This is my take on Sky Ranch and Santee in general. We visited all the new Santee communities (Riverwalk, Skyranch) back in mid – late 2008. Some of the plan 3 Stoney Creek Riverwalk places were going for 550k or so then? Sky ranch Crestview was listing for 655k or so back then? I agree that when you get inside your home in Skyranch, it’s nice and quiet, but getting there isn’t so nice IMO.
On our first visit, we didn’t notice the run down strip mall (on mission gorge?), apartments right outside Skyranch, but on a subsequent visit, we just didn’t like what we saw getting there. People hanging around street corners and there being a few apartment complexes right outside the slope and checking the sex offender website, a few sex offenders living there as well was a big negative for us.
Another thing I noticed is that they advertise no MR, but when we first visited and about a year later, the HOA actually went up. If someone has old notes from 2008, 2009 and now, the HOA back then was “only” about $150 or so I think.
You also don’t get much for your HOA fee we felt and they had to raise the fee to pay for the slope maintenance (useless IMO). When we looked back then, only 2 of the 12 or 13 Crestview homes sold telling us that they were already overpriced and HOA fees had to go up to cover the maintenance (and it did). Maybe it’s better now, but advertising no MR and raising HOA left a bad taste in our mouth.
Another thing I’ve noticed is that Santee seems to be the dumping ground for the rest of San Diego. There is a dump there and I think Santee just lost a San Diego vote to expand the dump site there since it’s owned by “San Diego”. They are also expanding the jail I think. No one else wants it, let’s give it to Mikee, oops, Santee, they’ll take all our crap! That’s what it sounds like in the news…
On other subsequent visits, we also didn’t like the prospective homebuyers there. Economic segregation/discrimination is a great thing and being an older community, there is just too much lower priced housing stock in the area (not to mention the trailer park next to the 52) and the accompanying type of person there. That’s not everyone of course, but you get the idea.
I’m also curious how much you paid SRO if you don’t mind sharing a price range since when we compared prices back then, we felt there were much better values than Sky Ranch without the negative Santee (east county) stigma (however much there is).
As stated here, I think Crestview is now in the 500-550k range. I think some places in Del Sur offer that price point now (alleyway homes). There are new places in Carlsbad (smaller) there as well I think and with a 30 yr loan and a hundred or 2 more per month, I think most folks would spring for another location if possible. I think the new 4S homes start in the low 600s for one of the new developments.
That said, I just don’t think Sky Ranch is a great deal unless you HAVE to have some view (which we didn’t care for). In terms of housing resale value, it’s always better to be the least expensive house in your general area so you get lifted up by every other house than to be the 600-800k house in Santee when the avg home there is much much lower.
