New Construction homes in San Diego
If you want to find a place to call Home Sweet Home, and you want to be the first (and maybe only!) person to do so, you’ll be looking for a new construction home. New construction homes in San Diego are all around, but can be hard to find until you start looking with a realtor. These homes have the newest appliances and technology, no repaired walls or patched leaky ceilings, and best of all, they have that fresh, new home feeling that’s perfect to start anew in with your family.
What are some of the best areas to look in San Diego if you want a new construction home? Is the buying process any different with a new home as opposed to one being sold by the current occupant? Things work a little differently in this type of home buying, but don’t worry; we’ve got you covered when you’re buying a new construction home in San Diego!
Where to find new construction homes in San Diego
Canopy Grove:
Canopy Grove is located in Escondido, and if you have school aged children, you might be hesitant to want to call this place home. While the Escondido school system is typically ranked lower than average in the area, do keep in mind that San Diego schools are extremely well rated, so being on the “lower end” of a really high bar isn’t a bad thing. If you still don’t want your kiddos attending school there, don’t mark Canopy Grove off your list just yet. Some of these homes are actually in the San Marcos school district. This can be an excellent choice if you want the San Marcos school district without the San Marcos price tag. The neighborhoods in Canopy Grove are beautiful, and the new construction home prices run from about $600,000 to $850,000, depending on size, yards, etc. This area has a number of parks and pools for locals to enjoy and many of these lots have really nice sized yards, something hard to come by in Southern California.
Learn More: Best Neighborhoods to live in San Diego
Chula Vista:
This beautiful area offers plenty of new construction homes in its new developments. Chula Vista is a great place to get plenty of “bang for your buck,” as well. These new homes sell anywhere around $500,000 to the upper $800,000 depending on the home. Developments like the Village of Escaya are beautiful, and offer residents charming SoCal architecture with that new home feeling.
One of the reasons Chula Vista is on the more affordable side is because it’s pretty far south, to the bottommost end of San Diego County. If you don’t have to go into the city all that often this is probably just fine. But if you do, that 20-30 minutes out of town issue might be a bit much for you.
San Marcos:
San Marcos is one of the most well known areas in San Diego. The options for new construction homes for sale here are a bit more spread out and on the pricey side. For those looking for a single family detached property, you’re looking at around $900,000 or more dollars. It’s extremely common here for homes to be over a million dollars. The school systems are great, the location is great, and everyone wants to be there. Where there is demand, the price tag will go up. As we mentioned previously, there is a way to live just outside the area and still enjoy most of the amenities of San Marcos, if you just can’t quite dish out that kind of cash to live within the community itself.
Civita Mission Valley:
This area is one of the best locations if you’re desirous of living in central San Diego. Also on the pricey end, you’ll be paying around $800,000 for a townhome in Civita, and single family detached dwellings go for over a million dollars usually. This location is excellent for business professionals, or those who go into San Diego regularly. There’s a great deal of parks and trails for residents to enjoy, so just because it’s central doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty to do! Be advised; however, that this area is extremely low on inventory as of late (early 2021) and most of the new construction homes have been snatched up already. That doesn’t mean you can’t still find something, but what you want might be gone. With the world still reeling from a pandemic, new construction areas have been put on a back burner for awhile.
Pacific Highlands Ranch:
Pacific Highlands Ranch is one of the most expensive places in all of San Diego. With large, luxury homes everywhere you look, the price tag on most of these new construction homes is anywhere from one to three million dollars.
Just around the corner you’ll find Del Mar and Carmel Valley, both beautiful, iconic areas. Though they are expensive, you won’t find nicer homes anywhere else. The new construction homes here are completely decked out in the newest technology and building materials, and you can get nearly anything you ask for when it comes to the construction of the home.
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Learn More: All About living in Carmel Valley
Top Questions about new construction homes in San Diego
How to Find the Right Home Builder in San Diego:
Most of these areas will have two or three home builders, so you’ll want to research each one and see what you like and don’t like about the homes they construct. Reviews are the best way to go about this. Experience is an invaluable tool. Just take with a grain of salt the poor reviews, and remember everyone has good and bad experiences. Actually read them and see where the challenges lie. Are they property defects, or just personality clashes? If the homes are built well and you like the way they turn out, it’s probably a safe bet to go with that builder.
Can You Negotiate on a New Construction Home?
This can be a loaded question, and the answer is: yes and no. When it comes to a price tag, it’s hard to get them to go down, but there are other options. Often there are other incentives just being given away, if you only know how to ask for them. Being prepared before you hit the door can make a huge difference in what you get for your dollar.
First of all, go with a realtor when you view the homes. This is important for a few reasons. One, this is a licensed professional who knows what questions to ask and might see red flags you otherwise wouldn’t notice. Second, if you don’t bring this person on the first visit, they will likely not be allowed to represent you. You wouldn’t go to court by yourself, and then ask for a lawyer after the fact, right? Same situation. You will be given the same price whether you have an agent with you or not, so why not bring along a professional who can help you get the best deal possible, or avoid purchasing a potential albatross.
Should I use my own lender for a new construction home?
When it comes to buying a home, if like most Americans, you can’t just purchase it in cash; you will need to utilize a lender. When you go to get your loan, it’s a great idea to ask the builder which lender they use, and use that lender yourself. Here’s a secret/tip: they are going to make sure you’ve been pre-approved by THEIR lender anyway, regardless of where you get the money. You might as well use the one they prefer, because this will often come with incentives. If you are an active military person or a veteran, but sure to ask about this as well, they often have programs in place for those who have served.
Red tag sales
Last but not least, look for red tag sales. This means you’d be finding one of those “all homes must go” situations. Often there is absolutely nothing wrong with these homes, they just aren’t selling for one reason or another. Again, this is where taking your realtor along really helps. They might be able to quickly pinpoint the reason a home has remained on the market for so long, such as lack of easy access to a freeway, or no trees in the yard. If these things don’t matter to you, it might be a really great way to get a home that’s “on sale” for a great price.
What Are Incentives?
We’ve mentioned above asking about the incentives a seller might be offering, but what does that mean? We’ve already said they probably won’t drop the price, so what WILL they give you? Usually incentives are things like reduced interest rate, helping you out with your closing cost, providing a few free upgrades, or covering some or all of your HOA dues for a few months or even the first year. While none of these actually knock money off of the price of your home, they absolutely save money in the long run, so it’s 100% worth asking.
Thinking of Moving to San Diego?
Do all these shiny, new homes have you wanting to call San Diego home? We’d love to see you and your family in one! Reach out to us, we love helping people find their way to sunny Southern California to call it home!
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