House Hunting in coastal North County (San Diego, Carlsbad: apartment complex, rentals, houses)

[Lena10]

Hello!

We've just moved to SD from Tucson, AZ and are now renting an apartment in Carmel Valley. We love the area and my husband's job is only 2 minutes away! Yet, we don't like renting and definitely don't like apartments (in general, not the specific ones where we are). So we plan on buying asap.

Currently our search includes Del Mar (there's nothing there in our budget...), Carmel Valley, Encinitas, Cardiff and La Costa in Carlsbad. We drove through them and talked to people and spent some time there but we're not locals by any means and I would appreciate your input and advice on these areas (or any other ones we're missing). We'd like to stay in Del Mar/Encinitas school district and our budget is 600-650K for a 3bed/2bath (it's doable, there are listings available...)

Any advice on the areas for us or just descriptions of how you see them would be great!!

Thank you!

[djxpress]

You couldn't pay me to live in Carmel Valley. CV is as cookie cutter, non-charming, no character, "lets pack them in like sardines" as you can get in San Diego. The only benefit of living in Carmel Valley is that you have access to Torrey Pines High School and it's centrally located on the coast.

You will quickly grow tired of CV as you will notice that all of your amenities (shopping, restaurants, bars, etc.) are located everywhere but CV.

If you want to live in a charming area with some character then Encinitas, Cardiff and La Costa are by far better choices. They all have great shopping and character...and all of them have been in existence longer than 30 years, unlike CV.

[mom2move]

Lena10,

I can totally relate. We are going to attempt to relocate this summer from NJ to either Encinitas, La Costa or Cardiff. We already love these areas but I am being tormented by school worries. I have two kids, a soon-to-be 6th grader, and a soon-to-be 8th grader.

We are planning to rent for a while before we purchase. I am hoping to learn more information (from locals/not published rankings) about the middle schools in these areas to determine if there are major cultural or academic differences between the different schools. All I want is the best fit for my kids, especially since they are very happy here!! This will be a MAJOR adjustment for them.

Any luck searching for rentals? I am finding it daunting.......

[Encinitan]

Originally Posted by mom2move

Lena10,

I can totally relate. We are going to attempt to relocate this summer from NJ to either Encinitas, La Costa or Cardiff. We already love these areas but I am being tormented by school worries. I have two kids, a soon-to-be 6th grader, and a soon-to-be 8th grader.

We are planning to rent for a while before we purchase. I am hoping to learn more information (from locals/not published rankings) about the middle schools in these areas to determine if there are major cultural or academic differences between the different schools. All I want is the best fit for my kids, especially since they are very happy here!! This will be a MAJOR adjustment for them.

Any luck searching for rentals? I am finding it daunting.......

You're being tormented by worry about moving into Encinitas, La Costa, or Cardiff? Those are some of the best elementary school districts in North County. Rest easy. Find a nice place here and settle in. Your children will be fine.

[mom2move]

Thank you Encinitan. I appreciate your assurance. We have a good friend who lives in Encinitas; we absolutely fell in LOVE with the town when we visited. He is a bachelor though, so he cannot speak to the whole school thing. Any thoughts on how the culture/housing prices change East of the 5 in Encinitas? Is is more/less family oriented as you travel East? Thank you in advance for your feedback.

[Encinitan]

Originally Posted by mom2move

Thank you Encinitan. I appreciate your assurance. We have a good friend who lives in Encinitas; we absolutely fell in LOVE with the town when we visited. He is a bachelor though, so he cannot speak to the whole school thing. Any thoughts on how the culture/housing prices change East of the 5 in Encinitas? Is is more/less family oriented as you travel East? Thank you in advance for your feedback.

West of the 5 is more expensive, mostly around or above $1 million for single family homes. Sure you can find rentals there too, but it's been a long time since I rented here. As far as family oriented areas, I'd say the coastal corridor (west of 5) is less family oriented, more rentals and singles, etc. The coast is more crowded together, more non-conforming uses (houses converted, apartments squished together, etc.)More families tend to live east of 5 in the Village Park and Olivenhain areas. Those areas are a bit cheaper, but Olivenhain is ranch properties and every bit as expensive as the coastal strip. By and large, Encinitas is very familly oriented, but I'd say it's more so families east of the 5.

[mom2move]

Originally Posted by Encinitan

West of the 5 is more expensive, mostly around or above $1 million for single family homes. Sure you can find rentals there too, but it's been a long time since I rented here. As far as family oriented areas, I'd say the coastal corridor (west of 5) is less family oriented, more rentals and singles, etc. The coast is more crowded together, more non-conforming uses (houses converted, apartments squished together, etc.)More families tend to live east of 5 in the Village Park and Olivenhain areas. Those areas are a bit cheaper, but Olivenhain is ranch properties and every bit as expensive as the coastal strip. By and large, Encinitas is very familly oriented, but I'd say it's more so families east of the 5.

Thank you so much Encinitan, that is very helpful information. I've been seeing listings/information about Village Park and Olivenhain but was not sure if they would be a fit. Now, I will definitely include those areas in my search.

[mom2move]

Encinitan,

Can you recommend a realtor who specializes in rentals is the Encinitas area?

Thank you!

[Lena10]

Encinitan, thank you for your input! I certainly appreciate your feedback about the character of the places we're looking into. I guess the reason why I'm so focused on Del Mar/Carmel Valley is because of my husband's job - it really is great when he is home 2 minutes after leaving the work and that won't be true any more if he has to get on the I 5... We're still looking in all of these areas and haven't settled on one. We drove on el camino real through encinitas and it didn't look so good. We'll try different streets next time for th egeneral feel... could you recommend where to go to get that feel of each area?

mom2move, we're renting in the apartment complex Del Mar Ridge at the moment - nice spaciouos rooms and open floorplan (3 bedroom) and right next the community center with the playground and activities!

[Encinitan]

Originally Posted by Lena10

Encinitan, thank you for your input! I certainly appreciate your feedback about the character of the places we're looking into. I guess the reason why I'm so focused on Del Mar/Carmel Valley is because of my husband's job - it really is great when he is home 2 minutes after leaving the work and that won't be true any more if he has to get on the I 5... We're still looking in all of these areas and haven't settled on one. We drove on el camino real through encinitas and it didn't look so good. We'll try different streets next time for th egeneral feel... could you recommend where to go to get that feel of each area?

mom2move, we're renting in the apartment complex Del Mar Ridge at the moment - nice spaciouos rooms and open floorplan (3 bedroom) and right next the community center with the playground and activities!

El Camino Real is the major commercial strip through Encinitas. It's where you go for Target, or to get your oil changed. It's not where people live. 1-2 miles east or west of there is where many Encinitans live and are perfectly happy. You might be more of a Carmel Valley type. It's up to you to decide.