looking for a san diego buying agent

[canuck]

where to begin! i’ve been reading the threads for a good while now, and looking at the mls listings in sd county for the past few months, trying to get a feel for things. the threads here have been most insightful, so thanks to everyone for participating in the forum. it’s a great resource for us lurkers as well, who don’t have much to add to the discussions!

that said, i’d like to find a reliable, experienced (particularly with short sales) real estate agent to help me find a home in san diego. i’m a canadian, living in canada, and would be using the home for the winter months (roughly november through april, inclusive), and ideally would be renting it out for the remainder of the year.

our budget is small (>200k), but to balance that out we require no financing – all cash. we are interested in a SFR with no HOA or MR fees, a safe, quiet neighbourhood, and somewhere within reasonable proximity to the Eastlake District (where we will be several times a week). ideally we would like a 4br or 3br/2bath home with a usable (i.e. unconverted) garage, and 2br/1bath is a minimum. a home requiring some non-major and non-structural work (i.e. paint, flooring, new bathroom fixtures, etc.) is just fine, and ultimately preferable. anything that’s a huge fixer is beyond my ken both financially and skill-wise, so it would have to be quite a deal to be reasonable.

from looking up whatever crime, housing, demographic, logistic, and other data i’ve been able to on the internet, it seems that our sights are set somewhere in a corridor running from santee in the north, through la mesa and lemon grove, and down through the skyline area to the west of 125 and north of 54.

probably more information than anyone cares about or needs, but perhaps it will help someone to recommend a real estate agent who works in those areas, is great with the short sale process (read: experienced and successful), and would be willing to work with me over the internet and phone for a bit before my flying down to meet in person, look at homes, and if all looks good, make an offer.

perhaps one of (in no particular order) urbanrealtor, sdrealtor, SD realtor, bearishgur, or the other rather helpful and informed regulars can make a suggestion?

thanks kindly for your help! and yes, i realize this is a tall order for a first forum post. if i’d had anything to offer the conversations, i’d have chimed it! 😛

[bearishgurl]

canuck, you have a very tall order there. Even though paying cash, the fact that you don’t want to “fix anything” is an issue. You must know that the SR-125 is a toll road from SR-54 to Eastlake and all the way to the int’l border. That back and forth commute to Otay Lakes Road from points north would cost you up to $8 daily in tolls. And you must also be aware that 91913 and 91914 (Eastlake/RHR) and 91915 (Otay Ranch) have predominately HOA tracts and Mello Roos. Those SFR’s without Mello Roos in those zip codes would NOT be in your price range, unless possibly structurally damaged. Therefore, I believe it would be best for you (and more convenient) to purchase an SFR in 91910, 91911, 92139 or 92154. In 91910, your request is still a tall order. In the others, it could be “doable” but may not be what you are looking for.

What one buyer believes is a “fixer” may not necessarily be what another buyer believes is a “fixer.” This issue is entirely subjective.

Why don’t you just rent in or near Eastlake for awhile to get a feel for where you want to buy property? 91913 is the least expensive zip to rent in out there. The areas you have mentioned in your OP are highly diverse from one another and also not very close to Eastlake as well as freeway dependent.

[canuck]

bearishgurl,

thanks kindly for your reply. from the mls listings i’ve been seeing for the past while now, the areas mentioned (santee down through skyline) do seem to have some SFRs on offer that generally meet our criteria, so that’s one reason we were looking there (to be more specific, i’ve been tracking 92114, 91945, 91941, 91942, and 91977 west of the 125, 92071. i realize that the HOA and particularly MR fees are somewhat universal in the area close to eastlake/otay ranch, so that was out for us (not to mention the general cost of homes there).

as for freeway dependence, it seems to add a few minutes on to the trip, but a friend who is there drives instead through the off-freeway thoroughfares once the 125 goes toll, and says it’s not a bad compromise, so that would be the plan. to be honest, somewhere between 30-40 min away from eastlakd (the olympic training center in particular) would be fine by me. i’ll likely be there 3 days a week at most, so it’s not an every day thing.

thanks kindly for the zip code suggestions, i’ll have a look at the listings there more closely. the advice is much appreciated!

[temeculaguy]

Follow BG’s advice and come rent. Unfortunately 200k is not an SFR budget in this county, it is a downpayment. From your name I’m guessing you are coming from possibly Canada. The locations where you can pay under 200k cash for an SFR will require locals to make some “adjustments,” coming from Canada, you will likely have seizures. I’m not attacking specific town, more so specific neighborhoods. Every town has dicey areas and the r/e prices reflect that, but the sub 200k sfr’s will probably have to be the diciest street of the diciest neighborhood of the diciest town. Sub 200 condo and you’ve got options, lots of them, sub 200k sfr, and that’s bunker prices.

[bearishgurl]

[quote=temeculaguy]Follow BG’s advice and come rent. Unfortunately 200k is not an SFR budget in this county, it is a downpayment. From your name I’m guessing you are coming from possibly Canada. The locations where you can pay under 200k cash for an SFR will require locals to make some “adjustments,” coming from Canada, you will likely have seizures. I’m not attacking specific town, more so specific neighborhoods. Every town has dicey areas and the r/e prices reflect that, but the sub 200k sfr’s will probably have to be the diciest street of the diciest neighborhood of the diciest town. Sub 200 condo and you’ve got options, lots of them, sub 200k sfr, and that’s bunker prices.[/quote]

Agree except for ALL neighborhoods in this price range being “dicey.” Again, this is VERY subjective. After posting above, I took a look at the available MLS inventory of SFR’s in the OP’s price range in 91910. I wouldn’t have classified any of those properties to be in “dicey neighborhoods” but I DID notice no less than 3 of them that I have personally been in which ALL had what I would consider to be “structural problems” at the time I visited them. I have no doubt that their current low price reflects that they were never fixed and the majority of listings in that price range were “as-is.” Also, in 91910 and even moreso in 91911 and 92154, there are many properties where the garage has been converted into unpermitted sf for living space and would need to be “reconverted” to park in. The balance in 91910 were either on busy thoroughfares or need much more than just “floor covering, paint and faucets.”

Canuck, SD County is VERY diverse both in housing stock and populations from area to area. You would do WELL to actually live here awhile and drive around a bit in your spare time to get a “feel” for all the areas you have your eye on before making a purchasing decision, especially with all cash. You CANNOT SEE a property’s actual condition and surroundings from “MLS photos.” I’ve never been to Canada and do not know if you are situated urban or rural but would surmise that SD County is nothing like Canada, either in its topography, weather, people, housing stock, zoning, etc.

The “back roads” traversing from 91977 and 92139 down to Eastlake are slow, traffic-filled, two are winding and poorly-lighted at night and one is full of “speed bumps” specifically for the purpose of discouraging drivers like your friends who live here in the county from using residential thoroughfares to avoid the toll. Another thoroughfare has no less than five public schools on (or just off) of it all on different schedules and all the incipient traffic that brings.

I believe the prices in this region should stay stable for at least 3 more years giving you time to rent and check everything out for yourself.

I recommend you look into renting an individually-owned condo in Eastlake (91913). Take care to rent one that does NOT currently have a Notice of Default or Notice of Sale filed against it and preferably from a local property management company.

[SD Realtor]

I would recommend you don’t do a thing or make any decisions based on an internet posting board. There are many areas here that various posters talk up over and over and over and over again. My advice is to be wary and find out if you like it first. Maybe live in a corporate apt or a hotel for a few weeks before making a decision.

[canuck]

Thanks to all for the comments and effort. I certainly wouldn’t buy anything based on comments on an internet forum. Buying sight unseen is not something I have done, or will do.

Perhaps I wasn’t quite clear enough. The description of the property I’m seeking was more for clarity’s sake than anything. The areas I’ve described are the best fit based on what I have gleaned of crime rate, proximity to the places I need to be, cost of living and housing, etc.

My question proper (which was perhaps made unclear by the tangential information regarding the property and area I am looking at), is:

Can anyone recommend a real estate agent who may be a good fit in helping me locate a property like the one described, in the areas I outlined?

What I would like is a contact on the ground to help me to prepare for looking for houses before I arrive, whether I’ll be renting there for a period before buying, or whether I’ll be staying for merely a short while to get a feel for prospective neighbourhoods and to look at properties as a “feeler” trip. All of the advice is much appreciated, in any case.

[DataAgent]

“Can anyone recommend a real estate agent who may be a good fit in helping me locate a property like the one described, in the areas I outlined?”

Realtors work on today’s sales not future sales. Unless you have a definite ‘buy date’ or already work / live in the area, most realtors will not spend much time with you.

The best way to learn SD housing is do lots of Internet research and then fly out here with maps and notes in hand. Bring a GPS unit, get a rental car, and drive around.

[Jazzman]

I’ve found agents on trulia.com in the Q&A section. If you are clear about what you want, you’ll get some answers to these sorts of questions from brokers looking for business. Then follow your instincts based on the replies. You could also try redfin.com. They are very internet based and do no obligations home tours, as the agent is being paid anyway. They do expect you to do some of the leg work. Short list some areas, find an agent and come over for a field trip. Good luck.

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