San Diego is a beautiful City. If you are active and like to be outside, the weather offers 300 plus days a year of outdoor activities. If you like the hustle and bustle of the night life, the Gaslamp quarter is the place for you. If you like ranches and horse property you can find that as well. From the other parts of the Country, San Diego looks like all Sunshine, Beach, and fun. It can be if that is what you are looking for.
Over the last 18 years San Diego has diversified it's workforce. We have gone from Military Families and General Dynamic Contractors to High Tech Jobs, Bio-Tech Jobs, Military Families, and Military Contractors. Along with those jobs came the opportunity for the Real Estate Market to get a bit out of control. We had houses in 1999 that people paid $180,000 shoot up to $600,000 by 2005. Sadly enough what went up certainly came down. That is where the old catch phrase, location, location, location comes into play.
New Homes in San Diego
Depending on your life style and expected time to live in San Diego you have many choices of neighborhoods, houses, condo's, and beaches to choose from. I have found that to own a home in San Diego, most people are spending about 50% or more of their income on their home.
Now is the time to buy in San Diego. Building restrictions in the outside lying areas are very tight and the rest of the city is built out. Pretty much what you see is what you get for many years in San Diego. The infrastructure is built so now it is time to pick your location. The same reason you are looking at moving to San Diego many others are as well. This will help keep the health of the Real Estate market going for years to come.
The Beach: If this is your destination you have a variety of places to choose. If you are athletic and enjoy running in different events then Carlsbad, Encinitas, or Solana Beach is for you around $400,000-$600,00. If you are more upscale and are looking for a well taken care of area with minimal issues, then Del Mar or parts of La Jolla is your dream. These homes can range well over the million mark for the views or in the $500,000 plus range.
San Diego New Homes
As you head South from La Jolla you will enter into Pacific Beach where the twenty somethings live and party it up and a little more down the coast is an ex-hippie town called Ocean Beach. Homes in PB and OB as they are called have a huge range depending on you guessed it location and size. Duplexes can run $700,000 plus for a well kept place or $300,000 for a dump. Once you venture farther South than Ocean Beach, please keep in mind that San Diego has a third world country to the South. This poses issues on occasion of sewage spills into the ocean that affect the San Diego coastline close to the border.
Downtown: Hail to the San Diego Padres - Seriously - this organization has helped the San Diego Downtown area flourish and build condos, high rise office buildings, restaurants, Petco Park, and many new hotels. Downtown of San Diego has been called the Worlds best kept secret by many people from the Far East and Europe. The reason being, is that it has the big city feel, the night life, the jobs, but it is not crowded or congested at all. The condos in downtown San Diego are virtually brand new. They range from $300,000 to well over a million. The nice thing about the condos downtown is that for $350,000 you get to live in a nice part of downtown and the complexes are well taken care of.
Agave at WindingWalk, Chula Vista
Inland: If you are looking for raw land and used to rural living, take a look at Ramona and Jullian. There are not a lot of jobs in those parts but you can still pick up acreage for horses, ranches, and that kind of lifestyle.
North County:Escondido, Rancho Bernardo, Poway, Mira Mesa, Scripps Ranch - These sections of San Diego are suburbs. If you are moving from other parts of the country you will be in culture shock depending upon where you buy a home. In the areas above there are homes and condos from $180,000 to well over a million. Keep in mind the mantra here... location, location, location. What does that mean? School Districts, Jobs, Average House Income, HOA or no HOA, and a sense of community. These are all sections of San Diego that you will want to explore depending on your needs.
More suburbs: 4S Ranch, Del Sur, Santa Luz, Carmel Valley, Rancho Santa Fe -- These areas are your more upscale locations and be prepared to pay for it. Again, location, location, location. These areas have a higher resale value once the market turns upward again.
North County: San Marcos, Vista, Oceanside - These areas run along the 78 freeway out to the 5 and 15 freeways. There is some good value in these areas however, you must look at each neighborhood to see if it is right for you.
Clairemont, University City, Kearny Mesa, SouthBay and Chula Vista - These areas again vary from neighborhood to neighborhood. If you are looking to buy in these areas, take your time and explore the shopping malls, grocery stores, and schools.
Amber at WindingWalk, Chula Vista
Let's go up to Temecula and Murrieta - These sections are not considered San Diego however, many San Diegans moved to these areas when the average price of a home in San Diego was $350,000 and the prices in Temecula and Murrieta were under $200,000. The price for the move - a 1-2 hour each way commute to your job. Whether you work in Los Angeles or San Diego, you are on the road 1-2 hours each way. Again, location, location, location. These are also the areas that shot up from $200,000 to $700,000 and now has many empty bank owned homes selling for the $200,000-$300,000 range again.
There is so much more detail to get into but I think you got the idea. When moving anywhere but especially San Diego, take a look at your lifestyle, your needs, and pick the right location based on those factors not just price.
