San Diego Recommendations

[e6bflyer]

You might want to look at an amortization table. Your principle isn't going to go down appreciably in the first 10 years. Consider this part of your research.

Brett

Agree with the above, plus it is a tough as nails rental market right now for landlords. There is just a ton of houses for rent right now. It is going to be tough for you to break even when you factor mortgage, insurance, expenses (wear and tear and damages), a property manager, and the general hassle of it all. You seem like you are approaching it smartly by taking your time, but use caution!

 

[Brett327]

I just perused the listings there. It might be a good time to buy, but I hope you've got some dough, because it's still just as expensive as when I lived there a two years ago. Looks like, on average, a small condo (800-1000 SF) is going to run you 300-400K, and we're not talking beach front stuff. East County, here you come. Don't want to bring you down or anything, but SD remains one of the more expensive places to live, so have some realistic expectations as to how far your Ensign pay is going to stretch.

Brett

 

[FormerRecruitingGuru]

So essentially Joboy's pad will be the unofficial partying pad for AWs coming soon!

 

[USNMark]

Not to knock the earlier posts, but Mission Valley is probably the 10th place in SD that I would look to live.

Totally hilarious, this post. On the one hand people give recommendations of cheap bars with cheap beer in a place like Pacific Beach (sorry to say this but PB is trash) which many seem to like as a corner of SD, and in the same breath knock down Mission Valley (or any other neighborhood)? Have you been there in the past year or even 6 months? Mission Valley had some of the better (not best, to be fair) apartments than I'd seen in all of San Diego. Spring Break/Memorial Day weekend/any other holiday at PB and you'll see some strange brew hobblin around.

For the record, PB is a great place to party, but the crime there can be pretty bad these days

One of a few reasons why PB blows. Now Ocean Beach? Totally awesome. Can I afford it? No.

 

[Brett327]

Totally hilarious, this post. On the one hand people give recommendations of cheap bars with cheap beer in a place like Pacific Beach (sorry to say this but PB is trash) which many seem to like as a corner of SD, and in the same breath knock down Mission Valley (or any other neighborhood)? Have you been there in the past year or even 6 months? Mission Valley had some of the better (not best, to be fair) apartments than I'd seen in all of San Diego. Spring Break/Memorial Day weekend/any other holiday at PB and you'll see some strange brew hobblin around.



One of a few reasons why PB blows. Now Ocean Beach? Totally awesome. Can I afford it? No.

Great points. You know, for people who've never lived in SD, all they know is PB because they were in a drunken stupor there once in their lives. I've seen it time and again - people chime in here and say, "Dude! You should live in PB - It's AWESOME!" The people who actually live in PB are college students, drunks and beach losers - not your peers, people of means, or people you generally want to hang out with. Do you want these people for neighbors? That said, I love to hang out and party in PB - aways have. You just want to be able to leave the human detritus where it belongs when you go home.

Brett

 

[KBayDog]

PB sucks. I feel like I need a tetanus shot every time I go there. The traffic blows, there is no parking, there's trash everywhere, cars are routinely broken into and/or jacked, you overpay to mingle with college kids & professional drunks, etc.

Do not live in PB. There are enough places in SD to live and play with big boys and girls; save PB for those weekends when things are slow and you want to go somewhere where you can always walk away feeling better about yourself.

 

[Uncle Fester]

...You know, for people who've never lived in SD, all they know is PB because they were in a drunken stupor there once in their lives....

PB sucks. I feel like I need a tetanus shot every time I go there....

I'm gonna go ahead and disagree with you there, Bob. Yeah, I wouldn't live right on the beach areas, but once you get a few blocks away it's not bad at all. I lived at the eastern end of Grand (near the 5 intersection) and it was a very pleasant area to live. Walked across the street to MB Park, easy bike ride to the bars (thence, no traffic worries).

Still, if I were to go there now, I'd probably go for Mission/Fashion Valley. More sedate and closer to the trolley line.

 

[Brett327]

I lived at the eastern end of Grand (near the 5 intersection) and it was a very pleasant area to live. Walked across the street to MB Park, easy bike ride to the bars (thence, no traffic worries).

Yeah, that ain't PB. I think you're agreeing with me.

Brett

 

[airgreg]

Totally hilarious, this post.

What do I know, only lived in various areas of SD for 9 years. If a really cool apartment complex near a shopping mall and chain restaurants does it for you, by all means go for it. Totally hilarious.

 

[Brett327]

What do I know, only lived in various areas of SD for 9 years. If a really cool apartment complex near a shopping mall and chain restaurants does it for you, by all means go for it. Totally hilarious.

Simmer down now. The OP is soliciting opinions, to which everyone is entitled. It's not a competition.

Brett

 

[airgreg]

Simmer down now. The OP is soliciting opinions, to which everyone is entitled. It's not a competition.

Brett

Didn't realize I was simmering. Just responding to being "totally hilarious".

 

[Dust]

Bar: http://www.myspace.com/therubyroomsd (good music and service)

 

[mwardakpsi]

At the recommendation of Villanelle amongst others, I'll be living at La Mirage... oh joy. For 3 months, that is... until I buy a place.

Review to follow...

There *might* be a few porn stars that live at the La Mirage. I've seen many a hot woman at their pool parties. It should be an interesting 3 months for you...



As far as the original housing question on the thread:
Every place in town has pluses and minuses to living there. In PB you will be close to the party, but will have to suffer through high property thefts and the fact that you may end up parking BLOCKS away from your house if your timing sucks. The Condos are modern and brand new downtown, but the space is limited and in many cases you will not get a garage. Coronado is super convenient to NASNI, but a big pain in the ass to drive anywhere else because of the bridge. It really depends on what you want, and what you are willing to give up (unless you are loaded, you will not get everything you are looking for). The best thing to do if you want money in your pocket is to get a roommate (or multiple roommates). Rent will be significantly less, and a group of people can easily pull off a place that is larger and much nicer than what you would get otherwise. My one recommendation on where not to live is close to the border. LONG drive from where everyone else will be living, and vehicle thefts are exponentially more frequent.

 

[villanelle]

There *might* be a few porn stars that live at the La Mirage. I've seen many a hot woman at their pool parties. It should be an interesting 3 months for you...

When we lived there, our next door neighbor was a stripper. She often practiced with her blinds opened, so whenever we heard the bass through the wall, someone in our house frequently "went for a walk".

 

[mwardakpsi]

When we lived there, our next door neighbor was a stripper. She often practiced with her blinds opened, so whenever we heard the bass through the wall, someone in our house frequently "went for a walk".

Yeah exactly. Hard to give away which video you saw the neighbor in. Right about now is when the spouses are never going to sign off on living there!