All Blog Entries by Sam Smith

Model homes always showcase the very best that a new community has to over with a ridiculous amount of upgrades to the home.  These types of properties are used to give buyers inspiration on how they can upgrade their own home and hopefully allow the builder to install them at any extra cost.  When a development is almost sold out these types of homes come on the market for sale, and In my opinion can be the best values since they are often located on a prime lot in the community.

Some of the best values besides new construction properties are those communities that are several years old and used to be the model home when they were first built. After a couple of years real estate prices typically will fall in line with what other similar type homes in

Oceanside is a popular beach community in San Diego county which attracts many tourists and visitors each year.  Finding a suitable long term rental property can be difficult to find here for a variety of reasons.  First, Oceanside is a popular vacation destination for many so owners of investment properties have decided to rent their property as vacation rental properties on a short term basis so the ability to rent these types of homes long term is not possible.  Owners are able to make much more money renting it short term, especially during the high season summer months when rent prices can really be high.  Second, real estate prices in Oceanside are still fairly affordable which allows many to be able to purchase home rather than renting.  

The

One of more popular requests we get from clients tends to deal with car storage and the type of parking that a home can accommodate.  RV parking can be very difficult to find as many older homes do not have the space for such a large vehicle and most homeowners associations have rules and regulations prohibiting this.  Oceanside is a true gem when it comes to finding a home with RV Parking since there are many homes are not located in formal associations and located on large over-sized lots.  Here are just a few places to start your search.

The Fire Mountain neighborhood in Oceanside is a great place to look as many of the homes here are large in scale and located on over-sized lots.  We quickly found one ocean view homes listed at $889,000 that offers

Oceanside has a lot to offer with pristine beaches and ideal year around coastal weather.  While some people look at the newer constructed buildings around the Oceanside Pier many forget that Oceanside has a lot of history to it with older homes that date back to the early 1920's.  For those looking to rent a home before they buy finding a quaint historic home may be the way to go.  This way you can get a feel for what it's like to live in this small beach town without putting down a whole lot of money in a purchase.  There are many historic neighborhoods throughout the city but if you are looking for a historic home in the heart of the city there is one neighborhood to start your search.

The Seaside community in Oceanside is widely known for being one

The Ocean Hills Country Club is widely known in North San Diego County as the premier senior community.  While the large majority of the homes in this community are predominantly for sale listings there always tends to be a couple of rental listings located here as well. This is an excellent way to get acquainted with the community to see if you like it before investing a lot of money since homes currently start in the mid $500,000 range and go all the way to the low $800,000 price point.  The main requirement is that you be at least 55 years of age or older.

Rental prices are much more affordable then buying with staring monthly lease payments at $2,500 a month for a two bedroom, two bath home with an approximate 1,176 square feet of living space.

One of the more popular senior communities in Oceanside is the Rancho Hermosa neighborhood.  The location occupies a private hillside area just south of the 76 freeway and near the el Camino High School and the historic San Luis Rey Mission.  This is a perfect spot to live if you are older than 55 years of age and have always wanted to live in a senior community with other residents of your same age group.  The single level floor plans are really great and offer main floor master bedrooms with all other bedrooms located on the same level.  

The homes are actually classified as condos so expect to find at least one attached common wall.  Select homes in this community offer panoramic hills and valley views with a one car attached garage.  I think one of

Oceanside has become one of the best places to find affordable mobile and manufactured homes near the beach in San Diego County.  It's not uncommon to find properties in the low $100,000 range with some properties listed around $90,000 as well.  The important thing to remember when looking at mobile or manufactured homes is the amount of the space rent.  This will vary from property to park so it's important to keep that in mind when looking to make a purchase.  These numbers can be relatively low but can go higher than $1,000 a month.  That will be the cost to lease the land that the home sits upon.

Some of the most affordable mobile homes can be found in the Terrace Gardens Family Park.  There is currently one 2 bedroom home that is listed for

Costa Serena is a wonderful 55+ community in Oceanside located just north of the 78 freeway.  While many residents enjoy living here not everyone can afford to purchase a home with real estate prices in the mid $400,000 range.  A great alternative is to find a rental home in this community to see if you like living here.  There are certain restrictions when doing so as you must be older than 55 years of age to live here.  These are duplex style homes that often feature less than 1,000 square feet with many original homes from the mid 1970's.  

Current rental prices for Costa Serena homes run between $1,800 to $1,850 for a two bedroom home.  One home is being offer for $1,800 with features two bedrooms, one bath with an estimated 827 square feet.  This

When looking at newer homes in Southern California it's not uncommon to have an additional Mello Roos tax.  Many don't understand how Mello Roos works but in essence is typically a 25 to 30 year old bond that is attached to home and is paid on a monthly basis.  Homes that have Mellos Roos will also typically have an association fee that is paid on a monthly basis.  Thus all of these fee's that need to be paid on top of your monthly mortgage payment can be a lot of money so many buyers elect to find properties that have no Mello Roos.

There are many neighborhoods in Oceanside that don't have Mello Roos.  Normally older homes don't have any association dues or Mello Roos so those are pretty easy to locate.  For those looking for newer construction homes

If you are looking for rental property right on the beach then it's really hard to beat the North Coast Village complex in Oceanside, California.  The North Coast Village community offers a wide range of rental properties with owners looking for both short and long term rentals.  There are also many vacation rental properties located here so it can be difficult to differentiate rentals listings here, especially if you are looking for a long term one year lease.

It's not uncommon to find a 12 month rental in North Coast Village for under $2,000 a month.  Many of the one bedroom units have reentry rented for $1,850 and $1,900 a month.  The rent normally includes association dues which gets you all of the amenities which include a community pool, spa,