Possible Relocation to San Clemente
 

It's been awhile since I have posted here, but I still read the forums and I'd appreciate any guidance from the So Cal guys on the San Clemente area.

I am considering a relocation to San Clemente because of a potential job offer for a company located in San Clemente. I currenlty live in the Indianapolis area and took a buy out from my previous company (Delphi) to pursue other opportunities.

I won't go into all the details, but I would like to get some feedback and suggestions as to housing in the area, areas to avoid, things to consider, etc that would be helpful in making the decision. I haven't visitied yet, have only gone through a couple of phone interviews, but expect to be visit within the next two weeks.

Thanks for any input.

San Clemente is awesome but expensive. If you can afford the buy-in, it is a great place...beautiful. Also consider Dana Point or San Juan Capistrano.

Scenic and quiet -- mainly ocean view hillside properties -- but quite spendy and a bit far from "civilization". It's largely a retired demographic as far as I could ever ascertain. Not sure of your situation or needs, but housing is likely a bit more affordable up north towards the OC or south towards SD.

Be sure to post when you're coming to visit, and I'm sure some Pelicans will be glad to meet you!

San Clemente is great, it has a real town center, many great places to eat. You can buy or rent inland, the inland side of the freeway for a little less money. Like anyplace, the closer to the ocean, the more it costs. Not much south, Oceanside, it's cheaper, and north is Dana Point, I think a great place. No town center really, but still a good place to live. San Juan Capistrano, but expensive or cheap, cheap where you need to speak spanish and then the expensive part.
All in all, a pretty nice area to live. No need for Air Conditioning where I live in Dana Point and the heating bill isn't bad. It gets warmer in San Juan, I don't think I would need Air in San Clemente but if you go down to Oceanside on the inland side of the freeway you might want air.
Plenty of Porsche things to do.

Lowest priced listing (that isn't a mobile home): http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/3830-Avenida-Del-Presidente-St-Unit-13_San-Clemente_CA_92672_1106952157

Where's Snowman when you need him?

Yikes...495 sq. ft. :eek: I'm guessing that price point could get you 4X as much in Indy although perhaps not in the greatest part of town.

$149k = 3780 s/f in Indianapolis, just remodeled:
http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/2848-N-Delaware-Street_Indianapolis_IN_46205_1106255135

Thanks for the replies so far. I've been looking at rental properties in the area on various sites, and no doubt the prices are much higher than Indy. I have a 4K sq ft home on 5 acres currently, but was wanting to downsize anyway.

I'm a divorced father of two boys..20 and 16. Both will relocate with me if the opportunity does come through. The 20 year old is looking at the educational opportunities in the area. The 16 year old will be a junior next year, so we are considering the school districts. We are all avid mt. bikers, so proximity to trails is a minor consideration.

I anticipate being out there next week, but should know for sure this evening since I will be speaking with the CEO of the company tonight. I'm an EE with several years of management experience, and the opportunities in Indy are very limited right now. This opportunity so far has been very interesting, so even considering a major move, I have to give it serious consideration.

Thanks again for the help to the So Cal guys.

John

You could live in Fallbrook, CA and easily commute to San Clemente. Fallbrook is beautiful and may be less expensive...

I'm up in L.A. so the guys from the area are giving much better input but I can say that you're in for a great experience with two sons in that part of the world. Surfing, skiing, biking, great-looking females of all ages, etc...

If you can afford to live in a decent place where you're happy, I think you'll love it. Moving to a new state is always a little stressful but it's also an adventure. Good luck!

Fallbrook ain't cheap (and hasn't been for many, many years). Plus, that's a long haul around Camp Pendleton...but a fun drive if you're in a Porsche. If you want an easy commute with "affordable" living, try Oceanside.

Hmm, tough one. You only have to worry about school for another two years, so renting in an area with a good HS is the hot ticket. That area is great for outdoor activities, and there are tons of things to do within 20 miles or so.

The trick in "LA" (which really encompasses from San Onofre on the south to Thousand Oaks on the north) is to have a reasonable commute. I think it is critical to work fairly close to where you live, so that is a major consideration. If the job is in San Clemente you would want to live there or not too much further north, though I think if you were north of SC that would be somewhat counter commute (I don't make that drive much). Another option is living on the other side of Pendleton but then you've got a bit of a drive. It is cheaper in Oceanside though, and Fallbrook as mentioned is nice too - more bucolic. The schools in Oceanside likely aren't great though. Last time I investigated that you had to go further south into San Diego country to get a good school...which ups your commute significantly (north SD county traffic blows).

I think SC has a good HS. For colleges you have a number of community colleges as well as UC Irvine. There is the whole "orange curtain" thing but I find less of that vibe that far south. OC tends to be less diverse than LA and has less "interesting" restaurants but it still has a lot to offer.

With a kid in H.S. the Oceanside option is out. They have the worst schools in the area - by far. Vista is a close second. Listen to Todd and find a rental near your workplace. You can use the time to explore and find what you like and don't like about the area and surrounding communities.

I live in Laguna Hills, about 10 miles north of San Clemente. The nice thing about this city is the property tax base 1.15% (versus up to 1.4% in other OC areas from what I've heard); houses are decent sized, and there are even some short sale houses to be found if you look hard enough.

Not sure what the avg home goes for over here, there are small houses and larger scaled houses too.

Your kid would go to LagHills High, there have been some athletes who come from there.

Good luck!

Thanks again for the advice.

I will be arriving on the 31st, full day of interviews on April 1st (Unless these guys are just playing an elaborate April Fools joke!). I will have all day on the 2nd to have a look around, and flying back to Indy on the 3rd. I'll probably schedule a full day on the 2nd looking at rentals in the recommended areas within easy commute to work.

Of course if the interview doesn't go well, I'll find a nice watering hole in the area and skip looking at the real estate market!

Try Carlsbad.
My brother lives there and he has several friends raising families there and love it

Steve

LOL. Lowest priced home in Laguna Hills (sorta):

http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/26281-Eva-St_Laguna-Hills_CA_92656_1104944936

I grew up in Orange County. The areas that the other posters are sharing are very beautiful. Although pricey, you actually may be coming in at a good time. The sticker shock will get your attention, but when the market starts gaining steam again you actually may be in a good position.

Actually San Clemente is one of the hardest hit with respect to RE prices in South OC.
Its an under the radar nice beach community, close to the interstate 5, great climate too.
Im sure there are great deals to be found. We are not at the bottom yet, maybe 12 months out, just my .02

You guys are right, San Clemente is very nice. The sticker shock for housing was an issue, but not outrageous, prices are falling.

I did receive an offer, including relocation, so I'm struggling with the decision to move or not. The offer isn't enough to overcome the cost of living adjustment, so I'd have to consider it the price of living in So Cal. Plus, engineering jobs in the Midwest are not plentiful in this economy.

Thanks again for the feedback. Now the tough part.