Home › Forums › Closed Forums › Properties or Areas › Confused about Bel Etage vs. Ivy Gate in/near 4S ranch; other similar area suggestions?
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November 5, 2011 at 12:42 PM #19272November 29, 2011 at 12:56 PM #733534CliffordParticipant
I’ve been considering Bel Etage & Ivy Gate, too (since my wife prefers newer 1-story houses that are 3,000+ sq ft). I’ll try to answer some of your questions & share with you what I know.
– Why is it hard to find larger single-store houses that are close to amenities ?
With high real estate prices, most middle class & upper middle class families want as much living spaces at the lowest prices as possible. Single-story houses have a larger foot print & cost more because land is expensive. Also, the modern busy lifestyles leave little time for gardening. This is why most of the houses built after 1990 that are 2000+ sq ft are 2-stories & have relatively small back yards.
Most middle class folks are happy to forgo gardening/privacy in exchange for more internal living spaces & close proximity to amenities.
3000+ sq ft single-level houses have become a luxury.
– Bel Etage vs. Ivy Gate
I first view homes in Bel Etage in 2006 & I liked them a lot. But the new developments that were built in that areas since 2006 concern me. Del Norte HS, Del Sur, new shoppping center … will increase the traffic & noise level. Bel Etage used to be a peaceful gated community. I doubt that I will stay that way for long.
When I viewed Ivy Gate in 2006, it was full of buyers who bought at the peak. Many of the owners were realtors whose incomes plummeted along with the real estate market. Some of the houses lack landscaping b/c the owners stretched to buy. Some other languished on the markets for a long time. Some were listed as rentals b/c the owners couldn’t sell them.
But Ivy Gate is not close to empty & buildable land like Bel Etage. Except for Oak Valley middle school that’s nearby, it’s still pretty quiet & peaceful,
In the long term, the “financially shaky owners” in Ivy Gate will make way for other owners who buy at lower prices through foreclosures/short sales.
Personally, I prefer Ivy Gate.
November 29, 2011 at 7:22 PM #733566bearishgurlParticipant[quote=Eve]…I have a feeling anything coastal would be way too expensive for a one leveler of 3500+ sq feet.[/quote]
Eve, off the top of my head, I can think of two conveniently-located tracts with exactly the types of one-story houses you are looking for on 1/3 to 2/3 AC lots. They are both located in South County, however. Both are about 20 years old and in each tract, the one story model you are referring to here rarely comes on the market. Neither are as expensive than the price range you are discussing in your OP. The distances to downtown SD are 14 and 17 miles. The northernmost tract (3 mi east of the bay) has no MR and the southernmost tract (5 mi east of the bay) has about 10 years of MR bonds left to pay.
There are also many 3000+ one-story sf “customs” or gut/remodel ranch houses located in the City of SD and also East County and a few in Chula Vista (on 8000 sf to 1 AC lots). However, they are older construction with no MR. Less than 10% (City of SD) are encumbered by HOA’s. Many of these properties have been completely gutted and remodeled over the years, the vast majority with architectural supervision. A handful have “vintage” amenities such as central vac, brass intercom, built in breadbox and spice grinder and pizza/bread oven built into the back of the FP (of the mid-century era).
Only ONE tract I can think of (referred to above) is “gated” (City of SD).
If you are only looking in newer tracts in “new-construction exurbia,” that’s why you’re not finding convenient locations, IMHO. There are several ways to get to Poway fast. Have you considered San Diego Country Estates in Ramona? Those (terraced) streets have the one-story square footage you are looking for and all have generous lots. This development is 1-3 miles from all amenities and most of it is approximately 10-20 years old.
As to Poway, I have a friend who used to own in “Palisades,” a tract of one-story-only homes. She had purchased a 3000+ sf property on about 1/3 (flat) AC (not as large of lot as the 1 AC lot shown in this video I found when I just now googled “Palisades Poway”).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OZUKZ8ocHQ
Here’s another model, which had the same view out the back as my friend’s house:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=eqUzO5HTsqU
I went to party of at least 60 people there once and it was a VERY comfortable gathering as the homes are oriented towards the rear with multiple sliding doors facing the patio. My friend purchased it new for $280-$285K about 20 years ago, IIRC and installed a beautiful large mahogany built-in library in the family room. Have you considered this smallish tract, Eve? I’m not certain, but I don’t think it had MR (if it did, it might be pd off by now).
Eve, if you can get “new construction” out of your mind and consider older areas, you will open up a world of suitable possibilities for yourself, IMO. Who CARES if some of these older properties are a bit more expensive if you will be saving yourself driving time, landscaping and window covering costs and 40 years of MR? In SD County, location is the primary driver of prices and you pay for exactly what (and WHERE) you get (and can easily get duped into paying too much for an inferior location), ESPECIALLY when purchasing new construction.
Why is this?? All the best and most convenient locations were built on many years ago :=]
November 29, 2011 at 9:03 PM #733571sdrealtorParticipantIf location is the prime driver of prices in SD County why did many of the most central locations including downtown, Southwest SD, National City and South Bay get hit as hard or harder than any other areas? Surely their locations being so close in and the primary driver would have protected their property values. I just dont get it?
November 29, 2011 at 9:35 PM #733572kcal09Participant[quote=sdrealtor]If location is the prime driver of prices in SD County why did many of the most central locations including downtown, Southwest SD, National City and South Bay get hit as hard or harder than any other areas? Surely their locations being so close in and the primary driver would have protected their property values. I just dont get it?[/quote]
I suspect that these central locations are: 1) not the most popular locations for families, 2) many of the homes were bought as “investment properties” with little or no money down.
Look at coastal properties where the values have dropped much less.November 29, 2011 at 10:13 PM #733573bearishgurlParticipant[quote=kcal09]I suspect that these central locations are: 1) not the most popular locations for families, 2) many of the homes were bought as “investment properties” with little or no money down.
Look at coastal properties where the values have dropped much less.[/quote]I suspect that the values in the areas that are the subject of the OP here have been hit VERY hard of late since the vast majority of them were and are:
-purchased during slightly before and during the height of the “millenium boom”
-over-encumbered with up to 40 years of exorbitant MR
-encumbered by HOAs with often pricey dues
-bought with little or no money down
-bought with subprime and I/O mortgages
-popular with “families?” Why exactly??
-buyers soon realized after moving in that they were actually living in a “fishbowl” and their daily commute was much longer than they imagined it would be.
The OP here asked for suggestions. She(?) apparently didn’t understand why she wasn’t finding 3000+ sf single-story homes situated on ample lots in the places she was looking in. The answer is very simple. She is looking in the wrong areas for them :=]
And btw, ALL of those areas I mentioned which are ALL more “conveniently located” than the “new-construction” areas mentioned in the OP are full of “families,” lol…
November 29, 2011 at 10:26 PM #733575bearishgurlParticipant[quote=Clifford] . . . – Bel Etage vs. Ivy Gate
I first view homes in Bel Etage in 2006 & I liked them a lot. But the new developments that were built in that areas since 2006 concern me. Del Norte HS, Del Sur, new shoppping center … will increase the traffic & noise level. Bel Etage used to be a peaceful gated community. I doubt that I will stay that way for long.
When I viewed Ivy Gate in 2006, it was full of buyers who bought at the peak. Many of the owners were realtors whose incomes plummeted along with the real estate market. Some of the houses lack landscaping b/c the owners stretched to buy. Some other languished on the markets for a long time. Some were listed as rentals b/c the owners couldn’t sell them….
In the long term, the “financially shaky owners” in Ivy Gate will make way for other owners who buy at lower prices through foreclosures/short sales. ….[/quote]
I rest my case….
Eve, if you don’t like what’s on offer here, you can always encourage your spouse to start interviewing for jobs in TX! The ENTIRE STATE is full of properties just like what you are seeking …. at 1/3 to 1/4 of the price!!
G’nite y’all ….
November 30, 2011 at 9:01 AM #733591allParticipantBut in Ivy Gate you are next door neighbor with Matt (son of Mitt) Romney and your kid could be in the classroom with Mitt’s grandchildren. Instant celebrity.
November 30, 2011 at 12:56 PM #733625EveParticipantAbout what bearishgurl said, since we have two kids, Chula Vista wouldn’t be ideal due to the schools despite the no/less Mello Roos.
East county isn’t ideal for my husband’s work; he would have a commute with traffic. Ramona felt too isolated and wouldn’t be ideal for the commute either.
I will look into Poway Palisades. Thanks to all for your replies; I feared I wasn’t going to get any and am glad to get these suggestions.
November 30, 2011 at 1:02 PM #733629EveParticipantCliff (or others) on Bel Etage.
I guess I’m less concerned about what will happen in the future than what happened between 2006 and now. Is the Bel Etage traffic & noise level something that is a problem now, or that you fear will happen in the future with Del Sur growing, the proposed church and other construction? The part about Ivy Gate being quiet is a nice point.
I understand that this sort of property is be a luxury, but I’m trying to figure out which of the two is a better deal or a community better/closer to shopping, schools, and such.
November 30, 2011 at 2:48 PM #733643allParticipantYou should be able to get to Boys and Girls Club walking around the western edge of the swampy area in less than 10 minutes, assuming the central can be used (I believe it can).
November 30, 2011 at 3:48 PM #733651EveParticipant[quote=captcha]You should be able to get to Boys and Girls Club walking around the western edge of the swampy area in less than 10 minutes, assuming the central can be used (I believe it can).[/quote]
Will give that a try.
November 30, 2011 at 4:22 PM #733660bearishgurlParticipant[quote=Eve]About what bearishgurl said, since we have two kids, Chula Vista wouldn’t be ideal due to the schools despite the no/less Mello Roos.[/quote]
Chula Vista has excellent schools. Eve, have you been listening to the misinformed who have no knowledge of Chula Vista and have never been there themselves or have you actually researched Chula Vista schools yourself??
And portions of Chula Vista have MR as high or almost as high as 4S (although probably not for as long of a length of time).
In any case, Chula Vista is not an ideal location for a Poway worker. The commute can take more than an hour, one way.
Ramona is not “isolated” anymore. Have you been out there lately? It is self-contained now and has everything one could want except a mall. The Weisfield Parkway Plaza has been remodeled in recent years and is very nice, as are all the new “big box” stores in Santee that Ramona might lack.
My post was just to get you off the “nothing-but-new-construction-will-do-mindset” and get you to “think out of the box” a little to open up your options. Exorbitant MR aside, not everyone wants to live in a sterile cookie-cutter environment devoid of mature landscaping with no usable lot to speak of . . .
Not meaning to sound condescending here, Eve, but may I ask how long you have resided in SD County?
November 30, 2011 at 4:32 PM #733665bearishgurlParticipant[quote=Eve]…Ramona felt too isolated and wouldn’t be ideal for the commute either…[/quote]
Eve, just for fun, why don’t you suggest to your spouse he go out to Ramona to be there at say, 6:30 a.m. before work, grab some coffee and drive into Poway via the SR-67 at the normal time he would leave for work. He should position himself at the at the bottom of SDCE to start the trip.
I think he (and you) might be surprised.
November 30, 2011 at 4:50 PM #733667mp7444ParticipantHi Eve,
I saw the sign on Alva road (in 4S ranch) for “Mission Ranch”. Apparently, they are building 25 new homes in a seemingly huge land. The sign said the homes will be around 4,200sf – 4,500sf and each sitting on a half acre lot.
Since they’ll be in 4S, thought you might be interested…
Good luck~
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