Hi Ralph,

We bought our home 2 blocks from beach in Oceanside 3 years ago for 775,000. Did complete remodel of another 100,000. It is small 3 bed 2 bath, but has huge 9,000 sq ft lot with ocean views from front yard. We are transitioning to Norhthern California and will be selling our house soon for about 560,000. Our house has motorhome parking and possible 4th bedroom. Gourmet kitchen with granite/stainless. All hardwood floors. New electrical, sewer, plumbing, roof, heating unit, closet organizers.... If you're interested call 760-473-4108. Thanks, Jasmine.

Ralph this is the best time to buy in years, and even if you get transfered in 3 years, you will come out ahead by owning a home. If you are a first time home buyer, there's $8,000 you can use.

http://budurl.com/creditFTHB

There are some great areas in just about every price range close to Camp Pendleton. Oceanside, Fallbrook, San Marcos, Carlsbad and more.

Best of luck,
Joan Wilson Realtor
Prudential
760-757-3468

Ralph,
We are investors with several properties available in Oceanside near Camp P. We often offer lease/options to buyers which is like rent to own. Then you can choose to buy it in 18-36 months if you decide to stay. We also have them for rent if you prefer. Let me know if you are interested. Good luck and thank you for serving our country.
Bren LaRoque
bren@coastpropertysolutions.com

You ask some good questions and they are not easy to answer. I don't think either market has hit bottom, but Temecula seems to have further to fall because of the volume of foreclosures, short sales, and new home communities all competing for buyers by cutting prices.

If you knew for sure that you would be moving in 3 years, I would say rent. The cost to buy and then sell a home is about 8% which is money you may not recuperate in only 3 years even if we hit bottom and prices start to rise again. Yes, renting it out could be an option, but you would need to calculate if the rental income would cover your monthly payments for prinicpal, interest, taxes, and insurance or if you could live with it being a small loss. Also, you would need to possibly hire a property management company or try to manage your rental property yourself, and would you make a good landlord? Taxes are a consideration once it is a rental property: not only income tax and depreciation amounts, but the capital gains tax if the property has appreciated by the time you did actually sell it.

You should sit down with a knowledgeable agent to discuss lifestyle choices, finances, and risk tolerance to help you decide what might be the best course of action.

Hello again,

If you want more info about who is answering, click on their picture and it gives the stats on the number of answers they have given and how useful people have found the info.

Lastly, we hope you already have an agent referral as you will get pitched by people who respond. The true purpose of this site is to give information, not sell your services.

Take care,

Mark and Kari Shea
San Diego Real Estate Experts
Foreclosure, Short Sale & Investment Specialists,
Development Opportunities & Traditional Real Estate

Hi Ralph,

Many people are motivated to buy today and my intention is not to deter you, my intention is to paint a picture that is clear so you can make an informed choice.

First, you will most likely be looking at renting the home you purchase rather than selling it in a three year period. All of the data shows the market will begin to recover sometime in the next two years. However, it also shows the recovery will be slow and take at least 5 to 7 years before people will see true appreciation their value.

Secondly, you can get more for your money in Temecula. The reason why you get more for your money is the market in Temecula is nothing short of a disaster right now. I do not say that to scare you, we feel you need information. We are assisting a client on a purchase in Temecula and they are clear they will own that home for 7 to 10 years. Most all of the sales in Temecula right now are either a short sale or a foreclosure as most of the housing is new and purchased in the bubble period between 2000 and 2006. It is in Riverside county which ranks in the top 6 counties in the US for foreclosures.

Oceanside is probably a better move in terms of the market. From January 2008 to January 2008, the market for the 4 zip codes in Oceanside for Single Family Homes showed the following trends:

Oceanside S 92054 Decreased 16.5%
Median home sold price 1/09 = $320,000 – 19 sales 1,592 SF Avg
Oceanside E 92056 Decreased 21.6%
Median home sold price 1/09 = $302,000 – 57 sales 1,887 SF Avg
Oceanside N 92057 Decreased 32.4%
Median home sold price 1/09 = $250,000 – 69 sales 1,666 SF Avg
Oceanside C 92058 Decreased 33.7% (Central)
Median home sold price 1/09 = $291,000 – 13 sales 1,665 SF Avg

From February 2008 to February 2008, the values show the following trends:

Oceanside S 92054 Decreased 38.4%
Median home sold price 2/09 = $265,000 – 17 sales 1,620 SF Avg
Oceanside E 92056 Decreased 13.8%
Median home sold price 2/09 = $291,000 – 59 sales 1,694 SF Avg
Oceanside N 92057 Decreased 31.3%
Median home sold price 2/09 = $220,000 – 67 sales 1,768 SF Avg
Oceanside C 92058 Decreased 13.7% (Central)
Median home sold price sold 2/09 = $317,000 – 10 sales 1,735 SF Avg

You can see where the bulk of the activity is happening. You can use the Median price and the average square feet per home sold to see if that is large enough for your family.

Hope all of this is helpful to you. This is the kind of data you will want to consider when making a purchase decision. You can look on Craigslist to check rentals as landlords find approximately 90% of their tenants there.

Best of luck,

Mark and Kari Shea
San Diego Real Estate Experts
Foreclosure, Short Sale & Investment Specialists,
Development Opportunities & Traditional Real Estate

Hi Ralph,
I just helped another military person buy a home in Temecula.... In your position you are right to question if you could sell or rent in the near future. We don't have a crystal ball. The values in Oceanside I feel will hold more value in the long run and there are some very affordable homes in the Rancho Del Oro area of Oceanside. If size of home is more important you will find larger homes in the Temecula area....things to consider are the drive to Pendleton, the heat in Temecula vs Oceanside. If I can be of service to you please don't hesitate to call me at (760)732-3213 . I would be happy to help you find a home.
Rita Harper, Realtor SRES
Coldwell Banker
(760) 732-3213
email: rita@ritaharper.com