Best neighborhood and/or builders

[ybc]

Hi, many people are around San Diego for a long time, so I wonder if you can share your view on:
a) best neighborhoods in San Diego and why
b) best builders

Thanks!

[SD Realtor]

ybc your question is a bit to general. The best neighborhoods will vary for all of us due to taste and other priorities. The best neighborhood for a young single person who likes the bar scense is most likely Pacific Beach or an associated area. The best area for people with young children may be an area with excellent school districts. Still other people may want an area with large lots and spread out homes.

What is important to you? I have been in San Diego for 25 years now and I know all of the areas very well. Are you looking for a good school district? What part of town do you work in? Do you want a home or condo? Specify a bit more what is important to you and I bet you will get lots of information from the regulars here.

As for builders I am not as qualified as some of the other people here who have a great pulse on many of the new developments, especially in Carmel Valley.

[ybc]

neighborhood — I work in the Carmel Valley area, and would prefer a short commute.

Builders — just want to get some general knowledge in the case that we buy a newly constructed house.

[JES]

I bouhgt a Centex home and had a great experience, great customer service. Had friends who went with DR Horton and did not.

[(former)FormerSanDiegan]

Firsy my biases …

1. I prefer to not buy new developments. I remember buying in mid-90’s and saw what the 80’s development looked like by then. Within a decade styles change and become dated and require updating anyway.

2. Prefer easy commutes to downtown/central SD job locations (e.g 15 min), and avoid I-15 and I-5 corridors (esp I-5 north of merge). If you work north of there you should have the opposite bias.

That said, I prefer older established central/ coast: Point Loma, Bay Park, Upper OB, Mission Hills, north PB, Bird Rock, La Jolla.

Almost forgot the rest of the “why?”
Coastal climate (A/C not required). Access to downtown, zoo/sea world (kid activities), beaches. Houses with views of Bay/Ocean. Short ride to airport. Decent dining options.

[SD Realtor]

ybc if you work in Carmel Valley then there is A TON of housing available in the entire I56 corridor. All of this housing will be of the cookie cutter variety. They are all nice homes, however they don’t carry the charm or original design of other parts of town. Still though, the Carmel Valley is smack in the middle of exceptional school districts so if you have kids you are in a great spot. My belief is that Carmel Valley will be hit pretty hard by the upcoming depreciation cycle due to the vast amount of housing in that area. You will just need to exercise patience. Even with that depreciation you may find it a bit on the expensive side. So there are other areas to the east that are not to far a commute for you. Scripps Ranch is nice and has an older and a newer component. Older Scripps has some nice homes with a bit more style, newer Scripps has the standard developments by all of the big builders, these are nice places as well. Further to the north is Rancho Penasquitos which is a little lower priced then Scripps. East of Penasquitos and North of Scripps is Poway which has a very good mix of both older and newer properties. You can find a very large mix of pricing in Poway. In Poway, Scripps, and Penasquitos you will be further east which would mandate air conditioning in the summer but they are nice places to live and not far from Carmel Valley. Scripps has good schools and Poway and Rancho Penasquitos are part of the Poway school district which is good as well. South of Carmel Valley is University City which has an older stock of homes but is less pricey then Carmel Valley and south of that is Clairemont which is less pricey then University City. North of Carmel Valley is Del Mar and Solana Beach. Nice places but pricey and they have good schools as well.

[PerryChase]

formersandiegan, I live in North County coastal and I just hate it (relatively) compared to the central area you mentioned. Even if I worked in the North County, I would still live in central San Diego. I would rather remodel a Bay Park home than buy a new house in Carmel Valley. Just my opinion.

[(former)FormerSanDiegan]

Perry –
I agree with you … though I am biased, since I actually did buy and remodel a Bay Park house.

[anxvariety]

formersandiegan, I live in North County coastal and I just hate it (relatively) compared to the central area you mentioned. Even if I worked in the North County, I would still live in central San Diego. I would rather remodel a Bay Park home than buy a new house in Carmel Valley. Just my opinion.

You hate north county? Why?

If you don’t mind living in a shoebox with 360 views of neighboreds Carmel Valley might be the place.. are you used to crowded living?

I grew up on alot of property and condo living won’t ever work for me…. once you experience life without neighboreds and HOA you won’t want to go back! Ok that’s just personal opinion.. but I don’t think I’ll ever be able to live in a cardboard condo.. too loud, no privacy, no yard, and all of the other condos block the sun!

PS. I would reccomend staying away from the coast.. coast living is the most overrated type IMO.. it’s hardly ever sunny, and there’s usually a damp salty humidity around.. this is coming from someone who has lived on coast, and regularly boats, scuba dives and swims in the ocean!

[(former)FormerSanDiegan]

I would reccomend staying away from the coast.. coast living is the most overrated type IMO.. it’s hardly ever sunny, and there’s usually a damp salty humidity around..

Yes, and those pesky naturally cool breezes really don’t cut it when compared to a large A/C unit. Also, walking to Mission Bay to roller blade or jog really sucks, and getting sand stuck between your toes from walking on the beach is a real downer.

[PerryChase]

I live in one of those cookie cutter house east of I5 in North County. I don’t hate it per se; but I hate it compared to the alternative of living in a central location such as Bay Park. Living close to the city is so much more enjoyable — the people are more interesting and there’s much more to do.

[murray]

My biased vote: Tierrasanta
(Tierrasanta is fully built out…no new housing)
Pros:
1. 30% of land area is open space with lots of hiking / walking trails
2. very active community / spirit
3. excellent freeway access – 15,52,163,8 – very convienient
4. a cul de sac community – you don’t drive thru it to get anywhere else
5. close-in to the city/services/jobs
6. ajacent to Mission Trails regional park
7. all utilities underground. Lots of trees.

Cons:
1. Miramar noise from jets intermittently
2. *Almost* too hot
3. some claim schools are (very) good – still city school district tho
4. Murphy Canyon military housing ajacent
5. pricy (what area isn’t)

[Author]

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