I think that if you are a homebuyer and you base all of you will decide primarly based on internet research I can assure you that you will regret your purchase in a short amount of time. Looking at what Scarlett has done shows that that going out and doing legwork and really investigating the community that you want to live in is the best way to gaurantee a successful (measured by how happy you are over the period you own the home) homeownership experience.
Getting online and going, okay I want this community because the schools nearby have this rating on Great Schools, and because this website says that about the community is crazy. You are going to spend over half a million dollars. Going out and checking out the parks, the shopping centers, doing the commute a few times, doing the drive to the kids schools and/or daycare, stuff like that is pretty important. How bout checking out the neighbors?
Many people that rent like to make a purchase in the same neighborhood they rent in because they KNOW what they are getting into.
I agree that being decisive about the particular home is important. If there is a home that you really want and it is in the community you really want, trying to wait a few weeks to see if you can save a few thousand will more then likely be fruitless in this market, especially if it is a well priced home in PQ that shows nicely and is in a good part of PQ.
I would imagine that there are more then a few posters here who want that, and then throw in lurkers and you have many more. Then multiply that by a double digit number and you probably have the buyers pool in San Diego for that. Lots of competition. As rates climb and origination fees grow you may see that shrink a little bit.
As sdr said, you have sellers holding and hoping right now, SD employment in good shape, and in general a positive environment for the 30-40 something year old professionals making 6 figures so you may need to wait until summertime to see if some sellers that don’t move their homes start to give in.