[quote=bearishgurl]yellowS2K, why don’t you keep your eye on this area?? The properties within it will keep their value FAR BETTER than CV (and outliers) newish and new tracts. …
…(or wondering if your “newly-constructed house,” will begin to lose value “straight out of the gate”) as you would with CV new construction. The property values in LJ are long-established.
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yellowS2K,
CV has held its value better than almost anywhere in Socal for the last 25 years (since it’s had houses, basically). Not sure why bg’s so sure it won’t in the future. Maybe he’ll explain it to us.
He also talks about avoiding “inland heat” by living in UC. He repeats that CV is too expensive for “inland,” and he puts “inland” in bold for emphasis. The part of CV that you’re looking in would put you slightly less than 3 miles from the ocean, which is as close to the ocean as the middle of UC. And it’s quite cool (temperature-wise) here in the summer. It very rarely gets above the mid-70’s. It’s possible that bg is mistaken as to where it is that we’re talking about.
Anyway, if you bought in Bridle Ridge, I’m fairly certain that they wouldn’t put your kids in any school besides either Ocean Air or Sage. We and a few friends had been looking for houses in the immediate area, and when we talked to the district, it was always, “you might get Sage, but you might get Ocean Air.” There was never any mention of sending them to any other school. Tomorrow (if I remember – it is Christmas Eve) I’ll ask my wife about her conversations with the school officials. She got to know them pretty well and became sort of an expert on the subject.
Living in CV, like anywhere else, has its pros and cons. Having lived here for 8 years, I’d be happy to give you my opinions if you have any questions about anything in particular. I live in Bridle Ridge, and I’d be happy to answer any questions you have about Bridle Ridge (thumbs up) or Pardee Homes (not so much).
As to losing or gaining value, it’s always possible that the housing market in general will drift down (not entirely unlikely) or plunge (unlikely). But if that happens, and if history is any guide, you’re likely to lose less if you buy in CV than in most other places.
Feel free to pm me with any questions, especially if I don’t respond here. I don’t visit piggington as often as I did before I bought a house, and would get a pm more quickly.
A couple more things, since I’m up. When I visit UC, I do see a lot of older people and less young families than in CV. You have to decide how important that is or isn’t to you. Your kids will obviously go to school with kids their own age, so they’ll be able to find friends. But, on whatever street you live, it will be less likely that there will be numerous kids out and about playing.
Also, if I had to do it over again, I’d have stayed in Scripps Ranch. The schools are almost as good, it’s really not that hot in the summer, and it’s 10-20% less expensive for a house. (We moved to CV in 2002, and by the time our daughter was in school, we didn’t want to leave, what with her having lots of friends here). I guess the Scripps Ranch commute wouldn’t work for you, but to me it’s a real sweet spot for value, climate, numerous young families, and schools.
That said, CV really is a great place to live, and it sounds like a pretty good fit for you. If you want top-notch schools, a short commute, young families for neighbors, a great climate, and a short drive to the beach, Carmel Valley is a great place to call home.
