I’ve said this before: I don’t think SEH is actually a bad place to live, and for what you get the prices there are lot better than in La Costa Oaks on the other side of the hill. I just happen to think that DH is a better buy for some people.
I wouldn’t say that any part of San Marcos could be called a high crime area, although there are some older neighborhoods that probably won’t appeal to would-be tract home buyers.