San Diego Housing Bubble News and Analysis

While we want Encinitas, the prices in San Marcos are so tempting lately that we recently checked out SilverCrest. The gates are nice but unfortunately, that was it-IMO. The lawns looked run down, the park outside was rundown, basically it looked pretty haggard. I was SHOCKED becasue the HOA is so high and I have no idea what it is for (no pool, no tot lot). The homes are great and the lots are good sized but the feel of the community was kind of "ghetto" and we left disaapointed. Beleeza, a nearby community, had a much cleaner, nicer feel although the homes were smashed together. The HOA at Beleeza is about a third of SilverCrest though.
We're sticking to Encinitas! :)

sdlvr,
I should have stuck with ocean front la Jolla after seeing Silver Crest for the first time. I had no idea that it looked "ghetto" compared to Encinitas. Encinitas must be paved with gold and have chocolate fountains and ripe apples for the picking every where. The homes in Encinitas that were in the same price range as my Silver Crest home were all POS's, 35 years old without improvements, half the size, small lots and old neighbors.
After living in La Jolla, Pacific Beach, Santa Barbara, Scottsdale, San Diego and now San Marcos I have definately found the nicest neighborhood in Silver Crest. An HOA of $116 is not "SHOCKING" to me. Maybee knife catchers like yourself are propping up prices in dreamy Encinitas.

Is that $116/month? And no pool or park? What does it buy you? Or is that a yearly fee?

Not that I am looking to buy in Encinitas right now either.

I lived in Silvercrest for 2+ years, so here's the dump on it...

-Location is not too bad, considering you still get coastal breezes, it is close to the new Sprinter station, close to Cal State, close to major shopping center, not too far from the coast compared to similar priced areas in Temecula, Escondido etc. Also close to the 15 and 78. New Sprinter is not the big deal they thought it would be - it is generally quite. The City of San Marcos itself impressed me alot - including the actual management, fire, police who were all very responsive. Go to city hall, walk around, and you will find a city government that is engaged in the community and working to make it better.

-Neighborhood - No sense of community whatsoever. When I lived there, with few exceptions, neighbors didn't know each other at all and there was alot of turnover and flipping. It is the most diverse area I have ever lived, with 1/2+ Asians, and people from just about every continent except Antarctica living there! I found this to be a positive given my intense interest in meeting people from around the world, but it also had downsides. By and large, the Asian families completely segregated themselves from the rest of the neighborhood and were never, ever outside - ever. EG: A family that lived right across the street from us, from China, refused to say hello to me for two years, and the day we left we remarked how sad it was that we never even met them in two years. On the school bus one day, one of our neighbors kids were told to 'go to the back of the bus' because the were white and sitting in the Asian section!

-Overall assesment - Silvercrest shares many of the issues that all new communities here face and is far from the American utopia where neighbors trade pies and the kids play baseball together and BBQ on weekends. Go to Nebraska if you want to find that. Maybe over time a sense of community will develop, with the various cultures coming together and actually taking the time to get to know each other. It is the story of this country in many ways, and will require everyone to leave their own comfort zones. When I lived there, that just wasn't happening in Silvercrest...

Butleroftwo,
I'm sorry if I offended you if you live there. I merely meant it seemed "ghetto" compared to other developments with $108 HOA and $275 MR fees-which seem really high to me for no pool, tot lot, etc.
On the day we visited the lawns were not kept up, there were trash cans overflowing, visible junk in side yards, the playground at front was not nice,etc. I was surprised by the feel of it since the homes are so nice.
Two years ago my friends tried to buy in there and couldn't afford it. They went looking last week with us and they said they were surprised at how much it had changed and agreed it looked haggard compared to the last time they visited. They ended up buying in Beleeza and I know that community better since we visit them. They have made many friends and it seems to have a neighborly feel with BBQ's, playdates, park days, etc. I just don't like how smashed together Beleeza is.
But the actual homes are lovely and the interior was much nicer than anything we saw in Beleeza...just wondered about the "neighborhood". And it could have just been an off day when we visited. Anyway, I was trying to help explain why those prices are low for what seem to be amazing deals on great houses...Just my opinion though.

All that as it is, if that same neighborhood was in Encinitas for the same prices I'd buy in a second! It just wasn't as great as we'd hoped to lure us away from buying/living in Encinitas.

extremely high truck to car ratio.

juice.

No need to go to Nebraska.

In my Clairemont 'hood we do all that stuff, 'cept we don't trade pies, we share tools. And the weather is better than Nebraska, too.

sdlvr,
I am sorry also. "I love you man"!
I can't defend HOA's and MR's. They stink. This hood is what we were looking for and eventhough I caught the knife and had about a $100 grand lopped off I have never had buyers remorse.
There are about ten brown lawns that I assume are repo's in the hood. Some of their weeds also get huge. You would think that the agents could bring some round up every now and then to earn their commission.
I will try to fertilize and mow more often. Good luck in Encinitas.

I bought early on and just sold in Silver Crest, so I have lived there four years now. Ghetto, it's not. For a family, it's perfect. It's quiet, it's secluded. Jack's Pond which is just a short stroll is actually very cool. You get a feel of what San Marcos must have looked like 15 years ago. Like old San Diego. Now, I don't have a family, and the house is way too big for my needs. The location actually works really good. You can jump onto Del Dios and be in Del Mar in about 20 minutes. There is a new road that cuts through San Elijo Hills, and you'll be in Encinitas in about 15 minutes. We're close to the 15 and obviously right on the 78. You'll have the benefit of being close to the 78, but without the freeway noise. And the Sprinter add some convenience as well. You can take to the coast, then jump on the Coaster and go Downtown. The Sprinter is very quiet, like the Trolley, so no real impact there. San Marcos as a city has two of just about anything you can think of. You don't get a lot for that HOA fee, but you don't get hassled either. Some HOA's have taken a real Eastern Bloc mentality that would drive me crazy. I don't see bad lawns actually, except for the few foreclosures in which no neighborhood is immune at this point. I could honestly say I have nothing but good things to say about the community. I am scaling way back and moving closer to work.

Ok, ok-"ghetto" was TOO strong a word! I take it back, all you SilverCresters!

Good point about the foreclosures-that is probably why some lawns were not kept up (I thought the HOA covered the front lawns, no? Bummer!). I'm willing to concede that my desire to be nearer the beach can cloud my judgement when I look at houses in San Marcos.

And I'm sure it will be much nicer than what we'll get into in Encinitas. So thanks for the luck-we'll need it!

I'm in Belleza, and I have to say, this neighborhood is great. It's all young families, and I know every single one of my neighbors 2 houses in every direction. The houses are pretty close, but I have a yard for my kids to play in, and don't have to own a lawn mower or have a playhouse in my yard.

I'm disappointed to hear Silvercrest has such a mediocre vibe. The location is excellent.

The location actually works really good. You can jump onto Del Dios and be in Del Mar in about 20 minutes. There is a new road that cuts through San Elijo Hills, and you'll be in Encinitas in about 15 minutes.

It will take 30 min just to get through Del Dios. (Most of this time you'll be stuck behind a landscaper's truck with shovels and bags of manure in the cab and a couple of Mexicans in the cabin, making its way to their place of employment in RSF at 10 mph below the limit)