Aaaarg!... Housing in La Jolla

[nerfornothin]

Beware: The following is a rant.

So I spend all weekend getting screwed around by real estate agents, looking at overpriced rat holes and filling out endless paperwork and at the end of the day I still have no place to live.

Why must UCSD housing have a 2-3 year waiting list? Anyone have any good ideas on how to find a reasonable (not a rathole costing two grand a month) place? Sorry, I lost an hour this morning and still haven't fully recovered.

Ok, so now SDN is down and I can't post. Shouldn't have gotten out of bed.

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[CaliBoy]

I don't know nerf... but if you find anything out, please share! I'm actually pretty worried about finding a place to live in SD. I looked a little online at some apts for rent websites and there were alot of listings for the la jolla and clairemont areas, but most were hella expensive. Maybe they'll give us some advice about housing when we go to the 2nd look.

 

[kutastha]

Holy moley, just look in the <a href="http://www.sdreader.com/" target="_blank">Reader</a>. I found four different places there when I lived in SD. Either that or drive around Birdrock/PB and such. You'll spend a lot less on housing, and also live near the beach.

 

[nerfornothin]

Yeah, hopefully they'll have some useful things to say at 2nd look. I looked at five or so places in the La Jolla area over this weekend with a couple of friends and all the places near school were running expensive. The cheapest (and nastiest) places were running around $1800 a month (3 bed 2 bath).

$600 a month with two roomates is not exactly sweet. Financial aid has $768 budgeted for rent but I'd like to try and avoid paying that. Plus I'd like to live in a place that I'd be happy to stay in for four years. Maybe it's too much to ask.

Look out for Clairmont. Much of it is not all that close to UCSD (like 15-20 min on a clear freeway, half an hour 45 with traffic).

I noticed the tons of listings too. Lots of people graduating and leaving/moving. Anyway...
I'll definitely share if I figure anything out.

 

[nerfornothin]

Tks for the link kutastha. Did you actual end up living in PB for any of the time you were in SD? I just want to avoid driving if at all possible. Guess that might be unrealistic.

 

[kutastha]

I lived on campus for two years, then in downtown La Jolla for two more, and then finally in PB for a year. At most, it only took me 20 mins to get there on the 5, and a little bit longer to get home (back streets). I never paid more than $600 and I lived alone in PB (20 feet from the beach). Living anywhere near campus will probably get you (a) horribly ripped off and (b) sucked into a ridiculous lease that may never let you again see the light of day. But maybe things have changed in the past 6 years.

 

[nerfornothin]

"Living anywhere near campus will probably get you (a) horribly ripped off and (b) sucked into a ridiculous lease that may never let you again see the light of day."

Word. Had a look around the Reader site. There are some nice looking cheap places in PB. Maybe I was looking at this all wrong. Many thanks kutastha . Are you headed to med school next year?

 

[altaskier]

Don't live in La Jolla. It is way too expensive. Try Mission Beach, Pacific Beach or other cities nearby. Most of all the college kids/bars are in Mission Beach. It doesn't cost too much to live there either. La Jolla is way too expensive.

 

[otter]

I agree, Mission Beach is way too far. Also, Pacific Beach is not for everyone, certainly not for me. Don't get me wrong, I love fun places esp. if it's near the beach. But PB's sort of a cheap-looking beach town devoid of culture. The atmosphere there is a bar-restaurant-nightclub atmosphere (as opposed to bar-coffeeshop-bookstore-restaurant-club) and it could be an unsettling place for some people.

Clairemont is a much better place, in my opinion. Even if the freeways are jampacked, it won't take longer than 20 minutes to get to UCSD via Genessee. Clairemont's a mellow neighborhood with lots of great cheap, ethnic food available nearby (something you won't get in La Jolla). There are things like Food 4 Less, Staples, Sportsmart and all the other convenient things in the area, too, in addition to a cool Chinese shopping center. You will need a car to get to anywhere, though. University City is similar, although it's little more expensive and lacks the commercial things that Clairemont has.

If it were up to me, I'd just suck it up and pay a bit more to live in the UTC area, where you can bike to school and there are lots of students. I lived in a very nice studio on Nobel Drive for $850, which is kind of a lot. But when you consider the amount of time and money you save by being close to campus, the quality of life (swimming pool, security), and the fact that you're surrounded by a lot of academic types like yourself, UTC is definitely worth it. You can split a double bedroom in a nice complex for about $1200.

 

[CoffeeCat]

I agree, nix La Jolla...as a San Diegan that place is way expensive and overrated. Try looking more inland. I lived in Mira Mesa (not the nicest, but there are a bunch of apartment buildings there) and Scripps Ranch (a lot nicer, right across the 15). You can get to UCSD by Mira Mesa road to the 5 or by Miramar road. I'm sure that the more inland you look, the better prices will be, although it may be a bit of a drive. Good luck!

Here is the San Diego newspaper link:
<a href="http://www.union-tribune.com/" target="_blank">Union-Tribune</a>

 

[otter]

$1485 is really the ultra-high end for a 2BR in UTC, I think. I think you said you live in Regents. That is probably one of the top two or three apts in the area. The place I used to live, La Scala, is also very nice with fitness center, security guard on duty, swimming pool, and the 2BRs go for about $1200, I think. But it's not quite as upscale as Regents.

But you know, if you could afford it, you should all live in as nice a place as possible. After all, after a long day of med school, it's nice to come home to thick, sound-proof walls and nice carpeting.

About Mira Mesa, yes I agree that that is not a bad area to live. There are a lot of biotech and high-tech companies up in that area, so I presume you'll be living with a lot of techies, which is not a bad thing! There will probably be a few military families up there who work at nearby Miramar. Also, there're many new commercial developments up there. Many of the apartments are brand new, and they have a big Barnes and Noble's just up the street. I think Scripps Ranch is just a bit too far, though.

 

[matthew0126]

hey guys, much thanks for all the advice!!

anyways question -- how much do you think it is to get a studio? after 4 years of sharing a room, i really want to try and live by myself. oh and i don't mean lajolla... like pacific beach or clairemont or kearny mesa or those areas... kutasha you had a studio in pb right?

 

[otter]

In Clairemont and Kearny Mesa, you definitely ought to be able to find a decent studio for under $700. Btw, there's San Diego's one and only Krispy Kreme's in Clairemont.

 

[Ai]

I wrote a really long post for you but when I went to add it I got an error and lost it. My boyfriend and I own a condo on the beach in Solana Beach (right near the race track) that we will need to rent out this summer or fall. It is about 10 minutes to UCSD from here. Rent here is pretty expensive so you would need roommates. There are 2 bedrooms downstairs (a huge master and big second bedroom) and a third bedroom/office upstairs. It's right on the beach, has 2 pools w/ jacuzzi and tennis courts. If you are interested in hearing more let me know. Good luck with your search.

 

[nerfornothin]

PMed you with questions Ai.

 

[Ai]

I sent you one back.

 

[Ai]

Oops, I guess I sent one to someone else. I copied that message below for a description of the condo.

I love it up here but there is definitely not as much nightlife as in PB (but it's a short drive to everything). It depends what you are looking for. The Belly Up is about a block away which is fun, and there are a few little bars around. It takes about 12-15 minutes to get to PB and there is also some nightlife in Encinitas which is about 5 minutes north. There are a lot of great restaurants, it's a really nice little beach town.

The condo is great too. I don't know where I'll be moving yet (I didn't get into UCSD) but I'm bummed to leave this place. We just bought it in December. The carpets are new, there are 2 floors and about 1750 square feet. There are 2 and 1/2 baths, 2 downstairs and 1 upstairs. The master bedroom downstairs is huge and has a walk-in closet and bathroom. The second bedroom is pretty big as well and has a bathroom across the hall. Both downstairs bedrooms have their own sliding doors to the outside. There is also a washer and dryer downstairs. Upstairs has vaulted ceilings and lots of windows. It faces south so it gets a lot of sunlight all day (my plants are very happy here!). The upstairs is a big living room, dining area, big kitchen and another room that could be used as a 3rd bedroom or an office (we use it as an office). There is a patio off the living room. There is a 1/2 bathroom upstairs.

The complex is on the bluffs in Solana Beach between Via de la Valle and Lomas Santa Fe. The grounds are beautiful and have won many awards for landscaping. There are 2 pools w/ jacuzzi and tennis courts. There is underground gated parking as well. The front of the complex (not our unit) is the cliff overlooking the beach. There are stairs out front that go down to the sand.

Unfortunately our mortgage is high and rents in this area go for quite a lot. If you have some roommates it may not be too bad though. I have to discuss it with my boyfriend and our property manager but I think rent will be around $2200-2500. Let me know if you are still interested and we can discuss further.

 

[Ai]

It is about a 10 minute drive to UCSD. It can be longer with traffic. You can also take the coast which is a nice drive. By SD standards it's a pretty short commute.

 

[matthew0126]

$700 or less for a studio eh... guess i'll be living in clairmont/kearny mesa. that's way more than i've ever paid before but i think it's time for me to get my own place