[quote=zzz]If I were you, I’d go check out that house in Del Mar, its got most of what you are asking for, minus the age of the house. You indicated wanting that older estate feel but having been built in 2000-05 means you are going to have a much tougher time finding that combination. I believe you are going to need to find a custom home versus track home to find that combination. Also I think you really need to go look at these homes. Just because its newer doesn’t mean its well constructed versus a home that’s slightly older may have been better custom construction.
Overall, Del Mar and the adjacent coastal areas are much better location wise IMHO than RB or Poway and I believe will hold its value better. Scripps Ranch burned in the 03 fires, hence a lot of rebuilds that BG mentioned, so ask yourself if you want to deal with higher wildfire risks being further east[/quote]
Good suggestion to consider customs, zzz. wanttobuy, it IS true that just because a house is newer doesn’t mean it’s better built. You may be able to find a recently-built custom home whose lot was subdivided by an adjacent neighbor. Or a very small subdivision in which the (spec) builder only built two or three homes and sold the other parcels as lots. In the case of the spec-builder subdivision, it is preferable if the subdivision was actually completed prior to 1990 (even if some lots sat more than 10 years before being resold or developed). In this case, you will likely find that the subdivider didn’t get caught up in having to form a CFD (or join into an adjacent one) in order to obtain building permits.
I agree about the fire insurance problem in Scripps. I’m certain the fire ins deductibles there are also in the thousands, even after paying a premium that is 2.5 to 3 times that of a similar house in a less fire-prone location. In addition, many of these rebuilds in the price range you are shopping in are well-appointed, yes, but way overbuilt for the neighborhood and thus all the homes on their tract(s) that were NOT destroyed in the Cedar fires or were rebuilt back to their orignal footprint would have much lower sold comps. This situation doesn’t bode well for appraisal or resale purposes, IMO.
In your price range and for what and where you want, I wouldn’t get caught up in excessive square footage or age. Neither of those is anywhere near as important as location.
I like the home in (uninc) Del Mar very much. The materials used to build this house are very costly. Even though it is above your price range, I would at least park on the street in front of it or in the driveway to listen, and if possible, walk the parameters of the property. Properties situated higher up frequently DO take on the echo of a fwy, even if that fwy is a mile away.
edit: just took another look at the Avocado Pl listing. My eyesight’s not too great but if that roof is a cedar shake roof, the new owner who gets an insurance binder in escrow may be told by their ins co that they must replace it within 2-12 months of ownership or be non-renewed. Also on septic if that is an issue for you.
