[bryan995]

Hard to find anything new under 2500sqft. It seems all builders are going for these days are 5/4 3500sqft mcmansions. I’d gladly scoop up something newer and smaller in a better location. 4/2.5 2000sqft sounds perfect ( assuming newer with an open layout 😉 ). All of the older homes in UTC/clairemont area seem to need so much work. From what I can see most are littered with DIY re-models and repairs.

Even though I see the absurdity in buying a massive newer home, there seem to be plenty of buyers lining up for these. So why not play the game, enjoy the property and then sell it to the next millennial with oversized dreams? :).

[bryan995]

Thanks for all of the comments.

Agreed that HGV is just a too much of a hike given our current work commutes.
We appreciate the insights and advice. It looked as if it would be 1 hour+ for each of us..

As of now, HGV is out. We also disliked the fact that the development is in what seems to be a a wildfire hotspot? Not much to do in the surrounding area. And that the schools are average to sub-par. We also disliked the obvious climate differences, moving from semi-coastal to inland and HOT would be a difficult adjustment.

If only there was newer construction right where we are now, priced at 800k 😉

We took a look at the Weston in Santee as well. Pardee & Tri-point homes. Again very nice, lots of amenities we would enjoy. Priced right around $700K for a 4/3 2600sqft (+20k for required solar). The commute to work doesn’t seem all that bad, 20 mins and 33 mins. But going back home looks to be 45mins and 45 mins (unless we can negotiate some creative work hours + 1 day working at home – very possible). Again same issues as HGV, high hoa, mello-roos, much hotter climate etc. But we’d get the style of home that we are looking for, modern/open/spanish style.

Decisions decisions …

[bryan995]

dupe, sorry.

[bryan995]

I’ve also read some posts, discussing a potential ‘fire’ sale come end of year for some new homes / builders.

Apparently they are willing to offer steep discounts as Q4 wraps up (and especially as a particular development comes to a close) to boost revenues.

We were hoping that if we can hold off until nov/dec, that some significant discounts can be had for these units. $992k -> $950k? or more?

Any truth to any of this?

[bryan995]

Thanks for all of the great comments.

@Escoguy
My wife works downtown (near seaport) and I work in the Torrey Pines / UCSD area. DINKS, ~250K income with (hopefully) plenty of room for income growth.
We have 15% downpayment + reserves. We’ve been considering a 80/10/10 mortgage. We rent currently, very much looking forward to the potential tax deductions.

1st child now on the way, so DINK status will be retired soon.
Wife plans to continue to work, but we also do not want to over-commit.

I do sometimes wonder about the average income for families in these developments – DINK or SINK or SIWK (single income with kids). Helps to calibrate what exactly we are getting ourselves into. Willing to run things a bit lean/tight for a few years, will help to establish some ‘forced’ savings in our mind. Also wanting to lock in low rate now, in a potential ‘forever’ home rather than buying a small starter home now and feeling the urge to upgrade in 3-5 years.

@njtosd
By landscaping, do you mean monthly maintenance?
Or an initial cost since the builder leaves the home with only dirt?
How much $$ are we talking here? 🙂

Everything I read suggests that RE tax AND mello roos are tax deductible (mello roos seem to be in a grey area) but most seem to add this as a deduction.
We will certainly attempt to simulate our commute from PHR a few mornings – will also look a bit more into existing stock along the xpress-way.

@zk
You experience with the sense of community in CV + lots of young families with children is exactly why we are considering this development – it is nice to hear some positives. Also with the temperature, we would prefer more mild temps 🙂

About the agent commission, I did some additional reading after making this post and found exactly what you describe. The builder is unwilling to offer a discount for buyers without agents because it would then set a precedent for a lower price for the next buyer (with an agent). So they basically stand firm on this. We might as well either use redfin for the rebate, or find a local agent willing to stand-in for a small piece of the pie.

We were very careful not to sign anything formally just yet and I believe you are right – it is only after one is added to the priority list, or fills our the form to tour the standing units that the buyers agent needs to be formally acknowledged.

Thanks all!

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