Looking for good family area that I can commute from to El Cajon

[bdc0]

I started a job in El Cajon, 92021 and will be buying a house soon. I’m looking for a recommended area for myself, wife and 3 kids ages 7-12. What we are used to and looking for is:

-3500+ sq. ft., ideally 4000+
-Ideally 1 level
-Great schools, especially interested in MS and HS.
-Newer construction
-Other families with school-aged kids
-Close to shopping. We currently can walk to the grocery store, the kids karate and a good sized park
-Small lots, but that’s not a requirement

Our budget is ~$1M or so. Any ideas?

I’m also used to
-HOA in a planned community
-Having a community pool, but not a requirement

I’m definitely willing to away from El Cajon, perhaps along I-15. But I don’t wish to be as far away as Escondito.

[LarryTheRenter]

The traffic flow is in your favor if you travel west or south to work in the morning. Also depends on how long you want your commute and if public schools are ok. I just bought in La Jolla and my commute to La Mesa is about 25 minutes (no traffic). Good public schools. Also look at:

Tierrasanta
Carmel valley
Scripps ranch

other areas are nice but middle and high schools are a bit sketchy in most San Diego Unified schoold district areas…

[LarryTheRenter]

The traffic flow is in your favor if you travel west or south to work in the morning. Also depends on how long you want your commute and if public schools are ok. I just bought in La Jolla and my commute to La Mesa is about 25 minutes (no traffic). Good public schools. Also look at:

Tierrasanta
Carmel valley
Scripps ranch

other areas are nice but middle and high schools are a bit sketchy in most San Diego Unified schoold district areas…

[LarryTheRenter]

The traffic flow is in your favor if you travel west or south to work in the morning. Also depends on how long you want your commute and if public schools are ok. I just bought in La Jolla and my commute to La Mesa is about 25 minutes (no traffic). Good public schools. Also look at:

Tierrasanta
Carmel valley
Scripps ranch

other areas are nice but middle and high schools are a bit sketchy in most San Diego Unified schoold district areas…

[LarryTheRenter]

The traffic flow is in your favor if you travel west or south to work in the morning. Also depends on how long you want your commute and if public schools are ok. I just bought in La Jolla and my commute to La Mesa is about 25 minutes (no traffic). Good public schools. Also look at:

Tierrasanta
Carmel valley
Scripps ranch

other areas are nice but middle and high schools are a bit sketchy in most San Diego Unified schoold district areas…

[LarryTheRenter]

The traffic flow is in your favor if you travel west or south to work in the morning. Also depends on how long you want your commute and if public schools are ok. I just bought in La Jolla and my commute to La Mesa is about 25 minutes (no traffic). Good public schools. Also look at:

Tierrasanta
Carmel valley
Scripps ranch

other areas are nice but middle and high schools are a bit sketchy in most San Diego Unified schoold district areas…

[bearishgurl]

bdc0,

You have young kids. Why waste a good portion of your life on the freeway?? Try 92019 where you will find plenty of properties which meet your requirements.

Vista Grande, incl. Vista Grande Elem, Hillsdale Middle and Valhalla High (including Monarch Ridge HOA)

Steele Cyn (Mello-Roos prevalent), incl. Jamacha
Elem, Hillsdale Middle and Steele Cyn High

Also 91941 (NE foot of Mt. Helix), Fuerte Drive (north side has higher, safer lots) or Fuerte Farms, incl. Fuerte Elem, La Mesa Middle and Grossmont High

All excellent schools!! Your commute would likely be 12 minutes tops on surface sts.

If you can make this good of a living working in East County and can obviously afford the A/C, why not stay there? You probably already know that it’s a great place to raise a family (in the right spots). Just my .02.

Edit: I am noticing here that you prefer a one-level large ranch or mediterranean. This is all the more reason why you should look in eastern 91941 and 92019 where these types of properties abound. Also, you stated you do not want a big lot. For as much sf as you are looking for on one level, IMHO, it is unrealistic to expect to purchase a property with a lot size any smaller than 12K to 14K sf.

[bearishgurl]

bdc0,

You have young kids. Why waste a good portion of your life on the freeway?? Try 92019 where you will find plenty of properties which meet your requirements.

Vista Grande, incl. Vista Grande Elem, Hillsdale Middle and Valhalla High (including Monarch Ridge HOA)

Steele Cyn (Mello-Roos prevalent), incl. Jamacha
Elem, Hillsdale Middle and Steele Cyn High

Also 91941 (NE foot of Mt. Helix), Fuerte Drive (north side has higher, safer lots) or Fuerte Farms, incl. Fuerte Elem, La Mesa Middle and Grossmont High

All excellent schools!! Your commute would likely be 12 minutes tops on surface sts.

If you can make this good of a living working in East County and can obviously afford the A/C, why not stay there? You probably already know that it’s a great place to raise a family (in the right spots). Just my .02.

Edit: I am noticing here that you prefer a one-level large ranch or mediterranean. This is all the more reason why you should look in eastern 91941 and 92019 where these types of properties abound. Also, you stated you do not want a big lot. For as much sf as you are looking for on one level, IMHO, it is unrealistic to expect to purchase a property with a lot size any smaller than 12K to 14K sf.

[bearishgurl]

bdc0,

You have young kids. Why waste a good portion of your life on the freeway?? Try 92019 where you will find plenty of properties which meet your requirements.

Vista Grande, incl. Vista Grande Elem, Hillsdale Middle and Valhalla High (including Monarch Ridge HOA)

Steele Cyn (Mello-Roos prevalent), incl. Jamacha
Elem, Hillsdale Middle and Steele Cyn High

Also 91941 (NE foot of Mt. Helix), Fuerte Drive (north side has higher, safer lots) or Fuerte Farms, incl. Fuerte Elem, La Mesa Middle and Grossmont High

All excellent schools!! Your commute would likely be 12 minutes tops on surface sts.

If you can make this good of a living working in East County and can obviously afford the A/C, why not stay there? You probably already know that it’s a great place to raise a family (in the right spots). Just my .02.

Edit: I am noticing here that you prefer a one-level large ranch or mediterranean. This is all the more reason why you should look in eastern 91941 and 92019 where these types of properties abound. Also, you stated you do not want a big lot. For as much sf as you are looking for on one level, IMHO, it is unrealistic to expect to purchase a property with a lot size any smaller than 12K to 14K sf.

[bearishgurl]

bdc0,

You have young kids. Why waste a good portion of your life on the freeway?? Try 92019 where you will find plenty of properties which meet your requirements.

Vista Grande, incl. Vista Grande Elem, Hillsdale Middle and Valhalla High (including Monarch Ridge HOA)

Steele Cyn (Mello-Roos prevalent), incl. Jamacha
Elem, Hillsdale Middle and Steele Cyn High

Also 91941 (NE foot of Mt. Helix), Fuerte Drive (north side has higher, safer lots) or Fuerte Farms, incl. Fuerte Elem, La Mesa Middle and Grossmont High

All excellent schools!! Your commute would likely be 12 minutes tops on surface sts.

If you can make this good of a living working in East County and can obviously afford the A/C, why not stay there? You probably already know that it’s a great place to raise a family (in the right spots). Just my .02.

Edit: I am noticing here that you prefer a one-level large ranch or mediterranean. This is all the more reason why you should look in eastern 91941 and 92019 where these types of properties abound. Also, you stated you do not want a big lot. For as much sf as you are looking for on one level, IMHO, it is unrealistic to expect to purchase a property with a lot size any smaller than 12K to 14K sf.

[bearishgurl]

bdc0,

You have young kids. Why waste a good portion of your life on the freeway?? Try 92019 where you will find plenty of properties which meet your requirements.

Vista Grande, incl. Vista Grande Elem, Hillsdale Middle and Valhalla High (including Monarch Ridge HOA)

Steele Cyn (Mello-Roos prevalent), incl. Jamacha
Elem, Hillsdale Middle and Steele Cyn High

Also 91941 (NE foot of Mt. Helix), Fuerte Drive (north side has higher, safer lots) or Fuerte Farms, incl. Fuerte Elem, La Mesa Middle and Grossmont High

All excellent schools!! Your commute would likely be 12 minutes tops on surface sts.

If you can make this good of a living working in East County and can obviously afford the A/C, why not stay there? You probably already know that it’s a great place to raise a family (in the right spots). Just my .02.

Edit: I am noticing here that you prefer a one-level large ranch or mediterranean. This is all the more reason why you should look in eastern 91941 and 92019 where these types of properties abound. Also, you stated you do not want a big lot. For as much sf as you are looking for on one level, IMHO, it is unrealistic to expect to purchase a property with a lot size any smaller than 12K to 14K sf.

[bearishgurl]

[quote=LarryTheRenter] . . . other areas are nice but middle and high schools are a bit sketchy in most San Diego Unified schoold district areas…[/quote]

bdc0, I’m not sure what LTR means here by a “bit sketchy” but the SD community of Del Cerro (92120) has good schools and the housing inventory there meets your needs. However, you may have slope-mgmt issues if you purchase a view home, but you will NOT regret purchasing a view property :=). DC’s “rear-facing due-west” view homes have particularly unobstructed, outstanding views of the entire SD river valley to the ocean.

The inventory here is not “newer” but many properties in DC have undergone complete remodeling.

Schools are Hearst Elementary, Lewis Middle and Patrick Henry High (all very good).

Commute to dtn EC is 15-20 mins on I-8 (going reverse of daily commute).

[bearishgurl]

[quote=LarryTheRenter] . . . other areas are nice but middle and high schools are a bit sketchy in most San Diego Unified schoold district areas…[/quote]

bdc0, I’m not sure what LTR means here by a “bit sketchy” but the SD community of Del Cerro (92120) has good schools and the housing inventory there meets your needs. However, you may have slope-mgmt issues if you purchase a view home, but you will NOT regret purchasing a view property :=). DC’s “rear-facing due-west” view homes have particularly unobstructed, outstanding views of the entire SD river valley to the ocean.

The inventory here is not “newer” but many properties in DC have undergone complete remodeling.

Schools are Hearst Elementary, Lewis Middle and Patrick Henry High (all very good).

Commute to dtn EC is 15-20 mins on I-8 (going reverse of daily commute).

[bearishgurl]

[quote=LarryTheRenter] . . . other areas are nice but middle and high schools are a bit sketchy in most San Diego Unified schoold district areas…[/quote]

bdc0, I’m not sure what LTR means here by a “bit sketchy” but the SD community of Del Cerro (92120) has good schools and the housing inventory there meets your needs. However, you may have slope-mgmt issues if you purchase a view home, but you will NOT regret purchasing a view property :=). DC’s “rear-facing due-west” view homes have particularly unobstructed, outstanding views of the entire SD river valley to the ocean.

The inventory here is not “newer” but many properties in DC have undergone complete remodeling.

Schools are Hearst Elementary, Lewis Middle and Patrick Henry High (all very good).

Commute to dtn EC is 15-20 mins on I-8 (going reverse of daily commute).

[bearishgurl]

[quote=LarryTheRenter] . . . other areas are nice but middle and high schools are a bit sketchy in most San Diego Unified schoold district areas…[/quote]

bdc0, I’m not sure what LTR means here by a “bit sketchy” but the SD community of Del Cerro (92120) has good schools and the housing inventory there meets your needs. However, you may have slope-mgmt issues if you purchase a view home, but you will NOT regret purchasing a view property :=). DC’s “rear-facing due-west” view homes have particularly unobstructed, outstanding views of the entire SD river valley to the ocean.

The inventory here is not “newer” but many properties in DC have undergone complete remodeling.

Schools are Hearst Elementary, Lewis Middle and Patrick Henry High (all very good).

Commute to dtn EC is 15-20 mins on I-8 (going reverse of daily commute).

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