Relocating to SD

[dejams]

I been frequent reader on this site for the past several months and appreciate any comments from this forum. I am going to work near by 163 and Balboa Ave in couple weeks and would like to know the following:

1. Where can I rent an apartment for 3 (wife & kid) near that area? What area is good and what area I should avoid? I would like something close to work with no more than 30 minutes commute.

2. I plan to purchase a home within a year if the market permits. I prefer new but anything less than 5 years will do. What area should I look for that has good school and neighborhoods? Please keep in mind I still want within 30 minutes commute time.

3. Any good storage company near my work? I have furniture that will not fit in an apartment but would like to keep it when moving to a new home.

Thank you in advance for your suggestions and comments.

[Alex_angel]

Tierrasanta is not far from where you’re talking about and you can rent a decent sized townhome for pretty cheap.

[SD Realtor]

Dejams –

As far as your potential purchase in the future goes, it all depends on your price range. Your workplace is pretty central so you have a great selection of different areas. I would imagine the school districts will be important to you so that will prune out some of the recommendations but pricing is paramount.

SD Realtor

[dejams]

SD Realtor,

Thanks for the information. Two factors that hinder my decision from buying are: Selling my existing home and the declining price in SD.

The value of my current home is any where from $650K to 850K. There are 4 that are selling in my neighborhood for that price range and some have pool and so does mine.

As for buying, I want to wait and see when the price will almost bottom out before I make a purchase. I want to purhcase in a good school district and willing to spend up to 800K. I guess this will last up to several years but willing to sit out for a year to rent first.

[sdcellar]

I would definitely recommend Tierrasanta since you’ve got children. Good schools, parks, central location.

There’s a storage place very close as well (just off Tierrasanta Blvd, southwest of the 15). You might also want to check out PODS–competitive prices and if they can pick up and drop off at your particular address, very convenient. Their facility isn’t too far from Tierrasanta either (not that you’ll necessarily need to go there). I used them for a six month stint and was very satisfied.

[Wickedheart]

I’d recommend Tierrasanta too. My oldest daughter was in the gate program at Farb and my younger 2 girls attended DePortola. DePortola is the far better middle school in my opinion. For elementary schools I’d try to get my kids in the Kumeyaay area or Vista Grande area. They are both nice elementary schools. Kumeyaay though is just awesome.

You also might want to consider Scripps Ranch. I have friends who live there. It’s a really nice community and they have good schools too. I’m more partial to the old Scripps Ranch area.

[recordsclerk]

There are lots of apt rentals near that area. There are rentals on Balboa and Charger (Clairmont). There are many rentals in Clairmont, you might want to shop around for pricing and amenities. There are rentals in Serra Mesa on Ruffin Rd and nearby streets. There are rentals in Linda Vista on Mesa College Drive.

I agree with some of the other post about the schools. Scripps Ranch and Tierra Santa do have better schools and are still within 30 minutes commute. I have a friend in Tierra Santa with school age kids (3) and he really likes the schools there. I also have a relative living in Scripps Ranch and they state the schools are also very good there. My sister lives in Rancho Penasquitas and the schools are very good there. Rancho Penasquitas is barely within the 30 minute commute on most days. The areas that I stated earlier are just Geographically closer to your job and are not really that bad, except maybe Linda Vista.

I personally plan to buy within the next 3-7 years and would like to buy in Scripps Ranch or Rancho Bernardo. Tierra Santa is real nice, but it is an older neighborhood and the newer homes were built in the 90’s unless you are buying the homes re-built after the fire of 10-2003. Rancho Penasquitas is a nice area also with mixed old and newer housing. I was also thinking of buying a home in other parts of the county with larger lots, but the schools are not that great and I would probably have to send my kid to a private school.

[Anonymous]

Hey recordsclerk,

Go ahead and move to Rancho Bernardo and after you wait one hour to go two miles on the 15 freeway because of the Escondido traffic, perhaps you’ll understand the appeal of Linda Vista. The buildings may be old (or very old), but its got a good central location.

[SD Realtor]

Hi Dejams –

I was definitely not implying to buy now. I agree with you, hold off as long as you can to let the decline run the course. In general I would agree with the posters about Tierra Santa and Scripps. Scripps is a bit more high end then Tierra Santa and the homes are larger and have bigger lots. Don’t get me wrong as I am not knocking Tierra Santa at all. My wife and I, kids, mom in law, dogs, cats and turtles all rent a 4/3 home in Scripps with a very big backyard but it is 2500 a month. Not cheap. You could probably rent for less in Tierra Santa but maybe not get as large of a home with as large as a yard. Again, not to be snobbish but if you are going to rent in Clairemont or Serra Mesa I would be very selective. Those neighborhoods can vary and have nice and not so nice pockets. You may end up next to many nice families and you may end up next door to a bunch of tenants like yourself but may not be a nice family with kids. If you can, University City is higher end then Clairemont and not far from where you work. Also Bayview is bit higher end but the rents go up there as well. You could even go as far north as Carmel Valley but rents are a bit steeper there as well.

Anyways as you get closer to coming out let us know. Definitely plenty of places for you to choose from.

SD Realtor

[dejams]

Thank you all very much for the comments and suggestions. I will check out the suggested areas and go from there. I been told by a friend that Carbsbad is also a nice area but how is the commute? The map shows it as about 30 minutes but what is the drive like during morning and afternoon traffic? Than you to all again for the great feedbacks.

[Anonymous]

Don”t do Carlsbad. The traffic is horrendous. Scripps Ranch or Tierrasanta are good bets.

[mixxalot]

Carlsbad traffic sucks.

I like north coastal but the wicked commute forever makes it off limits- that and its expensive as hell.

[SD Realtor]

Carlsbad is really nice as well. I like it. You will however look at about a 45 minute commute (one way) if you work a 9 to 5 job from KM. I also did that drive yesterday (Saturday) and there was traffic at 2 in the afternoon. Sadly this is not uncommon.

SD Realtor

[LookoutBelow]

Maybe consider what your pay will actually be after you factor in your 8 hours "stuck" in traffic daily commute, the time equivalent of another day of work.  Most people see the reality of it as a pay CUT after all is considered

And dont forget all the other immediate additional expenses you'll have to bear once residing in "Sunny So Cal" ….welcome to the land of the working poor. How about 3.55 per gallon ? We are off the charts on the national fuel costs surveys….don't expect it to be mentioned in any of the national news stories though…..you'll get to find out all the little "neat" things that living here includes on your own…It only takes about 6 months to realize the absurdity of it all and the reason your going broke with MORE monthly income

 

Welcome home 

[Wickedheart]

Carlsbad is nice but the traffic in the North County is horrible. Don’t do it. How horrible is traffic in the North County of San Diego? As bad as LA and sometimes WORSE.

Linda Vista is not my cup of tea. South of Genesee in LV is one of the most impoverished and worst crime areas in SD. The Kearny Mesa area (north of mesa College Drive)of Linda Vista is pretty decent. The middle and high schools are terrible. Kearny High is GHETTO.

Serra Mesa is a nice neighborhood. I live there and I love it. It’s centrally located and very conveinent. The valley is right down the hill. Everything is close by. There are quite a few reasonably priced nice SFHs for rent in Serra Mesa. Unforunately, if you have kids the high school is the same school as Linda Vista, Kearny High.

I don’t like Clairemont at all. Too many tweakers. Go with Tierrasanta or Scripps Ranch. A couple of other possibilities would be Rancho Bernardo or Rancho Penasquitos.

[Author]

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