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Pharmboy
Posts:59
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| 06/24/2009 1:45 PM |
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Hello Everyone,
There seems to be some knowledgeable and opinionated people posting in this forum. Here is my situation. My wife and I are planning to move to SD in the fourth quarter of this year for career advancement.
We don’t know if we will settle long-term in SD, so there could be a chance to move after 5-6 years, depending on our careers. This would lead us to think we should just rent. We intend to rent for about a year, to familiarize us to SD and determine whether we can afford to buy.
We have no kids nor are we planning to have any rugrats. BUT, we have two dogs (60# ea.) and two cats, which are part of the family. It’s difficult to find rentals that allow this many pets. So we are still open to purchasing a house.
We should have some $50k-$75k to be able to put into a down payment in a house, from the get go. We should have about $100k within one year after moving to SD. Our combined income should be around ~$200k/year. Excellent credit and we are current homeowners.
Having said this, we are interested in property in Sorrento Valley, Carmel Valley, Solana Beach and Encinitas. We need some form of a small fenced in grassy area (for the dogs) and prefer no Mello-Roos. We prefer a quiet area with <30 min. drive to UCSD. A Low HOA would be nice too (am I asking too much?).
Can someone confirm that we can find a 1400-1600sqft. home with some sort of garage and yard for $500k~$600k in those areas?
Also, are there any coastal “view” places we can get within our price?
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creative_cpa
Posts:834
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| 06/24/2009 3:10 PM |
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You will find houses in that price range in those areas, but that is the bottom end of the range for thoe areas, so expect to see more fiders and lots of townhomes. Be careful with the townhomes, the CC&R's may limit the number of pets. After mortgage payments,HOA property taxes and insurance, it will cost you less to rent an equivalent home. There are many houses in the area for rent that allow pets. Have you looked at Criagslist?
http://sandiego.craigslist.org/ |
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creative_cpa
Posts:834
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| 06/24/2009 3:11 PM |
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| fiders = fiXers |
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ownhomeinSD
Posts:1068
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| 06/24/2009 3:19 PM |
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Try to rent in Mira Mesa for 3~6 months first. You can find many houses for rent there are pets allowed (<a href="http://sandiego.craigslist.org/search/apa/csd?query=mira+mesa&minAsk=min&maxAsk=max&bedrooms=2&addTwo=purrr&addThree=wooof">pets allowed houses in Mira Mesa</a>). Mira Mesa is about 5-10 miles to UCSD with driving time about 10-25 min. Free shuttles from UCSD to Mira Mesa are available for students and staff in UCSD.
Searching houses from SDLookup in the aeras you listed, you will know what kind of houses fit your needs and budget. However, you may have to have 20% downpayment ready for your purchase in current situation.
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ownhomeinSD
Posts:1068
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| 06/24/2009 3:23 PM |
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| I am surprised that I am consistent with creative this time.;) |
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78TTop
Posts:286
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| 06/24/2009 3:28 PM |
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cpa is right. Rent for a year or so. Your housing perspective will change after you've lived here for a while.
Here are two good property management companies:
http://www.renthomes.com/
http://www.theequitycompany.com/
Also... you can leave your mosquito zappers in NC. You won't need them in San Diego.
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cbr600f4i2
Posts:478
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| 06/24/2009 3:37 PM |
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| You can also leave your rain gear, wool caps, rubber boots and off spray. But bring your accents and your tax dollars. |
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CoastalDweller
Posts:61
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| 06/24/2009 4:53 PM |
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| ?Se habla espanol? |
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rwsinmissionhills
Posts:564
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| 06/24/2009 5:06 PM |
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I agree with most of what the others posted here.
Question: What are you looking to pay in rent?
It seems to me that many landlords are getting a bit more understanding about people who live with pets. When you get up to 4 as you are, that is stretching it a bit and you might want to think about ways to mitigate the first impression of having so many pets (by the way, what breeds are your dogs?)
One thing to think about is getting a good renters insurance policy to show to potential landlords (or promise that you will get one). One issue with dogs (especially large dogs or breeds judged to have aggressive tendencies) is potential premises liability for the property owner if your dog hurts someone. (yeah, it's your dog and all and you are responsible: The bottom line is; however, that it is not too hard to claim the landlord was at fault as well. And if the landlord has equity -- CHING!)
There are other benefits to the landlord of tenants carrying insurance and IMO, landlords should pay more attention to this topic. If I am not mistaken, landlords cannot require someone to carry renters insurance, so making a commitment to carry it can be a selling point on your part. It also might help you get a leg up on the competition for the nicer properties. The amount of a security deposit that a landlord is allowed to hold isn't much assurance if you they entrust you with a really nice place, therefore, having insurance in case you negligently cause expensive damage is likely to encourage a landlord to be more willing to rent to you and your entourage. |
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rwsinmissionhills
Posts:564
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| 06/24/2009 5:25 PM |
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A few other things to help you get a leg up on a good rental:
Have a nice portfolio showcasing what great renters you would be. For a property that really strikes your fancy, be ready to drop off right then an there a pre-application. Get copies of your credit reports, bank account info, pay stubs, and employment contracts, etc. If you are worried about the impact your dogs would have, think about presenting a file on them as well. Maybe include their vet records showing recent vaccinations, general good health, and valid dog licenses.
Your thoughtfulness at being so prepared, perhaps even more so than the actual content of your portfolio (!), is likely to win you points.
good luck! |
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chaozz
Posts:415
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| 06/24/2009 5:29 PM |
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Sorrento Valley, Carmel Valley plus (MR) will have very small yards but is next door to UCSD
Solana Beach is great but nothing cheap there ..Encinitas would be a nice place to settle as well its coastal some good priced homes
with land don't think much there will have MR if they do it will be cheap..someone suggested Mira Mesa..Drive through it before you
take that plunge.there are some nice homes but next to a nice home will be a run down eye sore with a rusting motorhome
in the drive way.
.I would avoid Mira Mesa if your pulling in 200k year |
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78TTop
Posts:286
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| 06/24/2009 5:50 PM |
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rws...
That's a great idea. Renting with four pets will be a challenge but a 'family portfolio' will help sell the deal.
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Pharmboy
Posts:59
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| 06/24/2009 7:56 PM |
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Thanks for the info. We have actually visited SD twice for interviews. We have a general idea of the SD areas, where cars are on blocks, and where Bimmers outnumber Hondas.
Funny, I used Off spray this evening doing yardwork in 94 degree heat. I'm guessing there are no mosquitoes, no 94 degree heat, and no yards in SD (in my price range)? It's a little hard to go from a modern 2200sqft. house with 0.7 acres to find out we cannot afford much in SD, but we are young and ready for a change.
Seems that the one year of rental is the best course of action. We do plan on getting renters insurance. Our two dogs are geriatric, spayed Boxers. One is a cancer survivor and the other Boxer is blind.
Since we are homeowners for ~10 years and working professionals, we can gather some documents/CVs/pictures together to present when we are interviewing for rentals.
So, is there a possibility we could rent an oceanview house with a small yard for less than $3k/month?
Thanks for all the feedback! |
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CoastalDweller
Posts:61
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| 06/24/2009 8:36 PM |
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| House, yard, ocean view, under $3000/month? I'll take it! Sounds like San Diego in the 1980's. |
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78TTop
Posts:286
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| 06/24/2009 8:44 PM |
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Pharmboy...
Depends what you mean by 'oceanview.' If oceanview means 5 miles from the beach and a distant view from the 2nd floor master bedroom, maybe yes. If oceanview means watching the whitecapped waves and counting the surfers from your family room, probably no. My answers are based on:
1. a 2000+ sq ft well-maintained single-family home in a decent neighborhood
2. 4 large pets (this family situation will greatly limit your available rentals)
3. an easy commute to UCSD.
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wilson
Posts:1713
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| 06/24/2009 9:10 PM |
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Does Pharmboy work pfor Pfizer?
A friend of mine who works for Pfizer used to live in the area and they lived in Encinitas. |
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rwsinmissionhills
Posts:564
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| 06/24/2009 9:20 PM |
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I no longer live in north coastal SD, but I would think it will be challenging to get house, yard, and ocean view for under $3,000. Condo or townhouse probably... yes. You might be able to get a real house if the place is a dump.
Here is one thing to consider about working at UCSD: Sometimes it can take you 30 minutes to get from campus to the freeway!! Are you a postdoc type who can set his own hours? (as in work all the time! LOL -- actually probably not if our family income is about 200k. But then again, at UCSD, if one of you is working at UCSD they'll treat you like a postdoc anyway, so you will still be hard at work at what is rush hour for everyone else!). I have not made the commute from UCSD to Solana Beach or Encinitas since they did the freeway improvements along the I-5, but just because those areas are close as the crow flies does not mean you will have an easy commute if you have anything remotely resembling normal business hours.
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Eugene
Posts:747
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| 06/24/2009 9:42 PM |
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Funny, I used Off spray this evening doing yardwork in 94 degree heat. I'm guessing there are no mosquitoes, no 94 degree heat, and no yards in SD (in my price range)? It's a little hard to go from a modern 2200sqft. house with 0.7 acres to find out we cannot afford much in SD, but we are young and ready for a change.
My house is bigger than yours, and my yard is bigger than yours too... and I paid less than 600k. However, there's no ocean view, and, if I worked at UCSD, my rush hour commute would have been closer to 40 min.
If you can settle for a 1600sqft. home with some sort of yard, but you want close to the ocean and the university, that can be had in Encinitas and Sorrento Valley, not in Carmel Valley or Solana Beach.
Part of the problem is that you say you don't have kids and you don't want kids, but you'll be competing against people who do, because all the areas you mentioned are desired because of high-ranked schools. |
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ownhomeinSD
Posts:1068
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| 06/24/2009 9:44 PM |
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Pharmboy, if you search rental houses in Carmel Valley, Solana Beach, or Encinitas from craigslist, you will find almost no house with yard allows pets is listed. You may find some 2br condos there but I suspect any condo unit would allow 4 large pets. Even in Mira Mesa / Sorrento Valley area, you probably can only find some old but not nice houses if you aren't willing to pay the cost for carpet replacement. Clairemont maybe you another choice.
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CoastalDweller
Posts:61
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| 06/24/2009 10:04 PM |
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| Look in University City too. It's close to UCSD, it's safe and close to Lorna's Italian Kitchen! |
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