[quote=ocrenter][quote=zk][quote=earlyretirement]
There ARE Mello Roos taxes over here but quite honestly even with them we felt it was well worth it. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions. At that $1.2 million or so range, I just feel it’s GREAT value for the money compared to many other areas.[/quote]
Nazzy,
I can’t speak to much about Santa Luz besides the weather. The weather there is really hard to beat. Less marine layer than the coast and not as hot as Scripps Ranch. Although Scripps Ranch really isn’t that hot.
earlyretirement,
We looked in Santa Luz, and we liked it. But we thought that the HOA fees were out of line with what you got for them. Quite possibly we overlooked something. Can you shed some light on what that $440/mo gets you? Or where it goes? Thanks.[/quote]
what’s not to like about santaluz? except for the $1k HOA/MR monthly. but of course, that does keep the riff-raff out :).
my colleagues who have been long time residents of Scripps Ranch would never consider themselves “inland,” they actually think they are coastal. They do have a point, as most of SR is above 600 feet in elevation with the coastal breeze coming through completely unobstructed. Stonebridge is more “inland” but then it gets to 1000 feet in elevation, so the “coastal feel” continues. Don’t get fooled by the “east of I-15” location of SR/SB, the elevation makes up for it.[/quote]
Hi zk & ocrenter,
I 100% totally agree with you on the weather. It’s AMAZING!! This was one of those things that we didn’t even think about as a benefit when we bought where we did vs. La Jolla, Del Mar or some other areas like further inland in Carmel Valley.
It’s just unbeatable, IMHO. Not just in the morning/early afternoon before the marine layer burns off (if it does at all), at night as well or dusk you can also see the difference looking West towards the ocean. It’s just amazing here and doesn’t get too hot and you have constant breezes from the ocean being just 5 or 6 miles from the ocean.
zk, I actually think the HOA fees here are VERY reasonable for everything that you get. For example, I’m not sure why but most realtors don’t explain to buyers that the HOA fees include garbage pick up, high speed-Internet access (I get 30 MB download speeds all throughout my house, digital cable with one converter box. It includes the guard gated 24/7 security, the roving security patrols and of course all the maintenance and landscaping to maintain the 3,800 acres out here.
People often forget about the high speed internet and cable and garbage pick up. You can’t forget to back out these expenses. When you do, it’s quite reasonable, IMHO. I own several other properties where they don’t include these things nor have the guard gated community and it’s much more. Plus they don’t maintain the grounds anywhere near what Santaluz does. They take immaculate care of the grounds.
As to your question where the rest of this money goes, they are VERY transparent here and very well managed. Trust me. I’ve purchased literally hundreds of properties over the years. So I’ve seen how many HOA’s are run. They are extremely organized here. I’ve never lived in a community where my HOA fees went DOWN 2 years in a row. Well here in Santaluz since I’ve purchased, both of the past 2 years the HOA fees have been reduced.
They are always looking for ways to save money here. Communication is excellent with the owners and the property management team is great. Anytime I need anything I call or email and have an answer that same day typically within hours instead of days like other properties where I’ve bought or currently own.
As mentioned, they keep the entire development extremely well maintained. They spend over $1 million a year just maintaining the grounds which they do an immaculate job of. As well the security here is VERY good. I’ve done tons of renovations on my house since I bought so I had a constant stream of contractors and workers and they are very good about not letting in anyone that is NOT on the list. They have a great system where you can either call, fax or enter guests name on a website.
As well they are VERY smart about how they set up things. There is a purpose for everything. For example, the HOA fees include gate access stickers so the gate automatically opens. Well for those deadbeats that get behind on their HOA fees, they will deactivate the tickets so they have to manually go through the security guard (“drive of shame” type of thing). Plus they will turn off the Internet and Cable in your house. So delinquency rates stay VERY low. Everything is well thought out to protect the homeowners which I appreciated.
As far as the Mello Roos, sure that isn’t fun paying it but many other communities have them in the area (Del Sur, 4S Ranch, parts of Carmel Valley). I was NOT a fan of paying them but quite honestly it was well worth it for me to pay it to buy here. Plus, you can prepay off the Mello Roos here and not have to worry about it. We pre-paid ours off at around $61,000. (Even if you add on that pay off quote of CFD taxes, it still easily beats the value for the money in other areas like Carmel Valley, IMHO…. the housing stock is MUCH nicer overall and higher quality with many owners putting in six figures in upgrades in the homes).
I’ve owned properties in other upscale neighborhoods/communities/developments in several countries and NONE of them compare to where we live now. I’ve bought a lot of real estate but I consider this by far the best purchase I ever made. We absolutely LOVE our decision to buy here and raise our kids here.
As well, there is a big sense of community here that I’ve not experienced anywhere else. In a lot of affluent communities people just keep to themselves for the most part. Here our first year living here not having met any of our neighbors, they ALL bought us Christmas gifts. I was blown away! We have annual block parties and several events throughout the year.
There are young kids EVERYWHERE! They originally designed this community for empty nesters but so many families with young kids moved in. Now about 50% of the residents have kids under 14.
The developers were geniuses with how they developed and planned this community. I have NO skin in the game or care where you buy. I’m not selling my house and probably never will. I’m NOT a realtor either. I’m just mentioning this because you sound similar to us with your search and I think you should at least check out the community before you plop down over $1 million on a house somewhere else. I’m telling you the type of stuff that I’d want to hear as a homeowner that was going to sink down that kind of money on a house.
I’ve been going to La Jolla on vacations with my family since I was a kid. Many decades and I never imagined I would live in North County. But I can tell you I absolutely am thrilled with my decision to buy here.
Many people that have lived in San Diego all their lives have never been out here. That’s why I’m mentioning it as an option.
Take the time to actually watch those 4 videos. As cheesy as some of them come off, honestly, I have the same opinion as those homeowners. I have almost the SAME feeling as what most of them say in the videos. Things like “every time I drive through those gates I’m happy to be home”…kind of thing. Really you do get that sense. This is easily the best place I’ve ever lived.
I honestly believe this is the best value for the money on house prices here at Santaluz compared to almost all the other affluent communities in the San Diego area. And a community like this will never be duplicated in Southern California again. In the next few decades I truly believe these developers that created Santaluz will be hailed as geniuses for planning the community the way they did.
Like I said, feel free to PM me if you have any questions or even if you want to have a coffee I’d be more than happy to share my experiences with you.
You will find people here EXTREMELY open and friendly. I was truly amazed by this. We have made SO MANY great friends here in our community. We have met so many families with kids our children’s ages.
For me, I knew I wouldn’t have a hard time making new friends as I’m very social and open. My wife is the opposite as she is very private and a bit shy. But I joke she has more friends living here for 2 years than she had in the last city we lived for 8 years. She made TONS of friends here. The quality of people living here in the community is truly amazing.
