[Scarlett]

You may also want to think about school districts. If you really care and want some ofthe “best”, (e.g. DelMar, PUSD) you will have to sacrifice a lot in terms of house size/type. But it could be also a shorter commute (don’t know where u work). Or, you could buy a pretty nice house in a “lesser” school district for less money (but maybe longer commute?), and then when kids are of school age (in 5-6 years), sell and move in “better” districts. But it may not make sense to buy if you plan to be in it only 5-7 years. Better school districts keep the home values more stable. Just a thought.

I still think you are better off renting and saving.

[Scarlett]

I am in a similar situation, similar income though older with young kids and both of us are working full time (and plan to continue so). You should find something for which the total PITI (yes, add property taxes and mortgage and house insurance to your principal+interest) is comparable to your rent, which I assume you are pretty comfortable paying (but take into account your wife may not work anymore). Then work your numbers backwards from there. That’s what you can afford. (If you are not saving any money with current rent plus your wife’s income, then you should reduce the PITI amount by at least $500-1000).

I don’t know where you work and how comfortable you are commuting long distances, but it may not make sense to buy somewhere where the commute is over 1 hr one way. We owned a townhome and once we had kids we didn’t want for each of us to spend 45′ each way at rush hour commuting. We wanted to spend as much time as we could with the kids, plus all the chores that come along with it. So we sold. And I wouldn’t buy there that far from work again, at least not until my kids are in college. I set my commute time limit to 30′, tops.

Given your situation, I’d continue to rent something small another 2-3 years and save more money – ideally until your child starts preschool or kindergarten. Defnitely wait until you have the kid(s), your life will change dramatically. You will realize how expensive kids can be – if they grow out of something, then there is something else that costs more money than it should. Then you will figure out where you are – income/jobs wise, as well as how much your expenses are(college funds, daycare, activities…). Hopefully by then the coastal houses, and 56 corridor (PUSD) (that’s where we are looking) will go down some more.

Good luck!

[Scarlett]

I am in a similar situation, similar income though older with young kids and both of us are working full time (and plan to continue so). You should find something for which the total PITI (yes, add property taxes and mortgage and house insurance to your principal+interest) is comparable to your rent, which I assume you are pretty comfortable paying (but take into account your wife may not work anymore). Then work your numbers backwards from there. That’s what you can afford. (If you are not saving any money with current rent plus your wife’s income, then you should reduce the PITI amount by at least $500-1000).

I don’t know where you work and how comfortable you are commuting long distances, but it may not make sense to buy somewhere where the commute is over 1 hr one way. We owned a townhome and once we had kids we didn’t want for each of us to spend 45′ each way at rush hour commuting. We wanted to spend as much time as we could with the kids, plus all the chores that come along with it. So we sold. And I wouldn’t buy there that far from work again, at least not until my kids are in college. I set my commute time limit to 30′, tops.

Given your situation, I’d continue to rent something small another 2-3 years and save more money – ideally until your child starts preschool or kindergarten. Defnitely wait until you have the kid(s), your life will change dramatically. You will realize how expensive kids can be – if they grow out of something, then there is something else that costs more money than it should. Then you will figure out where you are – income/jobs wise, as well as how much your expenses are(college funds, daycare, activities…). Hopefully by then the coastal houses, and 56 corridor (PUSD) (that’s where we are looking) will go down some more.

Good luck!

[Scarlett]

I am in a similar situation, similar income though older with young kids and both of us are working full time (and plan to continue so). You should find something for which the total PITI (yes, add property taxes and mortgage and house insurance to your principal+interest) is comparable to your rent, which I assume you are pretty comfortable paying (but take into account your wife may not work anymore). Then work your numbers backwards from there. That’s what you can afford. (If you are not saving any money with current rent plus your wife’s income, then you should reduce the PITI amount by at least $500-1000).

I don’t know where you work and how comfortable you are commuting long distances, but it may not make sense to buy somewhere where the commute is over 1 hr one way. We owned a townhome and once we had kids we didn’t want for each of us to spend 45′ each way at rush hour commuting. We wanted to spend as much time as we could with the kids, plus all the chores that come along with it. So we sold. And I wouldn’t buy there that far from work again, at least not until my kids are in college. I set my commute time limit to 30′, tops.

Given your situation, I’d continue to rent something small another 2-3 years and save more money – ideally until your child starts preschool or kindergarten. Defnitely wait until you have the kid(s), your life will change dramatically. You will realize how expensive kids can be – if they grow out of something, then there is something else that costs more money than it should. Then you will figure out where you are – income/jobs wise, as well as how much your expenses are(college funds, daycare, activities…). Hopefully by then the coastal houses, and 56 corridor (PUSD) (that’s where we are looking) will go down some more.

Good luck!

[Scarlett]

I am in a similar situation, similar income though older with young kids and both of us are working full time (and plan to continue so). You should find something for which the total PITI (yes, add property taxes and mortgage and house insurance to your principal+interest) is comparable to your rent, which I assume you are pretty comfortable paying (but take into account your wife may not work anymore). Then work your numbers backwards from there. That’s what you can afford. (If you are not saving any money with current rent plus your wife’s income, then you should reduce the PITI amount by at least $500-1000).

I don’t know where you work and how comfortable you are commuting long distances, but it may not make sense to buy somewhere where the commute is over 1 hr one way. We owned a townhome and once we had kids we didn’t want for each of us to spend 45′ each way at rush hour commuting. We wanted to spend as much time as we could with the kids, plus all the chores that come along with it. So we sold. And I wouldn’t buy there that far from work again, at least not until my kids are in college. I set my commute time limit to 30′, tops.

Given your situation, I’d continue to rent something small another 2-3 years and save more money – ideally until your child starts preschool or kindergarten. Defnitely wait until you have the kid(s), your life will change dramatically. You will realize how expensive kids can be – if they grow out of something, then there is something else that costs more money than it should. Then you will figure out where you are – income/jobs wise, as well as how much your expenses are(college funds, daycare, activities…). Hopefully by then the coastal houses, and 56 corridor (PUSD) (that’s where we are looking) will go down some more.

Good luck!

[Scarlett]

I am in a similar situation, similar income though older with young kids and both of us are working full time (and plan to continue so). You should find something for which the total PITI (yes, add property taxes and mortgage and house insurance to your principal+interest) is comparable to your rent, which I assume you are pretty comfortable paying (but take into account your wife may not work anymore). Then work your numbers backwards from there. That’s what you can afford. (If you are not saving any money with current rent plus your wife’s income, then you should reduce the PITI amount by at least $500-1000).

I don’t know where you work and how comfortable you are commuting long distances, but it may not make sense to buy somewhere where the commute is over 1 hr one way. We owned a townhome and once we had kids we didn’t want for each of us to spend 45′ each way at rush hour commuting. We wanted to spend as much time as we could with the kids, plus all the chores that come along with it. So we sold. And I wouldn’t buy there that far from work again, at least not until my kids are in college. I set my commute time limit to 30′, tops.

Given your situation, I’d continue to rent something small another 2-3 years and save more money – ideally until your child starts preschool or kindergarten. Defnitely wait until you have the kid(s), your life will change dramatically. You will realize how expensive kids can be – if they grow out of something, then there is something else that costs more money than it should. Then you will figure out where you are – income/jobs wise, as well as how much your expenses are(college funds, daycare, activities…). Hopefully by then the coastal houses, and 56 corridor (PUSD) (that’s where we are looking) will go down some more.

Good luck!

[Scarlett]

The 2 bdr 1400+ sf townhome has an open house this Saturday, if you are interested. It’s very upgraded.

[Scarlett]

The 2 bdr 1400+ sf townhome has an open house this Saturday, if you are interested. It’s very upgraded.

[Scarlett]

The 2 bdr 1400+ sf townhome has an open house this Saturday, if you are interested. It’s very upgraded.

[Scarlett]

The 2 bdr 1400+ sf townhome has an open house this Saturday, if you are interested. It’s very upgraded.

[Scarlett]

The 2 bdr 1400+ sf townhome has an open house this Saturday, if you are interested. It’s very upgraded.

[Scarlett]

[quote=werewolf34]unless it’s done a lot of remodelling and upgrading. The windows and wiring are pretty bad, lots of ants and beetles, very drafty. Definitely needs A/C especially upstairs

Scarlett,

Can you please give us some details as to what it’s like to live in Madrid? I like Madrid from the looks and placement of the community but I would like your perspective on:

1) neighbors – quiet/loud, officious, nice?
2) layout – is it impossible to get out on the morning?
3) facilities – gym,pool, are they nice?
4) quality of the build – you mentioned bad wiring
5) usefulness of the layout – SF is usable
6) anything else

Thanks[/quote]

Well, the complex is nice and very quiet; many owners are retired; most of go to sleep very early and wake up very early. In general pretty nice people, but quiet and mostly withdrawn – perhaps I see that because of age difference. ALso, I think many the owners don’t really like to talk to tenants. Some, especially on the HOA board, can be busy bodies and really want everybody to stick to all the CC&R rules (some of which can be silly.). the patios are smallish and you are not allowed to put there unsightly things – hang clothes to dry, tools,etc. The plants shouldn’t come above the short wall fence, no trees allowed. So HOA though well funded can be a bit of a pain.

It’s easy to turn left from the complex – really you never wait longer than a minute, and visibility is good.

The particular unit I rent has been a rental and not upgraded for a long time. So take what I say with a grain of salt. The windows are cheap and don’t slide well even with WD40, and they are drafty. The kitchen cabinets are infested with tiny ‘confused beetles’ which can get into rice and pasta. Ants are a perennial problem, especially when it rains and they are in the house’s foundation and behind kitchen cabinets and baseboards and attack anything left on the counters. But that’s pretty common in SD.

The whole house seems VERY drafty. Weird, even with all windows closed, often you feel a cold draft like somebody just opened a window – maybe it’s just the wind changing directions. The living room – with patio window, and doors to garage and entance is particularly freezing. So it costs a lot to heat it up because of the draftiness. Not sure if it’s due to poor construction – maybe just the floors are drafty, hard to tell. Not sure how you can look for that, when you see a house you want to buy. We didn’t. Maybe that means the construction elements were not put well together.

In summer, the upstairs gets really hot (mid to upper 80s) – no air circulation, and it’s hard to sleep at nite so you do need A/C for a few weeks at least. Even if it’s so close to La Jolla and ocean. really. It is odd that with all the draftiness you’d think that opening the windows everywhere you can cool the house a bit. Well, somehow that doesn’t work. Especially the secondary bedrooms are really stuffy.

Wiring depends on the unit. Well, the positioning of the light switches is not very logical, not where you’d need them. The fuses are very small. SOme of the bedrooms were not wired for cable/phone.

Kind of light on kitchen cabinets, and storage/closet space, but not too bad.

No gym. 1 small pool, not very warm, with jacuzzi.

Garage – small. If you have 2 cars, you don’t have anything else on the walls. And parking in the complex’s parking is strictly re-enforced by the HOA people – you cannot park there your 2nd car or you WILL be fined. Parking on the street around the area is very limited and is gone by 5 pm.

Bottom line, I think this complex is way overpriced. And if you live there, you have to have some substantial upgrades/work done to the house. (if you are lucky, the previous owners did those).

[Scarlett]

[quote=werewolf34]unless it’s done a lot of remodelling and upgrading. The windows and wiring are pretty bad, lots of ants and beetles, very drafty. Definitely needs A/C especially upstairs

Scarlett,

Can you please give us some details as to what it’s like to live in Madrid? I like Madrid from the looks and placement of the community but I would like your perspective on:

1) neighbors – quiet/loud, officious, nice?
2) layout – is it impossible to get out on the morning?
3) facilities – gym,pool, are they nice?
4) quality of the build – you mentioned bad wiring
5) usefulness of the layout – SF is usable
6) anything else

Thanks[/quote]

Well, the complex is nice and very quiet; many owners are retired; most of go to sleep very early and wake up very early. In general pretty nice people, but quiet and mostly withdrawn – perhaps I see that because of age difference. ALso, I think many the owners don’t really like to talk to tenants. Some, especially on the HOA board, can be busy bodies and really want everybody to stick to all the CC&R rules (some of which can be silly.). the patios are smallish and you are not allowed to put there unsightly things – hang clothes to dry, tools,etc. The plants shouldn’t come above the short wall fence, no trees allowed. So HOA though well funded can be a bit of a pain.

It’s easy to turn left from the complex – really you never wait longer than a minute, and visibility is good.

The particular unit I rent has been a rental and not upgraded for a long time. So take what I say with a grain of salt. The windows are cheap and don’t slide well even with WD40, and they are drafty. The kitchen cabinets are infested with tiny ‘confused beetles’ which can get into rice and pasta. Ants are a perennial problem, especially when it rains and they are in the house’s foundation and behind kitchen cabinets and baseboards and attack anything left on the counters. But that’s pretty common in SD.

The whole house seems VERY drafty. Weird, even with all windows closed, often you feel a cold draft like somebody just opened a window – maybe it’s just the wind changing directions. The living room – with patio window, and doors to garage and entance is particularly freezing. So it costs a lot to heat it up because of the draftiness. Not sure if it’s due to poor construction – maybe just the floors are drafty, hard to tell. Not sure how you can look for that, when you see a house you want to buy. We didn’t. Maybe that means the construction elements were not put well together.

In summer, the upstairs gets really hot (mid to upper 80s) – no air circulation, and it’s hard to sleep at nite so you do need A/C for a few weeks at least. Even if it’s so close to La Jolla and ocean. really. It is odd that with all the draftiness you’d think that opening the windows everywhere you can cool the house a bit. Well, somehow that doesn’t work. Especially the secondary bedrooms are really stuffy.

Wiring depends on the unit. Well, the positioning of the light switches is not very logical, not where you’d need them. The fuses are very small. SOme of the bedrooms were not wired for cable/phone.

Kind of light on kitchen cabinets, and storage/closet space, but not too bad.

No gym. 1 small pool, not very warm, with jacuzzi.

Garage – small. If you have 2 cars, you don’t have anything else on the walls. And parking in the complex’s parking is strictly re-enforced by the HOA people – you cannot park there your 2nd car or you WILL be fined. Parking on the street around the area is very limited and is gone by 5 pm.

Bottom line, I think this complex is way overpriced. And if you live there, you have to have some substantial upgrades/work done to the house. (if you are lucky, the previous owners did those).

[Scarlett]

[quote=werewolf34]unless it’s done a lot of remodelling and upgrading. The windows and wiring are pretty bad, lots of ants and beetles, very drafty. Definitely needs A/C especially upstairs

Scarlett,

Can you please give us some details as to what it’s like to live in Madrid? I like Madrid from the looks and placement of the community but I would like your perspective on:

1) neighbors – quiet/loud, officious, nice?
2) layout – is it impossible to get out on the morning?
3) facilities – gym,pool, are they nice?
4) quality of the build – you mentioned bad wiring
5) usefulness of the layout – SF is usable
6) anything else

Thanks[/quote]

Well, the complex is nice and very quiet; many owners are retired; most of go to sleep very early and wake up very early. In general pretty nice people, but quiet and mostly withdrawn – perhaps I see that because of age difference. ALso, I think many the owners don’t really like to talk to tenants. Some, especially on the HOA board, can be busy bodies and really want everybody to stick to all the CC&R rules (some of which can be silly.). the patios are smallish and you are not allowed to put there unsightly things – hang clothes to dry, tools,etc. The plants shouldn’t come above the short wall fence, no trees allowed. So HOA though well funded can be a bit of a pain.

It’s easy to turn left from the complex – really you never wait longer than a minute, and visibility is good.

The particular unit I rent has been a rental and not upgraded for a long time. So take what I say with a grain of salt. The windows are cheap and don’t slide well even with WD40, and they are drafty. The kitchen cabinets are infested with tiny ‘confused beetles’ which can get into rice and pasta. Ants are a perennial problem, especially when it rains and they are in the house’s foundation and behind kitchen cabinets and baseboards and attack anything left on the counters. But that’s pretty common in SD.

The whole house seems VERY drafty. Weird, even with all windows closed, often you feel a cold draft like somebody just opened a window – maybe it’s just the wind changing directions. The living room – with patio window, and doors to garage and entance is particularly freezing. So it costs a lot to heat it up because of the draftiness. Not sure if it’s due to poor construction – maybe just the floors are drafty, hard to tell. Not sure how you can look for that, when you see a house you want to buy. We didn’t. Maybe that means the construction elements were not put well together.

In summer, the upstairs gets really hot (mid to upper 80s) – no air circulation, and it’s hard to sleep at nite so you do need A/C for a few weeks at least. Even if it’s so close to La Jolla and ocean. really. It is odd that with all the draftiness you’d think that opening the windows everywhere you can cool the house a bit. Well, somehow that doesn’t work. Especially the secondary bedrooms are really stuffy.

Wiring depends on the unit. Well, the positioning of the light switches is not very logical, not where you’d need them. The fuses are very small. SOme of the bedrooms were not wired for cable/phone.

Kind of light on kitchen cabinets, and storage/closet space, but not too bad.

No gym. 1 small pool, not very warm, with jacuzzi.

Garage – small. If you have 2 cars, you don’t have anything else on the walls. And parking in the complex’s parking is strictly re-enforced by the HOA people – you cannot park there your 2nd car or you WILL be fined. Parking on the street around the area is very limited and is gone by 5 pm.

Bottom line, I think this complex is way overpriced. And if you live there, you have to have some substantial upgrades/work done to the house. (if you are lucky, the previous owners did those).

[Scarlett]

[quote=werewolf34]unless it’s done a lot of remodelling and upgrading. The windows and wiring are pretty bad, lots of ants and beetles, very drafty. Definitely needs A/C especially upstairs

Scarlett,

Can you please give us some details as to what it’s like to live in Madrid? I like Madrid from the looks and placement of the community but I would like your perspective on:

1) neighbors – quiet/loud, officious, nice?
2) layout – is it impossible to get out on the morning?
3) facilities – gym,pool, are they nice?
4) quality of the build – you mentioned bad wiring
5) usefulness of the layout – SF is usable
6) anything else

Thanks[/quote]

Well, the complex is nice and very quiet; many owners are retired; most of go to sleep very early and wake up very early. In general pretty nice people, but quiet and mostly withdrawn – perhaps I see that because of age difference. ALso, I think many the owners don’t really like to talk to tenants. Some, especially on the HOA board, can be busy bodies and really want everybody to stick to all the CC&R rules (some of which can be silly.). the patios are smallish and you are not allowed to put there unsightly things – hang clothes to dry, tools,etc. The plants shouldn’t come above the short wall fence, no trees allowed. So HOA though well funded can be a bit of a pain.

It’s easy to turn left from the complex – really you never wait longer than a minute, and visibility is good.

The particular unit I rent has been a rental and not upgraded for a long time. So take what I say with a grain of salt. The windows are cheap and don’t slide well even with WD40, and they are drafty. The kitchen cabinets are infested with tiny ‘confused beetles’ which can get into rice and pasta. Ants are a perennial problem, especially when it rains and they are in the house’s foundation and behind kitchen cabinets and baseboards and attack anything left on the counters. But that’s pretty common in SD.

The whole house seems VERY drafty. Weird, even with all windows closed, often you feel a cold draft like somebody just opened a window – maybe it’s just the wind changing directions. The living room – with patio window, and doors to garage and entance is particularly freezing. So it costs a lot to heat it up because of the draftiness. Not sure if it’s due to poor construction – maybe just the floors are drafty, hard to tell. Not sure how you can look for that, when you see a house you want to buy. We didn’t. Maybe that means the construction elements were not put well together.

In summer, the upstairs gets really hot (mid to upper 80s) – no air circulation, and it’s hard to sleep at nite so you do need A/C for a few weeks at least. Even if it’s so close to La Jolla and ocean. really. It is odd that with all the draftiness you’d think that opening the windows everywhere you can cool the house a bit. Well, somehow that doesn’t work. Especially the secondary bedrooms are really stuffy.

Wiring depends on the unit. Well, the positioning of the light switches is not very logical, not where you’d need them. The fuses are very small. SOme of the bedrooms were not wired for cable/phone.

Kind of light on kitchen cabinets, and storage/closet space, but not too bad.

No gym. 1 small pool, not very warm, with jacuzzi.

Garage – small. If you have 2 cars, you don’t have anything else on the walls. And parking in the complex’s parking is strictly re-enforced by the HOA people – you cannot park there your 2nd car or you WILL be fined. Parking on the street around the area is very limited and is gone by 5 pm.

Bottom line, I think this complex is way overpriced. And if you live there, you have to have some substantial upgrades/work done to the house. (if you are lucky, the previous owners did those).

[Author]

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