Buddy Holly lives again at the San Diego Rep this summer, and in a way, we’re trying to recapture that same sense of nostalgia with new neighborhoods. Those of us old enough to remember the 1950s as a prosperous time of decent salaries at stable jobs, affordable homes, two cars in every garage, and communities where parents weren’t afraid to let their kids roam remember that decade fondly.
    "A lot of today’s development harkens back to when I was a child," says Sandy Perlatti, vice president of sales and marketing for McMillin Communities. "We went out and interviewed families at Scripps Ranch Villages for an ad campaign, asking them to tell us why they wanted to live there. The responses we got were, they have a sense of community, the people are friendly. In one neighborhood, several families have kids that are all around the same age, from different ethnic backgrounds, and they go from house to house. All the kids are welcome at any house. At the end of the week, they sort out the toys and get them back to their rightful owners."

    Spontaneous play and friendly neighbors are good things, but behind the social successes of communities such as Scripps Ranch is some very careful planning. It ranges from designated sites for community institutions such as shopping centers, churches, parks, and child care, to homeowners associations launched by builders to ensure stability.

    "We have really taken that particular aspect of our Aviara development to heart," says Larry Clemens, vice president/general manager at Hillman Properties, the Carlsbad community's master developer. "We believe that a master plan is only a plan until such time as you have a community, and a community to us means very finite social infrastructure wherein we create a place unto itself.

    "Community is much enhanced by having various amenities the community can enjoy together, such as the trail system, the recreational amenities, but more than that, services that are provided to the community, many of which are organized by the homeowners association that we established: various events at the holidays, gatherings, clubs such as the women's club or jogging or trail walking or nature studies, a variety of other things the community would enjoy doing.

    "We have found that having a social infrastructure in place and creating a sense of community, a sense of place, adds value - to us as a developer promoting our product, but also to the individual homeowners who purchase here, if they have a place that feels like a neighborhood where people want to live and enjoy their families. When they decide to sell, to move inside or outside the development, value is added."

    While seen by some as oppressive, CC&Rs - the "covenants, codes, and restrictions" enforced by homeowners associations - are favored by builders and many homeowners for the degree of consistency they create.

    "I think they provide a comfort zone," says Roger Basinger, principal at Case Group Architects in Solana Beach, leading designers of production housing in San Diego. "You don’t have the guy across the street rebuilding five different automobiles or creating a mini-junkyard in his driveway. For the most part, in new communities, as higher density projects come into play, CC&Rs give a comforting sense of control.

    "Sometimes it backfires, but I used to live in Scripps Ranch and I was chair of the architectural control committee. In one sense, CC&Rs bring people together because there's a monthly forum for them to get together and talk about what they like and don’t like about their community. If there are problems with specific homeowners, they are brought to light, so I think it’s a good thing."

Why Planned Communities

    After they experienced the poorly planned communities built in the years following World War II, builders began exploring ways to more carefully orchestrate the development of new neighborhoods.

    "Around the 1970s, we start focusing on communities, and the first place we did that was in Scripps Ranch," Perlatti says. "Corky (McMillin, the company’s founder) already had been building there, but we had a certain amount of land left, and he started saying that we ought to not just build neighborhoods, but to look at giving each one some character that provided variety, flexibility, and different architecture to meet the needs of all kinds of families.

    "Corky's mostly been known for move-up product, but he really has a soft spot for young families just starting out, and he's often said that nothing makes him feel better than to go out, look at a project, and see nothing but young families and dogs and kids on bikes. We really want to create a place where people feel safe and secure, a good place to raise families, since we’re finding that people are staying in their homes a lot longer."

    So today, master planned communities such as Scripps Ranch Villages, EastLake, Aviara, Rancho Del Rey, and Del Mar Highlands are the first choice for many San Diegans shopping for a new home.

    "People pay a premium to live in master planned communities," Perlatti says. "We have done surveys asking prospective buyers if they would pay more to be in a master planned community, and a majority said 'yes,' for safety, convenience, the ability for kids to walk to schools and parks. I get up every morning and watch 'Good Morning America,' and there are just a lot of scary things going on. I think people want to have a haven where they feel safe. It’s almost a nesting thing. Working moms want to feel their children are safe, even if the mothers aren’t there all the time."

    Big Is Booming

    Maybe big isn’t always better, but when it comes to new housing it sure is booming in San Diego. Blockbuster tract homes costing more than $500,000 are a hot commodity, thanks to a more secure economy and low interest rates. But there's good news for first-time buyers, too: Builders have found ways to offer affordable houses, most notably compact courtyard-style homes. Across the price range, the biggest news for buyers of new homes is the flexibility they have to customize items such as wall placements, flooring, appliances and counter-tops.

    The Builder's Reputation

    Get a list of earlier projects by a builder, visit them, and ask residents whether they are pleased with their homes and service. Ask salespeople whether homeowners associations have ever brought suit against the builder. Call the Building Industry Association's San Diego office (450-1221) and find out whether the builder is a member. Membership provides a degree of credibility. Also, if a homebuilding company is public, it is accountable to shareholders in annual reports, and therefore is likely to be conscientious about details. Public homebuilding companies in San Diego include Centex, Continental, Presley and Kaufman & Broad.

    Picking The Right Home

    Buying a new or resale home? Choose your neighborhood first, then drive it to get a feel for the lifestyle and price range. Older neighborhoods have character, but newer homes have desirable features, such as lots of storage and the investment value of buying in master-planned communities. Whatever your price range and location, use a realtor who specializes in an area - not one who claims to know the whole county. And in today’s market, expect to pay close to the asking price.

    Financing

    Which kinds of loans are hot, which are not? And how do you choose? Many homebuyers use mortgage brokers with access to dozens of lenders, which helps minimize paperwork on your end. Among the most popular loans this spring are 3-, 5- or 7-year loans that change to adjustable rates, or require balloon payments, at the end of that term. Why? Because few San Diego buyers stay in a home for more than seven years, reports Jeff Nelson of American Pacific Mortgage.