[cato1974]

Hi NewBuyerConflicts,

Hopefully our experience can be of use to you in your decision making process. You have already received a lot of excellent advice here but thought adding to it a bit might help.

We are relocating to the North County area from S.Florida and have two young girls aged 6 and 8 who will be entering 1st and 3rd grades. School considerations and a ‘community’ feel were paramount concerns for us and when combined with my commute, Del Sur soon became our most attractive option. We have very close friends who have recently purchased an Estrella Plan 3 Lennar home at the Lakes and their experience thus far has been consistent with many of your concerns, particularly that of a less ‘neighborhoodly’ feel than hoped for. Indeed you are afforded the luxury of a gate, yet as others have mentioned, there are no parks, pools and I believe one trail.

When touring Del Sur we were particularly impressed with the number of kids we saw playing outside, walkability to Del Sur Elementary and the extensive network of trails, parks and pools. It was just more of what we were looking for. Our goal has always been to have our kids be able to grow up in a ‘community’ rather than be sequestered away in what might be the most luxurious house for us. We were rather disappointed in the lot sizes available in Del Sur compared to the Lakes but felt the ‘community ‘ tradeoff was well worth it.

We initially scoped out both the Marston development and Presidio and Sentinels but after considering the power lines and the fact that the Marston development was further away from the entrance to the hiking trails, parks and school we opted for the Presidio development. Our lot size is marginally smaller than the equivalent house we were evaluating at Marston, but will end up in a section that I am hoping will have more kids running around. We are facing the East canyon directly opposite Marston and have a power tower off in the distance, but plan to plant some trees to ameliorate that issue.

With options and upgrades , of which we purchased many, we are still well below any comparably sized house we could purchase in Cielo, RSH, Crosby or Santaluz. Inventory is that tight now.

In regards to the schools. There is a great thread on Facebook explaining the selection criteria and lottery system for the new K-8 DC39 school.
Essentially enrollment will be closed for 4s ( CFD 6 ) going forward unless someone leaves.
CFD 15 ( Del Sur East which comprises Presidio and Marston and the soon to be built Descanso) is only at 40% capacity and those that applied from this CFD this year got in. Those that apply in the coming years from 15 will likely be granted admission. This is because spots were reserved for this CFD understanding that build out is not yet complete.

I think with what we got on our Presidio Plan 3 ( 3950 sq feet) with decent view and backyard ( 60×50) we got a fair deal compared to what else is out there.

This was not an easy process as I had to fly back and forth twice and make a decision remotely but I’ve studied all pros/cons up the wazoo and hope my analysis helps you a bit too.

Best of luck in your decision!

[cato1974]

Thanks for the further information guys. I definitely will be calling the schools to find out how full they are. I know that the new K-8 school has already past their deadline for residency application submission. I will also check out the resales in Crosby and in Ivy Gate and Trails as mentioned. Thanks again!

[cato1974]

Hello all,
Just an update on our plans. I have decided to accept a position offered to me in Escondido rather than Fallbrook which makes the prospect of commuting slightly more palatable :). We will be moving in August and are actively looking at properties in Del Sur ( Presidio/Marston) as well as the Van Daele homes in the Lakes. These are all new builds and will run me anywhere from 950-1.3 depending on which community we go with. Mello Roos are rather prohibitive but I am hoping to get the value returned through the school system. We will also be looking for resales in the Crosby, Del Sur and 4s although inventory is scarce. Just wanted to fill you in and thank you all for your invaluable advice. If you have any other suggestions I’m all ears/eyes!
Cheers

[cato1974]

Thanks again for all the input guys.. much to think about..
I guess the Temecula discussion will continue on.
I have been offered the position..I just have to decide if I’m going to take it.
A big part of that decision depends upon where we live and if my commute will be tolerable or not. My number one priority is to be around my daughters as much as possible and a super long commute will dampen those prospects.
Like others, I want great schools, safe areas, people who value their community, clean air, access to conveniences and amenities ( my wife does like big box stores! ) and safe open spaces for my kids and dogs to enjoy the outdoors.
No matter where we live, we do not succumb to Affluenza and have no need to keep up with the Jones’. We drive >10 year old japanese cars and shop at Target and value a sense of community and people’s values over their material possessions.
Hopefully we can find an area where those are valued as well 🙂
Thanks again!

[cato1974]

I’ve also read some about people not being able to send their child to PUSD despite having paid Mello Roos in a zoned community. That would be irksome to say the least. I’ve spent some time going over the new k-8 school going up and it seems very promising. Maybe the opening of that school in 2014 will help alleviate some of the capacity issues.
You guys are all giving us a lot of homework to do and places to explore when we come out!

[cato1974]

Thanks again everyone for the suggestions. I am definitely encouraged by the fact that you all seem to think that the commute is doable, particularly against traffic.
It looks like Santaluz and the Crosby seem quite promising.
I know there are houses going up at that price point in Del Sur..are most of you of the mind that they are not worth it considering the significantly higher Mello Roos and other bond issues… or for other reasons?
It does seem that the school pyramid for that development is also quite appealing.. Del sur/Oak Valley/Del Norte…

[cato1974]

Thanks for the info:

To “all”.. what length drive do you think from the house you linked to?

To ‘njtosd’… It seems you read my mind as I was also considering that situation strongly. I know the high schools Canyon Crest and Torrey Pines have consistently performed well and on par with what we are used to in the Northeast. What length drive do you think I’m looking at from the areas you mentioned : Del Mar and Solana… I guess it boils down to how long it will take me to get to the I-15 because I think once I’m on the 15, I can hopefully zip up pretty quickly.

Thanks again guys for all your input 🙂

[cato1974]

Thanks for the quick response all… one question:
do you mean that going from Del Sur to Fallbrook will be worse than going from the Northern edge of SD or vice versa. I’m assuming vice versa. 🙂

We will also look in Temecula, but prefer the schools in the PUSD or even the San Dieguito district.

Is carlsbad that close? google maps has me at 35 min from Carlsbad to Fallbrook.. essentially the same time from the Del Sur/Black Mountain area.

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