Rancho Bernardo and Poway young families

[moscin]

We are considering a move from CT to either Rancho Bernardo, specifically the trails or Poway, probably the heritage. We are in our low 30s with two young children and are looking for a good area to raise our kids. My wife is nervous about the move and I would like to find an area that will have other stay at home mom’s in their 30s so that the transition will be easier for her. We have considered some of the newer areas West of 15 but have some concerns about the culture and were thinking that Rancho Bernardo or Poway would be a little more laid back with less of a keeping up with the joneses mentality. Any insights would be appreciated. Thanks.

[sdrealtor]

FWIW the keeping up with the jonses mentality around here isnt close to what you see on the east coast (where I grew up also). People out here may think so but they dont have the experience growing up back there and raising kids here that I do. When I go back and see nieces and nephews there I am glad I got out.

If you want lots of young families you most likely will have to go to the newer areas. You will sacrifice lot size but that is where all your peers are.

OK…now get ready for the resident lunatic to come in and warn about the evils of planned communities, homeowners associations and Mello Roos.

[all]

What’s your budget? Where do you work (i.e. how far north can you go)? Do you want to be able to walk to school/stores/parks, or you don’t care if you have to get in the car to get anywhere? Do you mind/prefer if you are less then a mile from I15?

[bearishgurl]

[quote=sdrealtor]…OK…now get ready for the resident lunatic to come in and warn about the evils of planned communities, homeowners associations and Mello Roos.[/quote]

You’re speaking for yourself again, sdr.

moscin, besides all of the extra expenses sdr just mentioned, it is actually the *newer* communities which tend to have the type of residents that are into “keeping up with the joneses.” Some of these areas have a lot of distressed properties because their “status-conscious `owners'” have borrowed everything they could from their properties in order to “keep up appearances.”

Pay no mind to “realtor steering-tactics.” There are PLENTY of young families living in older areas of SD County which do not have Mello Roos payments (in addition to PITI), Poway being one of them.

Not sure of your price range, but have you considered this subdivision in Poway? This property is situated on 1 AC and does NOT have Mello Roos.

http://www.trulia.com/property/3082974833-14290-Palisades-Dr-Poway-CA-92064

moscin, you never mentioned here what vicinity you will be working in after your transfer. This information is critical to your housing location, due to daily commute time.

[The-Shoveler]

Planned communities are fine but watch the HOA and MR fee’s

Even if you buy a foreclosures at a steal deal, sometimes the MR and HOA fee’s can run you $500 to $1000 a month in some tracts, then you add the mortgage, 1% or so tax + any bonds and insurance,
But hey if you got that kind of income and don’t mind the HOA-Nazi’s (or you are a HOA-Nazi)
I am sure those are fine places to live.

Just kidding about the Nazi stuff but make sure you account for the HOA and MR fee’s.

[CDMA ENG]

[quote=bearishgurl][quote=sdrealtor]…OK…now get ready for the resident lunatic to come in and warn about the evils of planned communities, homeowners associations and Mello Roos.[/quote]

You’re speaking for yourself again, sdr.

moscin, besides all of the extra expenses sdr just mentioned, it is actually the *newer* communities which tend to have the type of residents that are into “keeping up with the joneses.” Some of these areas have a lot of distressed properties because their “status-conscious `owners'” have borrowed everything they could from their properties in order to “keep up appearances.”

Pay no mind to “realtor steering-tactics.” There are PLENTY of young families living in older areas of SD County which do not have Mello Roos payments (in addition to PITI), Poway being one of them.

Not sure of your price range, but have you considered this subdivision in Poway? This property is situated on 1 AC and does NOT have Mello Roos.

http://www.trulia.com/property/3082974833-14290-Palisades-Dr-Poway-CA-92064

moscin, you never mentioned here what vicinity you will be working in after your transfer. This information is critical to your housing location, due to daily commute time.[/quote]

sdr is “speaking for himself”? I believe that is you.

The man just told you where it is that he wanted to live and you tried to sell him on something else.

[bearishgurl]

[quote=CDMA ENG]sdr is “speaking for himself”? I believe that is you.

The man just told you where it is that he wanted to live and you tried to sell him on something else.[/quote]

CDMA, did you even LOOK at the link I provided? It is in one of THE finest communities in Poway, where the OP is considering different subdivisions. Why don’t you go back to school and learn how to read and comprehend?

[zk]

[quote=moscin] We have considered some of the newer areas West of 15 but have some concerns about the culture and were thinking that Rancho Bernardo or Poway would be a little more laid back with less of a keeping up with the joneses mentality. Any insights would be appreciated. Thanks.[/quote]

As I’ve mentioned before on this forum,

http://piggington.com/how_about_steeplechase_area

there is actually less “keep up with the joneses” in Carmel Valley than there is in Scripps Ranch (I’ve lived both places) and, I would guess, less in CV than there is in RB (RB being somewhat similar to Scripps Ranch.

In Carmel Valley, you’ll pay more for a house. And for a lot of people, it’s not worth it. But, to address your “joneses” point, you’ll see less of that in CV. My theory as to why is that, in Carmel Valley, in addition to the upper-middle class demographic, you have rich people. So the upper-middle class aren’t quite so show-offy, because their escalade and their mcmansion pale in comparison to the ferarri that the guy up the street parks in his real mansion. To act uppity when you’re down at the middle of the local totem pole doesn’t really fly. And the rich are rich enough that they don’t have to try too hard. The rich people we know are all pretty humble.

[sdrealtor]

[quote=CDMA ENG][quote=bearishgurl][quote=sdrealtor]…OK…now get ready for the resident lunatic to come in and warn about the evils of planned communities, homeowners associations and Mello Roos.[/quote]

You’re speaking for yourself again, sdr.

moscin, besides all of the extra expenses sdr just mentioned, it is actually the *newer* communities which tend to have the type of residents that are into “keeping up with the joneses.” Some of these areas have a lot of distressed properties because their “status-conscious `owners'” have borrowed everything they could from their properties in order to “keep up appearances.”

Pay no mind to “realtor steering-tactics.” There are PLENTY of young families living in older areas of SD County which do not have Mello Roos payments (in addition to PITI), Poway being one of them.

Not sure of your price range, but have you considered this subdivision in Poway? This property is situated on 1 AC and does NOT have Mello Roos.

http://www.trulia.com/property/3082974833-14290-Palisades-Dr-Poway-CA-92064

moscin, you never mentioned here what vicinity you will be working in after your transfer. This information is critical to your housing location, due to daily commute time.[/quote]

sdr is “speaking for himself”? I believe that is you.

The man just told you where it is that he wanted to live and you tried to sell him on something else.[/quote]

So predictable. Hey if you want to spend 1.2m all the power to you but you don’t have to. The resident lunatic lives in Chula Vista surrounded by bitter old folks like herself. She has not a clue what life is like inthe kinds of communities you are looking at. Take a look at the pictures on the house she sent you. Check out the decor. My guess is those bedrooms haven’t been occupied by kids in over a decade. That Mickey mouse stuffed animal appears to be a first edition.

Again San Diego materialism is the minor leagues compared to the Northeast. You will be pleasantly surprised where ever you end up.

[sdduuuude]

moscin,

I think the keeping up with the Joneses mentality exists a bit pretty much everywhere and it really only affects you if you buy into it. I find that the people who tend not to care about keeping up find each other and have a great time.

Poway has a bit of a country feel to it, which I don’t really like. If you have some cowboy in you, then it may appeal to you. It doesn’t appeal to me and it is frigging hot out there. Seriously, I would rather get more home for my money and live in Phoenix than in Poway. Not kidding. Not an exaggeration.

I don’t know much about Rancho Bernardo. I have always thought of it as a community of older folks who’s kids have moved out. Too far from anything interesting. Very boring. I could be wrong.

I think you could be very happy in Carmel Valley. I have alot of friends up there and the range of classes is surprisingly wide. There are families living in 2 BR condos just so they can get into the district, and there are $5M homes. Given that, you have all kinds of folks with money who don’t flaunt it, people with money who do flaunt it and middle class folks – some who try to keep up and others who are just there for the schools. It is a bit stale, from an architecture standpoint, and you probably get more for your money in Poway but it is, overall, a pretty nice environment for families. Plus, it’s close enough to the coast that it isn’t hot.

Some parts of Rancho Penasquitos are pretty interesting.

Between Rancho Penasquitos and Carmel Valley lies Santaluz, which is a very new development that I’m not a fan of.

[bearishgurl]

[quote=moscin]…My wife is nervous about the move and I would like to find an area that will have other stay at home mom’s in their 30s so that the transition will be easier for her…. [/quote]

moscin, I just found this data on Heritage Estates (which you may already have seen). I don’t know how accurate it is but on the “Distribution of Residents’ Ages” graph, it shows the average adult male resident is 55 years old and the average adult female resident is 45 years old, with a few sprinkled boomers in their 60’s. Acc to the graph, there are virtually no residents there between the ages of 23 and 33.

http://www.city-data.com/neighborhood/The-Heritage-Poway-CA.html

There DOES appear to be children there but some of those children, in actuality, may be residing with grandparents instead of parents (or the children AND their parents reside with their parents). This is a very common practice in CA coastal counties due to the high cost of housing and young parents’ fervent desire to send their kids to schools which are located in areas in which they could never afford to live in themselves.

Not saying YOU couldn’t afford to live there but I don’t know how many young moms your spouse would actually run into there on a daily basis.

Just something to think about on your “due diligence” when house-hunting.

I’m not familiar with the subdivision in RB that you mentioned but agree with sdduuuude that RB is a very well-known senior-citizen community, having been originally built as the only completely HOA-controlled community in SD for senior citizens.

[The-Shoveler]

Seriously
There is no comparison between anywhere within 50 miles of the city of SD and phoenix,
Once you wake up to 100 degrees cool of the morning for the 30th time that month in phoenix you will be really happy to move to TV even. You will have to trust me on that one.
sdduuud please mark your calendar and spend a few days in September in Phoenix.
It will be unforgettable I promise.

[bearishgurl]

Even at this late date, sdr STILL appears to be “clueless” as to what I do and don’t “have a clue” about.

Hey …. I thought he was supposed to be “ignoring” me …. :=D

[SD Transplant]

I’ve been living in Poway for over 1 year now. I absolutely love it. We are mid 30’s with 2 kids (well, one on the way). The best decision was to buy a place here. Poway has many areas, so you have to consider your budget & requirements (some areas are great as some are nothing out of the ordinary). I used my AC 4 times last year…..go figure

[Coronita]

I don’t feel like I need to keep up with the Joneses down the street…. but I do feel like I need to keep up with the Wongs up the street.

Because some times two Wongs make you Write…

(Thank you…. thank you…)

[Author]

Posts