Downtown San Diego Condos: When Is A Condo A Condo?

Downtown San Diego housing stock is condominium oriented. When you look at a 15-story building, it's a good guess you are looking at condos. But in other areas of San Diego, the judgement may not be the same. This is a new subdivision in Eastlake, which is at the south end of San Diego County. Eastlake was a man-made area created many years ago in the middle of nowhere. Building has continue at at steady pace. Homes and condos abound and there is a lot of choice.

Our first-time buyers found a home in this complex located off Olympic Parkway. This project, Andorra, is located in a larger master planned community called the Summit. Take a close look at these homes. They look like homes don't they? They are detached like homes are detached. Upon first blush, 9 out of 10 people would say these are single-family homes. And 9 out of 10 people would be wrong.

As these master planned communities have been designed and constructed, they have actually been designed under a condominium map. There are a variety of reasons for using the condo maps, all generally related to the actually style of housing, zoning requirements, and master planned communities. A condominium map makes a big difference in financing options. Condominiums generally have higher interest rates due to the nature of the beast.

There is no right or wrong with our without a condo map. It is just important that buyers know and understand the difference. We have worked in these areas long enough to know what is what within the condo and single-family lot scenario. But even with our experience, we still check. We still question. We still show our buyers the pros and the cons. Knowledge is power as they say.

If you want to live in this area, at this price, you will probably be living in a master-planned community, and if that is the case, you may be under a condo map. The ultimate goal is to live where you want to live, with neighbors you want around you, schools that are good and focused on your children, and potential equity growth over the years. Just understand the sameness and differences with a detached home under a condomium map.

Our buyers are thrilled with their choice and are so excited about their future lifestyle within this new community. It's their first-time homebuying dream come true.

By Sharyn & Victoria Crown, Coronado and Downtown San Diego real estate brokers

This is part of a series of articles entitled, New Condos, Downtown San Diego Style