Highlands Village in Carmel Valley: need advice!

[Scarlett]

[quote=lepetitangel]Hi Scarlett,
Thanks for your advice. I cannot agree with you more.
We do like Plan 4 a lot and we do think it is still over-priced. The sales office told us they already have a bunch of people on the waitlist…not sure if it’s true. But we’re gonna wait for at least 6-months as they told us nothing is available till Dec. Meanwhile we’ll just keep on watching the market.[/quote]
You’re welcome. We were told by the sales office that the next release is in August, with move-in around February. And that the waiting list is not by type of townhome, because people change their minds. So we only have to decide in August for that release (or could postpone for the following release if you wish).
[quote=lepetitangel]
I agree that it’s not necessary to have a brand-new home. I do like CV a lot as I lived in the area in my parents’ house for the past 5 years, and it’s just real convenient for us. I’m interested in some of the older neighborhoods too, especially those with smaller SFHs with a yard. I just hope prices do come down more in 6-months.
For something that’s 600K now, I do hope it drops to at least 575K. Do you think it’s possible in 6 months?[/quote]
I think it’s quite possible, but it does not mean it will .

[quote=lepetitangel]So if it was you, would you go for a:
– Brand new townhome (2000-sqft) in Highland Village?
– or an older (1985~1990) smaller (1600-sqft) SFHs in other parts of CV?
thanks![/quote]

If it was me, with no kids, I wouldn’t move yet. not this year and not the next.

But, at the same price, I would go with the SFH – if I HAD to buy. Think about the HOA too that really adds to the price, I dunno, perhaps as much as 50K?!
As a note, if it’s just a 3 bdr, it may feel cramped if you have more than 1 kid. Grandparents nearby is a HUGE advantage, remember. Invaluable.

[lepetitangel]

Yah.
I guess one reason we started looking is just because I was worried that market is not gonna go down too much more. A lot of people on the forum seem to think market will be down/flat in the next 0~5-years. Do you agree?

Yah…I wanted 1800+ sqft cuz if we do have kids, my in-laws may move in and help for a bit. In that case, having both me and hubby, in-laws and baby, I think we def. need 3+ rooms. It’ll be nice to have large living area as well. That’s the reason why we want to buy. But then again, we can wait for another 2+ years.

It’s just so hard to time the bottom of things…when is the housing gonna hit bottom?

Seems like the current bottom is about March 2009 (same as stock market). But I don’t know if we will revisit the buttom. What you think?

[lepetitangel]

Yah.
I guess one reason we started looking is just because I was worried that market is not gonna go down too much more. A lot of people on the forum seem to think market will be down/flat in the next 0~5-years. Do you agree?

Yah…I wanted 1800+ sqft cuz if we do have kids, my in-laws may move in and help for a bit. In that case, having both me and hubby, in-laws and baby, I think we def. need 3+ rooms. It’ll be nice to have large living area as well. That’s the reason why we want to buy. But then again, we can wait for another 2+ years.

It’s just so hard to time the bottom of things…when is the housing gonna hit bottom?

Seems like the current bottom is about March 2009 (same as stock market). But I don’t know if we will revisit the buttom. What you think?

[lepetitangel]

Yah.
I guess one reason we started looking is just because I was worried that market is not gonna go down too much more. A lot of people on the forum seem to think market will be down/flat in the next 0~5-years. Do you agree?

Yah…I wanted 1800+ sqft cuz if we do have kids, my in-laws may move in and help for a bit. In that case, having both me and hubby, in-laws and baby, I think we def. need 3+ rooms. It’ll be nice to have large living area as well. That’s the reason why we want to buy. But then again, we can wait for another 2+ years.

It’s just so hard to time the bottom of things…when is the housing gonna hit bottom?

Seems like the current bottom is about March 2009 (same as stock market). But I don’t know if we will revisit the buttom. What you think?

[lepetitangel]

Yah.
I guess one reason we started looking is just because I was worried that market is not gonna go down too much more. A lot of people on the forum seem to think market will be down/flat in the next 0~5-years. Do you agree?

Yah…I wanted 1800+ sqft cuz if we do have kids, my in-laws may move in and help for a bit. In that case, having both me and hubby, in-laws and baby, I think we def. need 3+ rooms. It’ll be nice to have large living area as well. That’s the reason why we want to buy. But then again, we can wait for another 2+ years.

It’s just so hard to time the bottom of things…when is the housing gonna hit bottom?

Seems like the current bottom is about March 2009 (same as stock market). But I don’t know if we will revisit the buttom. What you think?

[lepetitangel]

Yah.
I guess one reason we started looking is just because I was worried that market is not gonna go down too much more. A lot of people on the forum seem to think market will be down/flat in the next 0~5-years. Do you agree?

Yah…I wanted 1800+ sqft cuz if we do have kids, my in-laws may move in and help for a bit. In that case, having both me and hubby, in-laws and baby, I think we def. need 3+ rooms. It’ll be nice to have large living area as well. That’s the reason why we want to buy. But then again, we can wait for another 2+ years.

It’s just so hard to time the bottom of things…when is the housing gonna hit bottom?

Seems like the current bottom is about March 2009 (same as stock market). But I don’t know if we will revisit the buttom. What you think?

[Anonymous]

lepetitangel,
I agree with Scarlett regarding Park Village is a nice area if the PQ location works for you. These homes have nice floorplans and most have been well maintained.

I also agree that you should be in no rush to make a decision.

I recently received a brochure in the mail regarding the large undeveloped lot in CV across from the Del Mar Highlands shopping center. A developer is planning on building an upscale retail/restaurant center there along with townhouse style housing. This new development sounds interesting and it is a great location. It will be walkable to many schools and amenities. They will also be improving the Del Mar Highlands Center across the way in the near future. This area may be the last prime location in the western CV area to be developed. I do not recall what they said the timeframe is going to be. Many of my neighbors are hoping they will build a Trader’s Joes and Cheesecake Factory in this new center. One of the negatives of CV is we lack sit down restaurants and retail choices.

[Anonymous]

lepetitangel,
I agree with Scarlett regarding Park Village is a nice area if the PQ location works for you. These homes have nice floorplans and most have been well maintained.

I also agree that you should be in no rush to make a decision.

I recently received a brochure in the mail regarding the large undeveloped lot in CV across from the Del Mar Highlands shopping center. A developer is planning on building an upscale retail/restaurant center there along with townhouse style housing. This new development sounds interesting and it is a great location. It will be walkable to many schools and amenities. They will also be improving the Del Mar Highlands Center across the way in the near future. This area may be the last prime location in the western CV area to be developed. I do not recall what they said the timeframe is going to be. Many of my neighbors are hoping they will build a Trader’s Joes and Cheesecake Factory in this new center. One of the negatives of CV is we lack sit down restaurants and retail choices.

[Anonymous]

lepetitangel,
I agree with Scarlett regarding Park Village is a nice area if the PQ location works for you. These homes have nice floorplans and most have been well maintained.

I also agree that you should be in no rush to make a decision.

I recently received a brochure in the mail regarding the large undeveloped lot in CV across from the Del Mar Highlands shopping center. A developer is planning on building an upscale retail/restaurant center there along with townhouse style housing. This new development sounds interesting and it is a great location. It will be walkable to many schools and amenities. They will also be improving the Del Mar Highlands Center across the way in the near future. This area may be the last prime location in the western CV area to be developed. I do not recall what they said the timeframe is going to be. Many of my neighbors are hoping they will build a Trader’s Joes and Cheesecake Factory in this new center. One of the negatives of CV is we lack sit down restaurants and retail choices.

[Anonymous]

lepetitangel,
I agree with Scarlett regarding Park Village is a nice area if the PQ location works for you. These homes have nice floorplans and most have been well maintained.

I also agree that you should be in no rush to make a decision.

I recently received a brochure in the mail regarding the large undeveloped lot in CV across from the Del Mar Highlands shopping center. A developer is planning on building an upscale retail/restaurant center there along with townhouse style housing. This new development sounds interesting and it is a great location. It will be walkable to many schools and amenities. They will also be improving the Del Mar Highlands Center across the way in the near future. This area may be the last prime location in the western CV area to be developed. I do not recall what they said the timeframe is going to be. Many of my neighbors are hoping they will build a Trader’s Joes and Cheesecake Factory in this new center. One of the negatives of CV is we lack sit down restaurants and retail choices.

[Anonymous]

lepetitangel,
I agree with Scarlett regarding Park Village is a nice area if the PQ location works for you. These homes have nice floorplans and most have been well maintained.

I also agree that you should be in no rush to make a decision.

I recently received a brochure in the mail regarding the large undeveloped lot in CV across from the Del Mar Highlands shopping center. A developer is planning on building an upscale retail/restaurant center there along with townhouse style housing. This new development sounds interesting and it is a great location. It will be walkable to many schools and amenities. They will also be improving the Del Mar Highlands Center across the way in the near future. This area may be the last prime location in the western CV area to be developed. I do not recall what they said the timeframe is going to be. Many of my neighbors are hoping they will build a Trader’s Joes and Cheesecake Factory in this new center. One of the negatives of CV is we lack sit down restaurants and retail choices.

[Scarlett]

[quote=lepetitangel]Yah.
I guess one reason we started looking is just because I was worried that market is not gonna go down too much more. A lot of people on the forum seem to think market will be down/flat in the next 0~5-years. Do you agree?

Yah…I wanted 1800+ sqft cuz if we do have kids, my in-laws may move in and help for a bit. In that case, having both me and hubby, in-laws and baby, I think we def. need 3+ rooms. It’ll be nice to have large living area as well. That’s the reason why we want to buy. But then again, we can wait for another 2+ years.

It’s just so hard to time the bottom of things…when is the housing gonna hit bottom?

Seems like the current bottom is about March 2009 (same as stock market). But I don’t know if we will revisit the buttom. What you think?[/quote]

I agree that if you have parents living in with you, you need 3+ bdr and at least 1800 sf. Rather than stretching yourself thin now and compromising too much on the house, why don’t you wait and save for that time.

I also think that the market will not go up anytime soon, therefore flat or slightly down for the next few years. I believe in the double dip and I think we’ll see the spring 2009 prices again, and lower, as many on this forum do. But nobody has a crystal bar and very few anticipated how much the government intervened to prop the price up (or to slow their decline). But YOU need to think about all scenarios and see what’s the downside of waiting for YOU. What is the amount of risk and wait you can tolerate.

It doesn’t matter what I think. One cannot time the bottom. Better buy in a more solid normal market, in a better economy, on the way up. I don’t know when that would be, but sure as hell is not now.

From what I get from you – it’s the commute now, and kids+inlaws, later. Well, if the commute is that bad, then rent in CV something small and SAVE. I can’t tell if you should sell, or rent your place out. Then when kids come, buy a larger house. Rates will stay low for a while. So will prices, if they don’t go even lower. What if you buy now and all hell breaks loose and houses dip another 50% in a couple years? Will you still be ok with the house you bought? If you have to move, what do you do then – take a bath, or rent it out for less than P&I – are you ok with that?

[Scarlett]

[quote=lepetitangel]Yah.
I guess one reason we started looking is just because I was worried that market is not gonna go down too much more. A lot of people on the forum seem to think market will be down/flat in the next 0~5-years. Do you agree?

Yah…I wanted 1800+ sqft cuz if we do have kids, my in-laws may move in and help for a bit. In that case, having both me and hubby, in-laws and baby, I think we def. need 3+ rooms. It’ll be nice to have large living area as well. That’s the reason why we want to buy. But then again, we can wait for another 2+ years.

It’s just so hard to time the bottom of things…when is the housing gonna hit bottom?

Seems like the current bottom is about March 2009 (same as stock market). But I don’t know if we will revisit the buttom. What you think?[/quote]

I agree that if you have parents living in with you, you need 3+ bdr and at least 1800 sf. Rather than stretching yourself thin now and compromising too much on the house, why don’t you wait and save for that time.

I also think that the market will not go up anytime soon, therefore flat or slightly down for the next few years. I believe in the double dip and I think we’ll see the spring 2009 prices again, and lower, as many on this forum do. But nobody has a crystal bar and very few anticipated how much the government intervened to prop the price up (or to slow their decline). But YOU need to think about all scenarios and see what’s the downside of waiting for YOU. What is the amount of risk and wait you can tolerate.

It doesn’t matter what I think. One cannot time the bottom. Better buy in a more solid normal market, in a better economy, on the way up. I don’t know when that would be, but sure as hell is not now.

From what I get from you – it’s the commute now, and kids+inlaws, later. Well, if the commute is that bad, then rent in CV something small and SAVE. I can’t tell if you should sell, or rent your place out. Then when kids come, buy a larger house. Rates will stay low for a while. So will prices, if they don’t go even lower. What if you buy now and all hell breaks loose and houses dip another 50% in a couple years? Will you still be ok with the house you bought? If you have to move, what do you do then – take a bath, or rent it out for less than P&I – are you ok with that?

[Scarlett]

[quote=lepetitangel]Yah.
I guess one reason we started looking is just because I was worried that market is not gonna go down too much more. A lot of people on the forum seem to think market will be down/flat in the next 0~5-years. Do you agree?

Yah…I wanted 1800+ sqft cuz if we do have kids, my in-laws may move in and help for a bit. In that case, having both me and hubby, in-laws and baby, I think we def. need 3+ rooms. It’ll be nice to have large living area as well. That’s the reason why we want to buy. But then again, we can wait for another 2+ years.

It’s just so hard to time the bottom of things…when is the housing gonna hit bottom?

Seems like the current bottom is about March 2009 (same as stock market). But I don’t know if we will revisit the buttom. What you think?[/quote]

I agree that if you have parents living in with you, you need 3+ bdr and at least 1800 sf. Rather than stretching yourself thin now and compromising too much on the house, why don’t you wait and save for that time.

I also think that the market will not go up anytime soon, therefore flat or slightly down for the next few years. I believe in the double dip and I think we’ll see the spring 2009 prices again, and lower, as many on this forum do. But nobody has a crystal bar and very few anticipated how much the government intervened to prop the price up (or to slow their decline). But YOU need to think about all scenarios and see what’s the downside of waiting for YOU. What is the amount of risk and wait you can tolerate.

It doesn’t matter what I think. One cannot time the bottom. Better buy in a more solid normal market, in a better economy, on the way up. I don’t know when that would be, but sure as hell is not now.

From what I get from you – it’s the commute now, and kids+inlaws, later. Well, if the commute is that bad, then rent in CV something small and SAVE. I can’t tell if you should sell, or rent your place out. Then when kids come, buy a larger house. Rates will stay low for a while. So will prices, if they don’t go even lower. What if you buy now and all hell breaks loose and houses dip another 50% in a couple years? Will you still be ok with the house you bought? If you have to move, what do you do then – take a bath, or rent it out for less than P&I – are you ok with that?

[Scarlett]

[quote=lepetitangel]Yah.
I guess one reason we started looking is just because I was worried that market is not gonna go down too much more. A lot of people on the forum seem to think market will be down/flat in the next 0~5-years. Do you agree?

Yah…I wanted 1800+ sqft cuz if we do have kids, my in-laws may move in and help for a bit. In that case, having both me and hubby, in-laws and baby, I think we def. need 3+ rooms. It’ll be nice to have large living area as well. That’s the reason why we want to buy. But then again, we can wait for another 2+ years.

It’s just so hard to time the bottom of things…when is the housing gonna hit bottom?

Seems like the current bottom is about March 2009 (same as stock market). But I don’t know if we will revisit the buttom. What you think?[/quote]

I agree that if you have parents living in with you, you need 3+ bdr and at least 1800 sf. Rather than stretching yourself thin now and compromising too much on the house, why don’t you wait and save for that time.

I also think that the market will not go up anytime soon, therefore flat or slightly down for the next few years. I believe in the double dip and I think we’ll see the spring 2009 prices again, and lower, as many on this forum do. But nobody has a crystal bar and very few anticipated how much the government intervened to prop the price up (or to slow their decline). But YOU need to think about all scenarios and see what’s the downside of waiting for YOU. What is the amount of risk and wait you can tolerate.

It doesn’t matter what I think. One cannot time the bottom. Better buy in a more solid normal market, in a better economy, on the way up. I don’t know when that would be, but sure as hell is not now.

From what I get from you – it’s the commute now, and kids+inlaws, later. Well, if the commute is that bad, then rent in CV something small and SAVE. I can’t tell if you should sell, or rent your place out. Then when kids come, buy a larger house. Rates will stay low for a while. So will prices, if they don’t go even lower. What if you buy now and all hell breaks loose and houses dip another 50% in a couple years? Will you still be ok with the house you bought? If you have to move, what do you do then – take a bath, or rent it out for less than P&I – are you ok with that?

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