[quote]sdmove, I looked at UCGal’s Pennant Village listing and I think that’s a good option for you.
If you could possibly save and qualify for just a bit more, I want to recommend these units. I don’t know if there is any pending litigation or if they will now qualify to be financed. They are units I’m familiar with and they have a lot of amenities for your HOA dues, which are $330 – $396, a bit high. Remember that a condo insurance premium is less than the premium for an SFR, because the association is insuring the common areas and common construction.
I just consulted SDLookup and I was in error that I pet-sat on Mahaila Ave (above). This was another friend’s unit. This complex on Mahaila Ave is first class right in line with the complex on the north side of Friars at Fashion Valley Road. It has fantastic amenities.
I’m pretty sure these next two are actually in the same complex as I pet-sat in for 10 days. Mind you that it was the holiday season of 1981 and I’m just trying to go on memory here. This complex would have only been only 1.5 yrs old at the time, which sounds correct. If these are the right ones, they are 3 stories with open space between them and the UTC Mall (also fairly new at that time). The gym and other amenities made me feel like I was staying at a nice timeshare. I stayed in a 4 bdrm 1750+ sf unit like the ones below. It was VERY quiet. I couldn’t hear any neighbors and it was also well-built. It was just like living in an SFR.
I CAN tell you that my friend paid about $157K for it new and at the time I pet-sat, the HOA dues were about $159. Of course, this is irrelevant today, lol.
I also have a friend who owns a 3 bdrm unit in Eastbluff and I would not recommend those units for a family because their kitchen was very small with about 12 sq ft of counter space (half the size of the kitchen in UCGal’s patio home listing).
edit: if you stay in UC, don’t forget how much gas you’re going to save per month (not even considering your time) :=][/quote]
Bearishgurl, unfortunately the condo on Mahalia and Via Andar/Paseo are out of my budget. However, the one on Erlanger (Pennant Village) is something I will look at seriously.
