Arbor Ranch in San Marcos – Advice, please

[evolusd]

So I’ve been the ‘anti-buy’ guy for a long time now, primarily because I look around in disgust at what I can afford on our one income (wife stays home with young kids).

Today we walked through Arbor Ranch (google it), a 57-home Pulte/Centex development on the westside of San Marcos. No frills to the community except a few tot parks and walking trails. It’s immediately adjacent to the fairly new Sunset Park, which seems pretty cool with covered play structures, water feature for kids to play in, lighted soccer arena and large expanses of grass.

We put a ‘hold’ on a Plan 2 on what we deem the best lot in the community. It backs up to a creek so there’s no one behind and has views of Sunset Park and Briggs Tree Company, a local nursery (very colorful and pleasing to the eye). In addition, there’s no home to the west of “our” lot, instead it’s a slope down to one of the tot lots, so that side of the house has tons of light (not to mention very convenient for my wife) and what I think to be peak ocean views in the way distance. The lot is one of the biggest in the community; about 57 feet deep from the back wall of the house, which seemed pretty sizable when we walked it – plenty of room for a swing set, veggie garden, patio set and grassy area.

PROS:
– Good lot with nice views, assuming the nursery stays there. If it were replaced with homes, it would be worse, but not bad as they are below, and Sunset Park will likely always be there. Size of lot is great, too.

– On the border of Carlsbad; we drove to the Carlsbad outlets in less than 10 mins on Palomar Airport Road.

– New house! No maintenance, repairs, etc for a while.

– Small community with only a handful of lots that will be built after “ours”. No direct competition from the builder or chance for half built community.

– Proximity to Sunset Park for our kids.

– Amenities for young kids that are very near our home (best one is right next to us down a small hill).

– Great layout; pretty much everything we want in a home (two story 4/2.5, laundry upstairs, high ceilings, very livable).

CONS:

– Tax rate is 1.7%. Ouch. Is the additional tax above normal property taxes deductible?

– Alvin Dunn Elementary and San Marcos Middle don’t get a good Greatschools scores. I’m going to dig into the API scores a bit and see if there’s a reason. Private/montessori are always an option.

– Far from my work (27 miles to be exact) in UTC. Commute would be double of my current drive with more traffic. Could rent closer, but probably couldn’t buy any closer in a decent area.

– Estimated completion date in Nov, so I probably can’t fix the rate until Sep/Oct. Hopefully Congress and Nobama come up with a plan that the rating agencies are fond of.

Do any of you have any insight into this community? Thoughts?

As always, you are all very much appreciated!

[CA renter]

Don’t know the development well, but think that SM is a decent place to buy. We’ve been keeping an eye on some properties there, and you seem to get a lot more for your money vs. Carlsbad or Encinitas, yet it’s still very close to those areas for shopping, etc., not to mention the proximity to the 78 all all the shopping along that corridor.

Haven’t been to Sunset Park yet, but have heard great things about it.

Sounds like you’ve found a great house and lot for your family. If you can comfortably afford the **total** payments, including PITI and all the Mello-Roos, I think it’s safe enough to buy there, especially if you’re getting a mortgage, as rates are not likely to go down much further from here.

[CA renter]

Don’t know the development well, but think that SM is a decent place to buy. We’ve been keeping an eye on some properties there, and you seem to get a lot more for your money vs. Carlsbad or Encinitas, yet it’s still very close to those areas for shopping, etc., not to mention the proximity to the 78 all all the shopping along that corridor.

Haven’t been to Sunset Park yet, but have heard great things about it.

Sounds like you’ve found a great house and lot for your family. If you can comfortably afford the **total** payments, including PITI and all the Mello-Roos, I think it’s safe enough to buy there, especially if you’re getting a mortgage, as rates are not likely to go down much further from here.

[CA renter]

Don’t know the development well, but think that SM is a decent place to buy. We’ve been keeping an eye on some properties there, and you seem to get a lot more for your money vs. Carlsbad or Encinitas, yet it’s still very close to those areas for shopping, etc., not to mention the proximity to the 78 all all the shopping along that corridor.

Haven’t been to Sunset Park yet, but have heard great things about it.

Sounds like you’ve found a great house and lot for your family. If you can comfortably afford the **total** payments, including PITI and all the Mello-Roos, I think it’s safe enough to buy there, especially if you’re getting a mortgage, as rates are not likely to go down much further from here.

[CA renter]

Don’t know the development well, but think that SM is a decent place to buy. We’ve been keeping an eye on some properties there, and you seem to get a lot more for your money vs. Carlsbad or Encinitas, yet it’s still very close to those areas for shopping, etc., not to mention the proximity to the 78 all all the shopping along that corridor.

Haven’t been to Sunset Park yet, but have heard great things about it.

Sounds like you’ve found a great house and lot for your family. If you can comfortably afford the **total** payments, including PITI and all the Mello-Roos, I think it’s safe enough to buy there, especially if you’re getting a mortgage, as rates are not likely to go down much further from here.

[CA renter]

Don’t know the development well, but think that SM is a decent place to buy. We’ve been keeping an eye on some properties there, and you seem to get a lot more for your money vs. Carlsbad or Encinitas, yet it’s still very close to those areas for shopping, etc., not to mention the proximity to the 78 all all the shopping along that corridor.

Haven’t been to Sunset Park yet, but have heard great things about it.

Sounds like you’ve found a great house and lot for your family. If you can comfortably afford the **total** payments, including PITI and all the Mello-Roos, I think it’s safe enough to buy there, especially if you’re getting a mortgage, as rates are not likely to go down much further from here.

[svelte]

San Marcos is my neck of the woods.

My thoughts upon reading your post:
– A friend regularly has me look at properties with him in SM – I’ve given him the advice to stay away from two areas: the area that is west of RSF Road but north of West SM Blvd; the area known as “little TJ” to locals that is west of Twin Oaks Blvd, north of 78, east of Knoll Road, and south of Borden.
– While no area of SM ia even close to as bad as you see in bigger cities such as San Diego, Esco, and Oceanside’s rough areas, they are the roughest areas in San Marcos and you’d be better off (and sleep better at night) in any other part of the city. The small amount of gang related activity that I see reported in SM is in those two areas. Check with the SM Sheriff substation for more info.
– That being said, you could probably live just fine in the house you mention since it is really a little separated from the worrisome area, and with semi-vacant land around it is likely new homes will surround you soon enough anyway.
– Most middle schools aren’t great (awkward age for kids) so I wouldn’t really worry much about that, both my kids went to SM Middle School and did just fine there. We kept a close eye on them there since it borders on little TJ, but never had any issues.
– Dunn on the other hand is probably the least regarded school in the SMSD. I have no direct experience with that elementary school though. The problem is going to be that the kids that go there will be from the same neighborhood that has a few gang ties, though I’m sure there are fine families in that neighborhood also.
– Note the nursery you speak of will likely become homes, if not townhouses or apts, at some point in the future. You might want to check on zoning for that land. (oops I see you thought of this already)
– If you are talking 57 feet deep from back edge of house to back fence, then that indeed is a pretty deep back yard and should be sufficient for raising kids, etc. Even a small pool at some point.

That’s all I can think of that you didn’t already mention. San Marcos is truly a great place to live no matter where you pick in the city. It’s a great supportive community with everything you could need (shopping, restaurants, recreation) within just a few miles. We never plan on leaving.

Didn’t mean to bring you up or down, I just wanted to make sure you go in with eyes wide open and know what locals tend to think about areas of SM. The things I mention may or may not be important to you.

[quote=evolusd]
Do any of you have any insight into this community? Thoughts?

As always, you are all very much appreciated![/quote]

[svelte]

San Marcos is my neck of the woods.

My thoughts upon reading your post:
– A friend regularly has me look at properties with him in SM – I’ve given him the advice to stay away from two areas: the area that is west of RSF Road but north of West SM Blvd; the area known as “little TJ” to locals that is west of Twin Oaks Blvd, north of 78, east of Knoll Road, and south of Borden.
– While no area of SM ia even close to as bad as you see in bigger cities such as San Diego, Esco, and Oceanside’s rough areas, they are the roughest areas in San Marcos and you’d be better off (and sleep better at night) in any other part of the city. The small amount of gang related activity that I see reported in SM is in those two areas. Check with the SM Sheriff substation for more info.
– That being said, you could probably live just fine in the house you mention since it is really a little separated from the worrisome area, and with semi-vacant land around it is likely new homes will surround you soon enough anyway.
– Most middle schools aren’t great (awkward age for kids) so I wouldn’t really worry much about that, both my kids went to SM Middle School and did just fine there. We kept a close eye on them there since it borders on little TJ, but never had any issues.
– Dunn on the other hand is probably the least regarded school in the SMSD. I have no direct experience with that elementary school though. The problem is going to be that the kids that go there will be from the same neighborhood that has a few gang ties, though I’m sure there are fine families in that neighborhood also.
– Note the nursery you speak of will likely become homes, if not townhouses or apts, at some point in the future. You might want to check on zoning for that land. (oops I see you thought of this already)
– If you are talking 57 feet deep from back edge of house to back fence, then that indeed is a pretty deep back yard and should be sufficient for raising kids, etc. Even a small pool at some point.

That’s all I can think of that you didn’t already mention. San Marcos is truly a great place to live no matter where you pick in the city. It’s a great supportive community with everything you could need (shopping, restaurants, recreation) within just a few miles. We never plan on leaving.

Didn’t mean to bring you up or down, I just wanted to make sure you go in with eyes wide open and know what locals tend to think about areas of SM. The things I mention may or may not be important to you.

[quote=evolusd]
Do any of you have any insight into this community? Thoughts?

As always, you are all very much appreciated![/quote]

[svelte]

San Marcos is my neck of the woods.

My thoughts upon reading your post:
– A friend regularly has me look at properties with him in SM – I’ve given him the advice to stay away from two areas: the area that is west of RSF Road but north of West SM Blvd; the area known as “little TJ” to locals that is west of Twin Oaks Blvd, north of 78, east of Knoll Road, and south of Borden.
– While no area of SM ia even close to as bad as you see in bigger cities such as San Diego, Esco, and Oceanside’s rough areas, they are the roughest areas in San Marcos and you’d be better off (and sleep better at night) in any other part of the city. The small amount of gang related activity that I see reported in SM is in those two areas. Check with the SM Sheriff substation for more info.
– That being said, you could probably live just fine in the house you mention since it is really a little separated from the worrisome area, and with semi-vacant land around it is likely new homes will surround you soon enough anyway.
– Most middle schools aren’t great (awkward age for kids) so I wouldn’t really worry much about that, both my kids went to SM Middle School and did just fine there. We kept a close eye on them there since it borders on little TJ, but never had any issues.
– Dunn on the other hand is probably the least regarded school in the SMSD. I have no direct experience with that elementary school though. The problem is going to be that the kids that go there will be from the same neighborhood that has a few gang ties, though I’m sure there are fine families in that neighborhood also.
– Note the nursery you speak of will likely become homes, if not townhouses or apts, at some point in the future. You might want to check on zoning for that land. (oops I see you thought of this already)
– If you are talking 57 feet deep from back edge of house to back fence, then that indeed is a pretty deep back yard and should be sufficient for raising kids, etc. Even a small pool at some point.

That’s all I can think of that you didn’t already mention. San Marcos is truly a great place to live no matter where you pick in the city. It’s a great supportive community with everything you could need (shopping, restaurants, recreation) within just a few miles. We never plan on leaving.

Didn’t mean to bring you up or down, I just wanted to make sure you go in with eyes wide open and know what locals tend to think about areas of SM. The things I mention may or may not be important to you.

[quote=evolusd]
Do any of you have any insight into this community? Thoughts?

As always, you are all very much appreciated![/quote]

[svelte]

San Marcos is my neck of the woods.

My thoughts upon reading your post:
– A friend regularly has me look at properties with him in SM – I’ve given him the advice to stay away from two areas: the area that is west of RSF Road but north of West SM Blvd; the area known as “little TJ” to locals that is west of Twin Oaks Blvd, north of 78, east of Knoll Road, and south of Borden.
– While no area of SM ia even close to as bad as you see in bigger cities such as San Diego, Esco, and Oceanside’s rough areas, they are the roughest areas in San Marcos and you’d be better off (and sleep better at night) in any other part of the city. The small amount of gang related activity that I see reported in SM is in those two areas. Check with the SM Sheriff substation for more info.
– That being said, you could probably live just fine in the house you mention since it is really a little separated from the worrisome area, and with semi-vacant land around it is likely new homes will surround you soon enough anyway.
– Most middle schools aren’t great (awkward age for kids) so I wouldn’t really worry much about that, both my kids went to SM Middle School and did just fine there. We kept a close eye on them there since it borders on little TJ, but never had any issues.
– Dunn on the other hand is probably the least regarded school in the SMSD. I have no direct experience with that elementary school though. The problem is going to be that the kids that go there will be from the same neighborhood that has a few gang ties, though I’m sure there are fine families in that neighborhood also.
– Note the nursery you speak of will likely become homes, if not townhouses or apts, at some point in the future. You might want to check on zoning for that land. (oops I see you thought of this already)
– If you are talking 57 feet deep from back edge of house to back fence, then that indeed is a pretty deep back yard and should be sufficient for raising kids, etc. Even a small pool at some point.

That’s all I can think of that you didn’t already mention. San Marcos is truly a great place to live no matter where you pick in the city. It’s a great supportive community with everything you could need (shopping, restaurants, recreation) within just a few miles. We never plan on leaving.

Didn’t mean to bring you up or down, I just wanted to make sure you go in with eyes wide open and know what locals tend to think about areas of SM. The things I mention may or may not be important to you.

[quote=evolusd]
Do any of you have any insight into this community? Thoughts?

As always, you are all very much appreciated![/quote]

[svelte]

San Marcos is my neck of the woods.

My thoughts upon reading your post:
– A friend regularly has me look at properties with him in SM – I’ve given him the advice to stay away from two areas: the area that is west of RSF Road but north of West SM Blvd; the area known as “little TJ” to locals that is west of Twin Oaks Blvd, north of 78, east of Knoll Road, and south of Borden.
– While no area of SM ia even close to as bad as you see in bigger cities such as San Diego, Esco, and Oceanside’s rough areas, they are the roughest areas in San Marcos and you’d be better off (and sleep better at night) in any other part of the city. The small amount of gang related activity that I see reported in SM is in those two areas. Check with the SM Sheriff substation for more info.
– That being said, you could probably live just fine in the house you mention since it is really a little separated from the worrisome area, and with semi-vacant land around it is likely new homes will surround you soon enough anyway.
– Most middle schools aren’t great (awkward age for kids) so I wouldn’t really worry much about that, both my kids went to SM Middle School and did just fine there. We kept a close eye on them there since it borders on little TJ, but never had any issues.
– Dunn on the other hand is probably the least regarded school in the SMSD. I have no direct experience with that elementary school though. The problem is going to be that the kids that go there will be from the same neighborhood that has a few gang ties, though I’m sure there are fine families in that neighborhood also.
– Note the nursery you speak of will likely become homes, if not townhouses or apts, at some point in the future. You might want to check on zoning for that land. (oops I see you thought of this already)
– If you are talking 57 feet deep from back edge of house to back fence, then that indeed is a pretty deep back yard and should be sufficient for raising kids, etc. Even a small pool at some point.

That’s all I can think of that you didn’t already mention. San Marcos is truly a great place to live no matter where you pick in the city. It’s a great supportive community with everything you could need (shopping, restaurants, recreation) within just a few miles. We never plan on leaving.

Didn’t mean to bring you up or down, I just wanted to make sure you go in with eyes wide open and know what locals tend to think about areas of SM. The things I mention may or may not be important to you.

[quote=evolusd]
Do any of you have any insight into this community? Thoughts?

As always, you are all very much appreciated![/quote]

[LAAFTERHOURS]

A lot of what svelte mentioned is what I was going to echo last night. That development is right next to a very active park. Its a neat park with splash area, slides and stuff, sports field and frisbee golf.

The neighborhood sits on the edge of the the notable areas mentioned above as well as a lot of commercial space. The tax rate is unfortunate, as I assume you have HOA and MR. Look at the surrounding area prior to your purchase and consider that the neighborhood you are looking at right now is the nicest in the area. Everything surrounding it is not as nice and while they may eventually build homes that are higher end, its not a given.

I guess my question to you would be if you are willing to pay that tax rate, why not look at other areas in San marcos that have come down quite a bit like Discovery hills, SEH, old creek ranch etc. These areas arent on the edge of the rougher areas and have all the amenities you are looking for. There are places off craven with no HOA in the low 400s (a bit older). There is a1800 sq ft on kenwood in SEH for low 400s. Another area is east a bit off barham. I dont know the area but next to Lake moree park there are some cheaper homes in your price range.

I hope that nursery doesnt go away. They have a fantastic selection, good pricing and are very helpful.

[LAAFTERHOURS]

A lot of what svelte mentioned is what I was going to echo last night. That development is right next to a very active park. Its a neat park with splash area, slides and stuff, sports field and frisbee golf.

The neighborhood sits on the edge of the the notable areas mentioned above as well as a lot of commercial space. The tax rate is unfortunate, as I assume you have HOA and MR. Look at the surrounding area prior to your purchase and consider that the neighborhood you are looking at right now is the nicest in the area. Everything surrounding it is not as nice and while they may eventually build homes that are higher end, its not a given.

I guess my question to you would be if you are willing to pay that tax rate, why not look at other areas in San marcos that have come down quite a bit like Discovery hills, SEH, old creek ranch etc. These areas arent on the edge of the rougher areas and have all the amenities you are looking for. There are places off craven with no HOA in the low 400s (a bit older). There is a1800 sq ft on kenwood in SEH for low 400s. Another area is east a bit off barham. I dont know the area but next to Lake moree park there are some cheaper homes in your price range.

I hope that nursery doesnt go away. They have a fantastic selection, good pricing and are very helpful.

[LAAFTERHOURS]

A lot of what svelte mentioned is what I was going to echo last night. That development is right next to a very active park. Its a neat park with splash area, slides and stuff, sports field and frisbee golf.

The neighborhood sits on the edge of the the notable areas mentioned above as well as a lot of commercial space. The tax rate is unfortunate, as I assume you have HOA and MR. Look at the surrounding area prior to your purchase and consider that the neighborhood you are looking at right now is the nicest in the area. Everything surrounding it is not as nice and while they may eventually build homes that are higher end, its not a given.

I guess my question to you would be if you are willing to pay that tax rate, why not look at other areas in San marcos that have come down quite a bit like Discovery hills, SEH, old creek ranch etc. These areas arent on the edge of the rougher areas and have all the amenities you are looking for. There are places off craven with no HOA in the low 400s (a bit older). There is a1800 sq ft on kenwood in SEH for low 400s. Another area is east a bit off barham. I dont know the area but next to Lake moree park there are some cheaper homes in your price range.

I hope that nursery doesnt go away. They have a fantastic selection, good pricing and are very helpful.

[LAAFTERHOURS]

A lot of what svelte mentioned is what I was going to echo last night. That development is right next to a very active park. Its a neat park with splash area, slides and stuff, sports field and frisbee golf.

The neighborhood sits on the edge of the the notable areas mentioned above as well as a lot of commercial space. The tax rate is unfortunate, as I assume you have HOA and MR. Look at the surrounding area prior to your purchase and consider that the neighborhood you are looking at right now is the nicest in the area. Everything surrounding it is not as nice and while they may eventually build homes that are higher end, its not a given.

I guess my question to you would be if you are willing to pay that tax rate, why not look at other areas in San marcos that have come down quite a bit like Discovery hills, SEH, old creek ranch etc. These areas arent on the edge of the rougher areas and have all the amenities you are looking for. There are places off craven with no HOA in the low 400s (a bit older). There is a1800 sq ft on kenwood in SEH for low 400s. Another area is east a bit off barham. I dont know the area but next to Lake moree park there are some cheaper homes in your price range.

I hope that nursery doesnt go away. They have a fantastic selection, good pricing and are very helpful.

[Author]

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