Standard Pacific Homes in Santee Still Overpriced?

[PKMAN]

A discussion titled “Overpriced homes in Santee by Standard Pacific” just over a year ago, basically saying that new homes there for $600K is way overpriced, drew many heated debates. Some were simply bashing Santee and making false/exaggerated/racial statements without really knowing the town. I’ve lived in northern La Mesa (just north of Lake Murray) for many years in the 90s, have driven to Santee on many occasions to shop and dine, and have always liked the town. I’m now considering moving from San Marcos to Santee to be closer, actually a lot closer, to my job near the Montgomery Field, and have my eyes on the Riverwalk townhouse by SP.

These brand new townhouses can probably be bargained down to $400K or even slightly lower with nice interior decoration. The location is quite ideal, as I would be able to take Mast Blvd. to connect to 52, avoiding the often-congested Mission Gorge Blvd. I think for a brand new home in Santee with very nice interior decoration for $400K is not overpriced. What do you think? Do you know where else can one buy a brand new 2,000 sqft home within 12 miles of the Montgomery Field north of I-8?

Yes, Mira Mesa, and that would be my other option. Many of you feel that MM is a better option over Santee and I see your point. I’ve also driven to the MM areas on numerous occasions. Sometimes when the traffic on northbound I-15 got so bad going back home after work, I would get off at MM and spend some times at the Barnes & Noble to wait it out. From my prospective:

Location
MM is more centrally located than Santee but I don’t travel far from home outside of work anyway, and rarely go to La Jolla or the beach. Santee is a bit closer to the SD downtown than MM, even though I rarely go there too.

Traffic
Both MM and Santee have a major street (Mission Gorge Blvd. and MM Blvd.) carrying virtually all the traffic and commerce of the town. However the Santee’s stretch of MG is a lot shorter, at about 1.5 miles, while MM can experience heavy traffic from I-15 all the way to I-805. MG has Mast Blvd. and Prospect Ave. running parallel to relief traffic somewhat, but MM has no such diversion streets to count on.

Public Transportation
I don’t see myself taking the Trolley very often but every now and then it might be nice to spend a day in SD downtown without worrying about parking. No such option for MM.

Shopping
We are middle-class Americans and shop accordingly. Thus we rarely venture to the coastal area to those luxurious boutique shops. Typical shopping plazas and malls are good enough for us. Santee Town Center and Trolley Square is within walking distance. Parkway Plaza in El Cajon and Grossmont Center in La Mesa are also quite close by car. Even Mission Valley and Fashion Valley are within 20 minutes drive, and we can take the Trolley.

Dining
I read somewhere that MM has finer dining and that may be true. However once again, we are middle-class Americans and we eat accordingly. We rarely go to upscale restaurants. Typical fast food and casual/family restaurants are good enough for us.

Weather
Santee is probably similar to San Marcos so shouldn’t be a problem for us.

Demographic
The thing about Mexican slums is jut not true. Besides, where we live in San Marcos there are also numerous apartments nearby occupied primarily by Mexican families and we haven’t had any problems. I don’t mind Santee being a working-class, blue-collar town, as I was raised in the same background. In fact if I have kids, I would rather them grow up in this background, instead of hanging out with rich kids in the La Jolla / coastal region where getting a brand new BMW at 16 is viewed as their Manifesto Destiny.

School
No kids so not a concern yet.

Crime
This would be one of our biggest concerns. I read a lot that Santee has one of the lowest crime rate in the East County and don’t know if that’s true. However comparing to MM is probably no better/worse.

In summary, I want to buy a brand new home of about 2,000 sqft, for no more than $400K, in a decent town north of I-8 that is within 12 miles to work near the Montgomery Field and close to casual shopping/dining. It’s either Santee or MM and right now I’m leaning toward Santee.

[Eugene]

Yeah, that was a funny thread. So much Mexican bashing, makes me look almost like a hispanic sympatizer by comparison. Santee is actually the fourth whitest inland geo in San Diego County, after Alpine, Julian, and Lakeside. It is also known as Klantee (or Santucky). How can anybody describe it as a mexican slum, it escapes me.

Santee does in fact have one of the lowest crime rates inland, it’s a lot safer than its immediate neighbors La Mesa and El Cajon. It’s even a little safer than Carlsbad. Here’s the link

http://www.sandag.org/uploads/publicationid/publicationid_1367_8040.pdf

Santee is much hotter than MM. I think it’s hotter that San Marcos, too. Last time I was there, I got the impression that roads were in a rather bad shape.

52 East through Mission Trails is extremely congested during the evening rush hour. The same is probably true westbound in the mornings but to a lesser degree. All problems stem from the fact that the freeway narrows from 3 to 2 lanes a mile or so west of Mast Blvd. I seem to recall something about freeway widening.

The K-8 school (Rio Seco) is good, the high school (Santana) is so-so.

It takes 45 minutes by trolley to get from Santee to Old Town, plus connection, plus 10-15 minutes from Old Town to the downtown.

Planning to negotiate down to 400k is ambitious, the sticker price of a 2000 sf model is 497k before options. There could be Mello Roos, too.

Personally I wouldn’t pay anywhere close to 497k for a 2000 sf townhouse in Santee, I’d get an older and slightly smaller detached in RB/PQ, Poway, or Carlsbad, for the same money. I also think that RB/PQ and Carlsbad have more downside potential. But schools are a bigger factor for me.

If you like Santee, check out houses near Santee Lakes, they are older but IMHO better value.

[Eugene]

Yeah, that was a funny thread. So much Mexican bashing, makes me look almost like a hispanic sympatizer by comparison. Santee is actually the fourth whitest inland geo in San Diego County, after Alpine, Julian, and Lakeside. It is also known as Klantee (or Santucky). How can anybody describe it as a mexican slum, it escapes me.

Santee does in fact have one of the lowest crime rates inland, it’s a lot safer than its immediate neighbors La Mesa and El Cajon. It’s even a little safer than Carlsbad. Here’s the link

http://www.sandag.org/uploads/publicationid/publicationid_1367_8040.pdf

Santee is much hotter than MM. I think it’s hotter that San Marcos, too. Last time I was there, I got the impression that roads were in a rather bad shape.

52 East through Mission Trails is extremely congested during the evening rush hour. The same is probably true westbound in the mornings but to a lesser degree. All problems stem from the fact that the freeway narrows from 3 to 2 lanes a mile or so west of Mast Blvd. I seem to recall something about freeway widening.

The K-8 school (Rio Seco) is good, the high school (Santana) is so-so.

It takes 45 minutes by trolley to get from Santee to Old Town, plus connection, plus 10-15 minutes from Old Town to the downtown.

Planning to negotiate down to 400k is ambitious, the sticker price of a 2000 sf model is 497k before options. There could be Mello Roos, too.

Personally I wouldn’t pay anywhere close to 497k for a 2000 sf townhouse in Santee, I’d get an older and slightly smaller detached in RB/PQ, Poway, or Carlsbad, for the same money. I also think that RB/PQ and Carlsbad have more downside potential. But schools are a bigger factor for me.

If you like Santee, check out houses near Santee Lakes, they are older but IMHO better value.

[Eugene]

Yeah, that was a funny thread. So much Mexican bashing, makes me look almost like a hispanic sympatizer by comparison. Santee is actually the fourth whitest inland geo in San Diego County, after Alpine, Julian, and Lakeside. It is also known as Klantee (or Santucky). How can anybody describe it as a mexican slum, it escapes me.

Santee does in fact have one of the lowest crime rates inland, it’s a lot safer than its immediate neighbors La Mesa and El Cajon. It’s even a little safer than Carlsbad. Here’s the link

http://www.sandag.org/uploads/publicationid/publicationid_1367_8040.pdf

Santee is much hotter than MM. I think it’s hotter that San Marcos, too. Last time I was there, I got the impression that roads were in a rather bad shape.

52 East through Mission Trails is extremely congested during the evening rush hour. The same is probably true westbound in the mornings but to a lesser degree. All problems stem from the fact that the freeway narrows from 3 to 2 lanes a mile or so west of Mast Blvd. I seem to recall something about freeway widening.

The K-8 school (Rio Seco) is good, the high school (Santana) is so-so.

It takes 45 minutes by trolley to get from Santee to Old Town, plus connection, plus 10-15 minutes from Old Town to the downtown.

Planning to negotiate down to 400k is ambitious, the sticker price of a 2000 sf model is 497k before options. There could be Mello Roos, too.

Personally I wouldn’t pay anywhere close to 497k for a 2000 sf townhouse in Santee, I’d get an older and slightly smaller detached in RB/PQ, Poway, or Carlsbad, for the same money. I also think that RB/PQ and Carlsbad have more downside potential. But schools are a bigger factor for me.

If you like Santee, check out houses near Santee Lakes, they are older but IMHO better value.

[Eugene]

Yeah, that was a funny thread. So much Mexican bashing, makes me look almost like a hispanic sympatizer by comparison. Santee is actually the fourth whitest inland geo in San Diego County, after Alpine, Julian, and Lakeside. It is also known as Klantee (or Santucky). How can anybody describe it as a mexican slum, it escapes me.

Santee does in fact have one of the lowest crime rates inland, it’s a lot safer than its immediate neighbors La Mesa and El Cajon. It’s even a little safer than Carlsbad. Here’s the link

http://www.sandag.org/uploads/publicationid/publicationid_1367_8040.pdf

Santee is much hotter than MM. I think it’s hotter that San Marcos, too. Last time I was there, I got the impression that roads were in a rather bad shape.

52 East through Mission Trails is extremely congested during the evening rush hour. The same is probably true westbound in the mornings but to a lesser degree. All problems stem from the fact that the freeway narrows from 3 to 2 lanes a mile or so west of Mast Blvd. I seem to recall something about freeway widening.

The K-8 school (Rio Seco) is good, the high school (Santana) is so-so.

It takes 45 minutes by trolley to get from Santee to Old Town, plus connection, plus 10-15 minutes from Old Town to the downtown.

Planning to negotiate down to 400k is ambitious, the sticker price of a 2000 sf model is 497k before options. There could be Mello Roos, too.

Personally I wouldn’t pay anywhere close to 497k for a 2000 sf townhouse in Santee, I’d get an older and slightly smaller detached in RB/PQ, Poway, or Carlsbad, for the same money. I also think that RB/PQ and Carlsbad have more downside potential. But schools are a bigger factor for me.

If you like Santee, check out houses near Santee Lakes, they are older but IMHO better value.

[Eugene]

Yeah, that was a funny thread. So much Mexican bashing, makes me look almost like a hispanic sympatizer by comparison. Santee is actually the fourth whitest inland geo in San Diego County, after Alpine, Julian, and Lakeside. It is also known as Klantee (or Santucky). How can anybody describe it as a mexican slum, it escapes me.

Santee does in fact have one of the lowest crime rates inland, it’s a lot safer than its immediate neighbors La Mesa and El Cajon. It’s even a little safer than Carlsbad. Here’s the link

http://www.sandag.org/uploads/publicationid/publicationid_1367_8040.pdf

Santee is much hotter than MM. I think it’s hotter that San Marcos, too. Last time I was there, I got the impression that roads were in a rather bad shape.

52 East through Mission Trails is extremely congested during the evening rush hour. The same is probably true westbound in the mornings but to a lesser degree. All problems stem from the fact that the freeway narrows from 3 to 2 lanes a mile or so west of Mast Blvd. I seem to recall something about freeway widening.

The K-8 school (Rio Seco) is good, the high school (Santana) is so-so.

It takes 45 minutes by trolley to get from Santee to Old Town, plus connection, plus 10-15 minutes from Old Town to the downtown.

Planning to negotiate down to 400k is ambitious, the sticker price of a 2000 sf model is 497k before options. There could be Mello Roos, too.

Personally I wouldn’t pay anywhere close to 497k for a 2000 sf townhouse in Santee, I’d get an older and slightly smaller detached in RB/PQ, Poway, or Carlsbad, for the same money. I also think that RB/PQ and Carlsbad have more downside potential. But schools are a bigger factor for me.

If you like Santee, check out houses near Santee Lakes, they are older but IMHO better value.

[sunny88]

The new developments in Santee at Riverwalk called “Canopypark” and “Stoney Creek” are currently selling in the high $300 – low $500’s. They have reduced the prices significantly over the last few months and the homes are very nice. The location seems to be quite convenient near Mast and Mission Gorge. Does anybody have an opinion if there are any drawbacks living there? Any locals who can give me their input?

[sunny88]

The new developments in Santee at Riverwalk called “Canopypark” and “Stoney Creek” are currently selling in the high $300 – low $500’s. They have reduced the prices significantly over the last few months and the homes are very nice. The location seems to be quite convenient near Mast and Mission Gorge. Does anybody have an opinion if there are any drawbacks living there? Any locals who can give me their input?

[sunny88]

The new developments in Santee at Riverwalk called “Canopypark” and “Stoney Creek” are currently selling in the high $300 – low $500’s. They have reduced the prices significantly over the last few months and the homes are very nice. The location seems to be quite convenient near Mast and Mission Gorge. Does anybody have an opinion if there are any drawbacks living there? Any locals who can give me their input?

[sunny88]

The new developments in Santee at Riverwalk called “Canopypark” and “Stoney Creek” are currently selling in the high $300 – low $500’s. They have reduced the prices significantly over the last few months and the homes are very nice. The location seems to be quite convenient near Mast and Mission Gorge. Does anybody have an opinion if there are any drawbacks living there? Any locals who can give me their input?

[sunny88]

The new developments in Santee at Riverwalk called “Canopypark” and “Stoney Creek” are currently selling in the high $300 – low $500’s. They have reduced the prices significantly over the last few months and the homes are very nice. The location seems to be quite convenient near Mast and Mission Gorge. Does anybody have an opinion if there are any drawbacks living there? Any locals who can give me their input?

[PKMAN]

I started this forum 1.5 months ago and recently just bought a single detached house at the Stoney Creek community in Riverwalk and got a very good deal (sorry I won’t reveal any more details regarding price since I have not close escrow yet) Here are some of the “negatives” of the neighborhood and my take:

Small Lot
My home is only about 42’x85′ and the backyard is only about 15′ deep. But that’s OK with me, as I used to live in a house with a 1 acre lot and that was very exhausting to maintain. The backyard is big enough to hold family BBQ gathering and for my dog to relieve himself. That’s all I need.

Weather
Santee is indeed hotter many most other places near central SD. When I was there 2 weeks ago, it was noticeably hotter than Serra Mesa and Mission Valley. Thankfully the home has excellent dual-pane Low E window (I verified) that can block out most of the Sun’s intense heat.

Proximity to Airport
There is a local airfield about 1.5 miles south, and we all know about the recent tragedy in University City. However the airfield is civilian and the runway can only support landing of small/light planes. Also the runway stretches east-west so the community is not in its takeoff/landing pattern.

Proximity to Park
YMCA and Santee sport complex park is right across the street. Some concern that this will bring additional traffic to the Riverwalk Drive and noise. I can deal with the traffic, being used to live in NYC and I think noise from kids playing sports is really not noise at all.

Proximity to Woman Detention Center
It’s a 1.5 southeast. Fortunately it’s only a detention center and woman escaped fugitive doesn’t sound as scary as male fugitive on the run.

These are about all that I can think of. Overall, the goods far outweigh the bads, such as price, location, near shopping and within 20 minutes to downtown, La Jolla, beach, etc. If you’re considering the Stoney Creek houses, act fast because it’s almost sold out. We didn’t get our first pick and had to settle for the backup pick. If you’re eyeing the Canopy Park townhouse, there should still be plenty left, with another phase not yet built.

[PKMAN]

I started this forum 1.5 months ago and recently just bought a single detached house at the Stoney Creek community in Riverwalk and got a very good deal (sorry I won’t reveal any more details regarding price since I have not close escrow yet) Here are some of the “negatives” of the neighborhood and my take:

Small Lot
My home is only about 42’x85′ and the backyard is only about 15′ deep. But that’s OK with me, as I used to live in a house with a 1 acre lot and that was very exhausting to maintain. The backyard is big enough to hold family BBQ gathering and for my dog to relieve himself. That’s all I need.

Weather
Santee is indeed hotter many most other places near central SD. When I was there 2 weeks ago, it was noticeably hotter than Serra Mesa and Mission Valley. Thankfully the home has excellent dual-pane Low E window (I verified) that can block out most of the Sun’s intense heat.

Proximity to Airport
There is a local airfield about 1.5 miles south, and we all know about the recent tragedy in University City. However the airfield is civilian and the runway can only support landing of small/light planes. Also the runway stretches east-west so the community is not in its takeoff/landing pattern.

Proximity to Park
YMCA and Santee sport complex park is right across the street. Some concern that this will bring additional traffic to the Riverwalk Drive and noise. I can deal with the traffic, being used to live in NYC and I think noise from kids playing sports is really not noise at all.

Proximity to Woman Detention Center
It’s a 1.5 southeast. Fortunately it’s only a detention center and woman escaped fugitive doesn’t sound as scary as male fugitive on the run.

These are about all that I can think of. Overall, the goods far outweigh the bads, such as price, location, near shopping and within 20 minutes to downtown, La Jolla, beach, etc. If you’re considering the Stoney Creek houses, act fast because it’s almost sold out. We didn’t get our first pick and had to settle for the backup pick. If you’re eyeing the Canopy Park townhouse, there should still be plenty left, with another phase not yet built.

[PKMAN]

I started this forum 1.5 months ago and recently just bought a single detached house at the Stoney Creek community in Riverwalk and got a very good deal (sorry I won’t reveal any more details regarding price since I have not close escrow yet) Here are some of the “negatives” of the neighborhood and my take:

Small Lot
My home is only about 42’x85′ and the backyard is only about 15′ deep. But that’s OK with me, as I used to live in a house with a 1 acre lot and that was very exhausting to maintain. The backyard is big enough to hold family BBQ gathering and for my dog to relieve himself. That’s all I need.

Weather
Santee is indeed hotter many most other places near central SD. When I was there 2 weeks ago, it was noticeably hotter than Serra Mesa and Mission Valley. Thankfully the home has excellent dual-pane Low E window (I verified) that can block out most of the Sun’s intense heat.

Proximity to Airport
There is a local airfield about 1.5 miles south, and we all know about the recent tragedy in University City. However the airfield is civilian and the runway can only support landing of small/light planes. Also the runway stretches east-west so the community is not in its takeoff/landing pattern.

Proximity to Park
YMCA and Santee sport complex park is right across the street. Some concern that this will bring additional traffic to the Riverwalk Drive and noise. I can deal with the traffic, being used to live in NYC and I think noise from kids playing sports is really not noise at all.

Proximity to Woman Detention Center
It’s a 1.5 southeast. Fortunately it’s only a detention center and woman escaped fugitive doesn’t sound as scary as male fugitive on the run.

These are about all that I can think of. Overall, the goods far outweigh the bads, such as price, location, near shopping and within 20 minutes to downtown, La Jolla, beach, etc. If you’re considering the Stoney Creek houses, act fast because it’s almost sold out. We didn’t get our first pick and had to settle for the backup pick. If you’re eyeing the Canopy Park townhouse, there should still be plenty left, with another phase not yet built.

[PKMAN]

I started this forum 1.5 months ago and recently just bought a single detached house at the Stoney Creek community in Riverwalk and got a very good deal (sorry I won’t reveal any more details regarding price since I have not close escrow yet) Here are some of the “negatives” of the neighborhood and my take:

Small Lot
My home is only about 42’x85′ and the backyard is only about 15′ deep. But that’s OK with me, as I used to live in a house with a 1 acre lot and that was very exhausting to maintain. The backyard is big enough to hold family BBQ gathering and for my dog to relieve himself. That’s all I need.

Weather
Santee is indeed hotter many most other places near central SD. When I was there 2 weeks ago, it was noticeably hotter than Serra Mesa and Mission Valley. Thankfully the home has excellent dual-pane Low E window (I verified) that can block out most of the Sun’s intense heat.

Proximity to Airport
There is a local airfield about 1.5 miles south, and we all know about the recent tragedy in University City. However the airfield is civilian and the runway can only support landing of small/light planes. Also the runway stretches east-west so the community is not in its takeoff/landing pattern.

Proximity to Park
YMCA and Santee sport complex park is right across the street. Some concern that this will bring additional traffic to the Riverwalk Drive and noise. I can deal with the traffic, being used to live in NYC and I think noise from kids playing sports is really not noise at all.

Proximity to Woman Detention Center
It’s a 1.5 southeast. Fortunately it’s only a detention center and woman escaped fugitive doesn’t sound as scary as male fugitive on the run.

These are about all that I can think of. Overall, the goods far outweigh the bads, such as price, location, near shopping and within 20 minutes to downtown, La Jolla, beach, etc. If you’re considering the Stoney Creek houses, act fast because it’s almost sold out. We didn’t get our first pick and had to settle for the backup pick. If you’re eyeing the Canopy Park townhouse, there should still be plenty left, with another phase not yet built.

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