A Clairemont Guy in Carmel Valley

[sdduuuude]

A perspective on Carmel Valley from a Clairemontie.
(And I’d love to hear realtors chime in about these properties.)

So today was an interesting day. I went house “shopping” in Carmel Valley for the first time.

Our long term outlook may bring us out of Clairemont into the San Dieguito school district, though it need not really happen until mid 2014. (We have an ideal, non-standard school situation for our 6 year-old twins until Sep. 2014).

Still, we are considering adding space to our home and wanted to determine if an earlier move from Clairemont to Carmel Valley would be feasible. Such a move late next year would allow us to avoid putting money into a remodel that could later be used for a down payment.

Our perspective:
1) We don’t need a massive house. 2000 – 2500- sq. ft w/ a 3-car garage would do. Well, I’d be happy with a 1800 sf + 5- car garage, but there’s a wife involved.

2) We do need some lot space. Our 1-story, 1200 sq ft. house is on a 10,000 sq. ft canyon lot and we have 24 feet between houses to the right and left. If needed, I could park about 11 cars on my property, and not 1 of them would be in the garage.

3) Past our back fence, which is 30′ past the deck, which is about 30′ away from the house, our closest neighbors to the rear are about 200’ away, separated by canyon shrubbery in land-locked space.

4) We really don’t want to live too far north due to commutes.

Just for the heck of it I looked on a map where this San Elijo Hills place is. Who would want to live in BF-Egypt out there at any price? Not me. To me, that’s not San Diego. For the same size house, I’d rather live in Phoenix. Honestly. I would.

5) Would be nice if we could hang on to our house as a rental and a potential retirement home.

6) I haven’t thought much about price range. We only have about $100K for a down right now, but lets say we could buy an 800K house next year.

5289 Foxhound Way
We started in Derby Hill because it is at the south end of the district. This was an open house in a 3523 Sq. Ft place priced at $1.3M. Is this a short sale ? I looked back and found a Piggington discussion on Derby Hill saying the new phases were sold at 1.5M ? Pictures from Google show dirt lots with a 2007 copyright date so it was bought recently.

My thoughts on this one: Who pays $1.3M to have your rear neighbor 30’ away watch you from his balcony while you sit in your living room ? Really. WTF ? For 800K, I’ll still pass on it. The house was really well decorated, though and we drooled over all the interior space – nearly 3x what I live in now. Still, the space seem poorly used – the two-car garage was undersized and really, just how many square feet do you need to take a crap?

13088 Sunset Point Place and 2 on Evening Sky Court
A cruise up and down Del Mar Heights Rd. led us to three places on Evening Sky Court and Sunset Point Way. These were nifty lots because they had some buffer space around them. We felt less like the neighbors were in our house. Still to us they were friggin huge at 3500-3700 sq. ft and out of our range at $1.5 – $1.7 Mil. Again Google shows dirt lots on these places so they are pretty new – surprised to see them on the market. I’d be interested to see the loan situation at 13088 Sunset Point Place. Pictures of a young couple lead me to believe they were in over their heads.

GENERAL COMMENTS
We never really saw anything in our price range simply because we probably passed them by. Literally every neighborhood we saw had us marveling at how close together the houses were, assuming we could probably afford them, but knowing we’d never live there.

Is there a small house on a big lot anywhere in this part of SD?

A little neighborhood on or near Tynebourne Circle and Benchley Road seemed more like our price range, but still remarkably cramped. A home listed at $850K was twice as big as our Clairemont home, on a lot less than half the size. Looking at Zillow – 3949 Gaffney Ct seems like it could be livable. It has a nice big yard but alas, it is not for sale.

I’m sure we’d see better options if a realtor guided our sightseeing, though I’m skeptical that anything would really capture our attention at a reasonable price – any hints out there ?

We drove down San Dieguito road into Fairbanks but didn’t bother stopping – way out of our league. At this point, I uttered a curse towards raptorduck that my wife didn’t understand.

Lot on 4670 Sun Valley Rd.
Driving up Sun Valley Road (We like the non-cookie-cutter look of this area), north of Via De La Valle, I hit the brakes when I saw a lot for sale: http://www.ascentrealestate.net/search.asp?mode=25

Now this I’m excited about. Buy a lot, design my own damn house the way I want it and general-contract it myself to save some money while renting nearby. Turns out someone bought the place for $1.4M million last year and has it listed for $1.6M now. Zillow and Google photos show a house on it!?!?! The realtor’s web site says “small house and trees cleared off the lot.” Did they buy it for 1.4M with a house, then rip the house down, and think it is $200K better? Can anyone tell me some history on this? Was the house actually there for the last purchase? Neighboring properties (with actual houses) had Zillow Values in the $1.5M – $2.5M range. Can I sub-divide that sucker ?

At this point, my best strategy seems to be: spend $50,000 now to give us more interior space in Clairemont, plan on renting in Carmel Valley for 6th and 7th grade, then move back to Clairemont and drop $80K (probably be $120K then) over 4 years to send the kids to a private high school.

[Dukehorn]

I told my sister and her husband that buying a canyon view small home in Clairemont with some character would be better than buying a faceless home in 4S Ranch. A bigger lot would allow some quality outdoor time (especially with the gorgeous weather that San Diego has). And you could do a remodel with some of your own architectural ideas.

Unfortunately, (in a typical Asian fashion), my brother in law wanted to buy a “new house” to impress his side of the family.

To each his own.

But I think my analysis would parallel yours quite a bit.

[jpinpb]

I used to live in Carmel Valley. That was before the 56 was built and the 5 commute wasn’t as nightmarish. Once the 56 came in, I was out of there. Though now that they’ve expanded the 5/805 merge, it flows a little better to CV. But the 56 does back up at rush hour. Clairemont may not be as new and glamorous, but I think you get way more for your money.

You don’t have much of a choice in CV. I was in a 2000 sf house on top of my neighbor. Back then I could hear coyotes at night. I really liked it, even though I didn’t have much of a yard. It was enough to plant a little garden, but not have to work on it every weekend or have to hire a gardener.

The 2-car garage and room for 2 cars in the driveway was enough for me. But I know the dream for some guys is more like a 1000 sf house w/a 5-car garage. (Though I actually know some guys that live in high-rises downtown w/underground parking and like it. They never get their hands dirty. Each his own)

The newer places in CV or south of 56 in Torrey Hills are bigger and the lots are still small. The large lots are McMansions w/the price tag to go along with it. I just don’t get having that big of a house, unless you are sharing it w/another family. Some of the newer communities have HOAs to contend with and I think there may still be Mello Roos there, like 4$, though I’m not sure. There was when I first bought there.

I would have to agree w/Dukehorn. For the money, you would be better off finding a place in Clairemont on a canyon and totally redoing it to make it look like a house in Carmel Valley, send the kids to private school and maybe still have some money left over. But then you would still have to drive through your neighborhood and look at other houses that are not as nice. Will that matter?

Otherwise, you will have to settle for a new place in Carmel Valley on a small lot and make friends with your very nearby neighbor. On the bright side, your neighbors will probably be decent people if they can afford living up there. If they’re realtors, though, flipping, they may be financially challenged.

[svelte]

Agree with everything that has been said and even laughed at a few of your thoughts dude. They mirror mine exactly.

Just expanding in Clairemont does sound to be an attractive option if you’re ok with the neighborhood (not that you shouldn’t be).

The square footage one deems acceptable does change as kids get older – we raised ours in the range your wife prefers but I can tell you there were times we wished we had more space. Then I think back and realize that just two generations ago our relatives raised 4 to 6 kids in 1200 sf. It must have been a zoo.

I guess the biggest thing I have learned over the years is that my taste in homes, home sizes, and neighborhoods have changed and will probably continue to change. There are only so many years into the future you can project with any sort of accuracy regarding your wants/needs.

[svelte]

Agree with everything that has been said and even laughed at a few of your thoughts dude. They mirror mine exactly.

Just expanding in Clairemont does sound to be an attractive option if you’re ok with the neighborhood (not that you shouldn’t be).

The square footage one deems acceptable does change as kids get older – we raised ours in the range your wife prefers but I can tell you there were times we wished we had more space. Then I think back and realize that just two generations ago our relatives raised 4 to 6 kids in 1200 sf. It must have been a zoo.

I guess the biggest thing I have learned over the years is that my taste in homes, home sizes, and neighborhoods have changed and will probably continue to change. There are only so many years into the future you can project with any sort of accuracy regarding your wants/needs.

[svelte]

Agree with everything that has been said and even laughed at a few of your thoughts dude. They mirror mine exactly.

Just expanding in Clairemont does sound to be an attractive option if you’re ok with the neighborhood (not that you shouldn’t be).

The square footage one deems acceptable does change as kids get older – we raised ours in the range your wife prefers but I can tell you there were times we wished we had more space. Then I think back and realize that just two generations ago our relatives raised 4 to 6 kids in 1200 sf. It must have been a zoo.

I guess the biggest thing I have learned over the years is that my taste in homes, home sizes, and neighborhoods have changed and will probably continue to change. There are only so many years into the future you can project with any sort of accuracy regarding your wants/needs.

[svelte]

Agree with everything that has been said and even laughed at a few of your thoughts dude. They mirror mine exactly.

Just expanding in Clairemont does sound to be an attractive option if you’re ok with the neighborhood (not that you shouldn’t be).

The square footage one deems acceptable does change as kids get older – we raised ours in the range your wife prefers but I can tell you there were times we wished we had more space. Then I think back and realize that just two generations ago our relatives raised 4 to 6 kids in 1200 sf. It must have been a zoo.

I guess the biggest thing I have learned over the years is that my taste in homes, home sizes, and neighborhoods have changed and will probably continue to change. There are only so many years into the future you can project with any sort of accuracy regarding your wants/needs.

[svelte]

Agree with everything that has been said and even laughed at a few of your thoughts dude. They mirror mine exactly.

Just expanding in Clairemont does sound to be an attractive option if you’re ok with the neighborhood (not that you shouldn’t be).

The square footage one deems acceptable does change as kids get older – we raised ours in the range your wife prefers but I can tell you there were times we wished we had more space. Then I think back and realize that just two generations ago our relatives raised 4 to 6 kids in 1200 sf. It must have been a zoo.

I guess the biggest thing I have learned over the years is that my taste in homes, home sizes, and neighborhoods have changed and will probably continue to change. There are only so many years into the future you can project with any sort of accuracy regarding your wants/needs.

[jpinpb]

I used to live in Carmel Valley. That was before the 56 was built and the 5 commute wasn’t as nightmarish. Once the 56 came in, I was out of there. Though now that they’ve expanded the 5/805 merge, it flows a little better to CV. But the 56 does back up at rush hour. Clairemont may not be as new and glamorous, but I think you get way more for your money.

You don’t have much of a choice in CV. I was in a 2000 sf house on top of my neighbor. Back then I could hear coyotes at night. I really liked it, even though I didn’t have much of a yard. It was enough to plant a little garden, but not have to work on it every weekend or have to hire a gardener.

The 2-car garage and room for 2 cars in the driveway was enough for me. But I know the dream for some guys is more like a 1000 sf house w/a 5-car garage. (Though I actually know some guys that live in high-rises downtown w/underground parking and like it. They never get their hands dirty. Each his own)

The newer places in CV or south of 56 in Torrey Hills are bigger and the lots are still small. The large lots are McMansions w/the price tag to go along with it. I just don’t get having that big of a house, unless you are sharing it w/another family. Some of the newer communities have HOAs to contend with and I think there may still be Mello Roos there, like 4$, though I’m not sure. There was when I first bought there.

I would have to agree w/Dukehorn. For the money, you would be better off finding a place in Clairemont on a canyon and totally redoing it to make it look like a house in Carmel Valley, send the kids to private school and maybe still have some money left over. But then you would still have to drive through your neighborhood and look at other houses that are not as nice. Will that matter?

Otherwise, you will have to settle for a new place in Carmel Valley on a small lot and make friends with your very nearby neighbor. On the bright side, your neighbors will probably be decent people if they can afford living up there. If they’re realtors, though, flipping, they may be financially challenged.

[jpinpb]

I used to live in Carmel Valley. That was before the 56 was built and the 5 commute wasn’t as nightmarish. Once the 56 came in, I was out of there. Though now that they’ve expanded the 5/805 merge, it flows a little better to CV. But the 56 does back up at rush hour. Clairemont may not be as new and glamorous, but I think you get way more for your money.

You don’t have much of a choice in CV. I was in a 2000 sf house on top of my neighbor. Back then I could hear coyotes at night. I really liked it, even though I didn’t have much of a yard. It was enough to plant a little garden, but not have to work on it every weekend or have to hire a gardener.

The 2-car garage and room for 2 cars in the driveway was enough for me. But I know the dream for some guys is more like a 1000 sf house w/a 5-car garage. (Though I actually know some guys that live in high-rises downtown w/underground parking and like it. They never get their hands dirty. Each his own)

The newer places in CV or south of 56 in Torrey Hills are bigger and the lots are still small. The large lots are McMansions w/the price tag to go along with it. I just don’t get having that big of a house, unless you are sharing it w/another family. Some of the newer communities have HOAs to contend with and I think there may still be Mello Roos there, like 4$, though I’m not sure. There was when I first bought there.

I would have to agree w/Dukehorn. For the money, you would be better off finding a place in Clairemont on a canyon and totally redoing it to make it look like a house in Carmel Valley, send the kids to private school and maybe still have some money left over. But then you would still have to drive through your neighborhood and look at other houses that are not as nice. Will that matter?

Otherwise, you will have to settle for a new place in Carmel Valley on a small lot and make friends with your very nearby neighbor. On the bright side, your neighbors will probably be decent people if they can afford living up there. If they’re realtors, though, flipping, they may be financially challenged.

[jpinpb]

I used to live in Carmel Valley. That was before the 56 was built and the 5 commute wasn’t as nightmarish. Once the 56 came in, I was out of there. Though now that they’ve expanded the 5/805 merge, it flows a little better to CV. But the 56 does back up at rush hour. Clairemont may not be as new and glamorous, but I think you get way more for your money.

You don’t have much of a choice in CV. I was in a 2000 sf house on top of my neighbor. Back then I could hear coyotes at night. I really liked it, even though I didn’t have much of a yard. It was enough to plant a little garden, but not have to work on it every weekend or have to hire a gardener.

The 2-car garage and room for 2 cars in the driveway was enough for me. But I know the dream for some guys is more like a 1000 sf house w/a 5-car garage. (Though I actually know some guys that live in high-rises downtown w/underground parking and like it. They never get their hands dirty. Each his own)

The newer places in CV or south of 56 in Torrey Hills are bigger and the lots are still small. The large lots are McMansions w/the price tag to go along with it. I just don’t get having that big of a house, unless you are sharing it w/another family. Some of the newer communities have HOAs to contend with and I think there may still be Mello Roos there, like 4$, though I’m not sure. There was when I first bought there.

I would have to agree w/Dukehorn. For the money, you would be better off finding a place in Clairemont on a canyon and totally redoing it to make it look like a house in Carmel Valley, send the kids to private school and maybe still have some money left over. But then you would still have to drive through your neighborhood and look at other houses that are not as nice. Will that matter?

Otherwise, you will have to settle for a new place in Carmel Valley on a small lot and make friends with your very nearby neighbor. On the bright side, your neighbors will probably be decent people if they can afford living up there. If they’re realtors, though, flipping, they may be financially challenged.

[jpinpb]

I used to live in Carmel Valley. That was before the 56 was built and the 5 commute wasn’t as nightmarish. Once the 56 came in, I was out of there. Though now that they’ve expanded the 5/805 merge, it flows a little better to CV. But the 56 does back up at rush hour. Clairemont may not be as new and glamorous, but I think you get way more for your money.

You don’t have much of a choice in CV. I was in a 2000 sf house on top of my neighbor. Back then I could hear coyotes at night. I really liked it, even though I didn’t have much of a yard. It was enough to plant a little garden, but not have to work on it every weekend or have to hire a gardener.

The 2-car garage and room for 2 cars in the driveway was enough for me. But I know the dream for some guys is more like a 1000 sf house w/a 5-car garage. (Though I actually know some guys that live in high-rises downtown w/underground parking and like it. They never get their hands dirty. Each his own)

The newer places in CV or south of 56 in Torrey Hills are bigger and the lots are still small. The large lots are McMansions w/the price tag to go along with it. I just don’t get having that big of a house, unless you are sharing it w/another family. Some of the newer communities have HOAs to contend with and I think there may still be Mello Roos there, like 4$, though I’m not sure. There was when I first bought there.

I would have to agree w/Dukehorn. For the money, you would be better off finding a place in Clairemont on a canyon and totally redoing it to make it look like a house in Carmel Valley, send the kids to private school and maybe still have some money left over. But then you would still have to drive through your neighborhood and look at other houses that are not as nice. Will that matter?

Otherwise, you will have to settle for a new place in Carmel Valley on a small lot and make friends with your very nearby neighbor. On the bright side, your neighbors will probably be decent people if they can afford living up there. If they’re realtors, though, flipping, they may be financially challenged.

[Dukehorn]

I told my sister and her husband that buying a canyon view small home in Clairemont with some character would be better than buying a faceless home in 4S Ranch. A bigger lot would allow some quality outdoor time (especially with the gorgeous weather that San Diego has). And you could do a remodel with some of your own architectural ideas.

Unfortunately, (in a typical Asian fashion), my brother in law wanted to buy a “new house” to impress his side of the family.

To each his own.

But I think my analysis would parallel yours quite a bit.

[Dukehorn]

I told my sister and her husband that buying a canyon view small home in Clairemont with some character would be better than buying a faceless home in 4S Ranch. A bigger lot would allow some quality outdoor time (especially with the gorgeous weather that San Diego has). And you could do a remodel with some of your own architectural ideas.

Unfortunately, (in a typical Asian fashion), my brother in law wanted to buy a “new house” to impress his side of the family.

To each his own.

But I think my analysis would parallel yours quite a bit.

[Dukehorn]

I told my sister and her husband that buying a canyon view small home in Clairemont with some character would be better than buying a faceless home in 4S Ranch. A bigger lot would allow some quality outdoor time (especially with the gorgeous weather that San Diego has). And you could do a remodel with some of your own architectural ideas.

Unfortunately, (in a typical Asian fashion), my brother in law wanted to buy a “new house” to impress his side of the family.

To each his own.

But I think my analysis would parallel yours quite a bit.

[Dukehorn]

I told my sister and her husband that buying a canyon view small home in Clairemont with some character would be better than buying a faceless home in 4S Ranch. A bigger lot would allow some quality outdoor time (especially with the gorgeous weather that San Diego has). And you could do a remodel with some of your own architectural ideas.

Unfortunately, (in a typical Asian fashion), my brother in law wanted to buy a “new house” to impress his side of the family.

To each his own.

But I think my analysis would parallel yours quite a bit.

[carli]

We live in Del Mar and are also going through a search for something a little bigger with more space for the kids but staying within the Del Mar Union School district for elementary and the San Dieguito school district for middle school and high school (we love both districts and have had outstanding experiences with both).

We don’t want a gigantic megahome in Carmel Valley (plus we believe most of those prices will continue to fall). However, I agree, it is always tempting when you wander in to a newly decorated Derby Hill Plan 3, and we start to think, “well, maybe this would be okay if it was on a nice canyon view lot” but, those go for $1.7 or so (without upgrades) for the bigger view lot, which is the only way we could stand to be in that kind of cookie-cutter, wedged-in environment. No way. Even though we could afford it, we won’t do it because we just cannot imagine that those will hold their value, not to mention that we find ourselves cringing every time we drive through (which should be a definite gut-check to remind ourselves how we’d feel living there)!

So, our search continues for the perfect 3500ish sf home with good design and quality interior on a nice lot – it is not easy, even in a much higher price range than yours. They are very few and far between. We now find ourselves focusing on looking for fixers on exceptional lots in good locations, but it seems many others are looking for the same thing so we run up against multiple offers. The ones that are available for long are not being sold at fixer prices if you count on approx. $250-300/sf for construction costs, which we feel is realistic (and we’ve now done the fixer route 3 times over the past 20 yrs). For example, what you saw on Sun Valley Rd is a perfect example – I think I know that property and there’s no way you can build there with landscaping and all the other stuff (I think it even needs septic, if I recall correctly) for less than $1.5, unless you’re a developer/builder. I don’t know about your subdividing idea…Del Mar, Solana Beach and RSF almost never allow it, but it’s always worth checking.

Anyway, back to your original question about properties in the area for $800,000 or so – have you checked out Del Mar, just west of the 5 and just south of Del Mar Heights Rd, bordered by Calais Dr on the east and Portofino Dr on the west? There are some nice streets and small cul de sacs in that neighborhood that have older, smaller homes on good sized lots. Our kids go to school with many families from that area and they love it. Many of the homes are dated and need sprucing up (or in some cases, major overhauls), but will go for the $800ish range. There was one that just sold on Calais Dr somewhere in the mid-800’s that was definitely liveable as is but also had good future potential. I think it was around 2000 sf or a little more. Another came on the market in the last couple weeks on Barbados Way for $825,000. A friend of mine saw it and said it had good potential…from the listing, it looks like it’s a 1527 sf house on a 12,600 sf lot, and I’ll be surprised if it lasts for long. I know other families who live on Barbados Way, which is a quiet cul de sac, and they love it.

One major caveat about that area – I am not completely tuned in to the current discussion about the widening of I-5, which if it happens, is definitely going to impact people who live on Portofino, and maybe streets further east. Even now, there is a road noise issue in some parts of that area, but you need to check out each property individually to see what it’s like because it varies widely. The house I’m referring to on Barbados Way is on the east side of the street and is probably well-protected from major noise. I know you want a fully done house for the $800,000 price, but if you can put a little money into this one, it may be a good way to get you into the school district.

However, if waiting is an option, why not just hang out and see what happens? In my opinion (as with many on this board), prices will continue to soften and may even eventually go into a freefall, so if you’re in a position to wait it out, that’s the smartest way to go. None of these properties are going anywhere too fast, although a good fixer does sometimes get multiple offers. Still, there will be another one to come along.

I would also suggest checking out the older neighborhood just north of Del Mar Heights Rd and east of 5, off of High Bluff Rd where you can find some decent prices on older homes with bigger lots, but that area is part of Solana Beach School District. It comes as a surprise to many people that the homes in neighborhoods along DM Heights Rd on the north side are part of Solana Beach School District and not Del Mar Union School District. Solana Beach is a very good district, but if you’re looking for Del Mar schools (as in most of Carmel Valley such as Derby Hill and Torrey Hills area), you won’t be enrolled in them if you buy east of 1-5 and on the north side of DM Heights Rd. Sunset Pt Way and Evening Sky Court fall into that category.

Sun Valley Road area, which we also love, is very pricey and also, although it’s a Del Mar address, you will be in Solana Beach school district for elementary school. Many people love that area because it has a semi-rural feel like RSF and also has some horse properties, yet it’s more convenient than RSF, being closer to the 5 and the beach. You probably know this, but once your kids hit middle school, all Solana Beach, Del Mar, RSF kids go to schools in the San Dieguito Union High School district. Until that time, there are separate elementary districts.

Hope this is somewhat helpful. Good luck deciding your options! Sounds like any way you go, you’re in a good place.

[sdduuuude]

Wow – thanks for all that info.

We can wait a bit, but are hoping to make the “remodel this home this Summer or not” decision soon. So, we could wait until late next year to actually buyu, but we need some ray of hope before deciding to live in this little house for another 18 months.

We are avid fixer-uppers so really, nothing is too daunting from that perspective. Finish carpentry is a hobby of mine so a cosmetic makeover would be easy. I’ll check out the Portofino area. I know right where that is (visited a friend there many years ago). It’s worth a look.

As I mentioned, the grade school district is irrelevant to us. The high school district is the important thing, and all these are in San Dieguito.

The real deal-killer may be the increase of our property tax base from $250,000 to $800,000, which is an extra $500/month or so. Why pay that extra tax until we actually need to for the better high schools ?

[NotCranky]

sdduuuude, Maybe your family is a good candidate for private schools at the high school level. Clairemont is certainly ideally situated for that.

[sdduuuude]

I know of LJ Country Day and Francis Parker. Any others ?

[beachlover]

Maybe look at older carmel valley. Here’s one: http://www.sdlookup.com/MLS-081016972-12324_Sardina_Cove_San_Diego_CA_92130

Private schools include Parker, LJCD, many of the faith based schools Bishops, Santa Fe Christian, Horizon, Marathantha, Jewish Academy.

[jpinpb]

The place on Sardina Cove is nice w/no MR or HOA, but IMHO, a little high in price. Just a few years ago houses on that street selling for 550-650k. Not unreasonable to think it may fall to that before the real estate market mess is all said and done, no?

[jpinpb]

The place on Sardina Cove is nice w/no MR or HOA, but IMHO, a little high in price. Just a few years ago houses on that street selling for 550-650k. Not unreasonable to think it may fall to that before the real estate market mess is all said and done, no?

[jpinpb]

The place on Sardina Cove is nice w/no MR or HOA, but IMHO, a little high in price. Just a few years ago houses on that street selling for 550-650k. Not unreasonable to think it may fall to that before the real estate market mess is all said and done, no?

[jpinpb]

The place on Sardina Cove is nice w/no MR or HOA, but IMHO, a little high in price. Just a few years ago houses on that street selling for 550-650k. Not unreasonable to think it may fall to that before the real estate market mess is all said and done, no?

[jpinpb]

The place on Sardina Cove is nice w/no MR or HOA, but IMHO, a little high in price. Just a few years ago houses on that street selling for 550-650k. Not unreasonable to think it may fall to that before the real estate market mess is all said and done, no?

[beachlover]

Maybe look at older carmel valley. Here’s one: http://www.sdlookup.com/MLS-081016972-12324_Sardina_Cove_San_Diego_CA_92130

Private schools include Parker, LJCD, many of the faith based schools Bishops, Santa Fe Christian, Horizon, Marathantha, Jewish Academy.

[beachlover]

Maybe look at older carmel valley. Here’s one: http://www.sdlookup.com/MLS-081016972-12324_Sardina_Cove_San_Diego_CA_92130

Private schools include Parker, LJCD, many of the faith based schools Bishops, Santa Fe Christian, Horizon, Marathantha, Jewish Academy.

[beachlover]

Maybe look at older carmel valley. Here’s one: http://www.sdlookup.com/MLS-081016972-12324_Sardina_Cove_San_Diego_CA_92130

Private schools include Parker, LJCD, many of the faith based schools Bishops, Santa Fe Christian, Horizon, Marathantha, Jewish Academy.

[beachlover]

Maybe look at older carmel valley. Here’s one: http://www.sdlookup.com/MLS-081016972-12324_Sardina_Cove_San_Diego_CA_92130

Private schools include Parker, LJCD, many of the faith based schools Bishops, Santa Fe Christian, Horizon, Marathantha, Jewish Academy.

[NotCranky]

Other posters know more about this than I do.I think USD is an option.Not sure. I moved to Jamul so my kids could go to Steele Canyon .I think we will have other options when we reach that time but when we made the decision to leave San Diego that was not apparent. We might like to move back.

[NotCranky]

Other posters know more about this than I do.I think USD is an option.Not sure. I moved to Jamul so my kids could go to Steele Canyon .I think we will have other options when we reach that time but when we made the decision to leave San Diego that was not apparent. We might like to move back.

[NotCranky]

Other posters know more about this than I do.I think USD is an option.Not sure. I moved to Jamul so my kids could go to Steele Canyon .I think we will have other options when we reach that time but when we made the decision to leave San Diego that was not apparent. We might like to move back.

[NotCranky]

Other posters know more about this than I do.I think USD is an option.Not sure. I moved to Jamul so my kids could go to Steele Canyon .I think we will have other options when we reach that time but when we made the decision to leave San Diego that was not apparent. We might like to move back.

[NotCranky]

Other posters know more about this than I do.I think USD is an option.Not sure. I moved to Jamul so my kids could go to Steele Canyon .I think we will have other options when we reach that time but when we made the decision to leave San Diego that was not apparent. We might like to move back.

[sdduuuude]

I know of LJ Country Day and Francis Parker. Any others ?

[sdduuuude]

I know of LJ Country Day and Francis Parker. Any others ?

[sdduuuude]

I know of LJ Country Day and Francis Parker. Any others ?

[sdduuuude]

I know of LJ Country Day and Francis Parker. Any others ?

[NotCranky]

sdduuuude, Maybe your family is a good candidate for private schools at the high school level. Clairemont is certainly ideally situated for that.

[NotCranky]

sdduuuude, Maybe your family is a good candidate for private schools at the high school level. Clairemont is certainly ideally situated for that.

[NotCranky]

sdduuuude, Maybe your family is a good candidate for private schools at the high school level. Clairemont is certainly ideally situated for that.

[NotCranky]

sdduuuude, Maybe your family is a good candidate for private schools at the high school level. Clairemont is certainly ideally situated for that.

[jpinpb]

sdduuuude – If you are concerned about property tax base, check the Mello Roos in CV. As I said, that area may still have Mello Roos. SDR may know real quick. Old Del Mar west of 5 would not, I don’t think. The increase in sales price, property tax and MR may cost more than private school in the long run. That’s something you’ll have to calculate.

[jpinpb]

sdduuuude – If you are concerned about property tax base, check the Mello Roos in CV. As I said, that area may still have Mello Roos. SDR may know real quick. Old Del Mar west of 5 would not, I don’t think. The increase in sales price, property tax and MR may cost more than private school in the long run. That’s something you’ll have to calculate.

[jpinpb]

sdduuuude – If you are concerned about property tax base, check the Mello Roos in CV. As I said, that area may still have Mello Roos. SDR may know real quick. Old Del Mar west of 5 would not, I don’t think. The increase in sales price, property tax and MR may cost more than private school in the long run. That’s something you’ll have to calculate.

[jpinpb]

sdduuuude – If you are concerned about property tax base, check the Mello Roos in CV. As I said, that area may still have Mello Roos. SDR may know real quick. Old Del Mar west of 5 would not, I don’t think. The increase in sales price, property tax and MR may cost more than private school in the long run. That’s something you’ll have to calculate.

[jpinpb]

sdduuuude – If you are concerned about property tax base, check the Mello Roos in CV. As I said, that area may still have Mello Roos. SDR may know real quick. Old Del Mar west of 5 would not, I don’t think. The increase in sales price, property tax and MR may cost more than private school in the long run. That’s something you’ll have to calculate.

[[email protected]]

Guess you were wrong about valuing 5289 Foxhound at 800K – it closed today for $1.25.

[[email protected]]

Guess you were wrong about valuing 5289 Foxhound at 800K – it closed today for $1.25.

[[email protected]]

Guess you were wrong about valuing 5289 Foxhound at 800K – it closed today for $1.25.

[[email protected]]

Guess you were wrong about valuing 5289 Foxhound at 800K – it closed today for $1.25.

[[email protected]]

Guess you were wrong about valuing 5289 Foxhound at 800K – it closed today for $1.25.

[sdduuuude]

Wow – thanks for all that info.

We can wait a bit, but are hoping to make the “remodel this home this Summer or not” decision soon. So, we could wait until late next year to actually buyu, but we need some ray of hope before deciding to live in this little house for another 18 months.

We are avid fixer-uppers so really, nothing is too daunting from that perspective. Finish carpentry is a hobby of mine so a cosmetic makeover would be easy. I’ll check out the Portofino area. I know right where that is (visited a friend there many years ago). It’s worth a look.

As I mentioned, the grade school district is irrelevant to us. The high school district is the important thing, and all these are in San Dieguito.

The real deal-killer may be the increase of our property tax base from $250,000 to $800,000, which is an extra $500/month or so. Why pay that extra tax until we actually need to for the better high schools ?

[sdduuuude]

Wow – thanks for all that info.

We can wait a bit, but are hoping to make the “remodel this home this Summer or not” decision soon. So, we could wait until late next year to actually buyu, but we need some ray of hope before deciding to live in this little house for another 18 months.

We are avid fixer-uppers so really, nothing is too daunting from that perspective. Finish carpentry is a hobby of mine so a cosmetic makeover would be easy. I’ll check out the Portofino area. I know right where that is (visited a friend there many years ago). It’s worth a look.

As I mentioned, the grade school district is irrelevant to us. The high school district is the important thing, and all these are in San Dieguito.

The real deal-killer may be the increase of our property tax base from $250,000 to $800,000, which is an extra $500/month or so. Why pay that extra tax until we actually need to for the better high schools ?

[sdduuuude]

Wow – thanks for all that info.

We can wait a bit, but are hoping to make the “remodel this home this Summer or not” decision soon. So, we could wait until late next year to actually buyu, but we need some ray of hope before deciding to live in this little house for another 18 months.

We are avid fixer-uppers so really, nothing is too daunting from that perspective. Finish carpentry is a hobby of mine so a cosmetic makeover would be easy. I’ll check out the Portofino area. I know right where that is (visited a friend there many years ago). It’s worth a look.

As I mentioned, the grade school district is irrelevant to us. The high school district is the important thing, and all these are in San Dieguito.

The real deal-killer may be the increase of our property tax base from $250,000 to $800,000, which is an extra $500/month or so. Why pay that extra tax until we actually need to for the better high schools ?

[sdduuuude]

Wow – thanks for all that info.

We can wait a bit, but are hoping to make the “remodel this home this Summer or not” decision soon. So, we could wait until late next year to actually buyu, but we need some ray of hope before deciding to live in this little house for another 18 months.

We are avid fixer-uppers so really, nothing is too daunting from that perspective. Finish carpentry is a hobby of mine so a cosmetic makeover would be easy. I’ll check out the Portofino area. I know right where that is (visited a friend there many years ago). It’s worth a look.

As I mentioned, the grade school district is irrelevant to us. The high school district is the important thing, and all these are in San Dieguito.

The real deal-killer may be the increase of our property tax base from $250,000 to $800,000, which is an extra $500/month or so. Why pay that extra tax until we actually need to for the better high schools ?

[carli]

We live in Del Mar and are also going through a search for something a little bigger with more space for the kids but staying within the Del Mar Union School district for elementary and the San Dieguito school district for middle school and high school (we love both districts and have had outstanding experiences with both).

We don’t want a gigantic megahome in Carmel Valley (plus we believe most of those prices will continue to fall). However, I agree, it is always tempting when you wander in to a newly decorated Derby Hill Plan 3, and we start to think, “well, maybe this would be okay if it was on a nice canyon view lot” but, those go for $1.7 or so (without upgrades) for the bigger view lot, which is the only way we could stand to be in that kind of cookie-cutter, wedged-in environment. No way. Even though we could afford it, we won’t do it because we just cannot imagine that those will hold their value, not to mention that we find ourselves cringing every time we drive through (which should be a definite gut-check to remind ourselves how we’d feel living there)!

So, our search continues for the perfect 3500ish sf home with good design and quality interior on a nice lot – it is not easy, even in a much higher price range than yours. They are very few and far between. We now find ourselves focusing on looking for fixers on exceptional lots in good locations, but it seems many others are looking for the same thing so we run up against multiple offers. The ones that are available for long are not being sold at fixer prices if you count on approx. $250-300/sf for construction costs, which we feel is realistic (and we’ve now done the fixer route 3 times over the past 20 yrs). For example, what you saw on Sun Valley Rd is a perfect example – I think I know that property and there’s no way you can build there with landscaping and all the other stuff (I think it even needs septic, if I recall correctly) for less than $1.5, unless you’re a developer/builder. I don’t know about your subdividing idea…Del Mar, Solana Beach and RSF almost never allow it, but it’s always worth checking.

Anyway, back to your original question about properties in the area for $800,000 or so – have you checked out Del Mar, just west of the 5 and just south of Del Mar Heights Rd, bordered by Calais Dr on the east and Portofino Dr on the west? There are some nice streets and small cul de sacs in that neighborhood that have older, smaller homes on good sized lots. Our kids go to school with many families from that area and they love it. Many of the homes are dated and need sprucing up (or in some cases, major overhauls), but will go for the $800ish range. There was one that just sold on Calais Dr somewhere in the mid-800’s that was definitely liveable as is but also had good future potential. I think it was around 2000 sf or a little more. Another came on the market in the last couple weeks on Barbados Way for $825,000. A friend of mine saw it and said it had good potential…from the listing, it looks like it’s a 1527 sf house on a 12,600 sf lot, and I’ll be surprised if it lasts for long. I know other families who live on Barbados Way, which is a quiet cul de sac, and they love it.

One major caveat about that area – I am not completely tuned in to the current discussion about the widening of I-5, which if it happens, is definitely going to impact people who live on Portofino, and maybe streets further east. Even now, there is a road noise issue in some parts of that area, but you need to check out each property individually to see what it’s like because it varies widely. The house I’m referring to on Barbados Way is on the east side of the street and is probably well-protected from major noise. I know you want a fully done house for the $800,000 price, but if you can put a little money into this one, it may be a good way to get you into the school district.

However, if waiting is an option, why not just hang out and see what happens? In my opinion (as with many on this board), prices will continue to soften and may even eventually go into a freefall, so if you’re in a position to wait it out, that’s the smartest way to go. None of these properties are going anywhere too fast, although a good fixer does sometimes get multiple offers. Still, there will be another one to come along.

I would also suggest checking out the older neighborhood just north of Del Mar Heights Rd and east of 5, off of High Bluff Rd where you can find some decent prices on older homes with bigger lots, but that area is part of Solana Beach School District. It comes as a surprise to many people that the homes in neighborhoods along DM Heights Rd on the north side are part of Solana Beach School District and not Del Mar Union School District. Solana Beach is a very good district, but if you’re looking for Del Mar schools (as in most of Carmel Valley such as Derby Hill and Torrey Hills area), you won’t be enrolled in them if you buy east of 1-5 and on the north side of DM Heights Rd. Sunset Pt Way and Evening Sky Court fall into that category.

Sun Valley Road area, which we also love, is very pricey and also, although it’s a Del Mar address, you will be in Solana Beach school district for elementary school. Many people love that area because it has a semi-rural feel like RSF and also has some horse properties, yet it’s more convenient than RSF, being closer to the 5 and the beach. You probably know this, but once your kids hit middle school, all Solana Beach, Del Mar, RSF kids go to schools in the San Dieguito Union High School district. Until that time, there are separate elementary districts.

Hope this is somewhat helpful. Good luck deciding your options! Sounds like any way you go, you’re in a good place.

[carli]

We live in Del Mar and are also going through a search for something a little bigger with more space for the kids but staying within the Del Mar Union School district for elementary and the San Dieguito school district for middle school and high school (we love both districts and have had outstanding experiences with both).

We don’t want a gigantic megahome in Carmel Valley (plus we believe most of those prices will continue to fall). However, I agree, it is always tempting when you wander in to a newly decorated Derby Hill Plan 3, and we start to think, “well, maybe this would be okay if it was on a nice canyon view lot” but, those go for $1.7 or so (without upgrades) for the bigger view lot, which is the only way we could stand to be in that kind of cookie-cutter, wedged-in environment. No way. Even though we could afford it, we won’t do it because we just cannot imagine that those will hold their value, not to mention that we find ourselves cringing every time we drive through (which should be a definite gut-check to remind ourselves how we’d feel living there)!

So, our search continues for the perfect 3500ish sf home with good design and quality interior on a nice lot – it is not easy, even in a much higher price range than yours. They are very few and far between. We now find ourselves focusing on looking for fixers on exceptional lots in good locations, but it seems many others are looking for the same thing so we run up against multiple offers. The ones that are available for long are not being sold at fixer prices if you count on approx. $250-300/sf for construction costs, which we feel is realistic (and we’ve now done the fixer route 3 times over the past 20 yrs). For example, what you saw on Sun Valley Rd is a perfect example – I think I know that property and there’s no way you can build there with landscaping and all the other stuff (I think it even needs septic, if I recall correctly) for less than $1.5, unless you’re a developer/builder. I don’t know about your subdividing idea…Del Mar, Solana Beach and RSF almost never allow it, but it’s always worth checking.

Anyway, back to your original question about properties in the area for $800,000 or so – have you checked out Del Mar, just west of the 5 and just south of Del Mar Heights Rd, bordered by Calais Dr on the east and Portofino Dr on the west? There are some nice streets and small cul de sacs in that neighborhood that have older, smaller homes on good sized lots. Our kids go to school with many families from that area and they love it. Many of the homes are dated and need sprucing up (or in some cases, major overhauls), but will go for the $800ish range. There was one that just sold on Calais Dr somewhere in the mid-800’s that was definitely liveable as is but also had good future potential. I think it was around 2000 sf or a little more. Another came on the market in the last couple weeks on Barbados Way for $825,000. A friend of mine saw it and said it had good potential…from the listing, it looks like it’s a 1527 sf house on a 12,600 sf lot, and I’ll be surprised if it lasts for long. I know other families who live on Barbados Way, which is a quiet cul de sac, and they love it.

One major caveat about that area – I am not completely tuned in to the current discussion about the widening of I-5, which if it happens, is definitely going to impact people who live on Portofino, and maybe streets further east. Even now, there is a road noise issue in some parts of that area, but you need to check out each property individually to see what it’s like because it varies widely. The house I’m referring to on Barbados Way is on the east side of the street and is probably well-protected from major noise. I know you want a fully done house for the $800,000 price, but if you can put a little money into this one, it may be a good way to get you into the school district.

However, if waiting is an option, why not just hang out and see what happens? In my opinion (as with many on this board), prices will continue to soften and may even eventually go into a freefall, so if you’re in a position to wait it out, that’s the smartest way to go. None of these properties are going anywhere too fast, although a good fixer does sometimes get multiple offers. Still, there will be another one to come along.

I would also suggest checking out the older neighborhood just north of Del Mar Heights Rd and east of 5, off of High Bluff Rd where you can find some decent prices on older homes with bigger lots, but that area is part of Solana Beach School District. It comes as a surprise to many people that the homes in neighborhoods along DM Heights Rd on the north side are part of Solana Beach School District and not Del Mar Union School District. Solana Beach is a very good district, but if you’re looking for Del Mar schools (as in most of Carmel Valley such as Derby Hill and Torrey Hills area), you won’t be enrolled in them if you buy east of 1-5 and on the north side of DM Heights Rd. Sunset Pt Way and Evening Sky Court fall into that category.

Sun Valley Road area, which we also love, is very pricey and also, although it’s a Del Mar address, you will be in Solana Beach school district for elementary school. Many people love that area because it has a semi-rural feel like RSF and also has some horse properties, yet it’s more convenient than RSF, being closer to the 5 and the beach. You probably know this, but once your kids hit middle school, all Solana Beach, Del Mar, RSF kids go to schools in the San Dieguito Union High School district. Until that time, there are separate elementary districts.

Hope this is somewhat helpful. Good luck deciding your options! Sounds like any way you go, you’re in a good place.

[carli]

We live in Del Mar and are also going through a search for something a little bigger with more space for the kids but staying within the Del Mar Union School district for elementary and the San Dieguito school district for middle school and high school (we love both districts and have had outstanding experiences with both).

We don’t want a gigantic megahome in Carmel Valley (plus we believe most of those prices will continue to fall). However, I agree, it is always tempting when you wander in to a newly decorated Derby Hill Plan 3, and we start to think, “well, maybe this would be okay if it was on a nice canyon view lot” but, those go for $1.7 or so (without upgrades) for the bigger view lot, which is the only way we could stand to be in that kind of cookie-cutter, wedged-in environment. No way. Even though we could afford it, we won’t do it because we just cannot imagine that those will hold their value, not to mention that we find ourselves cringing every time we drive through (which should be a definite gut-check to remind ourselves how we’d feel living there)!

So, our search continues for the perfect 3500ish sf home with good design and quality interior on a nice lot – it is not easy, even in a much higher price range than yours. They are very few and far between. We now find ourselves focusing on looking for fixers on exceptional lots in good locations, but it seems many others are looking for the same thing so we run up against multiple offers. The ones that are available for long are not being sold at fixer prices if you count on approx. $250-300/sf for construction costs, which we feel is realistic (and we’ve now done the fixer route 3 times over the past 20 yrs). For example, what you saw on Sun Valley Rd is a perfect example – I think I know that property and there’s no way you can build there with landscaping and all the other stuff (I think it even needs septic, if I recall correctly) for less than $1.5, unless you’re a developer/builder. I don’t know about your subdividing idea…Del Mar, Solana Beach and RSF almost never allow it, but it’s always worth checking.

Anyway, back to your original question about properties in the area for $800,000 or so – have you checked out Del Mar, just west of the 5 and just south of Del Mar Heights Rd, bordered by Calais Dr on the east and Portofino Dr on the west? There are some nice streets and small cul de sacs in that neighborhood that have older, smaller homes on good sized lots. Our kids go to school with many families from that area and they love it. Many of the homes are dated and need sprucing up (or in some cases, major overhauls), but will go for the $800ish range. There was one that just sold on Calais Dr somewhere in the mid-800’s that was definitely liveable as is but also had good future potential. I think it was around 2000 sf or a little more. Another came on the market in the last couple weeks on Barbados Way for $825,000. A friend of mine saw it and said it had good potential…from the listing, it looks like it’s a 1527 sf house on a 12,600 sf lot, and I’ll be surprised if it lasts for long. I know other families who live on Barbados Way, which is a quiet cul de sac, and they love it.

One major caveat about that area – I am not completely tuned in to the current discussion about the widening of I-5, which if it happens, is definitely going to impact people who live on Portofino, and maybe streets further east. Even now, there is a road noise issue in some parts of that area, but you need to check out each property individually to see what it’s like because it varies widely. The house I’m referring to on Barbados Way is on the east side of the street and is probably well-protected from major noise. I know you want a fully done house for the $800,000 price, but if you can put a little money into this one, it may be a good way to get you into the school district.

However, if waiting is an option, why not just hang out and see what happens? In my opinion (as with many on this board), prices will continue to soften and may even eventually go into a freefall, so if you’re in a position to wait it out, that’s the smartest way to go. None of these properties are going anywhere too fast, although a good fixer does sometimes get multiple offers. Still, there will be another one to come along.

I would also suggest checking out the older neighborhood just north of Del Mar Heights Rd and east of 5, off of High Bluff Rd where you can find some decent prices on older homes with bigger lots, but that area is part of Solana Beach School District. It comes as a surprise to many people that the homes in neighborhoods along DM Heights Rd on the north side are part of Solana Beach School District and not Del Mar Union School District. Solana Beach is a very good district, but if you’re looking for Del Mar schools (as in most of Carmel Valley such as Derby Hill and Torrey Hills area), you won’t be enrolled in them if you buy east of 1-5 and on the north side of DM Heights Rd. Sunset Pt Way and Evening Sky Court fall into that category.

Sun Valley Road area, which we also love, is very pricey and also, although it’s a Del Mar address, you will be in Solana Beach school district for elementary school. Many people love that area because it has a semi-rural feel like RSF and also has some horse properties, yet it’s more convenient than RSF, being closer to the 5 and the beach. You probably know this, but once your kids hit middle school, all Solana Beach, Del Mar, RSF kids go to schools in the San Dieguito Union High School district. Until that time, there are separate elementary districts.

Hope this is somewhat helpful. Good luck deciding your options! Sounds like any way you go, you’re in a good place.

[carli]

We live in Del Mar and are also going through a search for something a little bigger with more space for the kids but staying within the Del Mar Union School district for elementary and the San Dieguito school district for middle school and high school (we love both districts and have had outstanding experiences with both).

We don’t want a gigantic megahome in Carmel Valley (plus we believe most of those prices will continue to fall). However, I agree, it is always tempting when you wander in to a newly decorated Derby Hill Plan 3, and we start to think, “well, maybe this would be okay if it was on a nice canyon view lot” but, those go for $1.7 or so (without upgrades) for the bigger view lot, which is the only way we could stand to be in that kind of cookie-cutter, wedged-in environment. No way. Even though we could afford it, we won’t do it because we just cannot imagine that those will hold their value, not to mention that we find ourselves cringing every time we drive through (which should be a definite gut-check to remind ourselves how we’d feel living there)!

So, our search continues for the perfect 3500ish sf home with good design and quality interior on a nice lot – it is not easy, even in a much higher price range than yours. They are very few and far between. We now find ourselves focusing on looking for fixers on exceptional lots in good locations, but it seems many others are looking for the same thing so we run up against multiple offers. The ones that are available for long are not being sold at fixer prices if you count on approx. $250-300/sf for construction costs, which we feel is realistic (and we’ve now done the fixer route 3 times over the past 20 yrs). For example, what you saw on Sun Valley Rd is a perfect example – I think I know that property and there’s no way you can build there with landscaping and all the other stuff (I think it even needs septic, if I recall correctly) for less than $1.5, unless you’re a developer/builder. I don’t know about your subdividing idea…Del Mar, Solana Beach and RSF almost never allow it, but it’s always worth checking.

Anyway, back to your original question about properties in the area for $800,000 or so – have you checked out Del Mar, just west of the 5 and just south of Del Mar Heights Rd, bordered by Calais Dr on the east and Portofino Dr on the west? There are some nice streets and small cul de sacs in that neighborhood that have older, smaller homes on good sized lots. Our kids go to school with many families from that area and they love it. Many of the homes are dated and need sprucing up (or in some cases, major overhauls), but will go for the $800ish range. There was one that just sold on Calais Dr somewhere in the mid-800’s that was definitely liveable as is but also had good future potential. I think it was around 2000 sf or a little more. Another came on the market in the last couple weeks on Barbados Way for $825,000. A friend of mine saw it and said it had good potential…from the listing, it looks like it’s a 1527 sf house on a 12,600 sf lot, and I’ll be surprised if it lasts for long. I know other families who live on Barbados Way, which is a quiet cul de sac, and they love it.

One major caveat about that area – I am not completely tuned in to the current discussion about the widening of I-5, which if it happens, is definitely going to impact people who live on Portofino, and maybe streets further east. Even now, there is a road noise issue in some parts of that area, but you need to check out each property individually to see what it’s like because it varies widely. The house I’m referring to on Barbados Way is on the east side of the street and is probably well-protected from major noise. I know you want a fully done house for the $800,000 price, but if you can put a little money into this one, it may be a good way to get you into the school district.

However, if waiting is an option, why not just hang out and see what happens? In my opinion (as with many on this board), prices will continue to soften and may even eventually go into a freefall, so if you’re in a position to wait it out, that’s the smartest way to go. None of these properties are going anywhere too fast, although a good fixer does sometimes get multiple offers. Still, there will be another one to come along.

I would also suggest checking out the older neighborhood just north of Del Mar Heights Rd and east of 5, off of High Bluff Rd where you can find some decent prices on older homes with bigger lots, but that area is part of Solana Beach School District. It comes as a surprise to many people that the homes in neighborhoods along DM Heights Rd on the north side are part of Solana Beach School District and not Del Mar Union School District. Solana Beach is a very good district, but if you’re looking for Del Mar schools (as in most of Carmel Valley such as Derby Hill and Torrey Hills area), you won’t be enrolled in them if you buy east of 1-5 and on the north side of DM Heights Rd. Sunset Pt Way and Evening Sky Court fall into that category.

Sun Valley Road area, which we also love, is very pricey and also, although it’s a Del Mar address, you will be in Solana Beach school district for elementary school. Many people love that area because it has a semi-rural feel like RSF and also has some horse properties, yet it’s more convenient than RSF, being closer to the 5 and the beach. You probably know this, but once your kids hit middle school, all Solana Beach, Del Mar, RSF kids go to schools in the San Dieguito Union High School district. Until that time, there are separate elementary districts.

Hope this is somewhat helpful. Good luck deciding your options! Sounds like any way you go, you’re in a good place.

[Coronita]

Sduuude, give you a perspective. I paid a premium to be in this CV school district, and now I'm leaning toward not using the public schools.

For K-6, tentatively I'm thinking about a Montessori school, though I might change my mind. I'm looking at how public schools are these days, and I guess I'm not that impressed. Then again, it's not worse off than it was when I went to it , so i don't know.

 

I considered LJCD, except the issue i have with it is you do have extremely wealthy parents that send their kids there. I have a couple of friends that send their kids there and the consensus is that while it's good, sometimes some of parents that "donate" more to the school their kids get better attention,etc. At $20k+ year for normal tuition, I don't want my kid to get a "lesser" treatment because some CEO donates $200k to the school each year for instance. Plus, I generally like to have my kid grow up not thinking that everyone is a multi-million+ household.

 

I heard good things about Jewish Academy. Not sure what it would mean for sending my kid there who obviously isn't Jewish, but it's all good imho.

 

 

[img_assist|nid=5962|title=selfportrait|desc=|link=node|align=left|width=100|height=80]

—– Sour grapes for everyone!

[jpinpb]

FLU – Didn’t think about that, the psychology of kids not quite so overly rich going to school w/the super rich getting preferential treatment.

MHO – Younger year schools are WAY more important to needing better education. Formative years are critical.

[Coronita]

FLU – Didn't think about that, the psychology of kids not quite so overly rich going to school w/the super rich getting preferential treatment.

 

Speaking from experience. Three things can happen.

1)Your kid(s) turns out to a be superstar, because he says all that's around him and strives to attain it.

2)Your kid(s) falls short, and get's kinda bitter over it. Esteem issues, etc.

3)In the extreme, you kid(s) wants it bad and resorts to any way to get it. These are your future white collar criminals.

 

I did not appreciate growing up in an all affluent community, when my family's background clearly wasn't that way in the beginning. There were enormous social pressures as a kid. I turned out average, some of my friends are business owners,CEO's,VP's,etc that achieved greatness by my age, some of my classmates are in jail for all sorts of white collar crimes, and there are a couple of people I know that have "lost it", and plenty of trust fund babies that won't have to work and will be fine, except the ones that do drugs that will lose whatever their parents made.   Interesting perspective frankly.

That's why I tend not to judge people on how their wealth or lack there of. I only have an issue with people who are lazy or expect handouts.

That's also why I hate going to China. Because in China everyone talks about money. You're judged by money, your social networks are by money, you make friends because of your money.money money money money. You're friends will probably screw you over for money. I hate my nanny, because she's always so damn nosy about trying to find out how much money we have our worse how much my parents have. And sometimes I hate some of my relatives from the other side of the house, because all they do among their generation is talk about how much money their sons/daughters/cousins have or have not. There's never a dinner or lunch with family that the subject of money doesn't come up. It's always about so and so got a good deal on x, this cost Y, this investment Q, real estate G, stock V, derivatives A, venture J…money money money money. Don't know if this is an asian thing or just a chinese thing. That's why I like hanging out with my non-chinese friends a lot. I need a break from this sh!t.

 

 

[img_assist|nid=5962|title=selfportrait|desc=|link=node|align=left|width=100|height=80]

—– Sour grapes for everyone!

[Coronita]

FLU – Didn't think about that, the psychology of kids not quite so overly rich going to school w/the super rich getting preferential treatment.

 

Speaking from experience. Three things can happen.

1)Your kid(s) turns out to a be superstar, because he says all that's around him and strives to attain it.

2)Your kid(s) falls short, and get's kinda bitter over it. Esteem issues, etc.

3)In the extreme, you kid(s) wants it bad and resorts to any way to get it. These are your future white collar criminals.

 

I did not appreciate growing up in an all affluent community, when my family's background clearly wasn't that way in the beginning. There were enormous social pressures as a kid. I turned out average, some of my friends are business owners,CEO's,VP's,etc that achieved greatness by my age, some of my classmates are in jail for all sorts of white collar crimes, and there are a couple of people I know that have "lost it", and plenty of trust fund babies that won't have to work and will be fine, except the ones that do drugs that will lose whatever their parents made.   Interesting perspective frankly.

That's why I tend not to judge people on how their wealth or lack there of. I only have an issue with people who are lazy or expect handouts.

That's also why I hate going to China. Because in China everyone talks about money. You're judged by money, your social networks are by money, you make friends because of your money.money money money money. You're friends will probably screw you over for money. I hate my nanny, because she's always so damn nosy about trying to find out how much money we have our worse how much my parents have. And sometimes I hate some of my relatives from the other side of the house, because all they do among their generation is talk about how much money their sons/daughters/cousins have or have not. There's never a dinner or lunch with family that the subject of money doesn't come up. It's always about so and so got a good deal on x, this cost Y, this investment Q, real estate G, stock V, derivatives A, venture J…money money money money. Don't know if this is an asian thing or just a chinese thing. That's why I like hanging out with my non-chinese friends a lot. I need a break from this sh!t.

 

 

[img_assist|nid=5962|title=selfportrait|desc=|link=node|align=left|width=100|height=80]

—– Sour grapes for everyone!

[Coronita]

FLU – Didn't think about that, the psychology of kids not quite so overly rich going to school w/the super rich getting preferential treatment.

 

Speaking from experience. Three things can happen.

1)Your kid(s) turns out to a be superstar, because he says all that's around him and strives to attain it.

2)Your kid(s) falls short, and get's kinda bitter over it. Esteem issues, etc.

3)In the extreme, you kid(s) wants it bad and resorts to any way to get it. These are your future white collar criminals.

 

I did not appreciate growing up in an all affluent community, when my family's background clearly wasn't that way in the beginning. There were enormous social pressures as a kid. I turned out average, some of my friends are business owners,CEO's,VP's,etc that achieved greatness by my age, some of my classmates are in jail for all sorts of white collar crimes, and there are a couple of people I know that have "lost it", and plenty of trust fund babies that won't have to work and will be fine, except the ones that do drugs that will lose whatever their parents made.   Interesting perspective frankly.

That's why I tend not to judge people on how their wealth or lack there of. I only have an issue with people who are lazy or expect handouts.

That's also why I hate going to China. Because in China everyone talks about money. You're judged by money, your social networks are by money, you make friends because of your money.money money money money. You're friends will probably screw you over for money. I hate my nanny, because she's always so damn nosy about trying to find out how much money we have our worse how much my parents have. And sometimes I hate some of my relatives from the other side of the house, because all they do among their generation is talk about how much money their sons/daughters/cousins have or have not. There's never a dinner or lunch with family that the subject of money doesn't come up. It's always about so and so got a good deal on x, this cost Y, this investment Q, real estate G, stock V, derivatives A, venture J…money money money money. Don't know if this is an asian thing or just a chinese thing. That's why I like hanging out with my non-chinese friends a lot. I need a break from this sh!t.

 

 

[img_assist|nid=5962|title=selfportrait|desc=|link=node|align=left|width=100|height=80]

—– Sour grapes for everyone!

[Coronita]

FLU – Didn't think about that, the psychology of kids not quite so overly rich going to school w/the super rich getting preferential treatment.

 

Speaking from experience. Three things can happen.

1)Your kid(s) turns out to a be superstar, because he says all that's around him and strives to attain it.

2)Your kid(s) falls short, and get's kinda bitter over it. Esteem issues, etc.

3)In the extreme, you kid(s) wants it bad and resorts to any way to get it. These are your future white collar criminals.

 

I did not appreciate growing up in an all affluent community, when my family's background clearly wasn't that way in the beginning. There were enormous social pressures as a kid. I turned out average, some of my friends are business owners,CEO's,VP's,etc that achieved greatness by my age, some of my classmates are in jail for all sorts of white collar crimes, and there are a couple of people I know that have "lost it", and plenty of trust fund babies that won't have to work and will be fine, except the ones that do drugs that will lose whatever their parents made.   Interesting perspective frankly.

That's why I tend not to judge people on how their wealth or lack there of. I only have an issue with people who are lazy or expect handouts.

That's also why I hate going to China. Because in China everyone talks about money. You're judged by money, your social networks are by money, you make friends because of your money.money money money money. You're friends will probably screw you over for money. I hate my nanny, because she's always so damn nosy about trying to find out how much money we have our worse how much my parents have. And sometimes I hate some of my relatives from the other side of the house, because all they do among their generation is talk about how much money their sons/daughters/cousins have or have not. There's never a dinner or lunch with family that the subject of money doesn't come up. It's always about so and so got a good deal on x, this cost Y, this investment Q, real estate G, stock V, derivatives A, venture J…money money money money. Don't know if this is an asian thing or just a chinese thing. That's why I like hanging out with my non-chinese friends a lot. I need a break from this sh!t.

 

 

[img_assist|nid=5962|title=selfportrait|desc=|link=node|align=left|width=100|height=80]

—– Sour grapes for everyone!

[Coronita]

FLU – Didn't think about that, the psychology of kids not quite so overly rich going to school w/the super rich getting preferential treatment.

 

Speaking from experience. Three things can happen.

1)Your kid(s) turns out to a be superstar, because he says all that's around him and strives to attain it.

2)Your kid(s) falls short, and get's kinda bitter over it. Esteem issues, etc.

3)In the extreme, you kid(s) wants it bad and resorts to any way to get it. These are your future white collar criminals.

 

I did not appreciate growing up in an all affluent community, when my family's background clearly wasn't that way in the beginning. There were enormous social pressures as a kid. I turned out average, some of my friends are business owners,CEO's,VP's,etc that achieved greatness by my age, some of my classmates are in jail for all sorts of white collar crimes, and there are a couple of people I know that have "lost it", and plenty of trust fund babies that won't have to work and will be fine, except the ones that do drugs that will lose whatever their parents made.   Interesting perspective frankly.

That's why I tend not to judge people on how their wealth or lack there of. I only have an issue with people who are lazy or expect handouts.

That's also why I hate going to China. Because in China everyone talks about money. You're judged by money, your social networks are by money, you make friends because of your money.money money money money. You're friends will probably screw you over for money. I hate my nanny, because she's always so damn nosy about trying to find out how much money we have our worse how much my parents have. And sometimes I hate some of my relatives from the other side of the house, because all they do among their generation is talk about how much money their sons/daughters/cousins have or have not. There's never a dinner or lunch with family that the subject of money doesn't come up. It's always about so and so got a good deal on x, this cost Y, this investment Q, real estate G, stock V, derivatives A, venture J…money money money money. Don't know if this is an asian thing or just a chinese thing. That's why I like hanging out with my non-chinese friends a lot. I need a break from this sh!t.

 

 

[img_assist|nid=5962|title=selfportrait|desc=|link=node|align=left|width=100|height=80]

—– Sour grapes for everyone!

[jpinpb]

FLU – Didn’t think about that, the psychology of kids not quite so overly rich going to school w/the super rich getting preferential treatment.

MHO – Younger year schools are WAY more important to needing better education. Formative years are critical.

[jpinpb]

FLU – Didn’t think about that, the psychology of kids not quite so overly rich going to school w/the super rich getting preferential treatment.

MHO – Younger year schools are WAY more important to needing better education. Formative years are critical.

[jpinpb]

FLU – Didn’t think about that, the psychology of kids not quite so overly rich going to school w/the super rich getting preferential treatment.

MHO – Younger year schools are WAY more important to needing better education. Formative years are critical.

[jpinpb]

FLU – Didn’t think about that, the psychology of kids not quite so overly rich going to school w/the super rich getting preferential treatment.

MHO – Younger year schools are WAY more important to needing better education. Formative years are critical.

[Coronita]

Sduuude, give you a perspective. I paid a premium to be in this CV school district, and now I'm leaning toward not using the public schools.

For K-6, tentatively I'm thinking about a Montessori school, though I might change my mind. I'm looking at how public schools are these days, and I guess I'm not that impressed. Then again, it's not worse off than it was when I went to it , so i don't know.

 

I considered LJCD, except the issue i have with it is you do have extremely wealthy parents that send their kids there. I have a couple of friends that send their kids there and the consensus is that while it's good, sometimes some of parents that "donate" more to the school their kids get better attention,etc. At $20k+ year for normal tuition, I don't want my kid to get a "lesser" treatment because some CEO donates $200k to the school each year for instance. Plus, I generally like to have my kid grow up not thinking that everyone is a multi-million+ household.

 

I heard good things about Jewish Academy. Not sure what it would mean for sending my kid there who obviously isn't Jewish, but it's all good imho.

 

 

[img_assist|nid=5962|title=selfportrait|desc=|link=node|align=left|width=100|height=80]

—– Sour grapes for everyone!

[Coronita]

Sduuude, give you a perspective. I paid a premium to be in this CV school district, and now I'm leaning toward not using the public schools.

For K-6, tentatively I'm thinking about a Montessori school, though I might change my mind. I'm looking at how public schools are these days, and I guess I'm not that impressed. Then again, it's not worse off than it was when I went to it , so i don't know.

 

I considered LJCD, except the issue i have with it is you do have extremely wealthy parents that send their kids there. I have a couple of friends that send their kids there and the consensus is that while it's good, sometimes some of parents that "donate" more to the school their kids get better attention,etc. At $20k+ year for normal tuition, I don't want my kid to get a "lesser" treatment because some CEO donates $200k to the school each year for instance. Plus, I generally like to have my kid grow up not thinking that everyone is a multi-million+ household.

 

I heard good things about Jewish Academy. Not sure what it would mean for sending my kid there who obviously isn't Jewish, but it's all good imho.

 

 

[img_assist|nid=5962|title=selfportrait|desc=|link=node|align=left|width=100|height=80]

—– Sour grapes for everyone!

[Coronita]

Sduuude, give you a perspective. I paid a premium to be in this CV school district, and now I'm leaning toward not using the public schools.

For K-6, tentatively I'm thinking about a Montessori school, though I might change my mind. I'm looking at how public schools are these days, and I guess I'm not that impressed. Then again, it's not worse off than it was when I went to it , so i don't know.

 

I considered LJCD, except the issue i have with it is you do have extremely wealthy parents that send their kids there. I have a couple of friends that send their kids there and the consensus is that while it's good, sometimes some of parents that "donate" more to the school their kids get better attention,etc. At $20k+ year for normal tuition, I don't want my kid to get a "lesser" treatment because some CEO donates $200k to the school each year for instance. Plus, I generally like to have my kid grow up not thinking that everyone is a multi-million+ household.

 

I heard good things about Jewish Academy. Not sure what it would mean for sending my kid there who obviously isn't Jewish, but it's all good imho.

 

 

[img_assist|nid=5962|title=selfportrait|desc=|link=node|align=left|width=100|height=80]

—– Sour grapes for everyone!

[Coronita]

Sduuude, give you a perspective. I paid a premium to be in this CV school district, and now I'm leaning toward not using the public schools.

For K-6, tentatively I'm thinking about a Montessori school, though I might change my mind. I'm looking at how public schools are these days, and I guess I'm not that impressed. Then again, it's not worse off than it was when I went to it , so i don't know.

 

I considered LJCD, except the issue i have with it is you do have extremely wealthy parents that send their kids there. I have a couple of friends that send their kids there and the consensus is that while it's good, sometimes some of parents that "donate" more to the school their kids get better attention,etc. At $20k+ year for normal tuition, I don't want my kid to get a "lesser" treatment because some CEO donates $200k to the school each year for instance. Plus, I generally like to have my kid grow up not thinking that everyone is a multi-million+ household.

 

I heard good things about Jewish Academy. Not sure what it would mean for sending my kid there who obviously isn't Jewish, but it's all good imho.

 

 

[img_assist|nid=5962|title=selfportrait|desc=|link=node|align=left|width=100|height=80]

—– Sour grapes for everyone!

[cyphire]

80K for 4 years of private high school for 2 kids? (the twins). I guess you mean 80K each – and that would be with a scholarship.

Which private schools are you talking about? My daughters private school is $26,500 / year NOW. I would estimate that it will be about 40K per year when your kids are ready for high school. Thats $320K for 4 years for 2 kids.

I’m guessing that Catholic school is cheaper… I don’t really know. Which schools have you researched…?

My daughter isn’t happy with her school anyway, as a result of that and my son who would probably go there anyway, we are moving to Wisconsin. Thats right…. Wisconsin.

Public schools which are somewhat the equal of private schools in San Diego. No charge (just taxes). 11 kids per teacher in Wisconsin. 27.5 kids per teacher in La Jolla and Carmel Valley.

[cyphire]

80K for 4 years of private high school for 2 kids? (the twins). I guess you mean 80K each – and that would be with a scholarship.

Which private schools are you talking about? My daughters private school is $26,500 / year NOW. I would estimate that it will be about 40K per year when your kids are ready for high school. Thats $320K for 4 years for 2 kids.

I’m guessing that Catholic school is cheaper… I don’t really know. Which schools have you researched…?

My daughter isn’t happy with her school anyway, as a result of that and my son who would probably go there anyway, we are moving to Wisconsin. Thats right…. Wisconsin.

Public schools which are somewhat the equal of private schools in San Diego. No charge (just taxes). 11 kids per teacher in Wisconsin. 27.5 kids per teacher in La Jolla and Carmel Valley.

[cyphire]

80K for 4 years of private high school for 2 kids? (the twins). I guess you mean 80K each – and that would be with a scholarship.

Which private schools are you talking about? My daughters private school is $26,500 / year NOW. I would estimate that it will be about 40K per year when your kids are ready for high school. Thats $320K for 4 years for 2 kids.

I’m guessing that Catholic school is cheaper… I don’t really know. Which schools have you researched…?

My daughter isn’t happy with her school anyway, as a result of that and my son who would probably go there anyway, we are moving to Wisconsin. Thats right…. Wisconsin.

Public schools which are somewhat the equal of private schools in San Diego. No charge (just taxes). 11 kids per teacher in Wisconsin. 27.5 kids per teacher in La Jolla and Carmel Valley.

[cyphire]

80K for 4 years of private high school for 2 kids? (the twins). I guess you mean 80K each – and that would be with a scholarship.

Which private schools are you talking about? My daughters private school is $26,500 / year NOW. I would estimate that it will be about 40K per year when your kids are ready for high school. Thats $320K for 4 years for 2 kids.

I’m guessing that Catholic school is cheaper… I don’t really know. Which schools have you researched…?

My daughter isn’t happy with her school anyway, as a result of that and my son who would probably go there anyway, we are moving to Wisconsin. Thats right…. Wisconsin.

Public schools which are somewhat the equal of private schools in San Diego. No charge (just taxes). 11 kids per teacher in Wisconsin. 27.5 kids per teacher in La Jolla and Carmel Valley.

[cyphire]

80K for 4 years of private high school for 2 kids? (the twins). I guess you mean 80K each – and that would be with a scholarship.

Which private schools are you talking about? My daughters private school is $26,500 / year NOW. I would estimate that it will be about 40K per year when your kids are ready for high school. Thats $320K for 4 years for 2 kids.

I’m guessing that Catholic school is cheaper… I don’t really know. Which schools have you researched…?

My daughter isn’t happy with her school anyway, as a result of that and my son who would probably go there anyway, we are moving to Wisconsin. Thats right…. Wisconsin.

Public schools which are somewhat the equal of private schools in San Diego. No charge (just taxes). 11 kids per teacher in Wisconsin. 27.5 kids per teacher in La Jolla and Carmel Valley.

[jpinpb]

sdduuuude – If you are willing to give up the yard space, I say read the “Lowball Offers on the Rise” thread, then check this place, w/no MR/HOA.

http://www.sdlookup.com/MLS-081005534-12412_Carmel_Cape_San_Diego_CA_92130

Listed @ 724k, but I’d go for it and just offer a 2002/2003 price, like 500k. What have you got to lose? The worse they can say is no. It does back a somewhat busy street, though.

Or maybe in Palacio Del Mar:

http://www.sdlookup.com/MLS-086003893-12648_Caminito_Destello_San_Diego_CA_92130

[sdduuuude]

Thanks all. Your thoughts and comments are forcing me to clarify this situation in my head. What a great sounding board this place is.

I really have two decisions to make – one now and one in 6 years.

The decision now is – should we add on to this house ?

If we do add on to this house, we can stay here until 2014. At that time, we have another decision to make – private school or move.

If we don’t add-on to this house, we’ll have to move next year because We are too cramped and we will not need private school.

So I think the private/public decision can wait until 2014. The real question is – do I want to / can I afford to move to CV next year.

The speed/severity of the bubble burst in that area is an important factor. I just don’t see enough price movement now to lead me to think it will be feasible. But I will now be a more educated and interested watcher of CV prices.

cyphire – you are right, it is $160K for 4 years not $80K. Damn twins. Also – good point on private vs. public in North County. That will weigh heavily on my decision in 2014.

carli – that house on Barbados is very interesting.
beachlover – another interesting option on Sardina.
Both rays of hope.

Rustico – If I understand you correctly – you moved in anticipation of a schooling situation which changed. This is a very compelling reason for me to stay here, then decide later when all the factors, including school and housing prices, are known at the time I have to make the decision.

FLU – interesting perspective and info on private school. However, I don’t consider any of that information a deterrent. In fact, I’d see the CEO’s 200K as subsidising my kids’ education.

jpinpg – Thanks for your response, but what part of “1200 sq ft. house is on a 10,000 sq. ft canyon lot” makes you think I’d want a 4500 sq. ft lot backed up against a busy street ?

[jpinpb]

I didn’t think that was really what you wanted, which is why I prefaced it w/if you were willing to give up the yard space, which clearly you are not. If you are not in a hurry, I would wait. I think in time you have a better chance of finding exactly what you want to suit your desires. I’d keep looking b/c you never know. As I said, if you read the “Lowball” thread, deals can happen.

[NotCranky]

“Rustico – If I understand you correctly – you moved in anticipation of a schooling situation which changed. This is a very compelling reason for me to stay here, then decide later when all the factors, including school and housing prices, are known at the time I have to make the decision.”

No that wasn’t it . I wasn’t too clear. I didn’t think private schools or a better neighborhood would be an option for us financially. I bought a lot and built in Jamul because that cost me very little and the schools here are much better than other areas I could afford except Poway, which is not really my thing, except maybe around Espola Rd. I think San Carlos/Del Cerro is another possibility. Anyway now it looks like we probably would be able to afford some private high school but we are too far away. I think the schools here in Jamul are good and improving. The high school went charter and gets support from the community. I am Just looking at the other trade offs like amenities and commute and suggesting you do the same since you already seem capable of handling private schools and you mostly like your current situation.We will probably stay here or move a little closer in,but still in Jamul, when the kids get older.Right now they(we) have 20 acres to romp around and can spend enormous ammounts of time together, due to low bills, which is great.
No way I am moving to Wisconsin, although I trust Cyphire’s opinions. My sister teaches in Stoughton which is a suburb of Madison. Her Daughter has done very well academically from public schools. Her parents are both very bright and involved so that helps.

[jpinpb]

FLU – I wasn’t aware of the golf course situation. Thanks for pointing that out.

[Anonymous]

If you like where you are living, why not just stay for now? School is not an issue for several years. Do you really need more space right now? If you explained why, I apologize for missing it, but there’s only 4 of you and two are 6 years old, how much space do you really need right now? Not meaning to sound harsh, but if you have that much outdoor space, do you need that much more space for 2 little kids? My home is only slightly larger than yours with a much smaller lot, and we have 3 kids here… it’s not ideal, but it works for now. Eventually, we’ll want more space too. I guess if everything is working for you now, why do you need to rush to a decision? It’s very hard to know what type of high school you will want for your 6 year olds in 8 years. You may not ultimately want them in public school, and then you’ve spent all the $$ to move and are in private school anyway.

[jpinpb]

I have to agree that in 8 years many things can change. In a short year, we have seen some changes in the market. Even schools and rankings change. However, I think that still the best public school district is Poway. You haven’t mentioned it, I don’t think. But if that’s not something you would consider, I certainly do not at all blame you for that. As tempting as it is to see the price declines in that area, I am still reluctant to go there.

[jpinpb]

I have to agree that in 8 years many things can change. In a short year, we have seen some changes in the market. Even schools and rankings change. However, I think that still the best public school district is Poway. You haven’t mentioned it, I don’t think. But if that’s not something you would consider, I certainly do not at all blame you for that. As tempting as it is to see the price declines in that area, I am still reluctant to go there.

[jpinpb]

I have to agree that in 8 years many things can change. In a short year, we have seen some changes in the market. Even schools and rankings change. However, I think that still the best public school district is Poway. You haven’t mentioned it, I don’t think. But if that’s not something you would consider, I certainly do not at all blame you for that. As tempting as it is to see the price declines in that area, I am still reluctant to go there.

[jpinpb]

I have to agree that in 8 years many things can change. In a short year, we have seen some changes in the market. Even schools and rankings change. However, I think that still the best public school district is Poway. You haven’t mentioned it, I don’t think. But if that’s not something you would consider, I certainly do not at all blame you for that. As tempting as it is to see the price declines in that area, I am still reluctant to go there.

[jpinpb]

I have to agree that in 8 years many things can change. In a short year, we have seen some changes in the market. Even schools and rankings change. However, I think that still the best public school district is Poway. You haven’t mentioned it, I don’t think. But if that’s not something you would consider, I certainly do not at all blame you for that. As tempting as it is to see the price declines in that area, I am still reluctant to go there.

[sdduuuude]

“You may not ultimately want them in public school, and then you’ve spent all the $$ to move and are in private school anyway.”

This is probably the most important tidbit that came from this discussin for me – your comment says it in a nutshell and Rustico’s experience provides an example.

That and I realize I only need the public school for 6 years – from 2014 through 2020. Why pay the extra tax ($800K – $250K) * 1.25% = 8,125/yr) for the next 6 years, then another 6 years when I don’t really need the benefit of the extra tax until 2014. That alone costs as much as a $48K remodel on our current home.

[Alex_angel]

Clairmont is a dump, unless you like living in Vietnam.

[Alex_angel]

Clairmont is a dump, unless you like living in Vietnam.

[Alex_angel]

Clairmont is a dump, unless you like living in Vietnam.

[Alex_angel]

Clairmont is a dump, unless you like living in Vietnam.

[Alex_angel]

Clairmont is a dump, unless you like living in Vietnam.

[Alex_angel]

Clairmont is a dump, unless you like living in Vietnam.

[sdduuuude]

How I have lived my whole life to this point without the insightful brilliance of Alex_angel is unfathomable.

[Dukehorn]

Hey FLU,

Your comments about the Chinese made me chuckle quite a bit. I think CA is a bit worse than where I grew up (Texas). I went to dinner with my brother in law’s folks and my sister (who was out of town) called me to ask that I tell them that I was a lawyer instead of a grad student (I was a non-practicing one who had gone back for a grad degree). I was pretty surprised by the request, but my sister had been criticized by her in-laws for getting a PhD instead of an MD, so she was being really sensitive.

All they could talk about was the fact that I gave up a lawyer’s salary to go back to a grad school stipend. Absolutely boggled their mind. Seems like personal happiness is a strange concept. Never mind the fact that I drive a Mazda3 when I could be driving a BMWer instead–that just accentuated my weirdness.

That’s why I don’t hang out with too many Chinese at all.

[JWM in SD]

JWM in SD

Quite honestly sdduuuude, this should really be last thing you are thinking about. For everyone on this thread, with the exception of FLU, go look at some of the other posts in the past two days about Bear Stearns and Fed and ponder on the implications there for a little while. It might help put the proper frame of reference on where priorities lie…and it ain’t what the prices in CV are doing right now.

[NotCranky]

Wish me luck!

Good luck Cy!It sounds good.

What is your daughters difficulty Cy and how do you think it will be better? Is she just more down to earth than her peers?

Interesting comments about private schools on this thread. The pecking order stuff happens everywhere though. We just have to be involved and do the best we can with it whatever our supposed positions in it are.

What FLU was saying made me think of an experience I had in public school. I was a welfare kid. I move into a new school in the 7th grade and joined the band. I went from 3rd chair trumpet to first in a semester. Would that have been permitted in a private school or even a “good” school district?Do parents really go “mano a mano” over this stuff?Maybe the other ghetto kids just couldn’t relate to Burt Bacharach?

Also made me think…If your kids are snubbed by the majority rich(er) kids do they migrate to the worst of the worst in the private schools?Of course, that depends on the family to some degree. They could potentially have great friends in public schools without running a as much of a pecking order gauntlet?

[ibjames]

I grew up WI, liked it there, but grew tired of the winters.

One thing that your children will miss is the culture. There is no where near the culture in WI as in CA, so they won’t have access to things out there like they do here.

No sushi or thai, unless you get noodles & co. pad thai. As far as little local places to go eat, not many, WI has a lot of food chains, not much more.

I think they banned smoking in restaurants, they did it before, but it didn’t stick, hopefully it does this time.

Madison is an awesome city, my wife sometimes discuss if we were ever to move back where would we live, and Madison or Milwaukee would be the choice. It has a nice lake, is clean, and it seems like education is in the air.

That said, the winters are long, weeks of grey, 12 noon and it’s almost dark as night, days of being inside. Last but not least, winter weight.

I don’t have kids, so of course my opinion differs. I grew up there, and when I came out here I felt robbed, I didn’t realize how white the area I grew up in was. All the asian comments on this site blow me away sometimes, I never had access to an asian population to know their quirks.

Hearing the talks you guy have, I dread the time my wife and I do decide to have kids though.

BTW: 6000 sq. ft. house? WTF? Who needs that? Shaq?

[ibjames]

I grew up WI, liked it there, but grew tired of the winters.

One thing that your children will miss is the culture. There is no where near the culture in WI as in CA, so they won’t have access to things out there like they do here.

No sushi or thai, unless you get noodles & co. pad thai. As far as little local places to go eat, not many, WI has a lot of food chains, not much more.

I think they banned smoking in restaurants, they did it before, but it didn’t stick, hopefully it does this time.

Madison is an awesome city, my wife sometimes discuss if we were ever to move back where would we live, and Madison or Milwaukee would be the choice. It has a nice lake, is clean, and it seems like education is in the air.

That said, the winters are long, weeks of grey, 12 noon and it’s almost dark as night, days of being inside. Last but not least, winter weight.

I don’t have kids, so of course my opinion differs. I grew up there, and when I came out here I felt robbed, I didn’t realize how white the area I grew up in was. All the asian comments on this site blow me away sometimes, I never had access to an asian population to know their quirks.

Hearing the talks you guy have, I dread the time my wife and I do decide to have kids though.

BTW: 6000 sq. ft. house? WTF? Who needs that? Shaq?

[ibjames]

I grew up WI, liked it there, but grew tired of the winters.

One thing that your children will miss is the culture. There is no where near the culture in WI as in CA, so they won’t have access to things out there like they do here.

No sushi or thai, unless you get noodles & co. pad thai. As far as little local places to go eat, not many, WI has a lot of food chains, not much more.

I think they banned smoking in restaurants, they did it before, but it didn’t stick, hopefully it does this time.

Madison is an awesome city, my wife sometimes discuss if we were ever to move back where would we live, and Madison or Milwaukee would be the choice. It has a nice lake, is clean, and it seems like education is in the air.

That said, the winters are long, weeks of grey, 12 noon and it’s almost dark as night, days of being inside. Last but not least, winter weight.

I don’t have kids, so of course my opinion differs. I grew up there, and when I came out here I felt robbed, I didn’t realize how white the area I grew up in was. All the asian comments on this site blow me away sometimes, I never had access to an asian population to know their quirks.

Hearing the talks you guy have, I dread the time my wife and I do decide to have kids though.

BTW: 6000 sq. ft. house? WTF? Who needs that? Shaq?

[ibjames]

I grew up WI, liked it there, but grew tired of the winters.

One thing that your children will miss is the culture. There is no where near the culture in WI as in CA, so they won’t have access to things out there like they do here.

No sushi or thai, unless you get noodles & co. pad thai. As far as little local places to go eat, not many, WI has a lot of food chains, not much more.

I think they banned smoking in restaurants, they did it before, but it didn’t stick, hopefully it does this time.

Madison is an awesome city, my wife sometimes discuss if we were ever to move back where would we live, and Madison or Milwaukee would be the choice. It has a nice lake, is clean, and it seems like education is in the air.

That said, the winters are long, weeks of grey, 12 noon and it’s almost dark as night, days of being inside. Last but not least, winter weight.

I don’t have kids, so of course my opinion differs. I grew up there, and when I came out here I felt robbed, I didn’t realize how white the area I grew up in was. All the asian comments on this site blow me away sometimes, I never had access to an asian population to know their quirks.

Hearing the talks you guy have, I dread the time my wife and I do decide to have kids though.

BTW: 6000 sq. ft. house? WTF? Who needs that? Shaq?

[ibjames]

I grew up WI, liked it there, but grew tired of the winters.

One thing that your children will miss is the culture. There is no where near the culture in WI as in CA, so they won’t have access to things out there like they do here.

No sushi or thai, unless you get noodles & co. pad thai. As far as little local places to go eat, not many, WI has a lot of food chains, not much more.

I think they banned smoking in restaurants, they did it before, but it didn’t stick, hopefully it does this time.

Madison is an awesome city, my wife sometimes discuss if we were ever to move back where would we live, and Madison or Milwaukee would be the choice. It has a nice lake, is clean, and it seems like education is in the air.

That said, the winters are long, weeks of grey, 12 noon and it’s almost dark as night, days of being inside. Last but not least, winter weight.

I don’t have kids, so of course my opinion differs. I grew up there, and when I came out here I felt robbed, I didn’t realize how white the area I grew up in was. All the asian comments on this site blow me away sometimes, I never had access to an asian population to know their quirks.

Hearing the talks you guy have, I dread the time my wife and I do decide to have kids though.

BTW: 6000 sq. ft. house? WTF? Who needs that? Shaq?

[Coronita]

Interesting comments about private schools on this thread. The pecking order stuff happens everywhere though. We just have to be involved and do the best we can with it whatever our supposed positions in it are.

What FLU was saying made me think of an experience I had in public school. I was a welfare kid. I move into a new school in the 7th grade and joined the band. I went from 3rd chair trumpet to first in a semester. Would that have been permitted in a private school or even a "good" school district?Do parents really go "mano a mano" over this stuff?Maybe the other ghetto kids just couldn't relate to Burt Bacharach?

Also made me think…If your kids are snubbed by the majority rich(er) kids do they migrate to the worst of the worst in the private schools?Of course, that depends on the family to some degree. They could potentially have great friends in public schools without running a as much of a pecking order gauntlet?

 

This is what exactly is putting me on the fence in this one. 

Cyphire, you mentioned your daughter hated private schools. Do you mind sharing why?

 

As far as CV public schools. I'm finding out even among public schools, they jockey around the best teachers/principals/special programs over yup donations.  This is sort of irritating, at the same time I'm not sure a private school is reality for the kid. Anyway, I got a couple of years to think about it.

[img_assist|nid=5962|title=selfportrait|desc=|link=node|align=left|width=100|height=80]

—– Sour grapes for everyone!

[Coronita]

Interesting comments about private schools on this thread. The pecking order stuff happens everywhere though. We just have to be involved and do the best we can with it whatever our supposed positions in it are.

What FLU was saying made me think of an experience I had in public school. I was a welfare kid. I move into a new school in the 7th grade and joined the band. I went from 3rd chair trumpet to first in a semester. Would that have been permitted in a private school or even a "good" school district?Do parents really go "mano a mano" over this stuff?Maybe the other ghetto kids just couldn't relate to Burt Bacharach?

Also made me think…If your kids are snubbed by the majority rich(er) kids do they migrate to the worst of the worst in the private schools?Of course, that depends on the family to some degree. They could potentially have great friends in public schools without running a as much of a pecking order gauntlet?

 

This is what exactly is putting me on the fence in this one. 

Cyphire, you mentioned your daughter hated private schools. Do you mind sharing why?

 

As far as CV public schools. I'm finding out even among public schools, they jockey around the best teachers/principals/special programs over yup donations.  This is sort of irritating, at the same time I'm not sure a private school is reality for the kid. Anyway, I got a couple of years to think about it.

[img_assist|nid=5962|title=selfportrait|desc=|link=node|align=left|width=100|height=80]

—– Sour grapes for everyone!

[Coronita]

Interesting comments about private schools on this thread. The pecking order stuff happens everywhere though. We just have to be involved and do the best we can with it whatever our supposed positions in it are.

What FLU was saying made me think of an experience I had in public school. I was a welfare kid. I move into a new school in the 7th grade and joined the band. I went from 3rd chair trumpet to first in a semester. Would that have been permitted in a private school or even a "good" school district?Do parents really go "mano a mano" over this stuff?Maybe the other ghetto kids just couldn't relate to Burt Bacharach?

Also made me think…If your kids are snubbed by the majority rich(er) kids do they migrate to the worst of the worst in the private schools?Of course, that depends on the family to some degree. They could potentially have great friends in public schools without running a as much of a pecking order gauntlet?

 

This is what exactly is putting me on the fence in this one. 

Cyphire, you mentioned your daughter hated private schools. Do you mind sharing why?

 

As far as CV public schools. I'm finding out even among public schools, they jockey around the best teachers/principals/special programs over yup donations.  This is sort of irritating, at the same time I'm not sure a private school is reality for the kid. Anyway, I got a couple of years to think about it.

[img_assist|nid=5962|title=selfportrait|desc=|link=node|align=left|width=100|height=80]

—– Sour grapes for everyone!

[Coronita]

Interesting comments about private schools on this thread. The pecking order stuff happens everywhere though. We just have to be involved and do the best we can with it whatever our supposed positions in it are.

What FLU was saying made me think of an experience I had in public school. I was a welfare kid. I move into a new school in the 7th grade and joined the band. I went from 3rd chair trumpet to first in a semester. Would that have been permitted in a private school or even a "good" school district?Do parents really go "mano a mano" over this stuff?Maybe the other ghetto kids just couldn't relate to Burt Bacharach?

Also made me think…If your kids are snubbed by the majority rich(er) kids do they migrate to the worst of the worst in the private schools?Of course, that depends on the family to some degree. They could potentially have great friends in public schools without running a as much of a pecking order gauntlet?

 

This is what exactly is putting me on the fence in this one. 

Cyphire, you mentioned your daughter hated private schools. Do you mind sharing why?

 

As far as CV public schools. I'm finding out even among public schools, they jockey around the best teachers/principals/special programs over yup donations.  This is sort of irritating, at the same time I'm not sure a private school is reality for the kid. Anyway, I got a couple of years to think about it.

[img_assist|nid=5962|title=selfportrait|desc=|link=node|align=left|width=100|height=80]

—– Sour grapes for everyone!

[Coronita]

Interesting comments about private schools on this thread. The pecking order stuff happens everywhere though. We just have to be involved and do the best we can with it whatever our supposed positions in it are.

What FLU was saying made me think of an experience I had in public school. I was a welfare kid. I move into a new school in the 7th grade and joined the band. I went from 3rd chair trumpet to first in a semester. Would that have been permitted in a private school or even a "good" school district?Do parents really go "mano a mano" over this stuff?Maybe the other ghetto kids just couldn't relate to Burt Bacharach?

Also made me think…If your kids are snubbed by the majority rich(er) kids do they migrate to the worst of the worst in the private schools?Of course, that depends on the family to some degree. They could potentially have great friends in public schools without running a as much of a pecking order gauntlet?

 

This is what exactly is putting me on the fence in this one. 

Cyphire, you mentioned your daughter hated private schools. Do you mind sharing why?

 

As far as CV public schools. I'm finding out even among public schools, they jockey around the best teachers/principals/special programs over yup donations.  This is sort of irritating, at the same time I'm not sure a private school is reality for the kid. Anyway, I got a couple of years to think about it.

[img_assist|nid=5962|title=selfportrait|desc=|link=node|align=left|width=100|height=80]

—– Sour grapes for everyone!

[NotCranky]

Wish me luck!

Good luck Cy!It sounds good.

What is your daughters difficulty Cy and how do you think it will be better? Is she just more down to earth than her peers?

Interesting comments about private schools on this thread. The pecking order stuff happens everywhere though. We just have to be involved and do the best we can with it whatever our supposed positions in it are.

What FLU was saying made me think of an experience I had in public school. I was a welfare kid. I move into a new school in the 7th grade and joined the band. I went from 3rd chair trumpet to first in a semester. Would that have been permitted in a private school or even a “good” school district?Do parents really go “mano a mano” over this stuff?Maybe the other ghetto kids just couldn’t relate to Burt Bacharach?

Also made me think…If your kids are snubbed by the majority rich(er) kids do they migrate to the worst of the worst in the private schools?Of course, that depends on the family to some degree. They could potentially have great friends in public schools without running a as much of a pecking order gauntlet?

[NotCranky]

Wish me luck!

Good luck Cy!It sounds good.

What is your daughters difficulty Cy and how do you think it will be better? Is she just more down to earth than her peers?

Interesting comments about private schools on this thread. The pecking order stuff happens everywhere though. We just have to be involved and do the best we can with it whatever our supposed positions in it are.

What FLU was saying made me think of an experience I had in public school. I was a welfare kid. I move into a new school in the 7th grade and joined the band. I went from 3rd chair trumpet to first in a semester. Would that have been permitted in a private school or even a “good” school district?Do parents really go “mano a mano” over this stuff?Maybe the other ghetto kids just couldn’t relate to Burt Bacharach?

Also made me think…If your kids are snubbed by the majority rich(er) kids do they migrate to the worst of the worst in the private schools?Of course, that depends on the family to some degree. They could potentially have great friends in public schools without running a as much of a pecking order gauntlet?

[NotCranky]

Wish me luck!

Good luck Cy!It sounds good.

What is your daughters difficulty Cy and how do you think it will be better? Is she just more down to earth than her peers?

Interesting comments about private schools on this thread. The pecking order stuff happens everywhere though. We just have to be involved and do the best we can with it whatever our supposed positions in it are.

What FLU was saying made me think of an experience I had in public school. I was a welfare kid. I move into a new school in the 7th grade and joined the band. I went from 3rd chair trumpet to first in a semester. Would that have been permitted in a private school or even a “good” school district?Do parents really go “mano a mano” over this stuff?Maybe the other ghetto kids just couldn’t relate to Burt Bacharach?

Also made me think…If your kids are snubbed by the majority rich(er) kids do they migrate to the worst of the worst in the private schools?Of course, that depends on the family to some degree. They could potentially have great friends in public schools without running a as much of a pecking order gauntlet?

[NotCranky]

Wish me luck!

Good luck Cy!It sounds good.

What is your daughters difficulty Cy and how do you think it will be better? Is she just more down to earth than her peers?

Interesting comments about private schools on this thread. The pecking order stuff happens everywhere though. We just have to be involved and do the best we can with it whatever our supposed positions in it are.

What FLU was saying made me think of an experience I had in public school. I was a welfare kid. I move into a new school in the 7th grade and joined the band. I went from 3rd chair trumpet to first in a semester. Would that have been permitted in a private school or even a “good” school district?Do parents really go “mano a mano” over this stuff?Maybe the other ghetto kids just couldn’t relate to Burt Bacharach?

Also made me think…If your kids are snubbed by the majority rich(er) kids do they migrate to the worst of the worst in the private schools?Of course, that depends on the family to some degree. They could potentially have great friends in public schools without running a as much of a pecking order gauntlet?

[JWM in SD]

JWM in SD

Quite honestly sdduuuude, this should really be last thing you are thinking about. For everyone on this thread, with the exception of FLU, go look at some of the other posts in the past two days about Bear Stearns and Fed and ponder on the implications there for a little while. It might help put the proper frame of reference on where priorities lie…and it ain’t what the prices in CV are doing right now.

[JWM in SD]

JWM in SD

Quite honestly sdduuuude, this should really be last thing you are thinking about. For everyone on this thread, with the exception of FLU, go look at some of the other posts in the past two days about Bear Stearns and Fed and ponder on the implications there for a little while. It might help put the proper frame of reference on where priorities lie…and it ain’t what the prices in CV are doing right now.

[JWM in SD]

JWM in SD

Quite honestly sdduuuude, this should really be last thing you are thinking about. For everyone on this thread, with the exception of FLU, go look at some of the other posts in the past two days about Bear Stearns and Fed and ponder on the implications there for a little while. It might help put the proper frame of reference on where priorities lie…and it ain’t what the prices in CV are doing right now.

[JWM in SD]

JWM in SD

Quite honestly sdduuuude, this should really be last thing you are thinking about. For everyone on this thread, with the exception of FLU, go look at some of the other posts in the past two days about Bear Stearns and Fed and ponder on the implications there for a little while. It might help put the proper frame of reference on where priorities lie…and it ain’t what the prices in CV are doing right now.

[Coronita]

Hey FLU,

Your comments about the Chinese made me chuckle quite a bit. I think CA is a bit worse than where I grew up (Texas). I went to dinner with my brother in law's folks and my sister (who was out of town) called me to ask that I tell them that I was a lawyer instead of a grad student (I was a non-practicing one who had gone back for a grad degree). I was pretty surprised by the request, but my sister had been criticized by her in-laws for getting a PhD instead of an MD, so she was being really sensitive.

All they could talk about was the fact that I gave up a lawyer's salary to go back to a grad school stipend. Absolutely boggled their mind. Seems like personal happiness is a strange concept. Never mind the fact that I drive a Mazda3 when I could be driving a BMWer instead–that just accentuated my weirdness.

That's why I don't hang out with too many Chinese at all.

 

My friend, I need to buy you a beer sometime. I promise, I will dye my hair blond and not talk about "money". I have to find a Ford Focus rental car though,  otherwise you might think i fit the "stereotype".

 

[img_assist|nid=5962|title=selfportrait|desc=|link=node|align=left|width=100|height=80]

—– Sour grapes for everyone!

[cyphire]

Thanks for your kind words jpinpb!

Our house was on Concannon Court – was built in 1990 and had a 13,000 sq ft lot, but a lot of it was hill. The new people who bought it from us terraced the back lot and put a swimming pool in.

I grew up in Long Island (Smithtown), but my folks were from Brooklyn – my dad from Sheepshead Bay and my mom from Coney Island Ave. My family followed me here to SD! But they moved up to Irvine. I have my brother-in-law in Madison, we are great friends.

—–

Hey Rustico! Sorry I have been so remiss at checking in at the forum. Bishops is very cliquey and she has friends – just doesn’t like the way that the groups judge and stick together. She gets crap for being friends with some 7th graders (she is in 8th grade), and while she has 2 great friends – she doesn’t like being in a school where there are so few kids. I think that the whole 8th grade is just 30 or 40 kids. There are kids there which are on scholarships, there are kids there that have access to private jets. My daughter is pretty down to earth and quite frankly I don’t want her in the So. Cal lifestyle anymore.

Some of the girls come from the Evans school – which is somewhat dangerously religious. I don’t like the family values they espouse.

I don’t think that the really rich kids snub anyone, but I could be wrong. The very wealthy kids are pretty nice – but it’s still a pretty bizarre situation there. I’m hoping a very large but really nice high school in the Midwest is a good move for her. She really wants to go to public school and I don’t want to let her go to Torrey Pines or the equivalent.

—

And ibjames….

I don’t want to disagree with you because I am sure that the winters will be very tiresome and the bugs will drive me crazy… but…. I like weather (when I am outdoors which isn’t that often!). I have been in Wisconsin about 6 times for at least 1 or 2 weeks each time in the winter – the dead of winter and it was 0 degrees or less… Didn’t bother me. It was warm inside! I am an indoor person and the reason I got a 6000 sq ft house is that I am going to have a 10′ steam shower with body sprays and a sound system, a theater room, a huge basement with a pool table and bar, a very custom master bedroom with a walk out 4 season room with heated floors and sealed gas fireplaces (with remote control) and 6 bedrooms and a room just for my 2 pianos, my books and my couch I have had since I was a single dude in NYC!

As for culture – I think that the culture out here is missing a few bulbs. My wife and I have season tickets to the Old Globe and I really enjoy the theater scene, but outside of that where is the culture? Madison is a 2 hour drive from Chicago (a real city), and a couple of hour plane ride to NYC (where there is real culture). While Wisconsin might be lacking in culture, Madison is not. Its a very cool college town. It has a new state of the art performance center which is supposed to be one of the three best in the US (donated by the American Girl owner lady..) There is a theater scene very similar to San Diego (Spamalot is there now) and because of the University it has rabid sports fans, and lots of intellectual discourse.

As to the food scene what might be true for Wisconsin in general, doesn’t apply to Madison. When I moved from NYC to San Diego I was afraid that the food wouldn’t be up to my enjoyment level – I was wrong… The food is great here in SD (not at the high end, but I would rather go to San Francisco or NYC for those meals), and in Madison it is no different.

Had some of the best sushi of my life there last month (and I eat a LOT of sushi!), there is a Vietnamese restaurant which was the equivalent of any in NYC, a Ruth Chris steakhouse, French restaurants, as well as some amazing restaurants downtown. There is a hard to get into Italian restaurant which had better food then any I have found here in SD. The other cool thing is that I am out in the country but a 10 minute drive to the capital building. The good restaurants are at least as expensive as SD (maybe even a bit more) but they have to ship stuff there – especially fish.

Madison is 100% smoke free even in bars. This was another important criteria for me. The surrounding suburbs are just going there -and the governor of WI is trying to make the whole state smoke free!

I totally understand your feedback though (especially as it relates to outside the 25 mile radius of Madison proper)… But without trying to be a snob – seriously I’m not! I live in La Jolla and the only time I go north of Rancho Santa Fe is to go play poker at Ocean’s 11! And I don’t usually ever hang out east of the 5. I would probably kill myself if I lived in the country in Wisconsin. Same thing for Temecula or Vista. The reason I’m moving to Middleton is for the kids and it’s proximity to the downtown, the university, and all the services I like. For their schooling and for their having great, nice friends.

Type in “middleton, wi” into google, go to maps and you will see what I am talking about. It was rated #1 by Money Magazine for a reason – best place to raise kids. I plan on spending every time the kids are off from school in the Bahamas anyway!!!

[jpinpb]

cyphire – being a former NYer, I have to agree that So Cal is culture starved. People here say we have culture and to them it is b/c they have never lived in NY. San Francisco is the best California has to offer as far as west coast version of NY.

Every time I go visit back east, I do miss so much of it. Still not enough global warming to make me live there and endure 5 months of winter. I just know starting from Thanksgiving, sometimes as early as Halloween, the weather gets too cold for me, and that doesn’t usually get any better til April after Easter (not counting this year in March) I like to do outdoor activities and sun too much, otherwise, that would be the place to be. Scraping ice off car windows, shoveling show, icy roads, all that. I admit, I’m a wuss and can’t handle it. I thought I could do it and I tried to go back from ’93 to ’95. As far as weather, I think I’m spoiled. Been in So Cal since ’76. I just try to go back and visit as much as possible every year.

Good that you have family in Madison. Your money will go a lot farther there and be able to travel more. The thing I notice is that most people live here and don’t travel elsewhere much. Since I have traveled, I know San Diego is not the end-all be-all. I respect your decision and very selfless of you, really any parent, to live somewhere for the betterment of children. I don’t have any. If I did, I’d probably do the same, especially formative younger years, I hear is critical.

[ibjames]

OK, it makes sense now. If you like it inside, then WI is the place.

I do miss the italian there, WI and IL have great italian restaurants. A large population resides in SouthEast WI. As far as some of the restaurants, I didn’t know some of those places have popped up. I’m glad to hear it!

I’m also glad to hear about the no smoking law, that is a huge difference! If it becomes no smoking across the state that’ll make things much more attractive.

I didn’t mean to sound rude, Madison is a great place. You have to take the time to check out a Badger football game. I once read an email that WI is the only place that you get help from someone in a store, and they don’t even work there!

[Ash Housewares]

Ahhh, Madison. Some of my fondest memories are of that place. Sip a beer at the Union Terrace overlooking Lake Mendota on a crisp fall afternoon, then walk over to state street for any kind of ethnic food you can imagine. Mix that with Packer/Badger football, the intellectual curiosity that permeates the place, and the nicest people in the world. Stir, and you have a the recipe for a heaven cocktail.

You may even have Barry Alvarez for a neighbor!

[jpinpb]

This sound like such a great place, it makes me want to move there. But I did talk to my friend about it and she said that I couldn’t handle it, the cold. Is it that bad? I guess I have to come to terms w/my shortcoming. The weather has kept me from living in some great cities. Besides, I get claustrophic being indoors. Maybe some more global warming will change all that.

[Ash Housewares]

I don’t understand all those “couldn’t handle the cold” comments. Yes it’s colder, but you wear more clothes so it feels the same. You spend an extra minute putting on a jacket, hat, and maybe a scarf before you go out. With all that on, you’re no colder than you would be walking around CA in a t-shirt in winter. Plus, I’m like cyphire, I like weather and seasons. Would you rather have a 65F sunny Christmas, or have a snow falling outside as you unwrap gifts by a fire? For now I’d take the snow and fireplace, maybe when I’m older I’d like the warm sun.

[jpinpb]

Ash – I don’t know what it is. I lived in NY for years. I can wear sweater upon sweater and never be warm. I have really very low body fat. Maybe that’s why. Other than that, maybe there’s something wrong w/me. I have low cold tolerance. I even get cold here. My brother LOVES being back east. Most of my family is still there and they will NEVER move here. All I can do is go back and visit and I agree. Nothing beats Christmas w/snow and a fireplace. I cherish going there for the holidays. I tough it out while I’m there and I can manage the cold for short periods of time. Also, I think I have S.A.D. so the gloomy days are a major downer for me. I do miss the fall, also.

[sdduuuude]

Thanks for all the discussion / comments. Just a follow-up on our likely decision.

After meeting with a contractor, and actually considering the idea of writing a $50,000 check, the simple comments of wombadavis are rising to the top. Stay put and live with things as they are. And save, save, save for the bottom, bottom, bottom. We may do something small to this house, if we can do it ourselves or find a low-cost temporary fix.

As far as school choice goes. I just want to find a school with good resources and great teachers where my kids won’t encounter physical violence at the lowest cost to me.

I worry little about preferential treatment, cliqes, economic status of their friends and the like. I seriously doubt that I can keep them from such things for their entire lives so they may as well encounter them young and learn to make the best of them. I do my best to teach them values that make them, first and foremost, good friends to others and I believe that will allow them to find happiness in any school situation that I choose to put them in. I don’t expect any school to make my kids great. I expect my kids to make their own school experience great.

I could never live in Denver, let alone Wisconson. My temperature range varies from San Diego to Tucson.

I have started to watch Carmel Valley more closely now. I drove through the two neighborhoods in the southwest and northeast corners of I-5/Del Mar Heights. Those are promising, for sure. Thanks for pointing them out.

[cyphire]

Wow… I am getting both stoked and scared about moving – but when I remember that it’s for the kids, my fear goes away.

Ash – you remind me that it’s got its really good points – weather not being one of them. I just confirmed getting a furnace for my garage – I will wait out next winter and send pictures to the site!

We almost bought a house 2 houses from Barry Alvarez!!! But the one we settled on fits my features list. I love Union Terrace – had ice cream there. Most interestingly the things that drive me the most crazy about so cal don’t exist there. You can park right on the square of the capital building and actually get a spot – and there is no real traffic at all. Everything in Madison is a 5-15 min drive.

I took my son and his buddy to 6 flags on this Tues in North LA. We left the park at 3:15 to go back to La Jolla. 150 miles. We got home at 8:45 (had to stop at about 6pm for dinner (45 min) because i couldn’t feel my legs anymore. We averaged about 30 miles an hour… but really more like 15 miles an hour and 60-70 miles an hour after dinner. It was horrible – but the weather was great!!!

Anyway – I’m going to have fun there… And moan about the snow and cold like everyone else. I like to hang out in coffee shops, and especially like it when it is cold and snowy outside. I will survive!!!! (I hope!)

[cyphire]

Wow… I am getting both stoked and scared about moving – but when I remember that it’s for the kids, my fear goes away.

Ash – you remind me that it’s got its really good points – weather not being one of them. I just confirmed getting a furnace for my garage – I will wait out next winter and send pictures to the site!

We almost bought a house 2 houses from Barry Alvarez!!! But the one we settled on fits my features list. I love Union Terrace – had ice cream there. Most interestingly the things that drive me the most crazy about so cal don’t exist there. You can park right on the square of the capital building and actually get a spot – and there is no real traffic at all. Everything in Madison is a 5-15 min drive.

I took my son and his buddy to 6 flags on this Tues in North LA. We left the park at 3:15 to go back to La Jolla. 150 miles. We got home at 8:45 (had to stop at about 6pm for dinner (45 min) because i couldn’t feel my legs anymore. We averaged about 30 miles an hour… but really more like 15 miles an hour and 60-70 miles an hour after dinner. It was horrible – but the weather was great!!!

Anyway – I’m going to have fun there… And moan about the snow and cold like everyone else. I like to hang out in coffee shops, and especially like it when it is cold and snowy outside. I will survive!!!! (I hope!)

[cyphire]

Wow… I am getting both stoked and scared about moving – but when I remember that it’s for the kids, my fear goes away.

Ash – you remind me that it’s got its really good points – weather not being one of them. I just confirmed getting a furnace for my garage – I will wait out next winter and send pictures to the site!

We almost bought a house 2 houses from Barry Alvarez!!! But the one we settled on fits my features list. I love Union Terrace – had ice cream there. Most interestingly the things that drive me the most crazy about so cal don’t exist there. You can park right on the square of the capital building and actually get a spot – and there is no real traffic at all. Everything in Madison is a 5-15 min drive.

I took my son and his buddy to 6 flags on this Tues in North LA. We left the park at 3:15 to go back to La Jolla. 150 miles. We got home at 8:45 (had to stop at about 6pm for dinner (45 min) because i couldn’t feel my legs anymore. We averaged about 30 miles an hour… but really more like 15 miles an hour and 60-70 miles an hour after dinner. It was horrible – but the weather was great!!!

Anyway – I’m going to have fun there… And moan about the snow and cold like everyone else. I like to hang out in coffee shops, and especially like it when it is cold and snowy outside. I will survive!!!! (I hope!)

[cyphire]

Wow… I am getting both stoked and scared about moving – but when I remember that it’s for the kids, my fear goes away.

Ash – you remind me that it’s got its really good points – weather not being one of them. I just confirmed getting a furnace for my garage – I will wait out next winter and send pictures to the site!

We almost bought a house 2 houses from Barry Alvarez!!! But the one we settled on fits my features list. I love Union Terrace – had ice cream there. Most interestingly the things that drive me the most crazy about so cal don’t exist there. You can park right on the square of the capital building and actually get a spot – and there is no real traffic at all. Everything in Madison is a 5-15 min drive.

I took my son and his buddy to 6 flags on this Tues in North LA. We left the park at 3:15 to go back to La Jolla. 150 miles. We got home at 8:45 (had to stop at about 6pm for dinner (45 min) because i couldn’t feel my legs anymore. We averaged about 30 miles an hour… but really more like 15 miles an hour and 60-70 miles an hour after dinner. It was horrible – but the weather was great!!!

Anyway – I’m going to have fun there… And moan about the snow and cold like everyone else. I like to hang out in coffee shops, and especially like it when it is cold and snowy outside. I will survive!!!! (I hope!)

[cyphire]

Wow… I am getting both stoked and scared about moving – but when I remember that it’s for the kids, my fear goes away.

Ash – you remind me that it’s got its really good points – weather not being one of them. I just confirmed getting a furnace for my garage – I will wait out next winter and send pictures to the site!

We almost bought a house 2 houses from Barry Alvarez!!! But the one we settled on fits my features list. I love Union Terrace – had ice cream there. Most interestingly the things that drive me the most crazy about so cal don’t exist there. You can park right on the square of the capital building and actually get a spot – and there is no real traffic at all. Everything in Madison is a 5-15 min drive.

I took my son and his buddy to 6 flags on this Tues in North LA. We left the park at 3:15 to go back to La Jolla. 150 miles. We got home at 8:45 (had to stop at about 6pm for dinner (45 min) because i couldn’t feel my legs anymore. We averaged about 30 miles an hour… but really more like 15 miles an hour and 60-70 miles an hour after dinner. It was horrible – but the weather was great!!!

Anyway – I’m going to have fun there… And moan about the snow and cold like everyone else. I like to hang out in coffee shops, and especially like it when it is cold and snowy outside. I will survive!!!! (I hope!)

[sdduuuude]

Thanks for all the discussion / comments. Just a follow-up on our likely decision.

After meeting with a contractor, and actually considering the idea of writing a $50,000 check, the simple comments of wombadavis are rising to the top. Stay put and live with things as they are. And save, save, save for the bottom, bottom, bottom. We may do something small to this house, if we can do it ourselves or find a low-cost temporary fix.

As far as school choice goes. I just want to find a school with good resources and great teachers where my kids won’t encounter physical violence at the lowest cost to me.

I worry little about preferential treatment, cliqes, economic status of their friends and the like. I seriously doubt that I can keep them from such things for their entire lives so they may as well encounter them young and learn to make the best of them. I do my best to teach them values that make them, first and foremost, good friends to others and I believe that will allow them to find happiness in any school situation that I choose to put them in. I don’t expect any school to make my kids great. I expect my kids to make their own school experience great.

I could never live in Denver, let alone Wisconson. My temperature range varies from San Diego to Tucson.

I have started to watch Carmel Valley more closely now. I drove through the two neighborhoods in the southwest and northeast corners of I-5/Del Mar Heights. Those are promising, for sure. Thanks for pointing them out.

[sdduuuude]

Thanks for all the discussion / comments. Just a follow-up on our likely decision.

After meeting with a contractor, and actually considering the idea of writing a $50,000 check, the simple comments of wombadavis are rising to the top. Stay put and live with things as they are. And save, save, save for the bottom, bottom, bottom. We may do something small to this house, if we can do it ourselves or find a low-cost temporary fix.

As far as school choice goes. I just want to find a school with good resources and great teachers where my kids won’t encounter physical violence at the lowest cost to me.

I worry little about preferential treatment, cliqes, economic status of their friends and the like. I seriously doubt that I can keep them from such things for their entire lives so they may as well encounter them young and learn to make the best of them. I do my best to teach them values that make them, first and foremost, good friends to others and I believe that will allow them to find happiness in any school situation that I choose to put them in. I don’t expect any school to make my kids great. I expect my kids to make their own school experience great.

I could never live in Denver, let alone Wisconson. My temperature range varies from San Diego to Tucson.

I have started to watch Carmel Valley more closely now. I drove through the two neighborhoods in the southwest and northeast corners of I-5/Del Mar Heights. Those are promising, for sure. Thanks for pointing them out.

[sdduuuude]

Thanks for all the discussion / comments. Just a follow-up on our likely decision.

After meeting with a contractor, and actually considering the idea of writing a $50,000 check, the simple comments of wombadavis are rising to the top. Stay put and live with things as they are. And save, save, save for the bottom, bottom, bottom. We may do something small to this house, if we can do it ourselves or find a low-cost temporary fix.

As far as school choice goes. I just want to find a school with good resources and great teachers where my kids won’t encounter physical violence at the lowest cost to me.

I worry little about preferential treatment, cliqes, economic status of their friends and the like. I seriously doubt that I can keep them from such things for their entire lives so they may as well encounter them young and learn to make the best of them. I do my best to teach them values that make them, first and foremost, good friends to others and I believe that will allow them to find happiness in any school situation that I choose to put them in. I don’t expect any school to make my kids great. I expect my kids to make their own school experience great.

I could never live in Denver, let alone Wisconson. My temperature range varies from San Diego to Tucson.

I have started to watch Carmel Valley more closely now. I drove through the two neighborhoods in the southwest and northeast corners of I-5/Del Mar Heights. Those are promising, for sure. Thanks for pointing them out.

[sdduuuude]

Thanks for all the discussion / comments. Just a follow-up on our likely decision.

After meeting with a contractor, and actually considering the idea of writing a $50,000 check, the simple comments of wombadavis are rising to the top. Stay put and live with things as they are. And save, save, save for the bottom, bottom, bottom. We may do something small to this house, if we can do it ourselves or find a low-cost temporary fix.

As far as school choice goes. I just want to find a school with good resources and great teachers where my kids won’t encounter physical violence at the lowest cost to me.

I worry little about preferential treatment, cliqes, economic status of their friends and the like. I seriously doubt that I can keep them from such things for their entire lives so they may as well encounter them young and learn to make the best of them. I do my best to teach them values that make them, first and foremost, good friends to others and I believe that will allow them to find happiness in any school situation that I choose to put them in. I don’t expect any school to make my kids great. I expect my kids to make their own school experience great.

I could never live in Denver, let alone Wisconson. My temperature range varies from San Diego to Tucson.

I have started to watch Carmel Valley more closely now. I drove through the two neighborhoods in the southwest and northeast corners of I-5/Del Mar Heights. Those are promising, for sure. Thanks for pointing them out.

[jpinpb]

Ash – I don’t know what it is. I lived in NY for years. I can wear sweater upon sweater and never be warm. I have really very low body fat. Maybe that’s why. Other than that, maybe there’s something wrong w/me. I have low cold tolerance. I even get cold here. My brother LOVES being back east. Most of my family is still there and they will NEVER move here. All I can do is go back and visit and I agree. Nothing beats Christmas w/snow and a fireplace. I cherish going there for the holidays. I tough it out while I’m there and I can manage the cold for short periods of time. Also, I think I have S.A.D. so the gloomy days are a major downer for me. I do miss the fall, also.

[jpinpb]

Ash – I don’t know what it is. I lived in NY for years. I can wear sweater upon sweater and never be warm. I have really very low body fat. Maybe that’s why. Other than that, maybe there’s something wrong w/me. I have low cold tolerance. I even get cold here. My brother LOVES being back east. Most of my family is still there and they will NEVER move here. All I can do is go back and visit and I agree. Nothing beats Christmas w/snow and a fireplace. I cherish going there for the holidays. I tough it out while I’m there and I can manage the cold for short periods of time. Also, I think I have S.A.D. so the gloomy days are a major downer for me. I do miss the fall, also.

[jpinpb]

Ash – I don’t know what it is. I lived in NY for years. I can wear sweater upon sweater and never be warm. I have really very low body fat. Maybe that’s why. Other than that, maybe there’s something wrong w/me. I have low cold tolerance. I even get cold here. My brother LOVES being back east. Most of my family is still there and they will NEVER move here. All I can do is go back and visit and I agree. Nothing beats Christmas w/snow and a fireplace. I cherish going there for the holidays. I tough it out while I’m there and I can manage the cold for short periods of time. Also, I think I have S.A.D. so the gloomy days are a major downer for me. I do miss the fall, also.

[jpinpb]

Ash – I don’t know what it is. I lived in NY for years. I can wear sweater upon sweater and never be warm. I have really very low body fat. Maybe that’s why. Other than that, maybe there’s something wrong w/me. I have low cold tolerance. I even get cold here. My brother LOVES being back east. Most of my family is still there and they will NEVER move here. All I can do is go back and visit and I agree. Nothing beats Christmas w/snow and a fireplace. I cherish going there for the holidays. I tough it out while I’m there and I can manage the cold for short periods of time. Also, I think I have S.A.D. so the gloomy days are a major downer for me. I do miss the fall, also.

[Ash Housewares]

I don’t understand all those “couldn’t handle the cold” comments. Yes it’s colder, but you wear more clothes so it feels the same. You spend an extra minute putting on a jacket, hat, and maybe a scarf before you go out. With all that on, you’re no colder than you would be walking around CA in a t-shirt in winter. Plus, I’m like cyphire, I like weather and seasons. Would you rather have a 65F sunny Christmas, or have a snow falling outside as you unwrap gifts by a fire? For now I’d take the snow and fireplace, maybe when I’m older I’d like the warm sun.

[Ash Housewares]

I don’t understand all those “couldn’t handle the cold” comments. Yes it’s colder, but you wear more clothes so it feels the same. You spend an extra minute putting on a jacket, hat, and maybe a scarf before you go out. With all that on, you’re no colder than you would be walking around CA in a t-shirt in winter. Plus, I’m like cyphire, I like weather and seasons. Would you rather have a 65F sunny Christmas, or have a snow falling outside as you unwrap gifts by a fire? For now I’d take the snow and fireplace, maybe when I’m older I’d like the warm sun.

[Ash Housewares]

I don’t understand all those “couldn’t handle the cold” comments. Yes it’s colder, but you wear more clothes so it feels the same. You spend an extra minute putting on a jacket, hat, and maybe a scarf before you go out. With all that on, you’re no colder than you would be walking around CA in a t-shirt in winter. Plus, I’m like cyphire, I like weather and seasons. Would you rather have a 65F sunny Christmas, or have a snow falling outside as you unwrap gifts by a fire? For now I’d take the snow and fireplace, maybe when I’m older I’d like the warm sun.

[Ash Housewares]

I don’t understand all those “couldn’t handle the cold” comments. Yes it’s colder, but you wear more clothes so it feels the same. You spend an extra minute putting on a jacket, hat, and maybe a scarf before you go out. With all that on, you’re no colder than you would be walking around CA in a t-shirt in winter. Plus, I’m like cyphire, I like weather and seasons. Would you rather have a 65F sunny Christmas, or have a snow falling outside as you unwrap gifts by a fire? For now I’d take the snow and fireplace, maybe when I’m older I’d like the warm sun.

[jpinpb]

This sound like such a great place, it makes me want to move there. But I did talk to my friend about it and she said that I couldn’t handle it, the cold. Is it that bad? I guess I have to come to terms w/my shortcoming. The weather has kept me from living in some great cities. Besides, I get claustrophic being indoors. Maybe some more global warming will change all that.

[jpinpb]

This sound like such a great place, it makes me want to move there. But I did talk to my friend about it and she said that I couldn’t handle it, the cold. Is it that bad? I guess I have to come to terms w/my shortcoming. The weather has kept me from living in some great cities. Besides, I get claustrophic being indoors. Maybe some more global warming will change all that.

[jpinpb]

This sound like such a great place, it makes me want to move there. But I did talk to my friend about it and she said that I couldn’t handle it, the cold. Is it that bad? I guess I have to come to terms w/my shortcoming. The weather has kept me from living in some great cities. Besides, I get claustrophic being indoors. Maybe some more global warming will change all that.

[jpinpb]

This sound like such a great place, it makes me want to move there. But I did talk to my friend about it and she said that I couldn’t handle it, the cold. Is it that bad? I guess I have to come to terms w/my shortcoming. The weather has kept me from living in some great cities. Besides, I get claustrophic being indoors. Maybe some more global warming will change all that.

[Ash Housewares]

Ahhh, Madison. Some of my fondest memories are of that place. Sip a beer at the Union Terrace overlooking Lake Mendota on a crisp fall afternoon, then walk over to state street for any kind of ethnic food you can imagine. Mix that with Packer/Badger football, the intellectual curiosity that permeates the place, and the nicest people in the world. Stir, and you have a the recipe for a heaven cocktail.

You may even have Barry Alvarez for a neighbor!

[Ash Housewares]

Ahhh, Madison. Some of my fondest memories are of that place. Sip a beer at the Union Terrace overlooking Lake Mendota on a crisp fall afternoon, then walk over to state street for any kind of ethnic food you can imagine. Mix that with Packer/Badger football, the intellectual curiosity that permeates the place, and the nicest people in the world. Stir, and you have a the recipe for a heaven cocktail.

You may even have Barry Alvarez for a neighbor!

[Ash Housewares]

Ahhh, Madison. Some of my fondest memories are of that place. Sip a beer at the Union Terrace overlooking Lake Mendota on a crisp fall afternoon, then walk over to state street for any kind of ethnic food you can imagine. Mix that with Packer/Badger football, the intellectual curiosity that permeates the place, and the nicest people in the world. Stir, and you have a the recipe for a heaven cocktail.

You may even have Barry Alvarez for a neighbor!

[Ash Housewares]

Ahhh, Madison. Some of my fondest memories are of that place. Sip a beer at the Union Terrace overlooking Lake Mendota on a crisp fall afternoon, then walk over to state street for any kind of ethnic food you can imagine. Mix that with Packer/Badger football, the intellectual curiosity that permeates the place, and the nicest people in the world. Stir, and you have a the recipe for a heaven cocktail.

You may even have Barry Alvarez for a neighbor!

[ibjames]

OK, it makes sense now. If you like it inside, then WI is the place.

I do miss the italian there, WI and IL have great italian restaurants. A large population resides in SouthEast WI. As far as some of the restaurants, I didn’t know some of those places have popped up. I’m glad to hear it!

I’m also glad to hear about the no smoking law, that is a huge difference! If it becomes no smoking across the state that’ll make things much more attractive.

I didn’t mean to sound rude, Madison is a great place. You have to take the time to check out a Badger football game. I once read an email that WI is the only place that you get help from someone in a store, and they don’t even work there!

[ibjames]

OK, it makes sense now. If you like it inside, then WI is the place.

I do miss the italian there, WI and IL have great italian restaurants. A large population resides in SouthEast WI. As far as some of the restaurants, I didn’t know some of those places have popped up. I’m glad to hear it!

I’m also glad to hear about the no smoking law, that is a huge difference! If it becomes no smoking across the state that’ll make things much more attractive.

I didn’t mean to sound rude, Madison is a great place. You have to take the time to check out a Badger football game. I once read an email that WI is the only place that you get help from someone in a store, and they don’t even work there!

[ibjames]

OK, it makes sense now. If you like it inside, then WI is the place.

I do miss the italian there, WI and IL have great italian restaurants. A large population resides in SouthEast WI. As far as some of the restaurants, I didn’t know some of those places have popped up. I’m glad to hear it!

I’m also glad to hear about the no smoking law, that is a huge difference! If it becomes no smoking across the state that’ll make things much more attractive.

I didn’t mean to sound rude, Madison is a great place. You have to take the time to check out a Badger football game. I once read an email that WI is the only place that you get help from someone in a store, and they don’t even work there!

[ibjames]

OK, it makes sense now. If you like it inside, then WI is the place.

I do miss the italian there, WI and IL have great italian restaurants. A large population resides in SouthEast WI. As far as some of the restaurants, I didn’t know some of those places have popped up. I’m glad to hear it!

I’m also glad to hear about the no smoking law, that is a huge difference! If it becomes no smoking across the state that’ll make things much more attractive.

I didn’t mean to sound rude, Madison is a great place. You have to take the time to check out a Badger football game. I once read an email that WI is the only place that you get help from someone in a store, and they don’t even work there!

[jpinpb]

cyphire – being a former NYer, I have to agree that So Cal is culture starved. People here say we have culture and to them it is b/c they have never lived in NY. San Francisco is the best California has to offer as far as west coast version of NY.

Every time I go visit back east, I do miss so much of it. Still not enough global warming to make me live there and endure 5 months of winter. I just know starting from Thanksgiving, sometimes as early as Halloween, the weather gets too cold for me, and that doesn’t usually get any better til April after Easter (not counting this year in March) I like to do outdoor activities and sun too much, otherwise, that would be the place to be. Scraping ice off car windows, shoveling show, icy roads, all that. I admit, I’m a wuss and can’t handle it. I thought I could do it and I tried to go back from ’93 to ’95. As far as weather, I think I’m spoiled. Been in So Cal since ’76. I just try to go back and visit as much as possible every year.

Good that you have family in Madison. Your money will go a lot farther there and be able to travel more. The thing I notice is that most people live here and don’t travel elsewhere much. Since I have traveled, I know San Diego is not the end-all be-all. I respect your decision and very selfless of you, really any parent, to live somewhere for the betterment of children. I don’t have any. If I did, I’d probably do the same, especially formative younger years, I hear is critical.

[jpinpb]

cyphire – being a former NYer, I have to agree that So Cal is culture starved. People here say we have culture and to them it is b/c they have never lived in NY. San Francisco is the best California has to offer as far as west coast version of NY.

Every time I go visit back east, I do miss so much of it. Still not enough global warming to make me live there and endure 5 months of winter. I just know starting from Thanksgiving, sometimes as early as Halloween, the weather gets too cold for me, and that doesn’t usually get any better til April after Easter (not counting this year in March) I like to do outdoor activities and sun too much, otherwise, that would be the place to be. Scraping ice off car windows, shoveling show, icy roads, all that. I admit, I’m a wuss and can’t handle it. I thought I could do it and I tried to go back from ’93 to ’95. As far as weather, I think I’m spoiled. Been in So Cal since ’76. I just try to go back and visit as much as possible every year.

Good that you have family in Madison. Your money will go a lot farther there and be able to travel more. The thing I notice is that most people live here and don’t travel elsewhere much. Since I have traveled, I know San Diego is not the end-all be-all. I respect your decision and very selfless of you, really any parent, to live somewhere for the betterment of children. I don’t have any. If I did, I’d probably do the same, especially formative younger years, I hear is critical.

[jpinpb]

cyphire – being a former NYer, I have to agree that So Cal is culture starved. People here say we have culture and to them it is b/c they have never lived in NY. San Francisco is the best California has to offer as far as west coast version of NY.

Every time I go visit back east, I do miss so much of it. Still not enough global warming to make me live there and endure 5 months of winter. I just know starting from Thanksgiving, sometimes as early as Halloween, the weather gets too cold for me, and that doesn’t usually get any better til April after Easter (not counting this year in March) I like to do outdoor activities and sun too much, otherwise, that would be the place to be. Scraping ice off car windows, shoveling show, icy roads, all that. I admit, I’m a wuss and can’t handle it. I thought I could do it and I tried to go back from ’93 to ’95. As far as weather, I think I’m spoiled. Been in So Cal since ’76. I just try to go back and visit as much as possible every year.

Good that you have family in Madison. Your money will go a lot farther there and be able to travel more. The thing I notice is that most people live here and don’t travel elsewhere much. Since I have traveled, I know San Diego is not the end-all be-all. I respect your decision and very selfless of you, really any parent, to live somewhere for the betterment of children. I don’t have any. If I did, I’d probably do the same, especially formative younger years, I hear is critical.

[jpinpb]

cyphire – being a former NYer, I have to agree that So Cal is culture starved. People here say we have culture and to them it is b/c they have never lived in NY. San Francisco is the best California has to offer as far as west coast version of NY.

Every time I go visit back east, I do miss so much of it. Still not enough global warming to make me live there and endure 5 months of winter. I just know starting from Thanksgiving, sometimes as early as Halloween, the weather gets too cold for me, and that doesn’t usually get any better til April after Easter (not counting this year in March) I like to do outdoor activities and sun too much, otherwise, that would be the place to be. Scraping ice off car windows, shoveling show, icy roads, all that. I admit, I’m a wuss and can’t handle it. I thought I could do it and I tried to go back from ’93 to ’95. As far as weather, I think I’m spoiled. Been in So Cal since ’76. I just try to go back and visit as much as possible every year.

Good that you have family in Madison. Your money will go a lot farther there and be able to travel more. The thing I notice is that most people live here and don’t travel elsewhere much. Since I have traveled, I know San Diego is not the end-all be-all. I respect your decision and very selfless of you, really any parent, to live somewhere for the betterment of children. I don’t have any. If I did, I’d probably do the same, especially formative younger years, I hear is critical.

[cyphire]

Thanks for your kind words jpinpb!

Our house was on Concannon Court – was built in 1990 and had a 13,000 sq ft lot, but a lot of it was hill. The new people who bought it from us terraced the back lot and put a swimming pool in.

I grew up in Long Island (Smithtown), but my folks were from Brooklyn – my dad from Sheepshead Bay and my mom from Coney Island Ave. My family followed me here to SD! But they moved up to Irvine. I have my brother-in-law in Madison, we are great friends.

—–

Hey Rustico! Sorry I have been so remiss at checking in at the forum. Bishops is very cliquey and she has friends – just doesn’t like the way that the groups judge and stick together. She gets crap for being friends with some 7th graders (she is in 8th grade), and while she has 2 great friends – she doesn’t like being in a school where there are so few kids. I think that the whole 8th grade is just 30 or 40 kids. There are kids there which are on scholarships, there are kids there that have access to private jets. My daughter is pretty down to earth and quite frankly I don’t want her in the So. Cal lifestyle anymore.

Some of the girls come from the Evans school – which is somewhat dangerously religious. I don’t like the family values they espouse.

I don’t think that the really rich kids snub anyone, but I could be wrong. The very wealthy kids are pretty nice – but it’s still a pretty bizarre situation there. I’m hoping a very large but really nice high school in the Midwest is a good move for her. She really wants to go to public school and I don’t want to let her go to Torrey Pines or the equivalent.

—

And ibjames….

I don’t want to disagree with you because I am sure that the winters will be very tiresome and the bugs will drive me crazy… but…. I like weather (when I am outdoors which isn’t that often!). I have been in Wisconsin about 6 times for at least 1 or 2 weeks each time in the winter – the dead of winter and it was 0 degrees or less… Didn’t bother me. It was warm inside! I am an indoor person and the reason I got a 6000 sq ft house is that I am going to have a 10′ steam shower with body sprays and a sound system, a theater room, a huge basement with a pool table and bar, a very custom master bedroom with a walk out 4 season room with heated floors and sealed gas fireplaces (with remote control) and 6 bedrooms and a room just for my 2 pianos, my books and my couch I have had since I was a single dude in NYC!

As for culture – I think that the culture out here is missing a few bulbs. My wife and I have season tickets to the Old Globe and I really enjoy the theater scene, but outside of that where is the culture? Madison is a 2 hour drive from Chicago (a real city), and a couple of hour plane ride to NYC (where there is real culture). While Wisconsin might be lacking in culture, Madison is not. Its a very cool college town. It has a new state of the art performance center which is supposed to be one of the three best in the US (donated by the American Girl owner lady..) There is a theater scene very similar to San Diego (Spamalot is there now) and because of the University it has rabid sports fans, and lots of intellectual discourse.

As to the food scene what might be true for Wisconsin in general, doesn’t apply to Madison. When I moved from NYC to San Diego I was afraid that the food wouldn’t be up to my enjoyment level – I was wrong… The food is great here in SD (not at the high end, but I would rather go to San Francisco or NYC for those meals), and in Madison it is no different.

Had some of the best sushi of my life there last month (and I eat a LOT of sushi!), there is a Vietnamese restaurant which was the equivalent of any in NYC, a Ruth Chris steakhouse, French restaurants, as well as some amazing restaurants downtown. There is a hard to get into Italian restaurant which had better food then any I have found here in SD. The other cool thing is that I am out in the country but a 10 minute drive to the capital building. The good restaurants are at least as expensive as SD (maybe even a bit more) but they have to ship stuff there – especially fish.

Madison is 100% smoke free even in bars. This was another important criteria for me. The surrounding suburbs are just going there -and the governor of WI is trying to make the whole state smoke free!

I totally understand your feedback though (especially as it relates to outside the 25 mile radius of Madison proper)… But without trying to be a snob – seriously I’m not! I live in La Jolla and the only time I go north of Rancho Santa Fe is to go play poker at Ocean’s 11! And I don’t usually ever hang out east of the 5. I would probably kill myself if I lived in the country in Wisconsin. Same thing for Temecula or Vista. The reason I’m moving to Middleton is for the kids and it’s proximity to the downtown, the university, and all the services I like. For their schooling and for their having great, nice friends.

Type in “middleton, wi” into google, go to maps and you will see what I am talking about. It was rated #1 by Money Magazine for a reason – best place to raise kids. I plan on spending every time the kids are off from school in the Bahamas anyway!!!

[cyphire]

Thanks for your kind words jpinpb!

Our house was on Concannon Court – was built in 1990 and had a 13,000 sq ft lot, but a lot of it was hill. The new people who bought it from us terraced the back lot and put a swimming pool in.

I grew up in Long Island (Smithtown), but my folks were from Brooklyn – my dad from Sheepshead Bay and my mom from Coney Island Ave. My family followed me here to SD! But they moved up to Irvine. I have my brother-in-law in Madison, we are great friends.

—–

Hey Rustico! Sorry I have been so remiss at checking in at the forum. Bishops is very cliquey and she has friends – just doesn’t like the way that the groups judge and stick together. She gets crap for being friends with some 7th graders (she is in 8th grade), and while she has 2 great friends – she doesn’t like being in a school where there are so few kids. I think that the whole 8th grade is just 30 or 40 kids. There are kids there which are on scholarships, there are kids there that have access to private jets. My daughter is pretty down to earth and quite frankly I don’t want her in the So. Cal lifestyle anymore.

Some of the girls come from the Evans school – which is somewhat dangerously religious. I don’t like the family values they espouse.

I don’t think that the really rich kids snub anyone, but I could be wrong. The very wealthy kids are pretty nice – but it’s still a pretty bizarre situation there. I’m hoping a very large but really nice high school in the Midwest is a good move for her. She really wants to go to public school and I don’t want to let her go to Torrey Pines or the equivalent.

—

And ibjames….

I don’t want to disagree with you because I am sure that the winters will be very tiresome and the bugs will drive me crazy… but…. I like weather (when I am outdoors which isn’t that often!). I have been in Wisconsin about 6 times for at least 1 or 2 weeks each time in the winter – the dead of winter and it was 0 degrees or less… Didn’t bother me. It was warm inside! I am an indoor person and the reason I got a 6000 sq ft house is that I am going to have a 10′ steam shower with body sprays and a sound system, a theater room, a huge basement with a pool table and bar, a very custom master bedroom with a walk out 4 season room with heated floors and sealed gas fireplaces (with remote control) and 6 bedrooms and a room just for my 2 pianos, my books and my couch I have had since I was a single dude in NYC!

As for culture – I think that the culture out here is missing a few bulbs. My wife and I have season tickets to the Old Globe and I really enjoy the theater scene, but outside of that where is the culture? Madison is a 2 hour drive from Chicago (a real city), and a couple of hour plane ride to NYC (where there is real culture). While Wisconsin might be lacking in culture, Madison is not. Its a very cool college town. It has a new state of the art performance center which is supposed to be one of the three best in the US (donated by the American Girl owner lady..) There is a theater scene very similar to San Diego (Spamalot is there now) and because of the University it has rabid sports fans, and lots of intellectual discourse.

As to the food scene what might be true for Wisconsin in general, doesn’t apply to Madison. When I moved from NYC to San Diego I was afraid that the food wouldn’t be up to my enjoyment level – I was wrong… The food is great here in SD (not at the high end, but I would rather go to San Francisco or NYC for those meals), and in Madison it is no different.

Had some of the best sushi of my life there last month (and I eat a LOT of sushi!), there is a Vietnamese restaurant which was the equivalent of any in NYC, a Ruth Chris steakhouse, French restaurants, as well as some amazing restaurants downtown. There is a hard to get into Italian restaurant which had better food then any I have found here in SD. The other cool thing is that I am out in the country but a 10 minute drive to the capital building. The good restaurants are at least as expensive as SD (maybe even a bit more) but they have to ship stuff there – especially fish.

Madison is 100% smoke free even in bars. This was another important criteria for me. The surrounding suburbs are just going there -and the governor of WI is trying to make the whole state smoke free!

I totally understand your feedback though (especially as it relates to outside the 25 mile radius of Madison proper)… But without trying to be a snob – seriously I’m not! I live in La Jolla and the only time I go north of Rancho Santa Fe is to go play poker at Ocean’s 11! And I don’t usually ever hang out east of the 5. I would probably kill myself if I lived in the country in Wisconsin. Same thing for Temecula or Vista. The reason I’m moving to Middleton is for the kids and it’s proximity to the downtown, the university, and all the services I like. For their schooling and for their having great, nice friends.

Type in “middleton, wi” into google, go to maps and you will see what I am talking about. It was rated #1 by Money Magazine for a reason – best place to raise kids. I plan on spending every time the kids are off from school in the Bahamas anyway!!!

[cyphire]

Thanks for your kind words jpinpb!

Our house was on Concannon Court – was built in 1990 and had a 13,000 sq ft lot, but a lot of it was hill. The new people who bought it from us terraced the back lot and put a swimming pool in.

I grew up in Long Island (Smithtown), but my folks were from Brooklyn – my dad from Sheepshead Bay and my mom from Coney Island Ave. My family followed me here to SD! But they moved up to Irvine. I have my brother-in-law in Madison, we are great friends.

—–

Hey Rustico! Sorry I have been so remiss at checking in at the forum. Bishops is very cliquey and she has friends – just doesn’t like the way that the groups judge and stick together. She gets crap for being friends with some 7th graders (she is in 8th grade), and while she has 2 great friends – she doesn’t like being in a school where there are so few kids. I think that the whole 8th grade is just 30 or 40 kids. There are kids there which are on scholarships, there are kids there that have access to private jets. My daughter is pretty down to earth and quite frankly I don’t want her in the So. Cal lifestyle anymore.

Some of the girls come from the Evans school – which is somewhat dangerously religious. I don’t like the family values they espouse.

I don’t think that the really rich kids snub anyone, but I could be wrong. The very wealthy kids are pretty nice – but it’s still a pretty bizarre situation there. I’m hoping a very large but really nice high school in the Midwest is a good move for her. She really wants to go to public school and I don’t want to let her go to Torrey Pines or the equivalent.

—

And ibjames….

I don’t want to disagree with you because I am sure that the winters will be very tiresome and the bugs will drive me crazy… but…. I like weather (when I am outdoors which isn’t that often!). I have been in Wisconsin about 6 times for at least 1 or 2 weeks each time in the winter – the dead of winter and it was 0 degrees or less… Didn’t bother me. It was warm inside! I am an indoor person and the reason I got a 6000 sq ft house is that I am going to have a 10′ steam shower with body sprays and a sound system, a theater room, a huge basement with a pool table and bar, a very custom master bedroom with a walk out 4 season room with heated floors and sealed gas fireplaces (with remote control) and 6 bedrooms and a room just for my 2 pianos, my books and my couch I have had since I was a single dude in NYC!

As for culture – I think that the culture out here is missing a few bulbs. My wife and I have season tickets to the Old Globe and I really enjoy the theater scene, but outside of that where is the culture? Madison is a 2 hour drive from Chicago (a real city), and a couple of hour plane ride to NYC (where there is real culture). While Wisconsin might be lacking in culture, Madison is not. Its a very cool college town. It has a new state of the art performance center which is supposed to be one of the three best in the US (donated by the American Girl owner lady..) There is a theater scene very similar to San Diego (Spamalot is there now) and because of the University it has rabid sports fans, and lots of intellectual discourse.

As to the food scene what might be true for Wisconsin in general, doesn’t apply to Madison. When I moved from NYC to San Diego I was afraid that the food wouldn’t be up to my enjoyment level – I was wrong… The food is great here in SD (not at the high end, but I would rather go to San Francisco or NYC for those meals), and in Madison it is no different.

Had some of the best sushi of my life there last month (and I eat a LOT of sushi!), there is a Vietnamese restaurant which was the equivalent of any in NYC, a Ruth Chris steakhouse, French restaurants, as well as some amazing restaurants downtown. There is a hard to get into Italian restaurant which had better food then any I have found here in SD. The other cool thing is that I am out in the country but a 10 minute drive to the capital building. The good restaurants are at least as expensive as SD (maybe even a bit more) but they have to ship stuff there – especially fish.

Madison is 100% smoke free even in bars. This was another important criteria for me. The surrounding suburbs are just going there -and the governor of WI is trying to make the whole state smoke free!

I totally understand your feedback though (especially as it relates to outside the 25 mile radius of Madison proper)… But without trying to be a snob – seriously I’m not! I live in La Jolla and the only time I go north of Rancho Santa Fe is to go play poker at Ocean’s 11! And I don’t usually ever hang out east of the 5. I would probably kill myself if I lived in the country in Wisconsin. Same thing for Temecula or Vista. The reason I’m moving to Middleton is for the kids and it’s proximity to the downtown, the university, and all the services I like. For their schooling and for their having great, nice friends.

Type in “middleton, wi” into google, go to maps and you will see what I am talking about. It was rated #1 by Money Magazine for a reason – best place to raise kids. I plan on spending every time the kids are off from school in the Bahamas anyway!!!

[cyphire]

Thanks for your kind words jpinpb!

Our house was on Concannon Court – was built in 1990 and had a 13,000 sq ft lot, but a lot of it was hill. The new people who bought it from us terraced the back lot and put a swimming pool in.

I grew up in Long Island (Smithtown), but my folks were from Brooklyn – my dad from Sheepshead Bay and my mom from Coney Island Ave. My family followed me here to SD! But they moved up to Irvine. I have my brother-in-law in Madison, we are great friends.

—–

Hey Rustico! Sorry I have been so remiss at checking in at the forum. Bishops is very cliquey and she has friends – just doesn’t like the way that the groups judge and stick together. She gets crap for being friends with some 7th graders (she is in 8th grade), and while she has 2 great friends – she doesn’t like being in a school where there are so few kids. I think that the whole 8th grade is just 30 or 40 kids. There are kids there which are on scholarships, there are kids there that have access to private jets. My daughter is pretty down to earth and quite frankly I don’t want her in the So. Cal lifestyle anymore.

Some of the girls come from the Evans school – which is somewhat dangerously religious. I don’t like the family values they espouse.

I don’t think that the really rich kids snub anyone, but I could be wrong. The very wealthy kids are pretty nice – but it’s still a pretty bizarre situation there. I’m hoping a very large but really nice high school in the Midwest is a good move for her. She really wants to go to public school and I don’t want to let her go to Torrey Pines or the equivalent.

—

And ibjames….

I don’t want to disagree with you because I am sure that the winters will be very tiresome and the bugs will drive me crazy… but…. I like weather (when I am outdoors which isn’t that often!). I have been in Wisconsin about 6 times for at least 1 or 2 weeks each time in the winter – the dead of winter and it was 0 degrees or less… Didn’t bother me. It was warm inside! I am an indoor person and the reason I got a 6000 sq ft house is that I am going to have a 10′ steam shower with body sprays and a sound system, a theater room, a huge basement with a pool table and bar, a very custom master bedroom with a walk out 4 season room with heated floors and sealed gas fireplaces (with remote control) and 6 bedrooms and a room just for my 2 pianos, my books and my couch I have had since I was a single dude in NYC!

As for culture – I think that the culture out here is missing a few bulbs. My wife and I have season tickets to the Old Globe and I really enjoy the theater scene, but outside of that where is the culture? Madison is a 2 hour drive from Chicago (a real city), and a couple of hour plane ride to NYC (where there is real culture). While Wisconsin might be lacking in culture, Madison is not. Its a very cool college town. It has a new state of the art performance center which is supposed to be one of the three best in the US (donated by the American Girl owner lady..) There is a theater scene very similar to San Diego (Spamalot is there now) and because of the University it has rabid sports fans, and lots of intellectual discourse.

As to the food scene what might be true for Wisconsin in general, doesn’t apply to Madison. When I moved from NYC to San Diego I was afraid that the food wouldn’t be up to my enjoyment level – I was wrong… The food is great here in SD (not at the high end, but I would rather go to San Francisco or NYC for those meals), and in Madison it is no different.

Had some of the best sushi of my life there last month (and I eat a LOT of sushi!), there is a Vietnamese restaurant which was the equivalent of any in NYC, a Ruth Chris steakhouse, French restaurants, as well as some amazing restaurants downtown. There is a hard to get into Italian restaurant which had better food then any I have found here in SD. The other cool thing is that I am out in the country but a 10 minute drive to the capital building. The good restaurants are at least as expensive as SD (maybe even a bit more) but they have to ship stuff there – especially fish.

Madison is 100% smoke free even in bars. This was another important criteria for me. The surrounding suburbs are just going there -and the governor of WI is trying to make the whole state smoke free!

I totally understand your feedback though (especially as it relates to outside the 25 mile radius of Madison proper)… But without trying to be a snob – seriously I’m not! I live in La Jolla and the only time I go north of Rancho Santa Fe is to go play poker at Ocean’s 11! And I don’t usually ever hang out east of the 5. I would probably kill myself if I lived in the country in Wisconsin. Same thing for Temecula or Vista. The reason I’m moving to Middleton is for the kids and it’s proximity to the downtown, the university, and all the services I like. For their schooling and for their having great, nice friends.

Type in “middleton, wi” into google, go to maps and you will see what I am talking about. It was rated #1 by Money Magazine for a reason – best place to raise kids. I plan on spending every time the kids are off from school in the Bahamas anyway!!!

[barnaby33]

flu, you do fit the stereotype, you bitch about other Chinese. You live in CV and from the sound of it you work in IT. How is that not a stereotype?

Lots of people need 6k square foot houses, for instance the Chargers (if the whole team lived together.) The Mormon tabernacle choir comes to mind. People with a grandiose sense of self worth, who don’t mind denuding the planet of resources for a sense of place.

Josh

[Coronita]

flu, you do fit the stereotype, you bitch about other Chinese. You live in CV and from the sound of it you work in IT. How is that not a stereotype?

Lots of people need 6k square foot houses, for instance the Chargers (if the whole team lived together.) The Mormon tabernacle choir comes to mind. People with a grandiose sense of self worth, who don't mind denuding the planet of resources for a sense of place.

Josh

 

Sigh. That hurts 🙂 

 

[img_assist|nid=5962|title=selfportrait|desc=|link=node|align=left|width=100|height=80]

—– Sour grapes for everyone!

[Coronita]

flu, you do fit the stereotype, you bitch about other Chinese. You live in CV and from the sound of it you work in IT. How is that not a stereotype?

Lots of people need 6k square foot houses, for instance the Chargers (if the whole team lived together.) The Mormon tabernacle choir comes to mind. People with a grandiose sense of self worth, who don't mind denuding the planet of resources for a sense of place.

Josh

 

Sigh. That hurts 🙂 

 

[img_assist|nid=5962|title=selfportrait|desc=|link=node|align=left|width=100|height=80]

—– Sour grapes for everyone!

[Coronita]

flu, you do fit the stereotype, you bitch about other Chinese. You live in CV and from the sound of it you work in IT. How is that not a stereotype?

Lots of people need 6k square foot houses, for instance the Chargers (if the whole team lived together.) The Mormon tabernacle choir comes to mind. People with a grandiose sense of self worth, who don't mind denuding the planet of resources for a sense of place.

Josh

 

Sigh. That hurts 🙂 

 

[img_assist|nid=5962|title=selfportrait|desc=|link=node|align=left|width=100|height=80]

—– Sour grapes for everyone!

[Coronita]

flu, you do fit the stereotype, you bitch about other Chinese. You live in CV and from the sound of it you work in IT. How is that not a stereotype?

Lots of people need 6k square foot houses, for instance the Chargers (if the whole team lived together.) The Mormon tabernacle choir comes to mind. People with a grandiose sense of self worth, who don't mind denuding the planet of resources for a sense of place.

Josh

 

Sigh. That hurts 🙂 

 

[img_assist|nid=5962|title=selfportrait|desc=|link=node|align=left|width=100|height=80]

—– Sour grapes for everyone!

[Coronita]

flu, you do fit the stereotype, you bitch about other Chinese. You live in CV and from the sound of it you work in IT. How is that not a stereotype?

Lots of people need 6k square foot houses, for instance the Chargers (if the whole team lived together.) The Mormon tabernacle choir comes to mind. People with a grandiose sense of self worth, who don't mind denuding the planet of resources for a sense of place.

Josh

 

Sigh. That hurts 🙂 

 

[img_assist|nid=5962|title=selfportrait|desc=|link=node|align=left|width=100|height=80]

—– Sour grapes for everyone!

[barnaby33]

flu, you do fit the stereotype, you bitch about other Chinese. You live in CV and from the sound of it you work in IT. How is that not a stereotype?

Lots of people need 6k square foot houses, for instance the Chargers (if the whole team lived together.) The Mormon tabernacle choir comes to mind. People with a grandiose sense of self worth, who don’t mind denuding the planet of resources for a sense of place.

Josh

[barnaby33]

flu, you do fit the stereotype, you bitch about other Chinese. You live in CV and from the sound of it you work in IT. How is that not a stereotype?

Lots of people need 6k square foot houses, for instance the Chargers (if the whole team lived together.) The Mormon tabernacle choir comes to mind. People with a grandiose sense of self worth, who don’t mind denuding the planet of resources for a sense of place.

Josh

[barnaby33]

flu, you do fit the stereotype, you bitch about other Chinese. You live in CV and from the sound of it you work in IT. How is that not a stereotype?

Lots of people need 6k square foot houses, for instance the Chargers (if the whole team lived together.) The Mormon tabernacle choir comes to mind. People with a grandiose sense of self worth, who don’t mind denuding the planet of resources for a sense of place.

Josh

[barnaby33]

flu, you do fit the stereotype, you bitch about other Chinese. You live in CV and from the sound of it you work in IT. How is that not a stereotype?

Lots of people need 6k square foot houses, for instance the Chargers (if the whole team lived together.) The Mormon tabernacle choir comes to mind. People with a grandiose sense of self worth, who don’t mind denuding the planet of resources for a sense of place.

Josh

[Coronita]

Hey FLU,

Your comments about the Chinese made me chuckle quite a bit. I think CA is a bit worse than where I grew up (Texas). I went to dinner with my brother in law's folks and my sister (who was out of town) called me to ask that I tell them that I was a lawyer instead of a grad student (I was a non-practicing one who had gone back for a grad degree). I was pretty surprised by the request, but my sister had been criticized by her in-laws for getting a PhD instead of an MD, so she was being really sensitive.

All they could talk about was the fact that I gave up a lawyer's salary to go back to a grad school stipend. Absolutely boggled their mind. Seems like personal happiness is a strange concept. Never mind the fact that I drive a Mazda3 when I could be driving a BMWer instead–that just accentuated my weirdness.

That's why I don't hang out with too many Chinese at all.

 

My friend, I need to buy you a beer sometime. I promise, I will dye my hair blond and not talk about "money". I have to find a Ford Focus rental car though,  otherwise you might think i fit the "stereotype".

 

[img_assist|nid=5962|title=selfportrait|desc=|link=node|align=left|width=100|height=80]

—– Sour grapes for everyone!

[Coronita]

Hey FLU,

Your comments about the Chinese made me chuckle quite a bit. I think CA is a bit worse than where I grew up (Texas). I went to dinner with my brother in law's folks and my sister (who was out of town) called me to ask that I tell them that I was a lawyer instead of a grad student (I was a non-practicing one who had gone back for a grad degree). I was pretty surprised by the request, but my sister had been criticized by her in-laws for getting a PhD instead of an MD, so she was being really sensitive.

All they could talk about was the fact that I gave up a lawyer's salary to go back to a grad school stipend. Absolutely boggled their mind. Seems like personal happiness is a strange concept. Never mind the fact that I drive a Mazda3 when I could be driving a BMWer instead–that just accentuated my weirdness.

That's why I don't hang out with too many Chinese at all.

 

My friend, I need to buy you a beer sometime. I promise, I will dye my hair blond and not talk about "money". I have to find a Ford Focus rental car though,  otherwise you might think i fit the "stereotype".

 

[img_assist|nid=5962|title=selfportrait|desc=|link=node|align=left|width=100|height=80]

—– Sour grapes for everyone!

[Coronita]

Hey FLU,

Your comments about the Chinese made me chuckle quite a bit. I think CA is a bit worse than where I grew up (Texas). I went to dinner with my brother in law's folks and my sister (who was out of town) called me to ask that I tell them that I was a lawyer instead of a grad student (I was a non-practicing one who had gone back for a grad degree). I was pretty surprised by the request, but my sister had been criticized by her in-laws for getting a PhD instead of an MD, so she was being really sensitive.

All they could talk about was the fact that I gave up a lawyer's salary to go back to a grad school stipend. Absolutely boggled their mind. Seems like personal happiness is a strange concept. Never mind the fact that I drive a Mazda3 when I could be driving a BMWer instead–that just accentuated my weirdness.

That's why I don't hang out with too many Chinese at all.

 

My friend, I need to buy you a beer sometime. I promise, I will dye my hair blond and not talk about "money". I have to find a Ford Focus rental car though,  otherwise you might think i fit the "stereotype".

 

[img_assist|nid=5962|title=selfportrait|desc=|link=node|align=left|width=100|height=80]

—– Sour grapes for everyone!

[Coronita]

Hey FLU,

Your comments about the Chinese made me chuckle quite a bit. I think CA is a bit worse than where I grew up (Texas). I went to dinner with my brother in law's folks and my sister (who was out of town) called me to ask that I tell them that I was a lawyer instead of a grad student (I was a non-practicing one who had gone back for a grad degree). I was pretty surprised by the request, but my sister had been criticized by her in-laws for getting a PhD instead of an MD, so she was being really sensitive.

All they could talk about was the fact that I gave up a lawyer's salary to go back to a grad school stipend. Absolutely boggled their mind. Seems like personal happiness is a strange concept. Never mind the fact that I drive a Mazda3 when I could be driving a BMWer instead–that just accentuated my weirdness.

That's why I don't hang out with too many Chinese at all.

 

My friend, I need to buy you a beer sometime. I promise, I will dye my hair blond and not talk about "money". I have to find a Ford Focus rental car though,  otherwise you might think i fit the "stereotype".

 

[img_assist|nid=5962|title=selfportrait|desc=|link=node|align=left|width=100|height=80]

—– Sour grapes for everyone!

[Dukehorn]

Hey FLU,

Your comments about the Chinese made me chuckle quite a bit. I think CA is a bit worse than where I grew up (Texas). I went to dinner with my brother in law’s folks and my sister (who was out of town) called me to ask that I tell them that I was a lawyer instead of a grad student (I was a non-practicing one who had gone back for a grad degree). I was pretty surprised by the request, but my sister had been criticized by her in-laws for getting a PhD instead of an MD, so she was being really sensitive.

All they could talk about was the fact that I gave up a lawyer’s salary to go back to a grad school stipend. Absolutely boggled their mind. Seems like personal happiness is a strange concept. Never mind the fact that I drive a Mazda3 when I could be driving a BMWer instead–that just accentuated my weirdness.

That’s why I don’t hang out with too many Chinese at all.

[Dukehorn]

Hey FLU,

Your comments about the Chinese made me chuckle quite a bit. I think CA is a bit worse than where I grew up (Texas). I went to dinner with my brother in law’s folks and my sister (who was out of town) called me to ask that I tell them that I was a lawyer instead of a grad student (I was a non-practicing one who had gone back for a grad degree). I was pretty surprised by the request, but my sister had been criticized by her in-laws for getting a PhD instead of an MD, so she was being really sensitive.

All they could talk about was the fact that I gave up a lawyer’s salary to go back to a grad school stipend. Absolutely boggled their mind. Seems like personal happiness is a strange concept. Never mind the fact that I drive a Mazda3 when I could be driving a BMWer instead–that just accentuated my weirdness.

That’s why I don’t hang out with too many Chinese at all.

[Dukehorn]

Hey FLU,

Your comments about the Chinese made me chuckle quite a bit. I think CA is a bit worse than where I grew up (Texas). I went to dinner with my brother in law’s folks and my sister (who was out of town) called me to ask that I tell them that I was a lawyer instead of a grad student (I was a non-practicing one who had gone back for a grad degree). I was pretty surprised by the request, but my sister had been criticized by her in-laws for getting a PhD instead of an MD, so she was being really sensitive.

All they could talk about was the fact that I gave up a lawyer’s salary to go back to a grad school stipend. Absolutely boggled their mind. Seems like personal happiness is a strange concept. Never mind the fact that I drive a Mazda3 when I could be driving a BMWer instead–that just accentuated my weirdness.

That’s why I don’t hang out with too many Chinese at all.

[Dukehorn]

Hey FLU,

Your comments about the Chinese made me chuckle quite a bit. I think CA is a bit worse than where I grew up (Texas). I went to dinner with my brother in law’s folks and my sister (who was out of town) called me to ask that I tell them that I was a lawyer instead of a grad student (I was a non-practicing one who had gone back for a grad degree). I was pretty surprised by the request, but my sister had been criticized by her in-laws for getting a PhD instead of an MD, so she was being really sensitive.

All they could talk about was the fact that I gave up a lawyer’s salary to go back to a grad school stipend. Absolutely boggled their mind. Seems like personal happiness is a strange concept. Never mind the fact that I drive a Mazda3 when I could be driving a BMWer instead–that just accentuated my weirdness.

That’s why I don’t hang out with too many Chinese at all.

[cyphire]

Not sure if this is the proper forum.. But since I opened the door and I have been lazy, remiss, and too busy playing Halo3 to join the forum in the last few months – I have officially bought a house in Middleton (outside of Madison) WI.

I have obsessed and hated the idea of buying anything here in SD…. This is one sick, twisted, insane market! Here is my history: Bought a house in 2001 in Carmel Valley. It was in a nice neighborhood and close to Ashley Falls Elementary. 810K, but original carpet and kitchen from 1990 when it was built.

I think that the houses in Carmel valley, especially the ones built by Baldwin were built out of paper mache and spit. I was unhappy about paying 810K – but that was the market and it was on it’s way up.

We remodeled along the way and put about $250K into the house – custom kitchen, turned the 2 story bedroom/loft into another room above us and pushed the kitchen out 10 feet to the backyard.

Was pretty unhappy with Ashley Falls, it was supposed to be the best elementary school – I found it full of pretty, young teachers who were mostly just babysitters… Union babysitters. Started down the private school path – my kids went to The Rhoades School in Encinitas, which meant a commute up through Rancho Santa Fe every day.

Sold the house for 1.4M in 2004. Bought in Olivenhain for 2M. Daughter started bishops 1.5 years later (7th grade) and decided after 3 months of commuting to La Jolla that I didn’t like living out in the country and commuting. Sold the house in Olivenhain for 2,050,000 which after a good deal on Realtor fees, only put me 30K in the hole after the 2 years (.lol.)

Have been renting in La Jolla with the money in my pocket from the sale of my company to buy a house.

But we are in a market which I consider somewhat crazy to buy in right now. It’s not just the high prices, its the high prices for terrible houses and even worse lots. I couldn’t in my right mind buy in Carmel valley again. The houses are 7 feet from each other, the lots are insanely small, and it’s just too many houses all too similar for my taste. I don’t think the value is there. I am tired of people saying “you are paying for the sunshine”. While i agree that it is great weather – I think that the premium is too high and the likelihood of the values dropping a ton is still there – all while financing huge amounts of money and living in a state / county which is on the edge financially of going somewhat bankrupt.

The final straw was the education system. I am tired of paying almost 30K / year for private school because the public schools are so deficient – more importantly, my daughter isn’t thrilled with the private school experience and my son probably isn’t a great candidate for the private school – so I would have one in a school she doesn’t want, and the other in public school which would fail him.

We just bought a house in Madison (Middleton) WI. I’m not crazy about buying there either! Prices continue to go up there, but the high end of the market is very flat. Getting exactly what I wanted would mean building – and I don’t feel like building right now. We found a house which doesn’t have every feature I want, but between what it has and what I am adding to it, it will be very nice.

It’s 6,000 sq ft, with a 3 car garage and about 70 feet from one neighbor and 40 feet from the other. This is considered big houses on smallish lots (like CV), but I don’t want to take care of a big property again (like Olivenhain). The house was just finished, but we are adding on some space and some features. The price of the house was $749K and the upgrades, sun room, wiring, custom kitchen and steamroom ect will be another $105K.

This works out to about $160/sq ft, and while I didn’t want to buy – I can’t put my kids on hold anymore. My son starts Middle school in Sept and my daughter starts 9th grade (high school). It’s the perfect time to put down some roots where I have some family (my wifes brother and family lives there and we enjoy them a lot) and finish raising the kids. Medium and longer range time frame is to pick up a condo for around 1M (hopefully prices keep falling and some nice units come on the market in 1 or 2 years) so we can have 2 homes and a place to go after the kids graduate and we either sell or just keep Middleton.

The neighborhood is the nicest in Middleton (IMO) and the school is one of the 3 best in WI. We are 4 miles from the school, 7 miles from the capitol building and downtown, 1 mile from Starbucks, shopping, and the new Costco (yeah!). Money magazine just ranked Middleton as the #1 place in the US to live! That’s not why I am moving there – but it helps my mind. It was ranked #1 for the college, commute (nothing is more than a 10 min drive), education system, family parks and facilities, its the bicycle capital of the US, the food is great, it has great lakes and other nice features. It is 45 min away from Wisconsin Dells which is a resort area with giant water parks (think Rickey Bobby) and casinos!

The downside? The weather and bugs. Not happy about each, but I’m not from CA originally (NY) and am used to weather. I also don’t mind winters as if I work, it would be from home and will have heated floors! If I had to get up at 6am and drive I wouldn’t do it! By the way – the winter is harsh, but only really part of December, Jan, Feb, and part of March. The summer, spring and fall are awesome. I also like weather, rain storms, all the rest of it. I miss breezes where you actually can smell the air etc.

The final issue for us was the people. I have great friends here and find the people in San Diego to be really nice on the whole, but it’s not Madison. Madison is very, very liberal, very intellectual, and the people are way, way too nice! It’s scary how nice the people in the midwest are. I think that it’s the best thing I can do for my kids which is the only reason we are moving there for the next 8-9 years!

Wish me luck!

[jpinpb]

cyphire – Congrats on your move and home purchase. Sounds great. I have a very good friend from Wisconsin. I met him in S.D. He ended up going back there to Madison to the University. He loved it there. Ended up graduating and now works for Lockheed in NJ.

One of my best friends is from Wisconsin and she is so nice. I have to agree w/you that people from Wisconsin are almost too nice, which is a good thing and rare.

I hear nothing but good things about Wisconsin, the lakes and fishing, etc. And particularly berries in August.

About CV, I had a Baldwin twinhome way back when. How did you ever expand? They were built on postage stamp lots. But I don’t think they were any worse than Pardee. I don’t think Baldwin used polybutelene piping for their plumbing.

Where from NY? Brooklyn here. Family still back there (NJ now). They love the seasons and won’t give it up.

[jpinpb]

cyphire – Congrats on your move and home purchase. Sounds great. I have a very good friend from Wisconsin. I met him in S.D. He ended up going back there to Madison to the University. He loved it there. Ended up graduating and now works for Lockheed in NJ.

One of my best friends is from Wisconsin and she is so nice. I have to agree w/you that people from Wisconsin are almost too nice, which is a good thing and rare.

I hear nothing but good things about Wisconsin, the lakes and fishing, etc. And particularly berries in August.

About CV, I had a Baldwin twinhome way back when. How did you ever expand? They were built on postage stamp lots. But I don’t think they were any worse than Pardee. I don’t think Baldwin used polybutelene piping for their plumbing.

Where from NY? Brooklyn here. Family still back there (NJ now). They love the seasons and won’t give it up.

[jpinpb]

cyphire – Congrats on your move and home purchase. Sounds great. I have a very good friend from Wisconsin. I met him in S.D. He ended up going back there to Madison to the University. He loved it there. Ended up graduating and now works for Lockheed in NJ.

One of my best friends is from Wisconsin and she is so nice. I have to agree w/you that people from Wisconsin are almost too nice, which is a good thing and rare.

I hear nothing but good things about Wisconsin, the lakes and fishing, etc. And particularly berries in August.

About CV, I had a Baldwin twinhome way back when. How did you ever expand? They were built on postage stamp lots. But I don’t think they were any worse than Pardee. I don’t think Baldwin used polybutelene piping for their plumbing.

Where from NY? Brooklyn here. Family still back there (NJ now). They love the seasons and won’t give it up.

[jpinpb]

cyphire – Congrats on your move and home purchase. Sounds great. I have a very good friend from Wisconsin. I met him in S.D. He ended up going back there to Madison to the University. He loved it there. Ended up graduating and now works for Lockheed in NJ.

One of my best friends is from Wisconsin and she is so nice. I have to agree w/you that people from Wisconsin are almost too nice, which is a good thing and rare.

I hear nothing but good things about Wisconsin, the lakes and fishing, etc. And particularly berries in August.

About CV, I had a Baldwin twinhome way back when. How did you ever expand? They were built on postage stamp lots. But I don’t think they were any worse than Pardee. I don’t think Baldwin used polybutelene piping for their plumbing.

Where from NY? Brooklyn here. Family still back there (NJ now). They love the seasons and won’t give it up.

[jpinpb]

cyphire – Congrats on your move and home purchase. Sounds great. I have a very good friend from Wisconsin. I met him in S.D. He ended up going back there to Madison to the University. He loved it there. Ended up graduating and now works for Lockheed in NJ.

One of my best friends is from Wisconsin and she is so nice. I have to agree w/you that people from Wisconsin are almost too nice, which is a good thing and rare.

I hear nothing but good things about Wisconsin, the lakes and fishing, etc. And particularly berries in August.

About CV, I had a Baldwin twinhome way back when. How did you ever expand? They were built on postage stamp lots. But I don’t think they were any worse than Pardee. I don’t think Baldwin used polybutelene piping for their plumbing.

Where from NY? Brooklyn here. Family still back there (NJ now). They love the seasons and won’t give it up.

[cyphire]

Not sure if this is the proper forum.. But since I opened the door and I have been lazy, remiss, and too busy playing Halo3 to join the forum in the last few months – I have officially bought a house in Middleton (outside of Madison) WI.

I have obsessed and hated the idea of buying anything here in SD…. This is one sick, twisted, insane market! Here is my history: Bought a house in 2001 in Carmel Valley. It was in a nice neighborhood and close to Ashley Falls Elementary. 810K, but original carpet and kitchen from 1990 when it was built.

I think that the houses in Carmel valley, especially the ones built by Baldwin were built out of paper mache and spit. I was unhappy about paying 810K – but that was the market and it was on it’s way up.

We remodeled along the way and put about $250K into the house – custom kitchen, turned the 2 story bedroom/loft into another room above us and pushed the kitchen out 10 feet to the backyard.

Was pretty unhappy with Ashley Falls, it was supposed to be the best elementary school – I found it full of pretty, young teachers who were mostly just babysitters… Union babysitters. Started down the private school path – my kids went to The Rhoades School in Encinitas, which meant a commute up through Rancho Santa Fe every day.

Sold the house for 1.4M in 2004. Bought in Olivenhain for 2M. Daughter started bishops 1.5 years later (7th grade) and decided after 3 months of commuting to La Jolla that I didn’t like living out in the country and commuting. Sold the house in Olivenhain for 2,050,000 which after a good deal on Realtor fees, only put me 30K in the hole after the 2 years (.lol.)

Have been renting in La Jolla with the money in my pocket from the sale of my company to buy a house.

But we are in a market which I consider somewhat crazy to buy in right now. It’s not just the high prices, its the high prices for terrible houses and even worse lots. I couldn’t in my right mind buy in Carmel valley again. The houses are 7 feet from each other, the lots are insanely small, and it’s just too many houses all too similar for my taste. I don’t think the value is there. I am tired of people saying “you are paying for the sunshine”. While i agree that it is great weather – I think that the premium is too high and the likelihood of the values dropping a ton is still there – all while financing huge amounts of money and living in a state / county which is on the edge financially of going somewhat bankrupt.

The final straw was the education system. I am tired of paying almost 30K / year for private school because the public schools are so deficient – more importantly, my daughter isn’t thrilled with the private school experience and my son probably isn’t a great candidate for the private school – so I would have one in a school she doesn’t want, and the other in public school which would fail him.

We just bought a house in Madison (Middleton) WI. I’m not crazy about buying there either! Prices continue to go up there, but the high end of the market is very flat. Getting exactly what I wanted would mean building – and I don’t feel like building right now. We found a house which doesn’t have every feature I want, but between what it has and what I am adding to it, it will be very nice.

It’s 6,000 sq ft, with a 3 car garage and about 70 feet from one neighbor and 40 feet from the other. This is considered big houses on smallish lots (like CV), but I don’t want to take care of a big property again (like Olivenhain). The house was just finished, but we are adding on some space and some features. The price of the house was $749K and the upgrades, sun room, wiring, custom kitchen and steamroom ect will be another $105K.

This works out to about $160/sq ft, and while I didn’t want to buy – I can’t put my kids on hold anymore. My son starts Middle school in Sept and my daughter starts 9th grade (high school). It’s the perfect time to put down some roots where I have some family (my wifes brother and family lives there and we enjoy them a lot) and finish raising the kids. Medium and longer range time frame is to pick up a condo for around 1M (hopefully prices keep falling and some nice units come on the market in 1 or 2 years) so we can have 2 homes and a place to go after the kids graduate and we either sell or just keep Middleton.

The neighborhood is the nicest in Middleton (IMO) and the school is one of the 3 best in WI. We are 4 miles from the school, 7 miles from the capitol building and downtown, 1 mile from Starbucks, shopping, and the new Costco (yeah!). Money magazine just ranked Middleton as the #1 place in the US to live! That’s not why I am moving there – but it helps my mind. It was ranked #1 for the college, commute (nothing is more than a 10 min drive), education system, family parks and facilities, its the bicycle capital of the US, the food is great, it has great lakes and other nice features. It is 45 min away from Wisconsin Dells which is a resort area with giant water parks (think Rickey Bobby) and casinos!

The downside? The weather and bugs. Not happy about each, but I’m not from CA originally (NY) and am used to weather. I also don’t mind winters as if I work, it would be from home and will have heated floors! If I had to get up at 6am and drive I wouldn’t do it! By the way – the winter is harsh, but only really part of December, Jan, Feb, and part of March. The summer, spring and fall are awesome. I also like weather, rain storms, all the rest of it. I miss breezes where you actually can smell the air etc.

The final issue for us was the people. I have great friends here and find the people in San Diego to be really nice on the whole, but it’s not Madison. Madison is very, very liberal, very intellectual, and the people are way, way too nice! It’s scary how nice the people in the midwest are. I think that it’s the best thing I can do for my kids which is the only reason we are moving there for the next 8-9 years!

Wish me luck!

[cyphire]

Not sure if this is the proper forum.. But since I opened the door and I have been lazy, remiss, and too busy playing Halo3 to join the forum in the last few months – I have officially bought a house in Middleton (outside of Madison) WI.

I have obsessed and hated the idea of buying anything here in SD…. This is one sick, twisted, insane market! Here is my history: Bought a house in 2001 in Carmel Valley. It was in a nice neighborhood and close to Ashley Falls Elementary. 810K, but original carpet and kitchen from 1990 when it was built.

I think that the houses in Carmel valley, especially the ones built by Baldwin were built out of paper mache and spit. I was unhappy about paying 810K – but that was the market and it was on it’s way up.

We remodeled along the way and put about $250K into the house – custom kitchen, turned the 2 story bedroom/loft into another room above us and pushed the kitchen out 10 feet to the backyard.

Was pretty unhappy with Ashley Falls, it was supposed to be the best elementary school – I found it full of pretty, young teachers who were mostly just babysitters… Union babysitters. Started down the private school path – my kids went to The Rhoades School in Encinitas, which meant a commute up through Rancho Santa Fe every day.

Sold the house for 1.4M in 2004. Bought in Olivenhain for 2M. Daughter started bishops 1.5 years later (7th grade) and decided after 3 months of commuting to La Jolla that I didn’t like living out in the country and commuting. Sold the house in Olivenhain for 2,050,000 which after a good deal on Realtor fees, only put me 30K in the hole after the 2 years (.lol.)

Have been renting in La Jolla with the money in my pocket from the sale of my company to buy a house.

But we are in a market which I consider somewhat crazy to buy in right now. It’s not just the high prices, its the high prices for terrible houses and even worse lots. I couldn’t in my right mind buy in Carmel valley again. The houses are 7 feet from each other, the lots are insanely small, and it’s just too many houses all too similar for my taste. I don’t think the value is there. I am tired of people saying “you are paying for the sunshine”. While i agree that it is great weather – I think that the premium is too high and the likelihood of the values dropping a ton is still there – all while financing huge amounts of money and living in a state / county which is on the edge financially of going somewhat bankrupt.

The final straw was the education system. I am tired of paying almost 30K / year for private school because the public schools are so deficient – more importantly, my daughter isn’t thrilled with the private school experience and my son probably isn’t a great candidate for the private school – so I would have one in a school she doesn’t want, and the other in public school which would fail him.

We just bought a house in Madison (Middleton) WI. I’m not crazy about buying there either! Prices continue to go up there, but the high end of the market is very flat. Getting exactly what I wanted would mean building – and I don’t feel like building right now. We found a house which doesn’t have every feature I want, but between what it has and what I am adding to it, it will be very nice.

It’s 6,000 sq ft, with a 3 car garage and about 70 feet from one neighbor and 40 feet from the other. This is considered big houses on smallish lots (like CV), but I don’t want to take care of a big property again (like Olivenhain). The house was just finished, but we are adding on some space and some features. The price of the house was $749K and the upgrades, sun room, wiring, custom kitchen and steamroom ect will be another $105K.

This works out to about $160/sq ft, and while I didn’t want to buy – I can’t put my kids on hold anymore. My son starts Middle school in Sept and my daughter starts 9th grade (high school). It’s the perfect time to put down some roots where I have some family (my wifes brother and family lives there and we enjoy them a lot) and finish raising the kids. Medium and longer range time frame is to pick up a condo for around 1M (hopefully prices keep falling and some nice units come on the market in 1 or 2 years) so we can have 2 homes and a place to go after the kids graduate and we either sell or just keep Middleton.

The neighborhood is the nicest in Middleton (IMO) and the school is one of the 3 best in WI. We are 4 miles from the school, 7 miles from the capitol building and downtown, 1 mile from Starbucks, shopping, and the new Costco (yeah!). Money magazine just ranked Middleton as the #1 place in the US to live! That’s not why I am moving there – but it helps my mind. It was ranked #1 for the college, commute (nothing is more than a 10 min drive), education system, family parks and facilities, its the bicycle capital of the US, the food is great, it has great lakes and other nice features. It is 45 min away from Wisconsin Dells which is a resort area with giant water parks (think Rickey Bobby) and casinos!

The downside? The weather and bugs. Not happy about each, but I’m not from CA originally (NY) and am used to weather. I also don’t mind winters as if I work, it would be from home and will have heated floors! If I had to get up at 6am and drive I wouldn’t do it! By the way – the winter is harsh, but only really part of December, Jan, Feb, and part of March. The summer, spring and fall are awesome. I also like weather, rain storms, all the rest of it. I miss breezes where you actually can smell the air etc.

The final issue for us was the people. I have great friends here and find the people in San Diego to be really nice on the whole, but it’s not Madison. Madison is very, very liberal, very intellectual, and the people are way, way too nice! It’s scary how nice the people in the midwest are. I think that it’s the best thing I can do for my kids which is the only reason we are moving there for the next 8-9 years!

Wish me luck!

[cyphire]

Not sure if this is the proper forum.. But since I opened the door and I have been lazy, remiss, and too busy playing Halo3 to join the forum in the last few months – I have officially bought a house in Middleton (outside of Madison) WI.

I have obsessed and hated the idea of buying anything here in SD…. This is one sick, twisted, insane market! Here is my history: Bought a house in 2001 in Carmel Valley. It was in a nice neighborhood and close to Ashley Falls Elementary. 810K, but original carpet and kitchen from 1990 when it was built.

I think that the houses in Carmel valley, especially the ones built by Baldwin were built out of paper mache and spit. I was unhappy about paying 810K – but that was the market and it was on it’s way up.

We remodeled along the way and put about $250K into the house – custom kitchen, turned the 2 story bedroom/loft into another room above us and pushed the kitchen out 10 feet to the backyard.

Was pretty unhappy with Ashley Falls, it was supposed to be the best elementary school – I found it full of pretty, young teachers who were mostly just babysitters… Union babysitters. Started down the private school path – my kids went to The Rhoades School in Encinitas, which meant a commute up through Rancho Santa Fe every day.

Sold the house for 1.4M in 2004. Bought in Olivenhain for 2M. Daughter started bishops 1.5 years later (7th grade) and decided after 3 months of commuting to La Jolla that I didn’t like living out in the country and commuting. Sold the house in Olivenhain for 2,050,000 which after a good deal on Realtor fees, only put me 30K in the hole after the 2 years (.lol.)

Have been renting in La Jolla with the money in my pocket from the sale of my company to buy a house.

But we are in a market which I consider somewhat crazy to buy in right now. It’s not just the high prices, its the high prices for terrible houses and even worse lots. I couldn’t in my right mind buy in Carmel valley again. The houses are 7 feet from each other, the lots are insanely small, and it’s just too many houses all too similar for my taste. I don’t think the value is there. I am tired of people saying “you are paying for the sunshine”. While i agree that it is great weather – I think that the premium is too high and the likelihood of the values dropping a ton is still there – all while financing huge amounts of money and living in a state / county which is on the edge financially of going somewhat bankrupt.

The final straw was the education system. I am tired of paying almost 30K / year for private school because the public schools are so deficient – more importantly, my daughter isn’t thrilled with the private school experience and my son probably isn’t a great candidate for the private school – so I would have one in a school she doesn’t want, and the other in public school which would fail him.

We just bought a house in Madison (Middleton) WI. I’m not crazy about buying there either! Prices continue to go up there, but the high end of the market is very flat. Getting exactly what I wanted would mean building – and I don’t feel like building right now. We found a house which doesn’t have every feature I want, but between what it has and what I am adding to it, it will be very nice.

It’s 6,000 sq ft, with a 3 car garage and about 70 feet from one neighbor and 40 feet from the other. This is considered big houses on smallish lots (like CV), but I don’t want to take care of a big property again (like Olivenhain). The house was just finished, but we are adding on some space and some features. The price of the house was $749K and the upgrades, sun room, wiring, custom kitchen and steamroom ect will be another $105K.

This works out to about $160/sq ft, and while I didn’t want to buy – I can’t put my kids on hold anymore. My son starts Middle school in Sept and my daughter starts 9th grade (high school). It’s the perfect time to put down some roots where I have some family (my wifes brother and family lives there and we enjoy them a lot) and finish raising the kids. Medium and longer range time frame is to pick up a condo for around 1M (hopefully prices keep falling and some nice units come on the market in 1 or 2 years) so we can have 2 homes and a place to go after the kids graduate and we either sell or just keep Middleton.

The neighborhood is the nicest in Middleton (IMO) and the school is one of the 3 best in WI. We are 4 miles from the school, 7 miles from the capitol building and downtown, 1 mile from Starbucks, shopping, and the new Costco (yeah!). Money magazine just ranked Middleton as the #1 place in the US to live! That’s not why I am moving there – but it helps my mind. It was ranked #1 for the college, commute (nothing is more than a 10 min drive), education system, family parks and facilities, its the bicycle capital of the US, the food is great, it has great lakes and other nice features. It is 45 min away from Wisconsin Dells which is a resort area with giant water parks (think Rickey Bobby) and casinos!

The downside? The weather and bugs. Not happy about each, but I’m not from CA originally (NY) and am used to weather. I also don’t mind winters as if I work, it would be from home and will have heated floors! If I had to get up at 6am and drive I wouldn’t do it! By the way – the winter is harsh, but only really part of December, Jan, Feb, and part of March. The summer, spring and fall are awesome. I also like weather, rain storms, all the rest of it. I miss breezes where you actually can smell the air etc.

The final issue for us was the people. I have great friends here and find the people in San Diego to be really nice on the whole, but it’s not Madison. Madison is very, very liberal, very intellectual, and the people are way, way too nice! It’s scary how nice the people in the midwest are. I think that it’s the best thing I can do for my kids which is the only reason we are moving there for the next 8-9 years!

Wish me luck!

[cyphire]

Not sure if this is the proper forum.. But since I opened the door and I have been lazy, remiss, and too busy playing Halo3 to join the forum in the last few months – I have officially bought a house in Middleton (outside of Madison) WI.

I have obsessed and hated the idea of buying anything here in SD…. This is one sick, twisted, insane market! Here is my history: Bought a house in 2001 in Carmel Valley. It was in a nice neighborhood and close to Ashley Falls Elementary. 810K, but original carpet and kitchen from 1990 when it was built.

I think that the houses in Carmel valley, especially the ones built by Baldwin were built out of paper mache and spit. I was unhappy about paying 810K – but that was the market and it was on it’s way up.

We remodeled along the way and put about $250K into the house – custom kitchen, turned the 2 story bedroom/loft into another room above us and pushed the kitchen out 10 feet to the backyard.

Was pretty unhappy with Ashley Falls, it was supposed to be the best elementary school – I found it full of pretty, young teachers who were mostly just babysitters… Union babysitters. Started down the private school path – my kids went to The Rhoades School in Encinitas, which meant a commute up through Rancho Santa Fe every day.

Sold the house for 1.4M in 2004. Bought in Olivenhain for 2M. Daughter started bishops 1.5 years later (7th grade) and decided after 3 months of commuting to La Jolla that I didn’t like living out in the country and commuting. Sold the house in Olivenhain for 2,050,000 which after a good deal on Realtor fees, only put me 30K in the hole after the 2 years (.lol.)

Have been renting in La Jolla with the money in my pocket from the sale of my company to buy a house.

But we are in a market which I consider somewhat crazy to buy in right now. It’s not just the high prices, its the high prices for terrible houses and even worse lots. I couldn’t in my right mind buy in Carmel valley again. The houses are 7 feet from each other, the lots are insanely small, and it’s just too many houses all too similar for my taste. I don’t think the value is there. I am tired of people saying “you are paying for the sunshine”. While i agree that it is great weather – I think that the premium is too high and the likelihood of the values dropping a ton is still there – all while financing huge amounts of money and living in a state / county which is on the edge financially of going somewhat bankrupt.

The final straw was the education system. I am tired of paying almost 30K / year for private school because the public schools are so deficient – more importantly, my daughter isn’t thrilled with the private school experience and my son probably isn’t a great candidate for the private school – so I would have one in a school she doesn’t want, and the other in public school which would fail him.

We just bought a house in Madison (Middleton) WI. I’m not crazy about buying there either! Prices continue to go up there, but the high end of the market is very flat. Getting exactly what I wanted would mean building – and I don’t feel like building right now. We found a house which doesn’t have every feature I want, but between what it has and what I am adding to it, it will be very nice.

It’s 6,000 sq ft, with a 3 car garage and about 70 feet from one neighbor and 40 feet from the other. This is considered big houses on smallish lots (like CV), but I don’t want to take care of a big property again (like Olivenhain). The house was just finished, but we are adding on some space and some features. The price of the house was $749K and the upgrades, sun room, wiring, custom kitchen and steamroom ect will be another $105K.

This works out to about $160/sq ft, and while I didn’t want to buy – I can’t put my kids on hold anymore. My son starts Middle school in Sept and my daughter starts 9th grade (high school). It’s the perfect time to put down some roots where I have some family (my wifes brother and family lives there and we enjoy them a lot) and finish raising the kids. Medium and longer range time frame is to pick up a condo for around 1M (hopefully prices keep falling and some nice units come on the market in 1 or 2 years) so we can have 2 homes and a place to go after the kids graduate and we either sell or just keep Middleton.

The neighborhood is the nicest in Middleton (IMO) and the school is one of the 3 best in WI. We are 4 miles from the school, 7 miles from the capitol building and downtown, 1 mile from Starbucks, shopping, and the new Costco (yeah!). Money magazine just ranked Middleton as the #1 place in the US to live! That’s not why I am moving there – but it helps my mind. It was ranked #1 for the college, commute (nothing is more than a 10 min drive), education system, family parks and facilities, its the bicycle capital of the US, the food is great, it has great lakes and other nice features. It is 45 min away from Wisconsin Dells which is a resort area with giant water parks (think Rickey Bobby) and casinos!

The downside? The weather and bugs. Not happy about each, but I’m not from CA originally (NY) and am used to weather. I also don’t mind winters as if I work, it would be from home and will have heated floors! If I had to get up at 6am and drive I wouldn’t do it! By the way – the winter is harsh, but only really part of December, Jan, Feb, and part of March. The summer, spring and fall are awesome. I also like weather, rain storms, all the rest of it. I miss breezes where you actually can smell the air etc.

The final issue for us was the people. I have great friends here and find the people in San Diego to be really nice on the whole, but it’s not Madison. Madison is very, very liberal, very intellectual, and the people are way, way too nice! It’s scary how nice the people in the midwest are. I think that it’s the best thing I can do for my kids which is the only reason we are moving there for the next 8-9 years!

Wish me luck!

[sdduuuude]

How I have lived my whole life to this point without the insightful brilliance of Alex_angel is unfathomable.

[sdduuuude]

How I have lived my whole life to this point without the insightful brilliance of Alex_angel is unfathomable.

[sdduuuude]

How I have lived my whole life to this point without the insightful brilliance of Alex_angel is unfathomable.

[sdduuuude]

How I have lived my whole life to this point without the insightful brilliance of Alex_angel is unfathomable.

[Alex_angel]

Clairmont is a dump, unless you like living in Vietnam.

[Alex_angel]

Clairmont is a dump, unless you like living in Vietnam.

[Alex_angel]

Clairmont is a dump, unless you like living in Vietnam.

[Alex_angel]

Clairmont is a dump, unless you like living in Vietnam.

[sdduuuude]

“You may not ultimately want them in public school, and then you’ve spent all the $$ to move and are in private school anyway.”

This is probably the most important tidbit that came from this discussin for me – your comment says it in a nutshell and Rustico’s experience provides an example.

That and I realize I only need the public school for 6 years – from 2014 through 2020. Why pay the extra tax ($800K – $250K) * 1.25% = 8,125/yr) for the next 6 years, then another 6 years when I don’t really need the benefit of the extra tax until 2014. That alone costs as much as a $48K remodel on our current home.

[sdduuuude]

“You may not ultimately want them in public school, and then you’ve spent all the $$ to move and are in private school anyway.”

This is probably the most important tidbit that came from this discussin for me – your comment says it in a nutshell and Rustico’s experience provides an example.

That and I realize I only need the public school for 6 years – from 2014 through 2020. Why pay the extra tax ($800K – $250K) * 1.25% = 8,125/yr) for the next 6 years, then another 6 years when I don’t really need the benefit of the extra tax until 2014. That alone costs as much as a $48K remodel on our current home.

[sdduuuude]

“You may not ultimately want them in public school, and then you’ve spent all the $$ to move and are in private school anyway.”

This is probably the most important tidbit that came from this discussin for me – your comment says it in a nutshell and Rustico’s experience provides an example.

That and I realize I only need the public school for 6 years – from 2014 through 2020. Why pay the extra tax ($800K – $250K) * 1.25% = 8,125/yr) for the next 6 years, then another 6 years when I don’t really need the benefit of the extra tax until 2014. That alone costs as much as a $48K remodel on our current home.

[sdduuuude]

“You may not ultimately want them in public school, and then you’ve spent all the $$ to move and are in private school anyway.”

This is probably the most important tidbit that came from this discussin for me – your comment says it in a nutshell and Rustico’s experience provides an example.

That and I realize I only need the public school for 6 years – from 2014 through 2020. Why pay the extra tax ($800K – $250K) * 1.25% = 8,125/yr) for the next 6 years, then another 6 years when I don’t really need the benefit of the extra tax until 2014. That alone costs as much as a $48K remodel on our current home.

[Anonymous]

If you like where you are living, why not just stay for now? School is not an issue for several years. Do you really need more space right now? If you explained why, I apologize for missing it, but there’s only 4 of you and two are 6 years old, how much space do you really need right now? Not meaning to sound harsh, but if you have that much outdoor space, do you need that much more space for 2 little kids? My home is only slightly larger than yours with a much smaller lot, and we have 3 kids here… it’s not ideal, but it works for now. Eventually, we’ll want more space too. I guess if everything is working for you now, why do you need to rush to a decision? It’s very hard to know what type of high school you will want for your 6 year olds in 8 years. You may not ultimately want them in public school, and then you’ve spent all the $$ to move and are in private school anyway.

[Anonymous]

If you like where you are living, why not just stay for now? School is not an issue for several years. Do you really need more space right now? If you explained why, I apologize for missing it, but there’s only 4 of you and two are 6 years old, how much space do you really need right now? Not meaning to sound harsh, but if you have that much outdoor space, do you need that much more space for 2 little kids? My home is only slightly larger than yours with a much smaller lot, and we have 3 kids here… it’s not ideal, but it works for now. Eventually, we’ll want more space too. I guess if everything is working for you now, why do you need to rush to a decision? It’s very hard to know what type of high school you will want for your 6 year olds in 8 years. You may not ultimately want them in public school, and then you’ve spent all the $$ to move and are in private school anyway.

[Anonymous]

If you like where you are living, why not just stay for now? School is not an issue for several years. Do you really need more space right now? If you explained why, I apologize for missing it, but there’s only 4 of you and two are 6 years old, how much space do you really need right now? Not meaning to sound harsh, but if you have that much outdoor space, do you need that much more space for 2 little kids? My home is only slightly larger than yours with a much smaller lot, and we have 3 kids here… it’s not ideal, but it works for now. Eventually, we’ll want more space too. I guess if everything is working for you now, why do you need to rush to a decision? It’s very hard to know what type of high school you will want for your 6 year olds in 8 years. You may not ultimately want them in public school, and then you’ve spent all the $$ to move and are in private school anyway.

[Anonymous]

If you like where you are living, why not just stay for now? School is not an issue for several years. Do you really need more space right now? If you explained why, I apologize for missing it, but there’s only 4 of you and two are 6 years old, how much space do you really need right now? Not meaning to sound harsh, but if you have that much outdoor space, do you need that much more space for 2 little kids? My home is only slightly larger than yours with a much smaller lot, and we have 3 kids here… it’s not ideal, but it works for now. Eventually, we’ll want more space too. I guess if everything is working for you now, why do you need to rush to a decision? It’s very hard to know what type of high school you will want for your 6 year olds in 8 years. You may not ultimately want them in public school, and then you’ve spent all the $$ to move and are in private school anyway.

[carli]

RE: the question about HOA or MR in Del Mar. No, most houses in Del Mar don’t have either HOA or Mello Roos. I personally don’t know of any that do, but there may be some with very low fees.

However, if you ever decide to look for real estate around here, it’s good to know the difference between the two sections of Del Mar. One is the City of Del Mar, which is governed by its own City Council, has strict design regulations and is not part of the City of San Diego. This area, which is bordered basically by Crest Canyon to the east and the ocean to the west with lots of zigs and zags in between, is also sometimes referred to as “Olde Del Mar”.

There is another area, loosely bordered by Crest Canyon on the east and I-5 on the west, which is still technically Del Mar and has the Del Mar zip code, but is instead governed by San Diego. The Barbados Way property mentioned earlier is in this area of Del Mar and would presumably be a much easier fixer than one in the City of Del Mar/Olde Del Mar since it’s governed by San Diego building dept rules and regs instead of Del Mar.

Since jpinpb seemed to refer to “Old Del Mar” and “Del Mar west of 5” as being the same area (unless I misunderstood), I thought it might help to point this out since it does affect property values and, also even more importantly (at least if you’re considering a fixer), design/construction regulations.

For example, we live in the City of Del Mar/Olde Del Mar, and when we renovated our house, we had to jump through huge hoops with the City of Del Mar Design Review Board, which took many months and added unanticipated costs, such as an entire french drain system (designed by a civil engineer whom we had to hire) surrounding the entire property for runoff…it’s good stuff in the long run and of course, important for the environment, but it can put quite a damper on a tight budget.

Also, as with many houses in the City of Del Mar/Olde Del Mar, we can only build on 25% of our lot and cannot go up more than one story. So, even if you have a 10,000 sf lot, you’re looking at only a max of a 2500 sf house, 440 sf of which is usually a 2-car garage, so you’re left with just over 2000 sf living area.

This is a great size for a 2nd home, empty nesters or even smaller families, but it becomes tougher as our 3 kids grow older and we all feel like we’re always in each other’s space. Seriously, our kids drool over some of those mega-CV homes with the pool and the gigantic game/movie rooms (while my hubby drools over the 3-4 car garages). Still, we talk to our kids about how we value being near the beach and the benefits of living in a cozy, well-designed home, but sometimes kids just don’t understand. Hmmmm…imagine that! Anyway, you may get a bit of the same feedback as your twins grow older, but maybe not.

So…that was long-winded and somewhat off-topic, but I think my original point was to say that houses in both the City of Del Mar/Olde Del Mar or the Del Mar area west of 5 don’t normally have HOA or Mello Roos!

By the way, I’ve found that if you want to get a good birds-eye view of what’s available in a certain neighborhood, you can use the Zip Realty website (and probably others, too, but this is just one I’ve found). Of course, you have to register, but then you can click on “search for homes” and then “interactive map.” You can then click and drag the mouse around the map to immediately view a snapshot of properties for sale in your price range in any given area of the map. This is helpful if you don’t know street names or just want to check out a neighborhood, or you want to see if there are any houses for sale on a certain canyon. Maybe everyone but me discovered this tool a long time ago, so excuse me if this is old news, but I think it’s really helpful!

[jpinpb]

You can do that with sdlookup. It has a map feature. I think it is very helpful especially when you’re not familiar w/street names, but particular areas. Allows you to focus on particular areas. Pretty cool to drag the mouse. Just got to punch in the zip code. Scroll the mouse over the little house and shows a thumbnail of it. Click on it and gives the info page.

[jpinpb]

You can do that with sdlookup. It has a map feature. I think it is very helpful especially when you’re not familiar w/street names, but particular areas. Allows you to focus on particular areas. Pretty cool to drag the mouse. Just got to punch in the zip code. Scroll the mouse over the little house and shows a thumbnail of it. Click on it and gives the info page.

[jpinpb]

You can do that with sdlookup. It has a map feature. I think it is very helpful especially when you’re not familiar w/street names, but particular areas. Allows you to focus on particular areas. Pretty cool to drag the mouse. Just got to punch in the zip code. Scroll the mouse over the little house and shows a thumbnail of it. Click on it and gives the info page.

[jpinpb]

You can do that with sdlookup. It has a map feature. I think it is very helpful especially when you’re not familiar w/street names, but particular areas. Allows you to focus on particular areas. Pretty cool to drag the mouse. Just got to punch in the zip code. Scroll the mouse over the little house and shows a thumbnail of it. Click on it and gives the info page.

[jpinpb]

You can do that with sdlookup. It has a map feature. I think it is very helpful especially when you’re not familiar w/street names, but particular areas. Allows you to focus on particular areas. Pretty cool to drag the mouse. Just got to punch in the zip code. Scroll the mouse over the little house and shows a thumbnail of it. Click on it and gives the info page.

[carli]

RE: the question about HOA or MR in Del Mar. No, most houses in Del Mar don’t have either HOA or Mello Roos. I personally don’t know of any that do, but there may be some with very low fees.

However, if you ever decide to look for real estate around here, it’s good to know the difference between the two sections of Del Mar. One is the City of Del Mar, which is governed by its own City Council, has strict design regulations and is not part of the City of San Diego. This area, which is bordered basically by Crest Canyon to the east and the ocean to the west with lots of zigs and zags in between, is also sometimes referred to as “Olde Del Mar”.

There is another area, loosely bordered by Crest Canyon on the east and I-5 on the west, which is still technically Del Mar and has the Del Mar zip code, but is instead governed by San Diego. The Barbados Way property mentioned earlier is in this area of Del Mar and would presumably be a much easier fixer than one in the City of Del Mar/Olde Del Mar since it’s governed by San Diego building dept rules and regs instead of Del Mar.

Since jpinpb seemed to refer to “Old Del Mar” and “Del Mar west of 5” as being the same area (unless I misunderstood), I thought it might help to point this out since it does affect property values and, also even more importantly (at least if you’re considering a fixer), design/construction regulations.

For example, we live in the City of Del Mar/Olde Del Mar, and when we renovated our house, we had to jump through huge hoops with the City of Del Mar Design Review Board, which took many months and added unanticipated costs, such as an entire french drain system (designed by a civil engineer whom we had to hire) surrounding the entire property for runoff…it’s good stuff in the long run and of course, important for the environment, but it can put quite a damper on a tight budget.

Also, as with many houses in the City of Del Mar/Olde Del Mar, we can only build on 25% of our lot and cannot go up more than one story. So, even if you have a 10,000 sf lot, you’re looking at only a max of a 2500 sf house, 440 sf of which is usually a 2-car garage, so you’re left with just over 2000 sf living area.

This is a great size for a 2nd home, empty nesters or even smaller families, but it becomes tougher as our 3 kids grow older and we all feel like we’re always in each other’s space. Seriously, our kids drool over some of those mega-CV homes with the pool and the gigantic game/movie rooms (while my hubby drools over the 3-4 car garages). Still, we talk to our kids about how we value being near the beach and the benefits of living in a cozy, well-designed home, but sometimes kids just don’t understand. Hmmmm…imagine that! Anyway, you may get a bit of the same feedback as your twins grow older, but maybe not.

So…that was long-winded and somewhat off-topic, but I think my original point was to say that houses in both the City of Del Mar/Olde Del Mar or the Del Mar area west of 5 don’t normally have HOA or Mello Roos!

By the way, I’ve found that if you want to get a good birds-eye view of what’s available in a certain neighborhood, you can use the Zip Realty website (and probably others, too, but this is just one I’ve found). Of course, you have to register, but then you can click on “search for homes” and then “interactive map.” You can then click and drag the mouse around the map to immediately view a snapshot of properties for sale in your price range in any given area of the map. This is helpful if you don’t know street names or just want to check out a neighborhood, or you want to see if there are any houses for sale on a certain canyon. Maybe everyone but me discovered this tool a long time ago, so excuse me if this is old news, but I think it’s really helpful!

[carli]

RE: the question about HOA or MR in Del Mar. No, most houses in Del Mar don’t have either HOA or Mello Roos. I personally don’t know of any that do, but there may be some with very low fees.

However, if you ever decide to look for real estate around here, it’s good to know the difference between the two sections of Del Mar. One is the City of Del Mar, which is governed by its own City Council, has strict design regulations and is not part of the City of San Diego. This area, which is bordered basically by Crest Canyon to the east and the ocean to the west with lots of zigs and zags in between, is also sometimes referred to as “Olde Del Mar”.

There is another area, loosely bordered by Crest Canyon on the east and I-5 on the west, which is still technically Del Mar and has the Del Mar zip code, but is instead governed by San Diego. The Barbados Way property mentioned earlier is in this area of Del Mar and would presumably be a much easier fixer than one in the City of Del Mar/Olde Del Mar since it’s governed by San Diego building dept rules and regs instead of Del Mar.

Since jpinpb seemed to refer to “Old Del Mar” and “Del Mar west of 5” as being the same area (unless I misunderstood), I thought it might help to point this out since it does affect property values and, also even more importantly (at least if you’re considering a fixer), design/construction regulations.

For example, we live in the City of Del Mar/Olde Del Mar, and when we renovated our house, we had to jump through huge hoops with the City of Del Mar Design Review Board, which took many months and added unanticipated costs, such as an entire french drain system (designed by a civil engineer whom we had to hire) surrounding the entire property for runoff…it’s good stuff in the long run and of course, important for the environment, but it can put quite a damper on a tight budget.

Also, as with many houses in the City of Del Mar/Olde Del Mar, we can only build on 25% of our lot and cannot go up more than one story. So, even if you have a 10,000 sf lot, you’re looking at only a max of a 2500 sf house, 440 sf of which is usually a 2-car garage, so you’re left with just over 2000 sf living area.

This is a great size for a 2nd home, empty nesters or even smaller families, but it becomes tougher as our 3 kids grow older and we all feel like we’re always in each other’s space. Seriously, our kids drool over some of those mega-CV homes with the pool and the gigantic game/movie rooms (while my hubby drools over the 3-4 car garages). Still, we talk to our kids about how we value being near the beach and the benefits of living in a cozy, well-designed home, but sometimes kids just don’t understand. Hmmmm…imagine that! Anyway, you may get a bit of the same feedback as your twins grow older, but maybe not.

So…that was long-winded and somewhat off-topic, but I think my original point was to say that houses in both the City of Del Mar/Olde Del Mar or the Del Mar area west of 5 don’t normally have HOA or Mello Roos!

By the way, I’ve found that if you want to get a good birds-eye view of what’s available in a certain neighborhood, you can use the Zip Realty website (and probably others, too, but this is just one I’ve found). Of course, you have to register, but then you can click on “search for homes” and then “interactive map.” You can then click and drag the mouse around the map to immediately view a snapshot of properties for sale in your price range in any given area of the map. This is helpful if you don’t know street names or just want to check out a neighborhood, or you want to see if there are any houses for sale on a certain canyon. Maybe everyone but me discovered this tool a long time ago, so excuse me if this is old news, but I think it’s really helpful!

[carli]

RE: the question about HOA or MR in Del Mar. No, most houses in Del Mar don’t have either HOA or Mello Roos. I personally don’t know of any that do, but there may be some with very low fees.

However, if you ever decide to look for real estate around here, it’s good to know the difference between the two sections of Del Mar. One is the City of Del Mar, which is governed by its own City Council, has strict design regulations and is not part of the City of San Diego. This area, which is bordered basically by Crest Canyon to the east and the ocean to the west with lots of zigs and zags in between, is also sometimes referred to as “Olde Del Mar”.

There is another area, loosely bordered by Crest Canyon on the east and I-5 on the west, which is still technically Del Mar and has the Del Mar zip code, but is instead governed by San Diego. The Barbados Way property mentioned earlier is in this area of Del Mar and would presumably be a much easier fixer than one in the City of Del Mar/Olde Del Mar since it’s governed by San Diego building dept rules and regs instead of Del Mar.

Since jpinpb seemed to refer to “Old Del Mar” and “Del Mar west of 5” as being the same area (unless I misunderstood), I thought it might help to point this out since it does affect property values and, also even more importantly (at least if you’re considering a fixer), design/construction regulations.

For example, we live in the City of Del Mar/Olde Del Mar, and when we renovated our house, we had to jump through huge hoops with the City of Del Mar Design Review Board, which took many months and added unanticipated costs, such as an entire french drain system (designed by a civil engineer whom we had to hire) surrounding the entire property for runoff…it’s good stuff in the long run and of course, important for the environment, but it can put quite a damper on a tight budget.

Also, as with many houses in the City of Del Mar/Olde Del Mar, we can only build on 25% of our lot and cannot go up more than one story. So, even if you have a 10,000 sf lot, you’re looking at only a max of a 2500 sf house, 440 sf of which is usually a 2-car garage, so you’re left with just over 2000 sf living area.

This is a great size for a 2nd home, empty nesters or even smaller families, but it becomes tougher as our 3 kids grow older and we all feel like we’re always in each other’s space. Seriously, our kids drool over some of those mega-CV homes with the pool and the gigantic game/movie rooms (while my hubby drools over the 3-4 car garages). Still, we talk to our kids about how we value being near the beach and the benefits of living in a cozy, well-designed home, but sometimes kids just don’t understand. Hmmmm…imagine that! Anyway, you may get a bit of the same feedback as your twins grow older, but maybe not.

So…that was long-winded and somewhat off-topic, but I think my original point was to say that houses in both the City of Del Mar/Olde Del Mar or the Del Mar area west of 5 don’t normally have HOA or Mello Roos!

By the way, I’ve found that if you want to get a good birds-eye view of what’s available in a certain neighborhood, you can use the Zip Realty website (and probably others, too, but this is just one I’ve found). Of course, you have to register, but then you can click on “search for homes” and then “interactive map.” You can then click and drag the mouse around the map to immediately view a snapshot of properties for sale in your price range in any given area of the map. This is helpful if you don’t know street names or just want to check out a neighborhood, or you want to see if there are any houses for sale on a certain canyon. Maybe everyone but me discovered this tool a long time ago, so excuse me if this is old news, but I think it’s really helpful!

[carli]

RE: the question about HOA or MR in Del Mar. No, most houses in Del Mar don’t have either HOA or Mello Roos. I personally don’t know of any that do, but there may be some with very low fees.

However, if you ever decide to look for real estate around here, it’s good to know the difference between the two sections of Del Mar. One is the City of Del Mar, which is governed by its own City Council, has strict design regulations and is not part of the City of San Diego. This area, which is bordered basically by Crest Canyon to the east and the ocean to the west with lots of zigs and zags in between, is also sometimes referred to as “Olde Del Mar”.

There is another area, loosely bordered by Crest Canyon on the east and I-5 on the west, which is still technically Del Mar and has the Del Mar zip code, but is instead governed by San Diego. The Barbados Way property mentioned earlier is in this area of Del Mar and would presumably be a much easier fixer than one in the City of Del Mar/Olde Del Mar since it’s governed by San Diego building dept rules and regs instead of Del Mar.

Since jpinpb seemed to refer to “Old Del Mar” and “Del Mar west of 5” as being the same area (unless I misunderstood), I thought it might help to point this out since it does affect property values and, also even more importantly (at least if you’re considering a fixer), design/construction regulations.

For example, we live in the City of Del Mar/Olde Del Mar, and when we renovated our house, we had to jump through huge hoops with the City of Del Mar Design Review Board, which took many months and added unanticipated costs, such as an entire french drain system (designed by a civil engineer whom we had to hire) surrounding the entire property for runoff…it’s good stuff in the long run and of course, important for the environment, but it can put quite a damper on a tight budget.

Also, as with many houses in the City of Del Mar/Olde Del Mar, we can only build on 25% of our lot and cannot go up more than one story. So, even if you have a 10,000 sf lot, you’re looking at only a max of a 2500 sf house, 440 sf of which is usually a 2-car garage, so you’re left with just over 2000 sf living area.

This is a great size for a 2nd home, empty nesters or even smaller families, but it becomes tougher as our 3 kids grow older and we all feel like we’re always in each other’s space. Seriously, our kids drool over some of those mega-CV homes with the pool and the gigantic game/movie rooms (while my hubby drools over the 3-4 car garages). Still, we talk to our kids about how we value being near the beach and the benefits of living in a cozy, well-designed home, but sometimes kids just don’t understand. Hmmmm…imagine that! Anyway, you may get a bit of the same feedback as your twins grow older, but maybe not.

So…that was long-winded and somewhat off-topic, but I think my original point was to say that houses in both the City of Del Mar/Olde Del Mar or the Del Mar area west of 5 don’t normally have HOA or Mello Roos!

By the way, I’ve found that if you want to get a good birds-eye view of what’s available in a certain neighborhood, you can use the Zip Realty website (and probably others, too, but this is just one I’ve found). Of course, you have to register, but then you can click on “search for homes” and then “interactive map.” You can then click and drag the mouse around the map to immediately view a snapshot of properties for sale in your price range in any given area of the map. This is helpful if you don’t know street names or just want to check out a neighborhood, or you want to see if there are any houses for sale on a certain canyon. Maybe everyone but me discovered this tool a long time ago, so excuse me if this is old news, but I think it’s really helpful!

[jpinpb]

FLU – I wasn’t aware of the golf course situation. Thanks for pointing that out.

[jpinpb]

FLU – I wasn’t aware of the golf course situation. Thanks for pointing that out.

[jpinpb]

FLU – I wasn’t aware of the golf course situation. Thanks for pointing that out.

[jpinpb]

FLU – I wasn’t aware of the golf course situation. Thanks for pointing that out.

[NotCranky]

“Rustico – If I understand you correctly – you moved in anticipation of a schooling situation which changed. This is a very compelling reason for me to stay here, then decide later when all the factors, including school and housing prices, are known at the time I have to make the decision.”

No that wasn’t it . I wasn’t too clear. I didn’t think private schools or a better neighborhood would be an option for us financially. I bought a lot and built in Jamul because that cost me very little and the schools here are much better than other areas I could afford except Poway, which is not really my thing, except maybe around Espola Rd. I think San Carlos/Del Cerro is another possibility. Anyway now it looks like we probably would be able to afford some private high school but we are too far away. I think the schools here in Jamul are good and improving. The high school went charter and gets support from the community. I am Just looking at the other trade offs like amenities and commute and suggesting you do the same since you already seem capable of handling private schools and you mostly like your current situation.We will probably stay here or move a little closer in,but still in Jamul, when the kids get older.Right now they(we) have 20 acres to romp around and can spend enormous ammounts of time together, due to low bills, which is great.
No way I am moving to Wisconsin, although I trust Cyphire’s opinions. My sister teaches in Stoughton which is a suburb of Madison. Her Daughter has done very well academically from public schools. Her parents are both very bright and involved so that helps.

[NotCranky]

“Rustico – If I understand you correctly – you moved in anticipation of a schooling situation which changed. This is a very compelling reason for me to stay here, then decide later when all the factors, including school and housing prices, are known at the time I have to make the decision.”

No that wasn’t it . I wasn’t too clear. I didn’t think private schools or a better neighborhood would be an option for us financially. I bought a lot and built in Jamul because that cost me very little and the schools here are much better than other areas I could afford except Poway, which is not really my thing, except maybe around Espola Rd. I think San Carlos/Del Cerro is another possibility. Anyway now it looks like we probably would be able to afford some private high school but we are too far away. I think the schools here in Jamul are good and improving. The high school went charter and gets support from the community. I am Just looking at the other trade offs like amenities and commute and suggesting you do the same since you already seem capable of handling private schools and you mostly like your current situation.We will probably stay here or move a little closer in,but still in Jamul, when the kids get older.Right now they(we) have 20 acres to romp around and can spend enormous ammounts of time together, due to low bills, which is great.
No way I am moving to Wisconsin, although I trust Cyphire’s opinions. My sister teaches in Stoughton which is a suburb of Madison. Her Daughter has done very well academically from public schools. Her parents are both very bright and involved so that helps.

[NotCranky]

“Rustico – If I understand you correctly – you moved in anticipation of a schooling situation which changed. This is a very compelling reason for me to stay here, then decide later when all the factors, including school and housing prices, are known at the time I have to make the decision.”

No that wasn’t it . I wasn’t too clear. I didn’t think private schools or a better neighborhood would be an option for us financially. I bought a lot and built in Jamul because that cost me very little and the schools here are much better than other areas I could afford except Poway, which is not really my thing, except maybe around Espola Rd. I think San Carlos/Del Cerro is another possibility. Anyway now it looks like we probably would be able to afford some private high school but we are too far away. I think the schools here in Jamul are good and improving. The high school went charter and gets support from the community. I am Just looking at the other trade offs like amenities and commute and suggesting you do the same since you already seem capable of handling private schools and you mostly like your current situation.We will probably stay here or move a little closer in,but still in Jamul, when the kids get older.Right now they(we) have 20 acres to romp around and can spend enormous ammounts of time together, due to low bills, which is great.
No way I am moving to Wisconsin, although I trust Cyphire’s opinions. My sister teaches in Stoughton which is a suburb of Madison. Her Daughter has done very well academically from public schools. Her parents are both very bright and involved so that helps.

[NotCranky]

“Rustico – If I understand you correctly – you moved in anticipation of a schooling situation which changed. This is a very compelling reason for me to stay here, then decide later when all the factors, including school and housing prices, are known at the time I have to make the decision.”

No that wasn’t it . I wasn’t too clear. I didn’t think private schools or a better neighborhood would be an option for us financially. I bought a lot and built in Jamul because that cost me very little and the schools here are much better than other areas I could afford except Poway, which is not really my thing, except maybe around Espola Rd. I think San Carlos/Del Cerro is another possibility. Anyway now it looks like we probably would be able to afford some private high school but we are too far away. I think the schools here in Jamul are good and improving. The high school went charter and gets support from the community. I am Just looking at the other trade offs like amenities and commute and suggesting you do the same since you already seem capable of handling private schools and you mostly like your current situation.We will probably stay here or move a little closer in,but still in Jamul, when the kids get older.Right now they(we) have 20 acres to romp around and can spend enormous ammounts of time together, due to low bills, which is great.
No way I am moving to Wisconsin, although I trust Cyphire’s opinions. My sister teaches in Stoughton which is a suburb of Madison. Her Daughter has done very well academically from public schools. Her parents are both very bright and involved so that helps.

[jpinpb]

I didn’t think that was really what you wanted, which is why I prefaced it w/if you were willing to give up the yard space, which clearly you are not. If you are not in a hurry, I would wait. I think in time you have a better chance of finding exactly what you want to suit your desires. I’d keep looking b/c you never know. As I said, if you read the “Lowball” thread, deals can happen.

[jpinpb]

I didn’t think that was really what you wanted, which is why I prefaced it w/if you were willing to give up the yard space, which clearly you are not. If you are not in a hurry, I would wait. I think in time you have a better chance of finding exactly what you want to suit your desires. I’d keep looking b/c you never know. As I said, if you read the “Lowball” thread, deals can happen.

[jpinpb]

I didn’t think that was really what you wanted, which is why I prefaced it w/if you were willing to give up the yard space, which clearly you are not. If you are not in a hurry, I would wait. I think in time you have a better chance of finding exactly what you want to suit your desires. I’d keep looking b/c you never know. As I said, if you read the “Lowball” thread, deals can happen.

[jpinpb]

I didn’t think that was really what you wanted, which is why I prefaced it w/if you were willing to give up the yard space, which clearly you are not. If you are not in a hurry, I would wait. I think in time you have a better chance of finding exactly what you want to suit your desires. I’d keep looking b/c you never know. As I said, if you read the “Lowball” thread, deals can happen.

[Coronita]

cyphire, don't know if that comment was directed at me. BUT, if so, I meant $20k+ per kid per year. I noted the +, because I've been hearing anywhere from $20-30k. All this before college.

 

sduuude.

However, I don't consider any of that information a deterrent. In fact, I'd see the CEO's 200K as subsidising my kids' education.

It depends how teachers view it. If it means teachers are going to spend less time with your kid, than it means it might be an issue.

jpinpg…I would NOT recommend the Palacio community. This is next to a golf course. The HOA is funded, general issues with quality, not to mention lots of speculators there. 

[img_assist|nid=5962|title=selfportrait|desc=|link=node|align=left|width=100|height=80]

—– Sour grapes for everyone!

[Coronita]

cyphire, don't know if that comment was directed at me. BUT, if so, I meant $20k+ per kid per year. I noted the +, because I've been hearing anywhere from $20-30k. All this before college.

 

sduuude.

However, I don't consider any of that information a deterrent. In fact, I'd see the CEO's 200K as subsidising my kids' education.

It depends how teachers view it. If it means teachers are going to spend less time with your kid, than it means it might be an issue.

jpinpg…I would NOT recommend the Palacio community. This is next to a golf course. The HOA is funded, general issues with quality, not to mention lots of speculators there. 

[img_assist|nid=5962|title=selfportrait|desc=|link=node|align=left|width=100|height=80]

—– Sour grapes for everyone!

[Coronita]

cyphire, don't know if that comment was directed at me. BUT, if so, I meant $20k+ per kid per year. I noted the +, because I've been hearing anywhere from $20-30k. All this before college.

 

sduuude.

However, I don't consider any of that information a deterrent. In fact, I'd see the CEO's 200K as subsidising my kids' education.

It depends how teachers view it. If it means teachers are going to spend less time with your kid, than it means it might be an issue.

jpinpg…I would NOT recommend the Palacio community. This is next to a golf course. The HOA is funded, general issues with quality, not to mention lots of speculators there. 

[img_assist|nid=5962|title=selfportrait|desc=|link=node|align=left|width=100|height=80]

—– Sour grapes for everyone!

[Coronita]

cyphire, don't know if that comment was directed at me. BUT, if so, I meant $20k+ per kid per year. I noted the +, because I've been hearing anywhere from $20-30k. All this before college.

 

sduuude.

However, I don't consider any of that information a deterrent. In fact, I'd see the CEO's 200K as subsidising my kids' education.

It depends how teachers view it. If it means teachers are going to spend less time with your kid, than it means it might be an issue.

jpinpg…I would NOT recommend the Palacio community. This is next to a golf course. The HOA is funded, general issues with quality, not to mention lots of speculators there. 

[img_assist|nid=5962|title=selfportrait|desc=|link=node|align=left|width=100|height=80]

—– Sour grapes for everyone!

[Coronita]

cyphire, don't know if that comment was directed at me. BUT, if so, I meant $20k+ per kid per year. I noted the +, because I've been hearing anywhere from $20-30k. All this before college.

 

sduuude.

However, I don't consider any of that information a deterrent. In fact, I'd see the CEO's 200K as subsidising my kids' education.

It depends how teachers view it. If it means teachers are going to spend less time with your kid, than it means it might be an issue.

jpinpg…I would NOT recommend the Palacio community. This is next to a golf course. The HOA is funded, general issues with quality, not to mention lots of speculators there. 

[img_assist|nid=5962|title=selfportrait|desc=|link=node|align=left|width=100|height=80]

—– Sour grapes for everyone!

[sdduuuude]

Thanks all. Your thoughts and comments are forcing me to clarify this situation in my head. What a great sounding board this place is.

I really have two decisions to make – one now and one in 6 years.

The decision now is – should we add on to this house ?

If we do add on to this house, we can stay here until 2014. At that time, we have another decision to make – private school or move.

If we don’t add-on to this house, we’ll have to move next year because We are too cramped and we will not need private school.

So I think the private/public decision can wait until 2014. The real question is – do I want to / can I afford to move to CV next year.

The speed/severity of the bubble burst in that area is an important factor. I just don’t see enough price movement now to lead me to think it will be feasible. But I will now be a more educated and interested watcher of CV prices.

cyphire – you are right, it is $160K for 4 years not $80K. Damn twins. Also – good point on private vs. public in North County. That will weigh heavily on my decision in 2014.

carli – that house on Barbados is very interesting.
beachlover – another interesting option on Sardina.
Both rays of hope.

Rustico – If I understand you correctly – you moved in anticipation of a schooling situation which changed. This is a very compelling reason for me to stay here, then decide later when all the factors, including school and housing prices, are known at the time I have to make the decision.

FLU – interesting perspective and info on private school. However, I don’t consider any of that information a deterrent. In fact, I’d see the CEO’s 200K as subsidising my kids’ education.

jpinpg – Thanks for your response, but what part of “1200 sq ft. house is on a 10,000 sq. ft canyon lot” makes you think I’d want a 4500 sq. ft lot backed up against a busy street ?

[sdduuuude]

Thanks all. Your thoughts and comments are forcing me to clarify this situation in my head. What a great sounding board this place is.

I really have two decisions to make – one now and one in 6 years.

The decision now is – should we add on to this house ?

If we do add on to this house, we can stay here until 2014. At that time, we have another decision to make – private school or move.

If we don’t add-on to this house, we’ll have to move next year because We are too cramped and we will not need private school.

So I think the private/public decision can wait until 2014. The real question is – do I want to / can I afford to move to CV next year.

The speed/severity of the bubble burst in that area is an important factor. I just don’t see enough price movement now to lead me to think it will be feasible. But I will now be a more educated and interested watcher of CV prices.

cyphire – you are right, it is $160K for 4 years not $80K. Damn twins. Also – good point on private vs. public in North County. That will weigh heavily on my decision in 2014.

carli – that house on Barbados is very interesting.
beachlover – another interesting option on Sardina.
Both rays of hope.

Rustico – If I understand you correctly – you moved in anticipation of a schooling situation which changed. This is a very compelling reason for me to stay here, then decide later when all the factors, including school and housing prices, are known at the time I have to make the decision.

FLU – interesting perspective and info on private school. However, I don’t consider any of that information a deterrent. In fact, I’d see the CEO’s 200K as subsidising my kids’ education.

jpinpg – Thanks for your response, but what part of “1200 sq ft. house is on a 10,000 sq. ft canyon lot” makes you think I’d want a 4500 sq. ft lot backed up against a busy street ?

[sdduuuude]

Thanks all. Your thoughts and comments are forcing me to clarify this situation in my head. What a great sounding board this place is.

I really have two decisions to make – one now and one in 6 years.

The decision now is – should we add on to this house ?

If we do add on to this house, we can stay here until 2014. At that time, we have another decision to make – private school or move.

If we don’t add-on to this house, we’ll have to move next year because We are too cramped and we will not need private school.

So I think the private/public decision can wait until 2014. The real question is – do I want to / can I afford to move to CV next year.

The speed/severity of the bubble burst in that area is an important factor. I just don’t see enough price movement now to lead me to think it will be feasible. But I will now be a more educated and interested watcher of CV prices.

cyphire – you are right, it is $160K for 4 years not $80K. Damn twins. Also – good point on private vs. public in North County. That will weigh heavily on my decision in 2014.

carli – that house on Barbados is very interesting.
beachlover – another interesting option on Sardina.
Both rays of hope.

Rustico – If I understand you correctly – you moved in anticipation of a schooling situation which changed. This is a very compelling reason for me to stay here, then decide later when all the factors, including school and housing prices, are known at the time I have to make the decision.

FLU – interesting perspective and info on private school. However, I don’t consider any of that information a deterrent. In fact, I’d see the CEO’s 200K as subsidising my kids’ education.

jpinpg – Thanks for your response, but what part of “1200 sq ft. house is on a 10,000 sq. ft canyon lot” makes you think I’d want a 4500 sq. ft lot backed up against a busy street ?

[sdduuuude]

Thanks all. Your thoughts and comments are forcing me to clarify this situation in my head. What a great sounding board this place is.

I really have two decisions to make – one now and one in 6 years.

The decision now is – should we add on to this house ?

If we do add on to this house, we can stay here until 2014. At that time, we have another decision to make – private school or move.

If we don’t add-on to this house, we’ll have to move next year because We are too cramped and we will not need private school.

So I think the private/public decision can wait until 2014. The real question is – do I want to / can I afford to move to CV next year.

The speed/severity of the bubble burst in that area is an important factor. I just don’t see enough price movement now to lead me to think it will be feasible. But I will now be a more educated and interested watcher of CV prices.

cyphire – you are right, it is $160K for 4 years not $80K. Damn twins. Also – good point on private vs. public in North County. That will weigh heavily on my decision in 2014.

carli – that house on Barbados is very interesting.
beachlover – another interesting option on Sardina.
Both rays of hope.

Rustico – If I understand you correctly – you moved in anticipation of a schooling situation which changed. This is a very compelling reason for me to stay here, then decide later when all the factors, including school and housing prices, are known at the time I have to make the decision.

FLU – interesting perspective and info on private school. However, I don’t consider any of that information a deterrent. In fact, I’d see the CEO’s 200K as subsidising my kids’ education.

jpinpg – Thanks for your response, but what part of “1200 sq ft. house is on a 10,000 sq. ft canyon lot” makes you think I’d want a 4500 sq. ft lot backed up against a busy street ?

[jpinpb]

sdduuuude – If you are willing to give up the yard space, I say read the “Lowball Offers on the Rise” thread, then check this place, w/no MR/HOA.

http://www.sdlookup.com/MLS-081005534-12412_Carmel_Cape_San_Diego_CA_92130

Listed @ 724k, but I’d go for it and just offer a 2002/2003 price, like 500k. What have you got to lose? The worse they can say is no. It does back a somewhat busy street, though.

Or maybe in Palacio Del Mar:

http://www.sdlookup.com/MLS-086003893-12648_Caminito_Destello_San_Diego_CA_92130

[jpinpb]

sdduuuude – If you are willing to give up the yard space, I say read the “Lowball Offers on the Rise” thread, then check this place, w/no MR/HOA.

http://www.sdlookup.com/MLS-081005534-12412_Carmel_Cape_San_Diego_CA_92130

Listed @ 724k, but I’d go for it and just offer a 2002/2003 price, like 500k. What have you got to lose? The worse they can say is no. It does back a somewhat busy street, though.

Or maybe in Palacio Del Mar:

http://www.sdlookup.com/MLS-086003893-12648_Caminito_Destello_San_Diego_CA_92130

[jpinpb]

sdduuuude – If you are willing to give up the yard space, I say read the “Lowball Offers on the Rise” thread, then check this place, w/no MR/HOA.

http://www.sdlookup.com/MLS-081005534-12412_Carmel_Cape_San_Diego_CA_92130

Listed @ 724k, but I’d go for it and just offer a 2002/2003 price, like 500k. What have you got to lose? The worse they can say is no. It does back a somewhat busy street, though.

Or maybe in Palacio Del Mar:

http://www.sdlookup.com/MLS-086003893-12648_Caminito_Destello_San_Diego_CA_92130

[jpinpb]

sdduuuude – If you are willing to give up the yard space, I say read the “Lowball Offers on the Rise” thread, then check this place, w/no MR/HOA.

http://www.sdlookup.com/MLS-081005534-12412_Carmel_Cape_San_Diego_CA_92130

Listed @ 724k, but I’d go for it and just offer a 2002/2003 price, like 500k. What have you got to lose? The worse they can say is no. It does back a somewhat busy street, though.

Or maybe in Palacio Del Mar:

http://www.sdlookup.com/MLS-086003893-12648_Caminito_Destello_San_Diego_CA_92130

[DWCAP]

My experiences are old by todays standards, but I think they still kinda apply to todays private schools.

My brother is 12 years older than I, and went to the local public school. He got perfect A’s, but my dad is a DVM, my mom a banker, and they knew he was learning nothing. So they went to parent teacher night, and were the ONLY ones there! They pulled him out, and got a call from the principal pleading for them not to since he was the best student in the grade. They put him in private school and he tested almost 2 years back. Granted it was a great school, but he was supposedly the best in his class! This was in the 1980’s, so I laugh when people say that schools are starting to fail, they have been for a long time.

Needless to say I was never allowed to go to public school. I have no information about public schools, however I can shed a few pieces about private schools.

1)The world is alot smaller. As Cypher said, it was clicky. People knew people through siblings and church and such, to a point it was almost sick. I had 21 kids in my 8th grade class, 69 in my HS class. I knew them backwards and forwards and they could read me like a book. On the other hand, I still talk to them, cry and laugh with them, and a number of them know that if they ever need me ill be on a plane tomorrow, no questions. Why? Cause they would do the same for me. Some people find this claustrophobic and suffocating. They long for the animity of public school. I loved it. It was like an extended family that I didnt have. I got a wedding inventation from a girl I hadnt seen or talked to in 12 years last summer. I showed up, as did alot of other people.

2)Who you are matters. I once asked a girl out, and she said she needed to check with her parents. They said NO NO NO, till she said “but MOM, it’s DR.(deleated)’s son.!” I had never met the woman in my life, and neither had my dad, but her mom’s response was “OH, ok, have fun, no curfue”. That was the only time in her 17 years she didn’t have a curfue. It isnt about money or power, I went to school with the jet set and the hamburger helper, it was who you were. People know you just as well as their kids know yours, and they do know. (ie show up to the BBQ’s and the sports games, it does matter)

3) Not everyone is ment for public schools. I was really quiet and rather personalityless when younger. I would have been crushed in a school of 2000 kids. Some of my best friends went to large public schools and loved it. Send your kids to the best school for them, not the school with the best ranking.

4) Teachers are there to teach. If they arnt, complain. The only time I ever saw my 9th grade prinipal scared was the day a dad came in to complain about a teacher. They actually do lissen, especially when your complaint is legit, and not “but he HAS to get all A’s or….”. There is no union a bad teacher can hide behind.

5) You earn your grades. I never met anyone who didnt get the grade they deserved. There was no such thing as a guarenteed C. I had one teacher stay every other lunch period (t,th) with a buddy of mine so he could pass. But he was gonna do it on his own. AP physics or not.

6)Every public school is different. Every private school is different. Hell every CLASS is different. The cool kids in my class had 4.0’s, weekend jobs, and walked the straight and narrow. The class right ahead of me, well, they explain the rise of the Felix cartel. Again, BE INVOLVED.

Personally, I think parents are always the difference. Good kids come from the worst schools. The worst kids often go to the best schools. Stop worring about what school they are going to go to in 2015 and start worring about who they are gonna be in 2015. We had 100% college attendance and I never even knew a girl who got pregnant, but that doesnt guarentee your kid will turn out right.

(ALSO, I kinda think private HS and gradeschool is harder on the girls than the guys. I cant explain it, but I just think the expectations are higher of them for some reason. This is counter balanced by guys expereiences in College, when it is just fine for girls to want to be a teacher or a writer or artest or whatever, but the guys had better be getting ready for the next round of schools (ie phD, MD, MBA) )

[DWCAP]

My experiences are old by todays standards, but I think they still kinda apply to todays private schools.

My brother is 12 years older than I, and went to the local public school. He got perfect A’s, but my dad is a DVM, my mom a banker, and they knew he was learning nothing. So they went to parent teacher night, and were the ONLY ones there! They pulled him out, and got a call from the principal pleading for them not to since he was the best student in the grade. They put him in private school and he tested almost 2 years back. Granted it was a great school, but he was supposedly the best in his class! This was in the 1980’s, so I laugh when people say that schools are starting to fail, they have been for a long time.

Needless to say I was never allowed to go to public school. I have no information about public schools, however I can shed a few pieces about private schools.

1)The world is alot smaller. As Cypher said, it was clicky. People knew people through siblings and church and such, to a point it was almost sick. I had 21 kids in my 8th grade class, 69 in my HS class. I knew them backwards and forwards and they could read me like a book. On the other hand, I still talk to them, cry and laugh with them, and a number of them know that if they ever need me ill be on a plane tomorrow, no questions. Why? Cause they would do the same for me. Some people find this claustrophobic and suffocating. They long for the animity of public school. I loved it. It was like an extended family that I didnt have. I got a wedding inventation from a girl I hadnt seen or talked to in 12 years last summer. I showed up, as did alot of other people.

2)Who you are matters. I once asked a girl out, and she said she needed to check with her parents. They said NO NO NO, till she said “but MOM, it’s DR.(deleated)’s son.!” I had never met the woman in my life, and neither had my dad, but her mom’s response was “OH, ok, have fun, no curfue”. That was the only time in her 17 years she didn’t have a curfue. It isnt about money or power, I went to school with the jet set and the hamburger helper, it was who you were. People know you just as well as their kids know yours, and they do know. (ie show up to the BBQ’s and the sports games, it does matter)

3) Not everyone is ment for public schools. I was really quiet and rather personalityless when younger. I would have been crushed in a school of 2000 kids. Some of my best friends went to large public schools and loved it. Send your kids to the best school for them, not the school with the best ranking.

4) Teachers are there to teach. If they arnt, complain. The only time I ever saw my 9th grade prinipal scared was the day a dad came in to complain about a teacher. They actually do lissen, especially when your complaint is legit, and not “but he HAS to get all A’s or….”. There is no union a bad teacher can hide behind.

5) You earn your grades. I never met anyone who didnt get the grade they deserved. There was no such thing as a guarenteed C. I had one teacher stay every other lunch period (t,th) with a buddy of mine so he could pass. But he was gonna do it on his own. AP physics or not.

6)Every public school is different. Every private school is different. Hell every CLASS is different. The cool kids in my class had 4.0’s, weekend jobs, and walked the straight and narrow. The class right ahead of me, well, they explain the rise of the Felix cartel. Again, BE INVOLVED.

Personally, I think parents are always the difference. Good kids come from the worst schools. The worst kids often go to the best schools. Stop worring about what school they are going to go to in 2015 and start worring about who they are gonna be in 2015. We had 100% college attendance and I never even knew a girl who got pregnant, but that doesnt guarentee your kid will turn out right.

(ALSO, I kinda think private HS and gradeschool is harder on the girls than the guys. I cant explain it, but I just think the expectations are higher of them for some reason. This is counter balanced by guys expereiences in College, when it is just fine for girls to want to be a teacher or a writer or artest or whatever, but the guys had better be getting ready for the next round of schools (ie phD, MD, MBA) )

[DWCAP]

My experiences are old by todays standards, but I think they still kinda apply to todays private schools.

My brother is 12 years older than I, and went to the local public school. He got perfect A’s, but my dad is a DVM, my mom a banker, and they knew he was learning nothing. So they went to parent teacher night, and were the ONLY ones there! They pulled him out, and got a call from the principal pleading for them not to since he was the best student in the grade. They put him in private school and he tested almost 2 years back. Granted it was a great school, but he was supposedly the best in his class! This was in the 1980’s, so I laugh when people say that schools are starting to fail, they have been for a long time.

Needless to say I was never allowed to go to public school. I have no information about public schools, however I can shed a few pieces about private schools.

1)The world is alot smaller. As Cypher said, it was clicky. People knew people through siblings and church and such, to a point it was almost sick. I had 21 kids in my 8th grade class, 69 in my HS class. I knew them backwards and forwards and they could read me like a book. On the other hand, I still talk to them, cry and laugh with them, and a number of them know that if they ever need me ill be on a plane tomorrow, no questions. Why? Cause they would do the same for me. Some people find this claustrophobic and suffocating. They long for the animity of public school. I loved it. It was like an extended family that I didnt have. I got a wedding inventation from a girl I hadnt seen or talked to in 12 years last summer. I showed up, as did alot of other people.

2)Who you are matters. I once asked a girl out, and she said she needed to check with her parents. They said NO NO NO, till she said “but MOM, it’s DR.(deleated)’s son.!” I had never met the woman in my life, and neither had my dad, but her mom’s response was “OH, ok, have fun, no curfue”. That was the only time in her 17 years she didn’t have a curfue. It isnt about money or power, I went to school with the jet set and the hamburger helper, it was who you were. People know you just as well as their kids know yours, and they do know. (ie show up to the BBQ’s and the sports games, it does matter)

3) Not everyone is ment for public schools. I was really quiet and rather personalityless when younger. I would have been crushed in a school of 2000 kids. Some of my best friends went to large public schools and loved it. Send your kids to the best school for them, not the school with the best ranking.

4) Teachers are there to teach. If they arnt, complain. The only time I ever saw my 9th grade prinipal scared was the day a dad came in to complain about a teacher. They actually do lissen, especially when your complaint is legit, and not “but he HAS to get all A’s or….”. There is no union a bad teacher can hide behind.

5) You earn your grades. I never met anyone who didnt get the grade they deserved. There was no such thing as a guarenteed C. I had one teacher stay every other lunch period (t,th) with a buddy of mine so he could pass. But he was gonna do it on his own. AP physics or not.

6)Every public school is different. Every private school is different. Hell every CLASS is different. The cool kids in my class had 4.0’s, weekend jobs, and walked the straight and narrow. The class right ahead of me, well, they explain the rise of the Felix cartel. Again, BE INVOLVED.

Personally, I think parents are always the difference. Good kids come from the worst schools. The worst kids often go to the best schools. Stop worring about what school they are going to go to in 2015 and start worring about who they are gonna be in 2015. We had 100% college attendance and I never even knew a girl who got pregnant, but that doesnt guarentee your kid will turn out right.

(ALSO, I kinda think private HS and gradeschool is harder on the girls than the guys. I cant explain it, but I just think the expectations are higher of them for some reason. This is counter balanced by guys expereiences in College, when it is just fine for girls to want to be a teacher or a writer or artest or whatever, but the guys had better be getting ready for the next round of schools (ie phD, MD, MBA) )

[DWCAP]

My experiences are old by todays standards, but I think they still kinda apply to todays private schools.

My brother is 12 years older than I, and went to the local public school. He got perfect A’s, but my dad is a DVM, my mom a banker, and they knew he was learning nothing. So they went to parent teacher night, and were the ONLY ones there! They pulled him out, and got a call from the principal pleading for them not to since he was the best student in the grade. They put him in private school and he tested almost 2 years back. Granted it was a great school, but he was supposedly the best in his class! This was in the 1980’s, so I laugh when people say that schools are starting to fail, they have been for a long time.

Needless to say I was never allowed to go to public school. I have no information about public schools, however I can shed a few pieces about private schools.

1)The world is alot smaller. As Cypher said, it was clicky. People knew people through siblings and church and such, to a point it was almost sick. I had 21 kids in my 8th grade class, 69 in my HS class. I knew them backwards and forwards and they could read me like a book. On the other hand, I still talk to them, cry and laugh with them, and a number of them know that if they ever need me ill be on a plane tomorrow, no questions. Why? Cause they would do the same for me. Some people find this claustrophobic and suffocating. They long for the animity of public school. I loved it. It was like an extended family that I didnt have. I got a wedding inventation from a girl I hadnt seen or talked to in 12 years last summer. I showed up, as did alot of other people.

2)Who you are matters. I once asked a girl out, and she said she needed to check with her parents. They said NO NO NO, till she said “but MOM, it’s DR.(deleated)’s son.!” I had never met the woman in my life, and neither had my dad, but her mom’s response was “OH, ok, have fun, no curfue”. That was the only time in her 17 years she didn’t have a curfue. It isnt about money or power, I went to school with the jet set and the hamburger helper, it was who you were. People know you just as well as their kids know yours, and they do know. (ie show up to the BBQ’s and the sports games, it does matter)

3) Not everyone is ment for public schools. I was really quiet and rather personalityless when younger. I would have been crushed in a school of 2000 kids. Some of my best friends went to large public schools and loved it. Send your kids to the best school for them, not the school with the best ranking.

4) Teachers are there to teach. If they arnt, complain. The only time I ever saw my 9th grade prinipal scared was the day a dad came in to complain about a teacher. They actually do lissen, especially when your complaint is legit, and not “but he HAS to get all A’s or….”. There is no union a bad teacher can hide behind.

5) You earn your grades. I never met anyone who didnt get the grade they deserved. There was no such thing as a guarenteed C. I had one teacher stay every other lunch period (t,th) with a buddy of mine so he could pass. But he was gonna do it on his own. AP physics or not.

6)Every public school is different. Every private school is different. Hell every CLASS is different. The cool kids in my class had 4.0’s, weekend jobs, and walked the straight and narrow. The class right ahead of me, well, they explain the rise of the Felix cartel. Again, BE INVOLVED.

Personally, I think parents are always the difference. Good kids come from the worst schools. The worst kids often go to the best schools. Stop worring about what school they are going to go to in 2015 and start worring about who they are gonna be in 2015. We had 100% college attendance and I never even knew a girl who got pregnant, but that doesnt guarentee your kid will turn out right.

(ALSO, I kinda think private HS and gradeschool is harder on the girls than the guys. I cant explain it, but I just think the expectations are higher of them for some reason. This is counter balanced by guys expereiences in College, when it is just fine for girls to want to be a teacher or a writer or artest or whatever, but the guys had better be getting ready for the next round of schools (ie phD, MD, MBA) )

[DWCAP]

My experiences are old by todays standards, but I think they still kinda apply to todays private schools.

My brother is 12 years older than I, and went to the local public school. He got perfect A’s, but my dad is a DVM, my mom a banker, and they knew he was learning nothing. So they went to parent teacher night, and were the ONLY ones there! They pulled him out, and got a call from the principal pleading for them not to since he was the best student in the grade. They put him in private school and he tested almost 2 years back. Granted it was a great school, but he was supposedly the best in his class! This was in the 1980’s, so I laugh when people say that schools are starting to fail, they have been for a long time.

Needless to say I was never allowed to go to public school. I have no information about public schools, however I can shed a few pieces about private schools.

1)The world is alot smaller. As Cypher said, it was clicky. People knew people through siblings and church and such, to a point it was almost sick. I had 21 kids in my 8th grade class, 69 in my HS class. I knew them backwards and forwards and they could read me like a book. On the other hand, I still talk to them, cry and laugh with them, and a number of them know that if they ever need me ill be on a plane tomorrow, no questions. Why? Cause they would do the same for me. Some people find this claustrophobic and suffocating. They long for the animity of public school. I loved it. It was like an extended family that I didnt have. I got a wedding inventation from a girl I hadnt seen or talked to in 12 years last summer. I showed up, as did alot of other people.

2)Who you are matters. I once asked a girl out, and she said she needed to check with her parents. They said NO NO NO, till she said “but MOM, it’s DR.(deleated)’s son.!” I had never met the woman in my life, and neither had my dad, but her mom’s response was “OH, ok, have fun, no curfue”. That was the only time in her 17 years she didn’t have a curfue. It isnt about money or power, I went to school with the jet set and the hamburger helper, it was who you were. People know you just as well as their kids know yours, and they do know. (ie show up to the BBQ’s and the sports games, it does matter)

3) Not everyone is ment for public schools. I was really quiet and rather personalityless when younger. I would have been crushed in a school of 2000 kids. Some of my best friends went to large public schools and loved it. Send your kids to the best school for them, not the school with the best ranking.

4) Teachers are there to teach. If they arnt, complain. The only time I ever saw my 9th grade prinipal scared was the day a dad came in to complain about a teacher. They actually do lissen, especially when your complaint is legit, and not “but he HAS to get all A’s or….”. There is no union a bad teacher can hide behind.

5) You earn your grades. I never met anyone who didnt get the grade they deserved. There was no such thing as a guarenteed C. I had one teacher stay every other lunch period (t,th) with a buddy of mine so he could pass. But he was gonna do it on his own. AP physics or not.

6)Every public school is different. Every private school is different. Hell every CLASS is different. The cool kids in my class had 4.0’s, weekend jobs, and walked the straight and narrow. The class right ahead of me, well, they explain the rise of the Felix cartel. Again, BE INVOLVED.

Personally, I think parents are always the difference. Good kids come from the worst schools. The worst kids often go to the best schools. Stop worring about what school they are going to go to in 2015 and start worring about who they are gonna be in 2015. We had 100% college attendance and I never even knew a girl who got pregnant, but that doesnt guarentee your kid will turn out right.

(ALSO, I kinda think private HS and gradeschool is harder on the girls than the guys. I cant explain it, but I just think the expectations are higher of them for some reason. This is counter balanced by guys expereiences in College, when it is just fine for girls to want to be a teacher or a writer or artest or whatever, but the guys had better be getting ready for the next round of schools (ie phD, MD, MBA) )

[sdduuuude]

Some follow-up on this thread.
Some of the places we were looking at, 3 months later:

5289 Foxhound Way
Zillow still lists for sale.
Redfin shows not for sale, no recent sale.
SD Lookup shows not for sale.

13088 Sunset Point Place
Not listed for sale or showing recently sold on any of the three web sites (Zillow, SD Lookup, Redfin)

13243 Evening Sky Court:
Sold May 15 for $1.585 Million

It’s neighbor – not shown for sale or sold on any of the three web sites (Zillow, SD Lookup, Redfin).

13340 Barbados Way:
Lowered the listing price to $799,999.
Currently shown for sale on Zillow at that price.
Sign is still up.
Not shown for sale or recently closed on Redfin or SD Lookup.

[SD Realtor]

dude the neighbor on evening sky has withdrawn the listing. 13088 Sunset has not been for sale since it sold back in 2007 so it looks like that young couple is sitting tight. Foxhound was sold per the earlier posting in this thread. Hang tight and in a few years you will see deals you are looking for. Perhaps even a tad sooner.

SD Realtor

[SD Realtor]

dude the neighbor on evening sky has withdrawn the listing. 13088 Sunset has not been for sale since it sold back in 2007 so it looks like that young couple is sitting tight. Foxhound was sold per the earlier posting in this thread. Hang tight and in a few years you will see deals you are looking for. Perhaps even a tad sooner.

SD Realtor

[SD Realtor]

dude the neighbor on evening sky has withdrawn the listing. 13088 Sunset has not been for sale since it sold back in 2007 so it looks like that young couple is sitting tight. Foxhound was sold per the earlier posting in this thread. Hang tight and in a few years you will see deals you are looking for. Perhaps even a tad sooner.

SD Realtor

[SD Realtor]

dude the neighbor on evening sky has withdrawn the listing. 13088 Sunset has not been for sale since it sold back in 2007 so it looks like that young couple is sitting tight. Foxhound was sold per the earlier posting in this thread. Hang tight and in a few years you will see deals you are looking for. Perhaps even a tad sooner.

SD Realtor

[SD Realtor]

dude the neighbor on evening sky has withdrawn the listing. 13088 Sunset has not been for sale since it sold back in 2007 so it looks like that young couple is sitting tight. Foxhound was sold per the earlier posting in this thread. Hang tight and in a few years you will see deals you are looking for. Perhaps even a tad sooner.

SD Realtor

[sdduuuude]

Some follow-up on this thread.
Some of the places we were looking at, 3 months later:

5289 Foxhound Way
Zillow still lists for sale.
Redfin shows not for sale, no recent sale.
SD Lookup shows not for sale.

13088 Sunset Point Place
Not listed for sale or showing recently sold on any of the three web sites (Zillow, SD Lookup, Redfin)

13243 Evening Sky Court:
Sold May 15 for $1.585 Million

It’s neighbor – not shown for sale or sold on any of the three web sites (Zillow, SD Lookup, Redfin).

13340 Barbados Way:
Lowered the listing price to $799,999.
Currently shown for sale on Zillow at that price.
Sign is still up.
Not shown for sale or recently closed on Redfin or SD Lookup.

[sdduuuude]

Some follow-up on this thread.
Some of the places we were looking at, 3 months later:

5289 Foxhound Way
Zillow still lists for sale.
Redfin shows not for sale, no recent sale.
SD Lookup shows not for sale.

13088 Sunset Point Place
Not listed for sale or showing recently sold on any of the three web sites (Zillow, SD Lookup, Redfin)

13243 Evening Sky Court:
Sold May 15 for $1.585 Million

It’s neighbor – not shown for sale or sold on any of the three web sites (Zillow, SD Lookup, Redfin).

13340 Barbados Way:
Lowered the listing price to $799,999.
Currently shown for sale on Zillow at that price.
Sign is still up.
Not shown for sale or recently closed on Redfin or SD Lookup.

[sdduuuude]

Some follow-up on this thread.
Some of the places we were looking at, 3 months later:

5289 Foxhound Way
Zillow still lists for sale.
Redfin shows not for sale, no recent sale.
SD Lookup shows not for sale.

13088 Sunset Point Place
Not listed for sale or showing recently sold on any of the three web sites (Zillow, SD Lookup, Redfin)

13243 Evening Sky Court:
Sold May 15 for $1.585 Million

It’s neighbor – not shown for sale or sold on any of the three web sites (Zillow, SD Lookup, Redfin).

13340 Barbados Way:
Lowered the listing price to $799,999.
Currently shown for sale on Zillow at that price.
Sign is still up.
Not shown for sale or recently closed on Redfin or SD Lookup.

[sdduuuude]

Some follow-up on this thread.
Some of the places we were looking at, 3 months later:

5289 Foxhound Way
Zillow still lists for sale.
Redfin shows not for sale, no recent sale.
SD Lookup shows not for sale.

13088 Sunset Point Place
Not listed for sale or showing recently sold on any of the three web sites (Zillow, SD Lookup, Redfin)

13243 Evening Sky Court:
Sold May 15 for $1.585 Million

It’s neighbor – not shown for sale or sold on any of the three web sites (Zillow, SD Lookup, Redfin).

13340 Barbados Way:
Lowered the listing price to $799,999.
Currently shown for sale on Zillow at that price.
Sign is still up.
Not shown for sale or recently closed on Redfin or SD Lookup.

[sdduuuude]

Hi. Anyone able to help me with the history of this place. It’s of idle interest – we looked at it long ago, when I first made this thread. I saw it come up for sale again today.

SD Realtor posted something in June 2008 that the house was off the market but looking at Redfin now, it shows that it sold in April 2008 for $1.4M. So it had sold in April but SD-R was unable to see the sale as of June 2008 ? Was it foreclosed on in 2008 or was that a “real” sale for 1.4M ? Anyone? Anyone ?

http://www.redfin.com/CA/San-Diego/13088-Sunset-Point-Pl-92130/home/6628067

[sdrealtor]

Not sure what info he was looking at but it was a real sale. The buyers had just gotten married and it looks like her dad who owns a pretty well known company footed the bill. Probably moving up to RSF now.

[spdrun]

Thanks for reviving this thread — the East vs West (in both senses) back-and-forth is HILARIOUS.

[sdrealtor]

FWIW Cyphire lasted less than 2 years in Wisconsin if I remmember correctly and came back to SD

[Author]

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