Moving to SD area

[SD Realtor]

Then it is a bet!

I have 30 years of San Diego residency. My brother lived there for about 20 years.

You sound like you know it pretty well.

I guess we will see where the OP lands.

[spdrun]

Well, he may well be steered in the “right” direction by brokers like you 🙂 I see a lot of the “don’t live there if there are People Who Don’t Look Like You(tm) walking around(*)” ‘tude in SD. Sadly. Beautiful city, but lots of ugly classism.

(*)- or anyone walking around unless they do so in La Jolla, Carlsbad, or Del Mar 🙂

[SD Realtor]

You seem to like to make classifications. OB is great place. Very much like Venice Beach in Los Angeles where I grew up.

It is not the place where I would raise my kids. Not because of the culture but because of other reasons which would be a waste of time trying to explain to you.

I don’t steer people, people steer me. You seem to like to make plenty of accusations and assumptions. Especially given the fact you have never lived here, never met me, nor dealt with any of my clients.

Hope you will honor the terms of our little wager.

[bearishgurl]

[quote=SD Realtor] . . . Oh yeah and how long ago was it that you raised kids bg?[/quote]

I’ve presently got one who attends a top-rated HS in the county (down here in that “other CV ghetto”), lol. I can assure you that they could and would know how to conduct themselves properly in the heart of the Newport Ave shopping drag (yes, day and night) as well as the beach and park.

As a matter of fact, my kid and a local friend of the same age are flying to SF soon, to stay with relatives and “entertain themselves” while the relatives work during the day. This includes taking the the bus out of Portrero and riding the cable cars and streetcars to SOMA and Union Square to shop, as well as several other areas there.

If you choose to lock your kids up in lizardland, muzzle them and vet all their “friends,” activities and TV programs, etc, you could easily end up with unsocialized morons who can’t even find a public restroom by themselves, IMHO.

The world out there beyond HS is NOT “cookie-cutter suburbia.” Your kids will realize this before you will realize that they realize it.

[SD Realtor]

So then you are in on the wager?

Please say yes… just for me…

Come on now….If you want I will even throw in Point Loma.

What say you bg?

[spdrun]

I don’t steer people, people steer me. You seem to like to make plenty of accusations and assumptions. Especially given the fact you have never lived here, never met me, nor dealt with any of my clients.

Hope you will honor the terms of our little wager.

Sorry dude, I didn’t agree to the wager, but you’re welcome to honor your end if you like!

I for one agree with bearishgurl — it’s WRONG and frankly inhumane to raise kids in a place where they have basically no autonomy until they get their driver’s license. This goes for basically any city or town. I spent a large part of my childhood in a town very similar to OB and I somehow survived.

But let’s bring this convo back to rationality. What specific reasons do you have for dis-recommending OB? Feel free to private message me if you don’t feel comfortable discussing on public forum.

[SD Realtor]

I don’t like the residual airport noise that prevalent in Ocean Beach. To me that is no deal right off the bat. I also think that family of 6 is going to want a larger home with a larger lot. This is also something that is harder to come by in Ocean Beach. Most families with 4 kids also are looking for a particular level of construction quality. OB has a predominant older housing stock and there is a higher probability of needing some remodel or construction then other locations.

I am not big fan of suburbia either and the beach communities in coastal San Diego offer a pleasing respite from that.

Based on experience of what I am asked for by families seeking to buy a home in San Diego, I have never been asked by a family with children to relocate into Ocean Beach. I have been asked by people without kids to live in Ocean Beach, (both younger couples and empty nesters). The predominant destinations I get asked about are those that the poster originally listed.

Without know what the OP likes, I have to run on assumptions. I then really on the numbers rather then the outliers.

The question is not whether you or bg like raising your kids. Nor is it where I would choose to raise my kids. It really is where the OP likes to raise their kids and what kind of lifestyle they want for the children that they have. I think a more rational answer is one like I posed which is come out here first. Live here and rent for awhile before you make any decision.

[spdrun]

I don’t like the residual airport noise that prevalent in Ocean Beach. To me that is no deal right off the bat. I also think that family of 6 is going to want a larger home with a larger lot.

Agreed on the airport noise. As far as lot and house size, you’re talking about people from New England — lots and houses often are NOT large in many towns there, so it would at least be familiar.

Also, “old” for San Diego is brand spankin’ new in most New England towns. And why the horror of lifting a finger to bring a new bought house up to snuff?

[zzz]

I’m with SD R, no way would I pick OB to raise kids. We have friends in PL and they complain about the lack of good public schools in the area. There are nicer homes up on the hill in OB/Sunset Cliffs part that is technically OB, bordering Pt Loma, but I still wouldn’t raise kids there.

The other issue noted by many friends who live over there, lack of enough kids as the nicer homes are dominated by older couples. If you want your kids to be able to run around with other kids, its not in OB. If you want your kids to be able to walk down into OB, buy some pot, talk to some street urchins, then OB is your place.

While I personally enjoy living in an urban environment, being able to walk to Balboa Park, restaurants, bars, shops, grocery, farmers market, and would NOT live in surburbia, kids or not….this is NOT a requirement for hardly ANY of my friends with kids. Schools and proximity to other kids/ family environment, space for the kids, and location are the top considerations.

The posted mentioned GOOD schools being a requirement, and there are very few excellent public schools in metro SD.

[an]

[quote=spdrun]I for one agree with bearishgurl — it’s WRONG and frankly inhumane to raise kids in a place where they have basically no autonomy until they get their driver’s license.[/quote]
This statement basically put you in a minority. I know someone who just bought in Del Sur and the top 2 reason why they love the area is because the schools are great AND on their street, there are 6 other houses with new borns, just like them. They don’t care that their lot is small or that they don’t have a view.

[zzz]

[quote=spdrun]As far as lot and house size, you’re talking about people from New England — lots and houses often are NOT large in many towns there, so it would at least be familiar. [/quote]

I could not disagree more. I used to live on the East Coast. I can name dozens and dozens of towns in the Tri State area, Boston suburbs that ALL have huge lots and BIG homes. Much bigger than here by comparison to SD.

[rired]

We live in RI, outside of Newport. We have a five bedroom home with a water view (we live on an island). Our yard is just under an acre with mature landscaping. Our town is a bedroom community, very family oriented.

My husbands business partner lives in Coronado and they will select an office 1/2 between our two homes.

I’ve looked at homes in the three areas I mentioned and was *agast* at the selection in our price range ($1M-$1.5M).

Having given this more thought I believe we will select an area that has top notch public schools. I’d love it to be a coastal town but school reputation is more important to me.

Thank you for all the feedback!

[spdrun]

zzz:

Pot is generally harmless, though I chose not to partake till college. “Street urchins” — is that the new term for kids who actually go outside on their own, rather than sitting in their burbclave all day and surfing Fecebook and Internet pr0n?

[an]

[quote=spdrun]Also, “old” for San Diego is brand spankin’ new in most New England towns. And why the horror of lifting a finger to bring a new bought house up to snuff?[/quote]
Because most people don’t want or have time to deal with remodel. ESPECIALLY when you have 4 young kids.

[spdrun]

Because most people don’t want or have time to deal with remodel. ESPECIALLY when you have 4 young kids.

As long as everything basically works, why does one need to do a full gut remodel immediately? Slap some paint down, put down new wood or carpet, and just live in the house, fixing things as time permits.

The last house I lived in growing up had a kitchen from the 1940s. We put in a new dishwasher under the counter, re-tiled the floor eventually, and it’s still being used as a rental, as is.

BTW, kids in grades 9 and 11 are old enough to help with re-model. Learning to work with their hands rather than play with their iPad will do them some good.

[Author]

Posts