Lakeside Anyone?

[sdgrrl]

Hi All,

My partner and I bought a home in Lakeside in September of 2016. We only qualified for the loan under my partner’s income, because I didn’t want to even know what we would qualify for under both our incomes combined. To be honest I am shocked what we qualified for under my partner’s income. There is just no way he could pay the mortgage on his own unless all 1st world comforts were gone except car insurance, electricity and water. .

I know myself and we would have seen the homes on the lower bracket first and I will would have been like- Oh, well it’s just $10k more and the yard will be complete. Then we would find a home with a nice yard. Then I would have said, Oh, but if we go just $5k more I can have that big walk in closet. Oh- just $10k more and we could have a larger formal dining area.

Our house in Lakeside was built in the 40s and is in the style of a typical Craftsman from that time period. The inside of the home and the roof was completely gutted and redone with modern upgrades. The outside needs a little paint (to fit my preference). It has 3 bedrooms, 1 and ½ bath, utility room and garage. We don’t have children or plan on having, so I’m not worried about the one full bathroom.

We live on a mountain with a curvy road and have a 180 view of the mountains from the backyard and our windows- it’s gorgeous. Huge yard, but it needs a lot of work. It will take some time to improve it; we don’t feel a rush to have it look like a page from Better Homes & Gardens.

Since the trolley doesn’t come to Lakeside (yet) we don’t have a homeless/vagrancy issue. I lived in Mission Hills/Midtown for 14 years so it’s nice to not have people throwing my trash around the yard and my car being broken into at least once a month. I like to think of my ‘Golden Years” spent on my little mountain in peace.

Just curious what you all foresee for the area’s growth and home valuation over the next ten years or so. I remember people for years made of fun of Santee, calling it “Klan-tee”. Sorry, but we were completely priced out of Santee under one income. I now call it the Mission Hills of East County. La Mesa is the Point Loma of East County.

Many/some of the homes in Lakeside are somewhat dilapidated, but I can see over time people improving their homes, or selling and the new buyer giving it a makeover. If the younger upper middle class generation isn’t so hung up on not living in the city, they could probably afford a home there right now.

The inventory is low right now and our home value has already gone up in a short amount of time, so who am I to really say at the end of what is affordable.

Off of Winter Gardens, which then turns into 2nd street, the commercial property is ugly as you know what. I wish we had more money as I would like to purchase some commercial property.

The commute isn’t too bad for me since I grew up in Texas and am used to a minimum hour commute with traffic. As long as I have my coffee and music I am all set. I worked right next to Qualcom and now just recently changed jobs and commute to Escondido. Both commutes are right at an hour. Without traffic it’s about a 25 minute drive to downtown.

I just wonder as home values keep going up that Lakeside will have a better reputation over the next few years perhaps. To me it just offers more than Lemon Grove, Skyline, National City, Chula Vista Temecula and other places where it seems the younger set are buying right now.

Thoughts?

[FlyerInHi]

Santee is not Mission Hills. It’s a typical suburban town built around an artificial town center. Something you may see in Texas. Levittown 3.0.

How much time do you have waiting for the demographics to change in Lakeside? I would personally rather live on a condo in Mission Valley. A well designed smaller space in a convenient location beats out a big house and long commute every time. Location, location, location.

[flyer]

sdgrrl, I think, from what you have told us, you made a good choice for you and your partner at this point in time, and congratulations on being realistic and living within your budget, instead of extending yourself as so many home buyers do.

You have now dipped your toe into San Diego real estate, and, as time goes on, if you find that your current abode doesn’t meet your needs, you’ll have some leverage to make other choices.

Enjoy!

[NotCranky]

If you have young children, or plan on it, River View has a good language program. Well, you might have to make up for some shortcomings, but that’s true with any public school. Just having a school with language offerings makes Lakeside not the same as it was. School Choice has worked out great for my family and you would have lots of great schools to choose from on your commute. My kids live in Jamul (east county). We got our kids in an out of district charter, and an out of district language academy, just because it fit them,and what we wanted for them better.

Santee, is not Klantee anymore. I don’t like it too much, but it has some Commercial usefulness to it if you live in Lakeside. There are some good recreation leagues for all ages. Pretty decent drive to the beaches and lots of good hiking/mountain biking nearby.Iron Mountain. El Cajon Peak, sycamore canyon. Even Noble canyon isn’t too far away.

Hopefully,your area is good enough and will improve. Quite likely is better for you than the alternatives you mentioned. Pretty sure if a condo in MV was a fit for you , you wouldn’t need someone to tell you that.

Good luck to you and make the best of it.

[sdgrrl]

I worked in Mission Valley for 6 years and wouldn’t want to ever live there. Everything is cookie cutter and there is nothing original about any part of it. Also, unless you go to the mall area there isn’t much around. So every time you want a snack or gas you aren’t fighting the neighborhood crowd, you are fighting the mall crowd. Not a great place to live during football games or the holidays either.

I lived for 14 years in a townhome in a very nice zip code. I wouldn’t trade living there again vs our home in Lakeside for anything. We have complete privacy and just our own space. No one bothers us and we don’t bother anyone. Do I want a red door? Do I want to have to go through the HOA to have it? I have paid $400k, plus $350 a month for HOA fees and I can’t have a red door? No thanks. My Christmas lights can only be white? I worked for State Farm in the Commercial Prop Dept in my early 20s and know all the bs and bickering that goes on.

Instead of being stacked between other condos, I have my own home, the neighbors are a good space away, have half an acre, gorgeous views and don’t plan on leaving until I am wheeled out on a stretcher.

My fiancé smokes cigars and I don’t want to bother anyone and I have fought a whole lot in life to get where I am at and I don’t want anyone to tell me how to live.

No to the condo. We looked at a lot and many were nice, but we are happier with our choice.

Thank you for the kind words NotCranky.

[FlyerInHi]

I think you know what you want. All the best.

Lakeside to downtown in 25 min? Door to door?

[sdgrrl]

We live fairly close to the 8. My doctor is in Del Mar and it takes right about 40 minutes. Downtown with no traffic is pretty quick.

I have to say, my commute to work is long; but it’s probably the prettiest drive compared to every friend i have.

We won’t be going anywhere for a very long time so it will be 8interesting to see how it unfolds over time.

[FlyerInHi]

sdgrrl, you drive faster than me. I always think 15 min each way just to get to the gateway.

BTW, I go to Alpine every so often. The drive gets longer and longer. Maybe as i get old, i don’t want to go too far.

One of my friends’ mom, age ~70, commutes 2 hours each way by car and train in NYC. She wanted a big house and she’s always tired.

[sdgrrl]

I am pretty slow. I remember the last time I drove to Texas. Out in the middle of nowhere the speed limit is 80 or 85; I can’t remember. I couldn’t keep up with it lol.

2 hours is pretty insane. I give myself about an hour and a 1/2. Bring my makeup with me and put it on in my car (I’m sure you wanted to know this). Timing is perfect.

Right now it works out pretty good.

To me the people who have it the worst are those who work in Sorrento Valley and have to commute to Chula Vista. That drive has to take at least 2 hours. I think of them and I don’t feel so bad. They are stuck drudging it on the freeway, bumper to bumper, and I get to drive with no stops and have beautiful scenery.

When I put it in perspective I feel much better.

[thejard]

I’ll let you know lol…

Our company is moving from Poway to Sorento valley and we love in….South Chula!

Not looking forward.
Need new job 🙂

As for lakeside itself. It’s fine, just not my cup of tea. Weather (wheres my coastal breeze at yo?) and “East county”… i.e. too much like Indiana too me. Full disclosure: I was stuck in Indiana for my 20s.

[FlyerInHi]

thejard, do you like Bloomington, IN? Cute university town, but in the middle of nowhere.

[sdgrrl]

thejard- Oh no! My San Diego nightmare.

Vaya cond dios mi amigo.

[thejard]

Gracias sdgrrl.

I hardly made it over there, once or twice. One of them was an MRI. I did like the area betwixt Bloomington and Columbus: Brown County. Hilly. Woodsy. Sparsely populated.

[Author]

Posts