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briansd1.
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September 17, 2011 at 10:10 PM #19139September 18, 2011 at 8:55 AM #729346
ctr70
ParticipantI just got back from Seattle and Vermont & Maine myself. Wow, I forgot how much I miss green trees and beautiful quaint, tree lined, historic leafy neighborhoods!
It makes me realize that the old moniker for San Diego as “America’s Finest City” was totally wrong and was never the case. What it is is “America’s Finest Weather”, definitely not even close to finest city. 90% of the reason I am in San Diego is the weather, much of SD county and the housing stock is dumpy and overpriced OR cookie cutter, car culture, character-less, big box, fast food chain suburbia AND overpriced.
September 18, 2011 at 10:22 AM #729350jstoesz
ParticipantCould not have said it better myself.
September 18, 2011 at 12:05 PM #729359poorgradstudent
ParticipantJust remember that September is possibly the absolute best month for Minnesota weather. I typically go home to see my mother once a year for Christmas and it reminds me just how amazing San Diego weather is. Mn is a lovely state, but you lose 4-6 months a year to the cold, and that’s not even counting the hot, humid summers.
But yes, I definitely miss those wonderful Septembers and mid-springs!
September 18, 2011 at 12:31 PM #729362bearishgurl
ParticipantWOW, jstoesz! “Tanglewood” seems like a very “leafy” neighborhood!! And your link here shows a beautiful restored and partially remodeled home where the owners were smart enough to save and refurbish all the important “period goodies.”
I’ve never been to this part of the country but will have to admit the price for this home is VERY good. It beats out prices in Denver, CO for a similar age and size home (not counting dark basements) by at least $100K!
Can the weather there be worse in the winters than Denver, CO??
September 18, 2011 at 11:28 PM #729395CA renter
Participant[quote=ctr70]I just got back from Seattle and Vermont & Maine myself. Wow, I forgot how much I miss green trees and beautiful quaint, tree lined, historic leafy neighborhoods!
It makes me realize that the old moniker for San Diego as “America’s Finest City” was totally wrong and was never the case. What it is is “America’s Finest Weather”, definitely not even close to finest city. 90% of the reason I am in San Diego is the weather, much of SD county and the housing stock is dumpy and overpriced OR cookie cutter, car culture, character-less, big box, fast food chain suburbia AND overpriced.[/quote]
Amen!
I really, really wish we could have more rain and more trees and greenery around here — not to mention quaint houses with some real character instead of the ugly stucco boxes that cover most of the county. Quite frankly, things look pretty bleak and depressing in most of SD County.
September 18, 2011 at 11:28 PM #729396ParticipantGlad to hear you had such a nice trip, jstoez! It sounds wonderful back there.
September 19, 2011 at 12:01 AM #729401an
ParticipantI feel sorry for you guys/gals. It must suck living in SD.
September 19, 2011 at 11:34 AM #729421sdduuuude
Participant$400K for a very old 1800 sq. ft 3 bed, 1.5 bath home on .13 acres (about a 6,000 sq. ft lot) seems completely unexciting to me. Nice woodwork, but not really any more real-estate for the money than many parts of SD.
September 19, 2011 at 4:32 PM #729444Participant[quote=sdduuuude]$400K for a very old 1800 sq. ft 3 bed, 1.5 bath home on .13 acres (about a 6,000 sq. ft lot) seems completely unexciting to me. Nice woodwork, but not really any more real-estate for the money than many parts of SD.[/quote]
Until you realize that this is a better neighborhood than mission hills, and there is a 1000 sqft semi finished basement which does not count in the sq footage.
The yard was small, and it was not an entirely good deal. But the architect was quite famous in MN.
If this house were located in a similar neighborhood in SD, it would be 30-40% more, at least in my experience.
Taxes are high, but I guess that is why one moves to Minnetonka or Edina (great old suburbs with cheap taxes and schools that rival Del Mar)
September 19, 2011 at 4:37 PM #729445Anonymous
Guest[quote=jstoesz]Until you realize that this is a better neighborhood than mission hills, and there is a 1000 sqft semi finished basement which does not count in the sq footage.[/quote]
Define “better.”
As for the basement, I can appreciate that.
Anybody want to tell me why CA homes don’t have basements? I’ve been asking that question for years, and nobody seems to be able to answer with authority. I’ve heard lots of guesses (earthquakes, water table, cost, etc.) but none of the answers completely made sense.
September 19, 2011 at 4:59 PM #729447Participantpri…wondered the same thing. I think it was just not in fashion. THe olderplaces often have a proper crawl, but after that everything is a slab. Which is completely horrendous for serviceability. Can you imagine these homes lasting a hundred years?
“better” is hard to define. It is better than mission hills and southpark…the two closest similar neighborhoods in SD. There are a few streets that are similar, but few that are as nice where you could let you kid bike down the street in an city neighborhood and not worry them getting killed by a car.
It is totally subjective, but I lived in s. minneapolis till I went to college and 4 years in SD after I graduated. I love CA, but few neighborhoods are as nice as Tangletown. The closest I have found is the wooded area in Point loma (commerce is far away, but the uncrowded streets are similar) and the those few streets north of birmigham and w of the 5. Now if only I could afford those, then again those areas have the ocean whereas MN…doesn’t. But racing on Minnetonka is pretty hard to beat.
San Diego is sweet, and SD yacht club is sweet, but I am not wealthy. And there in lies the rub!
The yacht club I would join in MN is 500 bucks a year!!!!
September 19, 2011 at 6:31 PM #729453sdrealtor
ParticipantGrowing up our basement always filled up with about 6 inches of water during heavy rains just like most of our neighbors did also. You can have your basements.
September 19, 2011 at 6:58 PM #729457briansd1
Guestsdrealtor, last year, I looked at many houses in Philly. The old houses all had basement water problems of some kind or another, if only a musty smell.
But the new construction houses now have excellent basements. I’ve seen how they build them now and there are thick concrete walls that serve as the foundation of the house.
In this new house, I’ve not heard the sump pump ever go off, even with the heavy rains and floods from hurricane Irene. The basement is a nicely finished living area, indistinguishable from the above-ground floors.
Incidentally, roof-top decks are also a problem with water seepage in older houses. They require constant maintenance.
I’m glad to have a slant roof. Roof terraces are nice to capture the view of the city and to serve as outdoor spaces in the city, but not all houses have roof terraces; and it’s stupid to have flat roofs in a region where it rains and snows so much. No wonder so many Philly houses are in sush disrepair.
I recently stayed at a friend’s 100yo house in North Carolina. The wood trims, sidings, pillars, etc.. need constant repair. Give me bricks or other materials that don’t require maintenance.
Except for right by the ocean, San Diego’s dry, mild climate is pretty easy on houses.
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