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newbie
Posts:7
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| 11/22/2008 4:22 PM |
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New resident here. I'm looking to buy in either Hillcrest or University City. Any red flags regarding either neighborhood? Also, while I understand that Hillcrest is more urban and pedestrian-friendly, why is it so much more expensive than UTC, especially when it comes to price psf on single-family homes? Thanks in advance.
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ElPato
Posts:378
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| 11/22/2008 5:39 PM |
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Hi Newbie:
UTC is near UCSD, so you may have student noise issues. Hillcrest has a high concentration of gays.
That's the 10,000 foot view...Either place is perfectly nice. |
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ilivehere
Posts:165
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| 11/22/2008 8:01 PM |
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There are no more expensive homes in SD County, haven't you been reading the posts here. There are monster price drops everywhere. Just go buy one anywhere. You must not be looking very hard or you don't have a good realtor/loan officer.
What is wrong with gays? Do they not pay their bills? Do they not mow their yards? Not paint their houses? Can't parallel park? I would much rather live next to any gay couple or single gay person any day of the week then countless others. I know they want to get married, that bugs you because your married life is so perfect. Wait, it's because if they get married the divorce rate is going up and that is really going to throw things awry for all the children. There are so many kids living without a dad or a mom right now how would two moms or two dads hurt?
I own two homes and each one is now at least 3-4x more then the new conforming loan value. I have gay neighbors at both places and i just know them as my neighbors, not the gays.. They must work very hard, they are very friendly, pay their bills on time and have great credit. That is saying quite a bit more than then the majority.
please, let's keep the conversations here about the homes, not who lives in them.
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jakob
Posts:549
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| 11/22/2008 8:17 PM |
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| I didn't think ElPato was stereotyping or being derogatory. That would be the one of the first things I would say about Hillcrest, when describing the neighborhood. |
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ilivehere
Posts:165
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| 11/22/2008 8:34 PM |
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Jakob,
Why would that be one of the first things you would say? If I mentioned chula vista what would you say? If I mentioned Rancho Santa Fe, what would you say? If I mentioned Fallbrook, would you say "past epicenter for KKK"?
He was stereotyping and being derogatory.
I'm not gay, doesn't hurt my feelings but that is just kind of weird that people are so uncomfortable in their own skin that they can't get past the "gay thing".
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wilson
Posts:670
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| 11/22/2008 8:46 PM |
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I can't get past the "student thing." I"m ok with students, I just wouldn't want live next door to one or sit next to one in a restaurant. After all, isn't that what they make dorms for?
Let's lynch them all!!!!! |
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jakob
Posts:549
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| 11/22/2008 8:48 PM |
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| Because that's one of the unique aspects of Hillcrest... I see that Wikipedia devotes a lot of text to that aspect: Hillcrest. |
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newbie
Posts:7
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| 11/22/2008 8:48 PM |
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| Thanks. I have no problem with a gay neighborhood. I am attracted to the older homes with character in Hillcrest, but I was wondering why it commands such a premium (at least from the listings I can see) compared to UTC, for example. It seems you can get more space in UTC, but more solid construction in Hillcrest. Am I completely off-track here? Again, I'm new and have seen only online listings so far. I'm compiling a list of things to view next week. |
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newbie
Posts:7
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| 11/22/2008 8:50 PM |
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| BTW, sorry for the double post--I didn't know they'd show up in the list to the right! |
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ilivehere
Posts:165
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| 11/22/2008 8:56 PM |
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I'm with you wilson, as a ex drunk college kid living in PB, I agree.
Sorry small TYPO ( still a drunk, not in college anymore ) |
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newbie
Posts:7
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| 11/22/2008 9:43 PM |
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For ex--why/how is this house on 10th Avenue in Hillcrest, which is only 838 sq ft, asking $525K (reduced from over $600K)?? It's still well over $600 psf. I don't get it.
http://www.sdlookup.com/MLS-080038595-4225_10th_Ave_San_Diego_Ca_92103 |
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Eugene
Posts:303
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| 11/22/2008 10:32 PM |
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I think that both Hillcrest and University City are overpriced. Hillcrest has higher psf because it has smaller houses.
There are very few students south of the canyon in University City. University City south of the canyon is a non-urban, non-walkable, family-friendly community, very similar to Clairemont in most aspects except for prices, and the only reason to buy there instead of Clairemont is if you need good neighborhood schools. University City north of the canyon is far more similar to Hillcrest. However, it's all condos and there are almost no detached houses.
Hillcrest is the most liberal place in San Diego. It is a gay neighborhood, our version of Castro. I imagine that gays would be fairly accepting of non-gays, but you have to be okay with having people of the same sex hitting on you in restaurants, bars, and public places.
I suspect that there's something about Hillcrest and surroundings (North Park, City Heights, Kensington) that makes people want to live there, that's why it's so expensive, but I just can't grasp it. I've been in the area many times. Houses are old and tiny, there's no land, it's not very clean. |
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ilivehere
Posts:165
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| 11/22/2008 11:28 PM |
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newbie-
you answered the question yourself "older homes with character". You can't find that in University City. |
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Brian
Posts:2626
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| 11/23/2008 1:13 AM |
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Older houses with character, also means houses with no central air-conditioning, no heat, no dishwasher, no laundry, bad insulation, etc... You can easily sink $100k in an old house. It's throwing good money after bad.
Rent and then decide if the ownership premium is worth it.
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Caligirl43
Posts:148
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| 11/23/2008 7:35 AM |
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| Geez, I Live Here - Get a grip! I took nothing stereotypical away from what El Pato said - he was just presenting a fact. Every community is known for something and it's important to have all the facts when choosing a neighborhood to buy a home in. |
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jam
Posts:19
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| 11/23/2008 9:23 AM |
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| I agree with Caligirl---there was no negative stereotyping......I'm attracted to Hillcrest, too......and knowing that it's a 'gay friendly' area means something positive to me. I'm not gay....but having lived in San Francisco and now in NYC knowing the style of a neighborhood is meaningful. I love Greenwich Village and Noe Valley....and would buy in Hillcrest. |
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ElPato
Posts:378
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| 11/23/2008 9:42 AM |
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All:
I tried to keep my statements factual and short. I did not mean anything negative. I hope I didn't offend anyone. I lived in Univ City for many years and visit Hillcrest regularly.
I also wrote this: "Either place is perfectly nice.". Maybe I should have said "I'd live in either place". I guess that's more what I meant.
Anyhow, back to the regularly scheduled programming.
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wilson
Posts:670
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| 11/23/2008 10:11 AM |
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| Forget about the gays. Let's lynch the students and fry those who can't parallel park! |
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David_K
Posts:70
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| 11/23/2008 10:35 AM |
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I've lived in both areas.
Hillcrest can be quite noisy and is urban (homeless people, trash on the streets). Its pretty central, so you can get to downtown or the park really quickly. You're close to all the major highways, so you can get most areas pretty quickly. UTC is fairly quiet unless you're on one of the highways. Its clean but sterile in my opinion.
Hillcrest is very "neighborhoody", as in people take walks, chat with their neighbors etc etc. UTC is more like a bunch of cubby holes for people. You can walk to restaurants and bars in Hillcrest. You can not in UTC. Hillcrest has family owned stores, UTC has strip malls. |
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dchestney
Posts:300
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| 11/23/2008 1:31 PM |
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[quote]Posted By Eugene on 11/22/2008 10:32 PM
Hillcrest is the most liberal place in San Diego. It is a gay neighborhood, our version of Castro. I imagine that gays would be fairly accepting of non-gays, but you have to be okay with having people of the same sex hitting on you in restaurants, bars, and public places.[/quote]
My wife and I have lived at the southern edge of Hillcrest for 3.5 years and love the area. Even when alone, neither of us has ever been "hit on" by a gay or lesbian person--that is very unlikely unless you go to one of the gay-singles bars. Except perhaps for gay/lesbian bars, every business--even those that are gay-owned--are entirely welcoming of everyone. There are homeless people wandering about, but they are more wary of us than we are of them. There is the street litter found in a successful restaurant/bar destination area.
Part of the attraction is the real "neighborhood" feel. When we used to visit in SD, we were unimpressed by the usual tourist areas as places to live, but we "found" Hillcrest on our first visit to Kemo Sabe and for the first time thought we might actually want to retire in SD. In time, it became the only place we looked to buy our retirement home. We are within easy walking distance of 60-70 restaurants (Thai, French, Mexican, Afghan, Moroccan, Italian, Deli, Middle Eastern, you name it) and the Balboa Park museums, etc. There is ample public transportation (rare in SD) and "real" stores like shoe repair, ACE hardware, Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, Ralph's, a florist, etc. You see few, if any, national brand name stores except for grocery places. We frequently walk down to the Gaslamp and East Village areas (2.25-2.5 miles) and to Little Italy (1.5 miles).
Compared to other areas, you see relatively few foreclosed properties. Prices have held up better than in many areas of SD, although they have of course fallen from the highs. There is a mix of condo towers (where we live), town homes, single-family houses, and rentals. The people are not primarily gay (although it has the densest gay population in SD) and include a mix of staff from the two nearby hospitals, urban professionals, retired folks (like us) and others. There are not, however, a lot of children.
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