Scripps ranch

[Vees]

hi, we are thinking of buying a house scripps ranch area (north of scripps ranch blvd and west of spring canyon rd) and we dont have much idea about this area. we work in sorrento valley.
questions
1. How is this area in terms of school, sense of community, weather (does it get too hot?), fire hazard, and price appreciation potential?
2.any inputs on the commute? i looked at google maps and via mira mesa blvd, it can take from anywhere 20 mins to 40 mins…is moramar or 56 better option?

lastly how does scripps compare to sorrento valley area? (92121 zip code)

thanks in advance..

[SD Realtor]

Vees, it is a nice area especially if you have a family.

Excellent weather, not different then anywhere else on the I15 corridor.

Schools are SDUSD and you can check the scores to see how they match up against other areas you want to live in.

Sense of community is better then average for the older homes in the Jerabak area.

Fire hazard of course is high for anywhere along the I15 corridor. Higher for canyon homes.

The commute sucks coming up/down Pomerado but liveable. Spring Canyon is a better way to go.

Mira Mesa Blvd sucks as well but you get used to it. You can take the back way as well, (cristobal)

56 is not a great option. Sometimes miramar can be.

I presume the 92121 option you are thinking of are the homes near Qualcomm Hill on the far west end of Calle Cristobal. Not a bad alternative but I would choose old Scripps for no particular reason.

I don’t think you will go wrong with either selection though with regards to quality of life (the sorrento option is WAY better commute wise) and appreciation wise Scripps may have a slight nod but not a huge difference.

[flyer]

SDR is definitely one of the best authorities on all things real estate, but, imo, if you work near I-5, and plan to be there for awhile, if I were you, I’d consider something closer to that location.

I live closer to I-5, and don’t commute during “rush hours,” but, for those who do, I know San Diego traffic can be almost unbearable in certain locations at certain times, and could definitely effect your quality of life, so, imho, that aspect should also be taken into consideration. Again, just my opinion.

[cvmom]

I am not that real-estate knowledgeable, but I know that a short commute is #1 on my list of requirements. Nothing like getting in the car and being home in a few minutes. Plus I like knowing I am close enough that I could walk to get my kids if needed in emergency.

[Vees]

thanks SDR. out primary focus area was CV but prices have really pushed up there and the inventory is really low (BTW: are you observing lower inventory overall this year compared to previous years ?)

yes by sorrento, i was referring to west of Calle cristobal where pardee has built some new homes. are the schools there on a upward trend? we like the openness of the area and proximity to the coast but little hesitant on the appreciation potential..

[an]

[quote=Vees]thanks SDR. out primary focus area was CV but prices have really pushed up there and the inventory is really low (BTW: are you observing lower inventory overall this year compared to previous years ?)

yes by sorrento, i was referring to west of Calle cristobal where pardee has built some new homes. are the schools there on a upward trend? we like the openness of the area and proximity to the coast but little hesitant on the appreciation potential..[/quote]Pardee only built 20 houses there and I think all are already sold. I don’t see any of those new houses for sale.
FYI, Sorrento Valley local school are Sandburg Elementary, Challenger Middle, and Mira Mesa High. You can go here to see the test scores: http://api.cde.ca.gov/reports/page2.asp?subject=API&level=School&submit1=submit. Schools on the West side of Mira Mesa are among the top in SDUSD.

As for appreciation, they’re about the same over the last 20 years. Where appreciation will be 20 years from now is anybody’s guess.

[SD Realtor]

Hi Vees,

As for the schools I will always defer to the published test scores and/or local expertise. As for appreciation potential I don’t believe there is a huge difference. The values will ebb and flow with the overall market.

With regards to commute we all have our own thoughts. I am not in love with long commutes but if a commute is reasonable then I am okay making a trade off for somewhere I really love.

That is all personal preference. Please don’t consider it advice in any way shape or form.

As for inventory it seems to that there is a tad less quality inventory and sellers definitely came out with the entitlement guns blazing this spring. In several cases, many buyers bit.

[flyer]

Based upon your scenario, CV would have been my first thought. Quite a few people on this forum live there, and we were there for about 10 years, until we moved a few miles north. It’s a great place to live, and very accessible to SV. Perhaps you might consider giving that area a second look.

As others have mentioned, this is not advice, just my opinion.

[Vees]

@Flyer: CV was our first choice but we are not finding any home in our price range and the inventory seems really low.

thanks SDR, AN

whats your take on the lopez canyon new homes
http://ando23.com/

we looked at these, the floor plans are little townhome’ish, but view is great. No yard and possibly due to floor plan, less interest from potential buyers with large families..

[SD Realtor]

They are definitely different. I like Lopez Canyon alot with regards to riding around in there. Also yeah the homes are definitely townhomish and there is not the big traditional yard.

In general they offer an interesting alternative. Not really my cup of tea but they are interesting.

[an]

I don’t think it’s townhome-ish. I think it’s more of the modern urban feel that the original 3-4 $1.xM started. They’re catering to 2 professionals with no plans for kids and don’t want to maintain a yard. I love floor plan 1. They layout the floor plan to take full advantage of the view, unlike your typical tract homes. The lack of backyard is due to how they grade the mesa, not because of the floor plan. The foot print of the house isn’t very large, but because they didn’t grade it low enough to allow a bigger pad, this is what you get. They should either have graded it lower to get bigger pads or put the street against the slope so you’ll have 1/2 amount of houses. However, it’s not my cup of tea. I want some backyard.

[applejack]

Vees, I think Scripps Ranch is one of the best communities for families! Very strong sense of community and the schools are good all the way through high school. It’s like living in a small town. My husband does the commute from SR to SV and it takes about 10-20 minutes via MM Blvd. It’s a very manageable commute. It will take longer depending on house far east you are in SR. Carmel Valley is also nice and I agree the location is better — shorter commute and closer to the ocean. There is a different vibe though, and in the lower price ranges the yards are often quite small. I guess you should check out both communities and see where you feel more comfortable.

[Coronita]

The only comment I have about the commute is the following wrto I-56.

Going to work, you’ll be going with traffic and coming home you’ll also be going with traffic.

I do the reverse commute. In the morning I start in Carmel Valley and go to Rancho Bernardo. It takes 18-20 minutes at a almost legal speed since there is no traffic that direction. Coming home is also the same.

Around 8:30-9:00am I see it backed up on 56 west frequently, starting around Carmel Country Road all the way until the 56 ends on 5 south

In the evening around 5-6pm, I see the same thing on 56 east as it gets close the the 15N/S onramps, between Black Mountain Rd and the end of the 56.

It probably adds about 10-15 mins to the commute. Keep in mind though the full distance of my commute 5N->56E->15N in the morning and back, so that 18-20 minutes includes about 2 exits on I-15 past Carmel Mountain Rd.

You might be better off taking local streets. AN probably can give you a better local route to take, since he’s more familiar with the local roads during work hours.

[an]

During traffic hours, MM Blvd. would just be as bad as the 56. Luckily, like flu, I go against traffic both ways from MM to RB. It takes me 15-20 minutes, depending on how many lights I hit. Luckily, people going the other way keep the lights green for me most of the time. Without traffic and hitting a few lights, going from one end of MM to another would take you about 10-15 minutes, but during traffic time, my guess would be closer to 20-30 minutes. There are side streets you can go to skip the traffic, but I rather not broadcast it. I don’t want to make people who live on those streets experience anymore traffic than they currently do from people who found the side streets themselves :-).

[SD Realtor]

Being a veteran of that commute for many many many years it honestly varies. You need to break the commute up into two parts, getting in and out of Scripps is part A. You gut it out through Pomerado or you go for Spring Canyon.

Alternatives to Pomerado exist on some of the smaller surface streets as well.

**************************************

Then you have the choice of Mira Mesa or Miramar Road, or going through smaller streets of Mira Mesa, or go the long way around 56.

To be honest 56 never really pans out well. I found using the smaller residential streets through Mira Mesa actually are your best bet. Sometimes Miramar Road was a decent alternative and yielded decent results.

I found it worth the commute because I enjoy Scripps.

[Author]

Posts