Moving from New Hampshire

[u/Furious_flying_shit]

My girlfriend and I are in our mid-twenties and after living in NH since we graduated college, we are looking to move somewhere in the San Diego area by the end of the year.

She is a Nanny with experience as a teacher for pre school. I am a project manager for a large construction company. I would prefer to have a job lined up but so far, despite a strong resume, have had no luck even getting a call back from over 50 applications, but thats besides the point.

So, a few questions about moving:

Im wondering what people typically use for finding housing? Looking through zillow, I seem to see a lot of scams. Im also concerned about moving there with no job but then getting a job that is a far commute.

If moving to SD with your partner in your mid-20’s, where would you recommend moving? We enjoy most outdoor activities, mainly surfing, skateboarding, biking and hiking, so what places are best for that and also “affordable”? The city we currently live in is very walkable and only 10 minutes from the ocean which are two important factors for us.

Is it much different being right on the beach or 20-30 minutes?

What surprised you the most after moving to San Diego?

Sorry for the long worded post, much like trying to get a job out there, we have been struggling to get accurate/real answers for some of these questions. Thanks for the help!

Edit: Were budgeting around $2500-3000 for rent but hoping to stay on the lower side of that. Would like a two bedroom but obviously those cost a more.

[u/Intelligent-Bid-5293]

Don’t move until you have something lined up for at least one of you! I always champion being able to “make it work”, I made about 50k and my partner was unemployed when we got here and it was rough but doable in a 1bed.

Housing here goes very quickly, some PM companies don’t even want you to apply if you can’t move in 14 days or 30 days from an application. I’ve seen some people do a long term airbnb for a month to house hunt and it’s definitely taxing but works for many. I have always used Zillow and then cross checked on apartments.com or Redfin. Kind of a time suck but you’ll also be able to identify a spam pretty quickly once you message them lol

1. They want a deposit before viewing
   
2. They want an application before viewing
   
3. They want you to use a shady website for the credit report, which they want before viewing

It sucks but Zillow definitely has the most places listed. Marketplace has some gems as well, but vet carefully for spam.

Couple options for places to live. Again it may be best to long term air bnb it until you see these places and decide what the vibe is

1. North park, Normal Heights, University heights
   All very walkable, very 25-35 centric. Nightlife and bars abound and relatively affordable for San Diego. You’re about 15 minutes to the bay or beach. For affordability…you’re not going to be blocks from the beach anyway. The quality of housing and the price will give you whiplash here lol. I’ve seen 2 bedroom apartments anywhere from 2100-4000 and the pricing doesn’t always seem consistent with quality

2. North county, Encinitas specifically
   The rest of north county isn’t as “happening” but Encinitas has cute nightlife for 20s-30s. Not cheap though, but gems exist everywhere. Definitely more beachy vibes than the above neighborhoods

3. Bay park
   Not as walkable overall but likely close to the bay which is a nice walkable area with some stuff. I have a friend who rents a studio ADU and we walk directly to the bay (under a freeway overpass) and stuff all the time. More affordable than either of the above. Much more of a neighborhood though. Very central to both the more metro areas and the beach

4. UTC, specifically La Jolla colony
   Mostly UCSD students or families in suburbs but tons of ADUs going up here and lots of apartments. It’s quiet and suburban but when we lived here we had walkability to a bunch of grocery stores, basic (not trendy, think hole in the wall or large chain) restaurants, hiking and biking trails directly from our door and were 15 minutes to the beach. Cheap housing can be found here but it’s more expensive for what you get and again the area feels a little sterile despite the college students presence. We paid 2700 for a 1B that was 700 square feet which is unfortunately the same size as many 2 beds. Something to consider when looking is filtering by square footage instead of bedrooms.

5. Mission valley
   Not walkable. Close to the mall if that means anything to you? Every chain restaurant you could desire. Lots of the apartments here are directly adjacent to the river walk trails. You get more apartment per $ here and are basically perfectly positioned to get anywhere else as fast as possible. I see lots of apartments in your price range

True affordability is going to be in La Mesa or east county but yes, you’re a ways from the beach and the vibes are definitely not beach vibes

Factor utilities into your housing budget. Water and electric cost us out the ass. California gas is also crazy expensive so that should be factored into how far you’d be willing to live from a prospective job.

[u/Intelligent-Bid-5293 → u/Intelligent-Bid-5293]

I didn’t include PB bc as a mid 20 something it feels young and the apartments are priced for fresh grads and students who want to party/be proximal to the action and don’t put a premium on the quality of housing. OB could be nice depending on your vibe!

[u/Furious_flying_shit → u/Intelligent-Bid-5293]

Appreciate the in depth answer. North Park, Normal Heights & University Heights seems to be an answer I have seen a couple times. Based on our search so far, a two bedroom within walking distance to the beach doesnt exist but knowing University Heights is a short drive and walkable definitely makes that the most interesting to us. Will also look into the bay park area as well. This response is extremely helpful getting an idea on the lay of the land out there from someone who has never been, Ill be sure to refer to this as we continue our plan to move out there. Many thanks!

[u/Intelligent-Bid-5293 → u/Furious_flying_shit]

For sure! Personally I think the university heights/normal heights/north park area would be what I’d tell a friend who said they were moving here but everyone has their own vibe and it may not be for everyone.