[profhoff]

I’m here in Riverside. Boy, did we feel it! It was 5.8 and epicenter in chino hills. Folks, that’s a pretty big one.

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsus/Quakes/ci14383980.php

[profhoff]

I’m here in Riverside. Boy, did we feel it! It was 5.8 and epicenter in chino hills. Folks, that’s a pretty big one.

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsus/Quakes/ci14383980.php

[profhoff]

I’m here in Riverside. Boy, did we feel it! It was 5.8 and epicenter in chino hills. Folks, that’s a pretty big one.

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsus/Quakes/ci14383980.php

[profhoff]

I’m here in Riverside. Boy, did we feel it! It was 5.8 and epicenter in chino hills. Folks, that’s a pretty big one.

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsus/Quakes/ci14383980.php

[profhoff]

I’m here in Riverside. Boy, did we feel it! It was 5.8 and epicenter in chino hills. Folks, that’s a pretty big one.

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsus/Quakes/ci14383980.php

[profhoff]

I’m here in Riverside. Boy, did we feel it! It was 5.8 and epicenter in chino hills. Folks, that’s a pretty big one.

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsus/Quakes/ci14383980.php

[profhoff]

I’m here in Riverside. Boy, did we feel it! It was 5.8 and epicenter in chino hills. Folks, that’s a pretty big one.

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsus/Quakes/ci14383980.php

[profhoff]

I’m here in Riverside. Boy, did we feel it! It was 5.8 and epicenter in chino hills. Folks, that’s a pretty big one.

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsus/Quakes/ci14383980.php

[profhoff]

I’m here in Riverside. Boy, did we feel it! It was 5.8 and epicenter in chino hills. Folks, that’s a pretty big one.

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsus/Quakes/ci14383980.php

[profhoff]

Traffic on Via de la Valle is really awful, so personally, I wouldn’t want a condo across from the track.

I don’t think of UTC as coastal, and it seems more cookie cutter than CV will ever be.

CV *is* very homogeneous, but I disagree that it could be anywhere. It’s very SoCal homogeneous, in that shiny upscale kind of way, and you can make your condo feel coastal, so I think it’s a good compromise.

Leucadia is the quintessential SoCal beach town, but in the price point we’re talking about, you’re not going to find anything satisfactory. Same for Encinitas.

Carlsbad (92011) has some condos in the low $400s, even with ocean views(!), but they are really old. The laundry rooms are in separate buildings, the ceilings need to be scraped, there is probably lead in paint and maybe even asbestos in the ceilings. (My idea of a weekend getaway is NOT living in some decrepit building where I have to feed quarters to a machine next to garage – ick.)

And the Carlsbad neighborhoods are really mixed and pretty rundown if you’re just east of the 5 where all the condos are. West of the 5, forget about it (i.e. some nice stuff, but it’s not going to be $400k.)

Obviously, it’s all about your preferences and what makes you happy. My preferences are for something nice and pretty and close to services and the beach. But everybody’s different!

[profhoff]

Traffic on Via de la Valle is really awful, so personally, I wouldn’t want a condo across from the track.

I don’t think of UTC as coastal, and it seems more cookie cutter than CV will ever be.

CV *is* very homogeneous, but I disagree that it could be anywhere. It’s very SoCal homogeneous, in that shiny upscale kind of way, and you can make your condo feel coastal, so I think it’s a good compromise.

Leucadia is the quintessential SoCal beach town, but in the price point we’re talking about, you’re not going to find anything satisfactory. Same for Encinitas.

Carlsbad (92011) has some condos in the low $400s, even with ocean views(!), but they are really old. The laundry rooms are in separate buildings, the ceilings need to be scraped, there is probably lead in paint and maybe even asbestos in the ceilings. (My idea of a weekend getaway is NOT living in some decrepit building where I have to feed quarters to a machine next to garage – ick.)

And the Carlsbad neighborhoods are really mixed and pretty rundown if you’re just east of the 5 where all the condos are. West of the 5, forget about it (i.e. some nice stuff, but it’s not going to be $400k.)

Obviously, it’s all about your preferences and what makes you happy. My preferences are for something nice and pretty and close to services and the beach. But everybody’s different!

[profhoff]

Traffic on Via de la Valle is really awful, so personally, I wouldn’t want a condo across from the track.

I don’t think of UTC as coastal, and it seems more cookie cutter than CV will ever be.

CV *is* very homogeneous, but I disagree that it could be anywhere. It’s very SoCal homogeneous, in that shiny upscale kind of way, and you can make your condo feel coastal, so I think it’s a good compromise.

Leucadia is the quintessential SoCal beach town, but in the price point we’re talking about, you’re not going to find anything satisfactory. Same for Encinitas.

Carlsbad (92011) has some condos in the low $400s, even with ocean views(!), but they are really old. The laundry rooms are in separate buildings, the ceilings need to be scraped, there is probably lead in paint and maybe even asbestos in the ceilings. (My idea of a weekend getaway is NOT living in some decrepit building where I have to feed quarters to a machine next to garage – ick.)

And the Carlsbad neighborhoods are really mixed and pretty rundown if you’re just east of the 5 where all the condos are. West of the 5, forget about it (i.e. some nice stuff, but it’s not going to be $400k.)

Obviously, it’s all about your preferences and what makes you happy. My preferences are for something nice and pretty and close to services and the beach. But everybody’s different!

[profhoff]

Traffic on Via de la Valle is really awful, so personally, I wouldn’t want a condo across from the track.

I don’t think of UTC as coastal, and it seems more cookie cutter than CV will ever be.

CV *is* very homogeneous, but I disagree that it could be anywhere. It’s very SoCal homogeneous, in that shiny upscale kind of way, and you can make your condo feel coastal, so I think it’s a good compromise.

Leucadia is the quintessential SoCal beach town, but in the price point we’re talking about, you’re not going to find anything satisfactory. Same for Encinitas.

Carlsbad (92011) has some condos in the low $400s, even with ocean views(!), but they are really old. The laundry rooms are in separate buildings, the ceilings need to be scraped, there is probably lead in paint and maybe even asbestos in the ceilings. (My idea of a weekend getaway is NOT living in some decrepit building where I have to feed quarters to a machine next to garage – ick.)

And the Carlsbad neighborhoods are really mixed and pretty rundown if you’re just east of the 5 where all the condos are. West of the 5, forget about it (i.e. some nice stuff, but it’s not going to be $400k.)

Obviously, it’s all about your preferences and what makes you happy. My preferences are for something nice and pretty and close to services and the beach. But everybody’s different!

[profhoff]

Traffic on Via de la Valle is really awful, so personally, I wouldn’t want a condo across from the track.

I don’t think of UTC as coastal, and it seems more cookie cutter than CV will ever be.

CV *is* very homogeneous, but I disagree that it could be anywhere. It’s very SoCal homogeneous, in that shiny upscale kind of way, and you can make your condo feel coastal, so I think it’s a good compromise.

Leucadia is the quintessential SoCal beach town, but in the price point we’re talking about, you’re not going to find anything satisfactory. Same for Encinitas.

Carlsbad (92011) has some condos in the low $400s, even with ocean views(!), but they are really old. The laundry rooms are in separate buildings, the ceilings need to be scraped, there is probably lead in paint and maybe even asbestos in the ceilings. (My idea of a weekend getaway is NOT living in some decrepit building where I have to feed quarters to a machine next to garage – ick.)

And the Carlsbad neighborhoods are really mixed and pretty rundown if you’re just east of the 5 where all the condos are. West of the 5, forget about it (i.e. some nice stuff, but it’s not going to be $400k.)

Obviously, it’s all about your preferences and what makes you happy. My preferences are for something nice and pretty and close to services and the beach. But everybody’s different!

[profhoff]

CV=Carmel Valley.

CV is a good choice for a getaway condo for several reasons (if you don’t think these are good reasons, then it’s not a good choice for you):

1) around 2 miles to the ocean
2) the beach there is awesome – easy parking, can get an annual parking pass and there are nice walking paths around there on the bluff that hug the railroad tracks – feels less crowded and still looks pretty much like it always has, thanks to the lagoon
3)Del Mar is a 10-15 minutes away by car and has great restaurants, a wonderful village feel and is very upscale. La Jolla is about 15 the other way – ditto the Del Mar comments, but LJ is too crowded for my tastes.
3) The Del Mar Highlands shopping center is about as upscale as it gets for shopping pod – what a great way for yuppies to spend a weekend. Plus, the theatre is digital. Nice touch.
4) CV is well planned – it looks pretty, it’s clean, it’s upscale, the demographics are fantastic (upper educated, upper income)
5) Good location – very easy to get to thanks to the 56. Not too far inland so it’s not hot.
6) Really close to UCSD so great access to campus offerings and educational opportunities

My prediction is that a 2/2 will soon be $400k. The downside is the HOA and the M-R, but it has a great vibe and it seems like a pretty safe investment.

[Author]

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