Retirement Search: Initiation
Well, I rolled into San Diego yesterday. Wish I could have taken scenic route down, but an heirloom delivery to La Canada necessitated use of Interstate 5. Good thing we remembered to bring a book on tape! I’ve been down to SD twice before, for youth soccer tournaments. Those adventures did not lend themselves to seeing much; a glimpse of the beach for ½ hour was about it. So I look forward to exploring the towns and making a determination if this is the place for us to retire.
The three best things so far? The price of gas: $3.39 for regular (I paid $3.79 a week ago on the Peninsula), the weather (went to bed, it was 70, woke up, it was 70) and the beach. My home base is in Carlsbad, a house located just 1.7 miles from the sand and surf. We took a ride down to the waterfront last night, lots of hustle and bustle, visitors walking the long winding path that fronts the ocean. Happy people with happy dogs. Light breeze, the lapping ocean waves against the sand. Definitely gonna spend more time down there.
Carlsbad is a cute, laidback city, and the downtown appears to be a cross between Santa Cruz and Cambria. Lots of independent shops, with a few chains like Cold Stone, Starbucks and Jamba Juice. You can hear music, restaurants do a brisk trade, people get around on foot and bicycle. There are a few shopping and strip malls, as well, and the housing I have seen so far varies. Some great beach houses right on the water, mostly rentals, several high-end retirement communities, and your typical apartments, condos, and SFRs. I found one street that I loved, with huge lots and unique homes – Painted ladies, Craftsman, and Spanish style. Larger homes, some I would go so far as to call “compounds” where multiple families could live, which appeals to me as my parents age. My guess is that it is a smaller version of San Mateo, given the types and ages of housing and the overall feel of the city.
I am staying in a neighborhood made up primarily of single family ranchers, and I’m guessing the bulk were built in the ’50s and ’60s. San Diego has been hit fairly hard with the mortgage and credit crisis. When my friends were looking, there were a lot of short sales and REOs. Three in the neighborhood were available, all in the low 500′s, high 400′s. One specific home last sold for $656,000, had been initially listed at $515,000, and got its first and final bid about 30-40 days in for $469,000. That’s for a standard rancher, 3/2, on almost a 10,000 sf lot. This home, along with two others around the corner are being remodeled at the same time. Two older homes within a block are undergoing exterior changes and upgrades, as well. The area seems to be seeing a revitalization and I was surprised by the lack of FOR SALE signs as we drove around, although remodeling efforts were visible everywhere.
On my agenda this week: Fallbrook, Vista, Santee, Escondido, Ramona…plus a few others, if I have time.
