“Right now there are about 5 houses on their own lots in OB under 700k. I think you should have a look, run the numbers, and make some offers. North Park and South Park would also be nice. You’re a little young and single for La Mesa and east county. For La Mesa in particular, I’d worry that all the boomers who bought in the 60s and 70s start to die off and their homes hit the market.”
Since you want a fixer anyway, why not just wait for a single-family house in a better neighborhood you can still easily afford?
This one is under 600, on a large lot, and isn’t even a complete fixer, the three photos show recent renovations (the rest of the place prob needs work):
By the way, before I bought I also had a crazy deal on a beach house rental, paying $1100 for a house + small front and back yard + garage + additional driveway spots 1 block from the beach. On the same block people were paying $1000 for studios and $1250 for 1 bedrooms.
It killed me to give that up, but I am glad I own now!. And I would have been forced out anyway, my spinster former landlady recently died in her late 90’s and the house was sold by her nephew.
