Inbound to SD County; where to live?

[MH]

It’s been a while since I last lived in SoCal, but it appears my family and I will be headed back to SD this summer and we need to figure out where to settle (perhaps rent, but will ultimately be buying again at some point).

We own in Oceanside at the moment and can settle in there for some time, but that house is too small and not where I want to spend the next 10 years.

I’ve narrowed the search down somewhat – I need to be able to commute to Pendleton, Miramar, or MCRD so that I can shift around for the remaining ~5 years I’ll be in the Corps and still have a decent chance of commuting to work once I get out. So, I think that puts us in a box between Encinitas and UCSD on the West and Mira Mesa to perhaps Escondido on the East. I’m leaning farther to the South end as I presume the counter-flow commute to CPen is significantly easier that heading towards SD in the AM.

Considerations –
– Community is huge – we’ve got a couple of kids and want them to have a safe, positive neighborhood with good schools. My plan is to stay put until my youngest gradutates from HS in 2017 so I don’t mind putting up with greater costs / commutes in exchange for being in a place we like.
– As I expect prices to come down a bunch, I’m looking at places up to 800k for the moment but don’t expect to pay that much when I do buy.
– Doesn’t need to be a new house / neighborhood; we’d rather have the larger lots and privacy of many older places. Ideally, 4 BR or a big 3 in a community of the same.
– Taxes, HOA, Mello Ros, etc. (We don’t pay either of the last 2 in Oceanside).

Rancho Bernardo and Rancho Penasquitos look interesting (from Zip / Zillow) but don’t know the areas very well. Any thoughts / recommendations would be greatly appreciated…

[PerryChase]

I would recommend the environs of Carmel Valley, Encinitas and Carlsbad.

If you don’t mind a smaller, older house, La Jolla is good also. You can live in East La Jolla but still in the 92037 zip.

[Carlsbadliving]

I would highly recommend Rancho Penasquitos. Good schools (in Poway SD). You have an easy commute south, down the 15 and the 163 and you also have a relatively easy commute north (56 west, 5 north). You have older established neighborhoods, many without HOAs and mello roos. And your still just 10-15 min. from the beach.

[MH]

Thanks to both…

How can you tell if you’re in a Mello Ros area? Again, we weren’t in Oceanside – was that because the house was built prior to some specific year? And, what’s the rule of thumb for MR – I presume its large enough to be a consideration, no?

I’m encouraged by the RP second… sure seemed to fit the description but you just never know from Zip / Zillow what the neighborhood is really like…

[CardiffBaseball]

I wouldn’t choose RB or Escondido, because you have too much 15 traffic. Sorrento Valley isn’t bad if you are ok with Mira Mesa HS (assuming you plan to use public schools).

Rancho Penasquitos, particularly the area south of 56, and west of 15, would mean an easy commute to Miramar using surface streets, and not a bad commute to Pendleton.

Encinitas is nice, Cardiff. I’d say Carmel Valley has the same basic advantages as RP, but with a better community. From CV, to La Costa avenue you are in San Deiguito schools, which are good. RP is in Poway schools.

Personally, I don’t care that much for Mira Mesa (San Diego schools) but there are people on here who seem to like it.

[PerryChase]

I forgot to say that if you’re coming back next summer, then it still will be a long time from good time to buy.

Why not rent in a good neighborhood for a few years? With what it would cost you in interest on a 800k mortgage, you can get a nice rental.

If you rent, the rental rates in Carmel Valley are about the same as Rancho Bernardo. I think that the coastal areas on the 5 are nicer than the inland neighborhoods along the 15.

[blahblahblah]

Dude, are you like in charge of the entire Marine Corps? 800K is a seriously expensive crib.

[kicksavedave]

I second the idea of looking at Carlsbad, Encinitas, Carmel Valley, etc. Also, LaCosta is a nice area in between Carlsbad and Encinitas…. you may pay some HOA’s, but generally low compared to an $800K mortgage (~$100/Mo HOAs, not too bad). Good schools, good safe areas.

LaCosta and Encinitas will give you very easy access to the 5, which gets you to Pendelton and Miramar easily… MCRD is 30-35 minutes from LaCosta. Trust me, you would much rather commute to CP, Miramar or MCRD from the 5, than from the 15… not even close how much of a difference that commute is.

Here’s one place in Encinitas in your ball park with a low HOA and no Mello Roos.

http://www.ziprealty.com/buy_a_home/logged_in/search/home_detail.jsp?listing_num=061059152&mls=mls_sandiego&source=SANDICOR&propertyType=SFR

Good luck, Semper Fi

[MH]

Concho… Hardly the next Commandant, but have done okay since the days long ago when I was but a wide-eyed recruit at MCRD. Agree about the cost; 800k is the max I’m looking at now in anticipation of those prices falling to a level where I can buy (maybe ~700k). Plus, we did okay in our prior houses, save regularly and live very modestly so I’ll be in a pretty good position if/when the time comes to buy a place to homestead.

For those rec’ing the coast; don’t you get a lot more for the $$$ inland? We’d like to get into 4 BRs (to have one-per and a guest/office) and have some yard as well – can you still do that on the coast? Plus – surprised to hear the 15 is that much worse than the 5; the handful of times I had to drive to the Naval Station from CPen to embark the 5 was a complete mess.

Kicksavedave – thanks for the link. I’d excluded all “N/A” lot sizes on my searches ‘cause I have some visceral objection to detached condos but can’t really justify same. Might just have to reconsider.

PerryChase – might certainly be a bit too soon to buy. We’ve still got a pretty decent place in O’Side and moving back in would reset my capital gains shelter. For that matter, we could always add on to it to make it work for a longer term and the Prop 13 advantage is not insignificant. But, very much want to give my kids the opportunity that I had – to stay in the same schools for their adolescent years. IOT do that, we’d much rather “move up” in the world.

Again, thanks to all for helping shape my focus… SF!

[Carlsbadliving]

The 15 is generally only bad from Escondido down through RB. Anything south of the 56 is pretty easy sailing.

From Carlsbad or Encinitas to the south can be pretty bad just about every day, but generally clogs up later in the morning than the bad portion of the 15.

[USMCBunny]

MH,

I’ve sort of homesteaded here in SD for 8 years bouncing between flying at NKX and ground tours at CAMPEN (wife chooses to handle the deployments rather than picking up and leaving her career)

Currently rent a townhome in Solana Beach, no kids yet, and it is a great mid point for the two bases. When we have kids we intend to rent/buy in the Black Mountain, Rancho P area.
(Rent til I see a true bottom, which as a Marine and potential mover means I can rent it at near PITI – then buy)

The enhancements to the 56 have eased traffic north of Miramar and are make the areas north and south of the 56 more accesable. The old merge traffic at the 805/5 has eased greatly, though the 5 north still turns into a parking lot at rush hour further north at the race track. The 15 is still bad north of Miramar – both direction during rush hour.

From Solana beach – easy traffic going north on the 5 in the morning all the way to CAMPEN (20 mins to camp del mar), generally some slowing coming south in the PM (about 40 mins). Going south to Miramar, again easy traffic in the morning, (10 mins to Miramar rd) but traffic past the merge going north in the PM causes the return trip to take about 40 mins.

The guys who live up the 15 generally come in before 0600 and PT on base to aviod traffic, and endure it going home.

There’s the traffic report. On housing, there are several guys in my unit that are losing sleep trying to sell properties, some of them underwater. You appear to have a pretty good nut to put down on a place (I am in the same boat). I personally will not buy until the rent vs own numbers get down to the 1 to 1 range.

Good luck, welcome aboard

Flywestcoast

[PerryChase]

So many military guys on this board! I thought that military men were the bullish gung ho types (just joking :)).

[MH]

USMC “Bunny”… bet there’s a story behind that.

Yeah, I started out flying on the Left Coast too – back when we still had El Toro (lived on Tustin). Then we bought in OSide and I did the commute to Orange County – joy.

Thanks for the gouge on the commutes – not sure where I’ll be headed yet; one of the drawbacks of being at the Naval War College is you don’t have much negotiating power. But, very much expect to get back to SoCal in some capacity.

Worse case for the guys trying to unload is doing a PCS out and then returning – I imagine the BAH rates are going to drop and being “Grandfathered” at the old rates will matter (and its part of my rationale for coming back now).

At least we’ve got O’Side as a fall back plan… might be a good place to wait out the downturn and shop around; but don’t really want to do the commute to MCRD every day (I’m overdue for a B-Billet). Rancho P seems like a decent starting point – and I’ll keep an eye open for something on the coast as well…

SF!

[PD]

Bunny, are you a hornet guy? Just wondering if you are the same “Bunny” my husband knows.

[SD Realtor]

MH –

I would also recommend the rental strategy prior to buying as well. I am doing that right now. If school district is a priority then the Torrey Pines school district is tops, (which means you live in Carmel Valley) and other good school districts would put you in Solana Beach, Del Mar and of course La Jolla. The Poway school district serves Rancho Penasquitos, Poway and Rancho Bernardo and this is also a good district. I also like Encinitas and Cardiff but I do not know the quality of the San Dieguito school district.

Again like you I am renting and I have two toddlers and will be concerned about school in a few short years.

Mello Roos fees vary with the subdivision you choose but a good rule of thumb is that if you choose a newer home, (built in the late 90’s and after) the chances are good that you will have MR fees. When you start really looking the MLS listings will display if there is a MR fee or not.

SD Realtor

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