[nin_sis]

I lived off Camino Ruiz and Mira Mesa Blvd. for almost 3 years. There were a few gang related drive by shootings a couple of blocks from us within that timeframe and because of that I would never suggest living in the heart of Mira Mesa near all the shopping centers. Too close to home for me. Our neighborhood was reasonably quiet, but lots of property crime…mostly cars broken into and some domestic violence issues. Make sure you keep all valuables out of your car and you shouldn’t have a problem (our cars were never touched). I also lived off Calle Cristobal and although I thought it was a nicer area, we still had the same car theft/break-in problems in the condo complexes. Mira Mesa overall is a high density area so obviously there is more opportunity for crime. Definitely agree with the other posters about living as close to the 805 as possible…it’s a nightmare getting to and from work from the main drag, but can be done if you know which off-streets to take. Good Luck!

[nin_sis]

I lived off Camino Ruiz and Mira Mesa Blvd. for almost 3 years. There were a few gang related drive by shootings a couple of blocks from us within that timeframe and because of that I would never suggest living in the heart of Mira Mesa near all the shopping centers. Too close to home for me. Our neighborhood was reasonably quiet, but lots of property crime…mostly cars broken into and some domestic violence issues. Make sure you keep all valuables out of your car and you shouldn’t have a problem (our cars were never touched). I also lived off Calle Cristobal and although I thought it was a nicer area, we still had the same car theft/break-in problems in the condo complexes. Mira Mesa overall is a high density area so obviously there is more opportunity for crime. Definitely agree with the other posters about living as close to the 805 as possible…it’s a nightmare getting to and from work from the main drag, but can be done if you know which off-streets to take. Good Luck!

[nin_sis]

I lived off Camino Ruiz and Mira Mesa Blvd. for almost 3 years. There were a few gang related drive by shootings a couple of blocks from us within that timeframe and because of that I would never suggest living in the heart of Mira Mesa near all the shopping centers. Too close to home for me. Our neighborhood was reasonably quiet, but lots of property crime…mostly cars broken into and some domestic violence issues. Make sure you keep all valuables out of your car and you shouldn’t have a problem (our cars were never touched). I also lived off Calle Cristobal and although I thought it was a nicer area, we still had the same car theft/break-in problems in the condo complexes. Mira Mesa overall is a high density area so obviously there is more opportunity for crime. Definitely agree with the other posters about living as close to the 805 as possible…it’s a nightmare getting to and from work from the main drag, but can be done if you know which off-streets to take. Good Luck!

[nin_sis]

I lived off Camino Ruiz and Mira Mesa Blvd. for almost 3 years. There were a few gang related drive by shootings a couple of blocks from us within that timeframe and because of that I would never suggest living in the heart of Mira Mesa near all the shopping centers. Too close to home for me. Our neighborhood was reasonably quiet, but lots of property crime…mostly cars broken into and some domestic violence issues. Make sure you keep all valuables out of your car and you shouldn’t have a problem (our cars were never touched). I also lived off Calle Cristobal and although I thought it was a nicer area, we still had the same car theft/break-in problems in the condo complexes. Mira Mesa overall is a high density area so obviously there is more opportunity for crime. Definitely agree with the other posters about living as close to the 805 as possible…it’s a nightmare getting to and from work from the main drag, but can be done if you know which off-streets to take. Good Luck!

[nin_sis]

I lived off Camino Ruiz and Mira Mesa Blvd. for almost 3 years. There were a few gang related drive by shootings a couple of blocks from us within that timeframe and because of that I would never suggest living in the heart of Mira Mesa near all the shopping centers. Too close to home for me. Our neighborhood was reasonably quiet, but lots of property crime…mostly cars broken into and some domestic violence issues. Make sure you keep all valuables out of your car and you shouldn’t have a problem (our cars were never touched). I also lived off Calle Cristobal and although I thought it was a nicer area, we still had the same car theft/break-in problems in the condo complexes. Mira Mesa overall is a high density area so obviously there is more opportunity for crime. Definitely agree with the other posters about living as close to the 805 as possible…it’s a nightmare getting to and from work from the main drag, but can be done if you know which off-streets to take. Good Luck!

[nin_sis]

Indeed a lot of biotech/pharma positions in San Diego are filled by out-of-staters. It is also true that a lot of 20 something, Bachelor degreed, fresh out of college kids are taking the lower paid positions to live the So. Cal lifestyle for awhile. In fact in my company we’ve had several move back to their midwest home states in the past year to pursue grad school or other pharma positions. Again, they don’t have any ties to this city in the form of a mortgage and were all single. In my opinion, biotech doesn’t have a promising future in San Diego if the cost of living continues to rise as it has been. It is very hard to recruit upper management PhD’s with families and so the pool of talent is slightly diminished. I think we are scraping by as well and if this housing crisis continues, more and more people are going to realize that owning a home in SD won’t ever be possible and they’ll pick up and move.

[nin_sis]

I work at a large biotech company with a fairly stable future. However, Merck has left town, Pfizer has been laying off the last 3 quarters (about 200-300 per round), Neurocrine’s drug won’t be approved as Pfizer has just let them go and small biotechs don’t last for more than 3 years. It is a very volatile industry and sometimes hard to keep a good job. I’m at the mid management level with some graduate education, but the higher you get in education the tougher it is to find good stable positions. I know of several people who have been affected by recent layoffs and have been unemployed for several months. However, lab bench workers are able to find positions immediately. Not really sure about the effect on housing as of yet. The lower paid workers (non-PhD) are usually renters and in their mid to late 20’s while the higher educated/ salaried ones own homes, yet are older so they probably bought before the boom and may be unaffected by losing their job (or can take the time to find something comparable). That’s my view.

[nin_sis]

Be careful about bashing downtown…some people on this board might be offended (as I learned a few days ago by giving my opinion on where I live in Mira Mesa). All kidding aside, I for one, appreciate the negative and positive posts regarding living experiences and situations in San Diego. Things change so quickly around here lately.

[nin_sis]

It makes sense to me. I was in the market to buy in June of 2004 (townhouse or something in Scripps Ranch). Equal sized homes in the same complexes are selling for the same price or less than what we would have payed, but the inventory has tripled.

[nin_sis]

“While I do appreciate reading all these insights about other areas of the County, let’s stick with facts and keep it positive when assessing other people’s turf. It’s been upbeat so far, let’s keep it there.”

Part of the idea of this forum is to express opinions and views about San Diego. While some people think San Diego is the best place on earth, others don’t happen to share this view. I grew up in San Diego and think this city has turned into a mini-LA over the past 15+ years. Yes, I’ve also lived in LA, San Fernando to be exact so I do have experiences to compare to. I’ve lived all over San Diego, from Hillcrest to the college area all the way up to Carlsbad and Escondido with stops in Carmel Valley and UTC along the way. Not all of San Diego is roses and for some of us, it’s been tough getting by. Let’s appreciate the not-so-upbeat comments as well as the “upbeat ones”. Some people like to know the pluses and negatives about a city especially from more than one person on this board. I realize powayseller posts a lot, but isn’t it nice to hear from others?

[nin_sis]

Seniormoment…

I live in the Mira Mesa area, used to live in Carmel valley and know what you are talking about in regards to the illegal immigrant situation. There are a bunch of them living in the Penasquitos reserve (the canyon between Mira Mesa and Carmel Valley or Torrey hills). They come up the canyon in the mornings and hang out at the nearest 7-11 all day looking for work. I only see about 30 of them each morning, so who knows where the rest of them go. Most of the time they walk about carrying 12 packs of beer headed back to the canyon at night (no joke). On more than a few occasions there have been police cars lining the canyon with a helicopter flying around the area. At one point last summer, there was a row of homes that were broken into that line one of the canyons (not saying there is a connection to the illegals). When I lived off Sorrento Mesa in a condo complex, there were several burglaries, car prowls and our car was involved in a hit and run in a parking lot. Needless to say, I would not recommend this area to live in. It’s overcrowded and there is such diversity that more often than not, rude behavior and disorder is bred.

[nin_sis]

I’m in the Mira Mesa area where prices are a bit lower than the rest of SD county (older homes). I’ve seen several signs go up in the past 3 months, but only 2 sold signs and one sale pending (has been up for 1.5 months though). One of the “sold” signs was on a house that was 30+ yrs old, needed major work and had been for sale for about 45 days at a mid $400 price range. The other was on a busy street, mid-$500k and was for sale about 3 months. I see these homes daily as they are part of my daily commute to work. As of now, there are about 150 SF homes and 150 condos for sale in Mira Mesa alone. About 100 of these have gone on the market since Jan. Price reductions are few as time on market has been increasing steadily.

[nin_sis]

Powayseller,

Many people I know are in the same situation that I am…29 years old, married 2 years, salaries well over the average SD income (double that for both of us wage earners at $100K+), however we don’t want to buy a condo for $400K (which is all we could qualify for with a 30 yr. fixed) that is smaller than the place we rent add to that the huge amount of our income for the loan plus taxes plus HOA fees, etc. We would be paying out triple our rent and not see that money ever again even in the form of a refund in April. Buying a house 2 or 3 years ago wasn’t an option because we didn’t have a down payment, don’t have parents who are willing to loan us money, wasn’t married, oh yah and didn’t have a crystal ball. Hind sight is 20/20. Yes, I could have bought with a 100% loan and make out like a bandit today… but darn it, that’s just my luck. We are sitting waiting, but choosing to do other things with our savings, like travel. Also, I have an over abundance of confidence that prices will normalize and by that I mean drop.

[nin_sis]

“The statistics show that the under $500K homes are almost half the inventory. So there’s a lot for the first time buyer to choose from. I don’t know why they’re not buying – waiting on the sidelines, or not able to qualify?”

I don’t often post, but read this forum frequently. After keeping an eye on housing prices in SD for the past 2 years and as a renter, I like to know what I’ll be getting into one day as a first time buyer. I, along with friends and family my age (27-30) who also don’t own property are in a holding pattern. Prices are too high (along with the prop. taxes), ARM loans too risky right now and the knowledge that this whole housing scheme will collapse under its own weight is why us first time buyers aren’t buying. Sure, there is a lot to choose from, but I’m not willing to sacrifice my financial future just to “get in” and own. I highly doubt that in 5 years a $500K home will be worth a million like everyone is trying to convince me. I hear this daily. I’m tired of home owners twice my age telling me that I “missed the boat” or I “better buy now or I’ll never be able to…ever”. It’s just a bunch of nonsense to make themselves feel better about their purchases or to ensure that yes, their home will be worth twice as much 5 years down the road. I’m just fine renting for $1000/month.

[nin_sis]

Has anyone been watching the listings increase lately? All of SD including North County is up to 19,992 listings as of today. How are prices going to keep going up when there are too many houses and not enough buyers? I guess spring and summer will tell the story.

[Author]

Posts