Possible relocation to San Diego area - advice needed

Rent for a year. Save yourself some cash.

 

There are a ton of foreclosures right now. You can probably get a very good deal in that price range. You are right at the top of the range where it seems that foreclosures are taking a bite out of prices.

My oldest daughter is in the housing market for the first time (lower price point than you) and the deals are really good up to about the 700 range. If you go over that, better to wait until the prime borrowers with ARMs start to reset and panic/default.

If you are interested, I have a friend that deals in foreclosures. He is one of the few that is representing buyers exclusively (i.e, no conflict of interest) on foreclosures.

PM me if interested in his contact info.

 

+1 I'd wait a couple of months. The market should be prime then!

 

La Jolla is great, I live right by it in Pacific beach and I've had a few places in La Jolla in the past.

Lamborghini of San Diego, The Beach, Great restaurants are in the area. It's perfect for a great life style.

 

Do you have a family? How much living space do you need? Would you like to live in a house or building?

If you want a house, I'd start looking in Poway. Although it isn't the nicest place, it's fairly safe and a quiet neighborhood.

If money is no object, La Jolla and Del Mar are nice if you like to be near the coast. If you want a ton of space and a house to go bananas in, check out Rancho Santa Fe.

 

La Jolla, Rancho Sante Fe and pretty much all of Del Mar are out of that price range.

Are you going to be working in Downtown? Mind commuting? North County is great. Encinitas, La Costa. Although something a little less expensive perhaps look into San Elijo Hills or something like Rancho Penesquitos or Carmel Valley area where they are relatively newer communities, still nice areas but less expensive than the afore mentioned. Although if you have time to look into foreclosures then you might be able to strike gold somewhere like Encinitas.

East, out by the 15, expect at least a 10-15degree raise in temperature from the coast.

If you have to commute to downtown area, live in north county and have a 9-5ish type of job the commute will suck....not as bad as traffic in LA but it sucks.

All that said my personal choices would be Encinitas, La Costa, RSF, Del Mar, La Jolla, Aviara, Cardiff, Solana Beach and other surrounding communities.

 

I concur.

For $600K, La Jolla isn't great, mostly because you're sleeping in the street and sharing the grate with someone making five figures.

If you want safe, upscale and north of downtown, you can look at condos in Scripps Ranch (part of San Diego - try ZIP code 92131 and adjacent), maybe Poway. Mira Mesa is cheaper but not as safe, IMO. Those are all south of the Rancho Berndaro bottleneck on I-15.

 

Where will you be commuting? I think a lot of our suggestions depend on that...

 

If it winds up being in La Jolla check out Sorrento Valley and University Town Center. I agree that the best thing right now is to rent - prices still on the decline. Sorrento Valley can yield a ~1,800 sq.ft. SFR with 2 car garage for around $550 - 600K and a ~2,500 sq.ft. SFR with 3 car garage for around $750 - 800K with a 10 - 15 minute commute to La Jolla. Nice area near high-tech business park with companies like Qualcomm in the vicinity. Many homes back onto Penasquitos Canyon with a nature corridor, but the downside is some noise from jets and helicopters from MCAS Miramar. UTC is closer still to La Jolla but pricier.

If you are coming into town to scope out areas PM me if you would like to meet up and get a resident's perspective.

 

If you might be downtown quite a bit for work, check just north of downtown in the Little Italy area. Few houses, but if you don't mind a condo there are some nicer newer units in that location. You can also check out the Bay Park area, which is close to Pacific Beach. Then look along Tecolote Canyon area all the way towards Genesse Avenue. Golden Hills is quite nice too, though it will be tougher finding a nice house in your price range . . . but possible. Most of these would keep your commute and interaction with traffic to a minimum.

An alternative is to look north along the coast, then plan on taking the Coaster train into downtown for work. I know a few people who do that, and they get to avoid the mess near Sorrento Valley that is more like a parking lot than traffic. You might want to rent somewhere in San Diego for a bit, and try out some routes where you will commute. I think quality of life can be another factor in decisions, and honestly spending hours stuck in traffic just sucks.

Ciao!

Gordon Moat Photography
http://www.gordonmoat.com

 

+1 ... that's what I did. I just leased a townhome along the ocean cliffs of Solana Beach for about a year, just to get a lay of the land, then I bought a home. San Diego County is kinda weird - not like the rest of SoCal.

You might want to consider North San Diego County - it's closer to the O.C. and L.A. areas. There is a commuter train (Coaster) that terminates close to the Gaslamp area downtown from the North County areas.

Where ever you end up, you'll do fine. Weather in SoCal is pretty predictable, so if you like the cool morning temps from the Marine layer, the areas along the coast are phenomenal. If you like it warmer or just plan hot, head East. It's that simple.

 

If you are looking for deals don't go to a local Realtor. We are your one stop investment shop. Email me at: [email protected]

We are a LAW FIRM specializing in Foreclosures State wide. With in house brokerage and our experties in Short Sales and Deed in Lieu transactions, our clients find tremendous opportunities and values with us. If you are looking for a great deal contact me.

 

Another +1, except I'm even more bearish and don't see this recovering until after 2010 at the earliest. Wait until that wave of Option ARMs hit, more job losses, etc.
http://bp3.blogger.com/_pMscxxELHEg/RxzD0s_7EYI/AAAAAAAABB4/ljDSXZhMG3o/s1600-h/IMFresets.jpg
http://bp0.blogger.com/_nSTO-vZpSgc/R7UaGqMbZqI/AAAAAAAACJU/B9AQoEQ_0ss/s1600-h/california-housing+prices.png

To answer your question though, my advice is Del Cerro. Centrally located, low crime, and decent schools if you have children. Depending on which part, there are great views as well.
http://www.sdlookup.com/MLS-086005990-5624_Mill_Peak_Rd_San_Diego_CA_92120
http://www.sdlookup.com/

...no, that's not my home up for sale.

That's a cool little website that'll help you search by region, PPSF, etc. The "history" link at each home will also give you an idea how the homes were priced before this ridiculous run up.

 

As a Broker I would recomend Point Loma or Mission Hills very close to Downtown and nice areas , your budget is limited to a small house in good shape or a larger one that could be a fixer.

La Jolla, Rancho and del Mar are way more expensive and maybe a 1 bedroom condo would be on that price range

Good Luck

 

for rent? yes mine is 3br/2ba 2cg for 1995/mo in La Costa with nice view of the ocean on a very quiet cul de sac

 

That's good for you if you decide you like it out here. Great areas to live. Renting for a year or more might be a good idea, especially if you don't know how long you'll be around.
But it think it may be tough to find what you're looking for, in what's considered a "decent" neighborhood around here. As a comparison, my 2br/2.5ba oceanview condo with 1 car garage rents out for $3,500/mo. A SFR of the size you're looking for might only be found further inland.