expect it to fall as much as say, Temecula, I also don't want to spend a half mil for a fixer-upper on the wrong side of the tracks. I would appreciate any opinions or even referrals to other sites where I can continue the information gathering process. Thanks!
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I'd treat all of these links with a pinch of salt. Claremont is a nice place to live. Too far out for me. I don't think anywhere will immune to price declines, but you may want to hear it from the panel of experts.
http://www.housingtracker.net/old_housin...
http://www.dqnews.com/ZIPLAT.shtm
http://www.zillow.com/real-estate/CA-Cla...
http://www.topix.com/real-estate/city/cl...
Well, you're right, the Piggs generally amuse themselves with the SD area and do an outstanding job of analysis. I've lived (rented) in Claremont for two years after 10 of owning a house in Chicago and living on a sailboat for a couple of years. So, my observations are limited, and I've collected nearly no data specific to Claremont. But here's my observations. It's a great little town, but wildly overpriced in real estate. The market doesn't seem to be reacting as quickly to adjust as other SOCal areas. I'm guessing that because it is an old, and very stable community, there just isn't the same level of "forced to sell" which seems to be leading the prices around in other areas. Per Zillow (yeah, I know) there seems to be a lot of long term listings for which the price isn't moving. Looks like a lot of waiting going around on both the seller and buyer sides. My gut feeling is there is a "price arrogance" about the town. Better values can be found in neighboring towns like LaVerne and Upland. Both of which have nice areas and still are close to Claremont. If you are insistent on Claremont, try to stay north of the tracks. Better area.
We're talking too many years ago when I was a kid and for a short while lived in Onterrible. The only thing I remember very well is the smog and in the summer smog alerts - meaning if you have any kind of asthma, you should avoid being outside. I remember the winters being able to see Mt. Baldy and in the summer just seeing gray air w/no sign that mountains were even there.
From what I remember, Claremont was a nice area. Of course, that was so long ago. Things can change. Pomona back probably before I was born was supposed to be very nice. When I was a kid, it was to be avoided completely, dangerous, very bad.
Upland is supposed to be nice, also Alta Loma. I think generally the closer you are to the mountains, the better.
The traffic on the 10 or the 60 is brutal and makes the 15 look like a picnic.
Can't stress enough, probably many others will agree. Rent there first. Best way to find out about the area.
A big thank you to all for your thoughts!
qwerty007---Thanks for the links. Yes, it is a bit too far out for me, too, but I guess you go where the good jobs are. (For my husband, at least!) Given the choice, I would prefer to live down in Coronado, but that's both definitely too far from work, and too spendy.
SVKodai---Thanks for your assessment. I agree: great town, but wildly over-priced for sure. It does seem to be a stable population and therefore "somewhat" exempt from the pressure to drop prices, much to my disappointment. We have been doing some looking in Upland, LaVerne, and Rancho Cucamonga as well, and have concluded that we are ultimately likely to be able to get far more for our money there, while still having proximity to the benefits of the area. Those communities are also far better located than Temecula is. As a steely-eyed pragmatist, I don't know that I'm willing to spend 450k for a fixer-upper in a marginal neighborhood in Claremont, just to be in Claremont. Nor am I willing to be house-poor for something nicer.
Living on a sailboat, huh? Sounds cool! I looked into buying a houseboat in Seattle once upon a time, but ultimately decided it wasn't for me.
jpinpb---Thank you for your thoughts as well. I would NEVER live in Onterrible! lol. The work situation for my husband is excellent, so we'll just have to find the nicest area in our price range that is not in Ontario (or Pomona either!) Thankfully there are no allergies or asthma in our family, so although the air quality is a bummer, we can deal with it. After living in the San Joaquin Valley for 4 years, we are far more acquainted with poor air quality than I'd like to be. And yes, of course we will rent first. In addition to not wanting to be a knife catcher, living in 10 towns in 14 years has taught me a few things. As far as the traffic (ugh), on the bright side there is a metrolink station.