Where should I buy a house near Naval Base San Diego?

Naval Base San Diego — the 32nd Street base — is the largest surface-fleet homeport on the West Coast, sitting on San Diego Bay between downtown and National City. Naval Air Station North Island and Naval Amphibious Base Coronado are across the bay on Coronado. Naval Base Point Loma is on the peninsula at the mouth of the bay. Together they put tens of thousands of sailors into a housing market that is among the most expensive in the country, and they organize it: the South Bay for 32nd Street, Coronado and Point Loma for the west, East County for anyone chasing price.

Being stationed in San Diego

Naval Base San Diego is the principal homeport of the Pacific Fleet's surface force — more than fifty ships at 32nd Street — with the carriers across the bay at North Island, the submarines and the Naval Information Warfare community at Point Loma, and Naval Medical Center San Diego at Balboa Park. Sea duty here means workups and a deployment inside the tour; shore duty means a more predictable three years. On-base housing is spread across the county and the waits are long, so most families are in the market from day one, and the market is expensive enough that BAH decides the neighborhood more than preference does. It is also a place people come back to, which is why the second-VA-loan question comes up so often.

Where people actually live

Chula Vista — west. The neighborhoods between I-5 and the 805, from the bayfront to Third Avenue, are ten to fifteen minutes from the 32nd Street gates. Older housing — 1950s to 1970s single-family, a lot of condos and townhomes — and the lowest price band in Chula Vista. This is the sailor's default.

Chula Vista — Eastlake and Otay Ranch. East of the 805, the master-planned communities built from the 1990s on: Eastlake, Otay Ranch, Rolling Hills Ranch, Millenia. Newer homes, HOAs, the schools families pick, and Mello-Roos. The commute to 32nd Street is the 125 toll road or the 805 to the 54; both are real.

National City. Directly north of the base, between it and downtown. The closest housing to the gates, the lowest price band on the bay side, and a mix of older single-family and multi-unit stock.

Bonita. Unincorporated county between Chula Vista and the Sweetwater reservoir. Larger lots, some horse property, a higher band than Chula Vista, and a reasonable drive to 32nd Street on the 54.

Imperial Beach and South San Diego. The southernmost beach town, with a lower price band than any other coastal community in the county, and the Otay Mesa and San Ysidro neighborhoods inland. Close to NAB Coronado via the Silver Strand.

Coronado. Across the bridge, home to NASNI and NAB, and one of the highest price bands in Southern California. For most sailors it is the base they drive to, not the town they buy in; for senior officers and buyers with equity it is a small market of older homes and condos with a resale history that holds.

Point Loma and Ocean Beach. Closest to Naval Base Point Loma, and the sub-base at Ballast Point. Older, coastal, and priced above the South Bay.

East County — Santee, El Cajon, La Mesa, Spring Valley, Lemon Grove. Inland, hotter, and the county's value bands. The commute to 32nd Street is the 94 or I-8 to the 15 or 805, twenty-five to forty minutes. Santee and El Cajon have newer subdivisions; La Mesa and Lemon Grove are older; Spring Valley is between.

Community by installation

What the VA appraisal sees in San Diego

• Condominiums. In the South Bay and East County, a very large share of the inventory a first-time VA buyer can afford is condos, and VA requires the project to be VA-approved. Many are. A project that is not can be submitted, but the approval takes time, and a seller in a competitive market will not wait. Check the project before you write.
• Peeling paint and unpermitted work. Pre-1978 homes in National City, west Chula Vista, Point Loma and La Mesa draw the lead-based paint MPR. Converted garages and unpermitted additions are common and will be noted.
• Roofs and termites. Older roofs at end of life; a termite clearance is standard practice on California VA purchases and the older stock is where the findings are.
• Multi-unit. The South Bay has a lot of two-to-four-unit properties. VA allows them if you occupy one unit, and the appraisal treats them differently — rental income from the other units can help qualification.

Mello-Roos and HOAs

Eastern Chula Vista's master-planned communities sit in Community Facilities Districts and carry Mello-Roos special taxes on top of the base property tax. The lender uses the actual tax bill, which means Mello-Roos runs through your escrow and your qualifying ratios. Add HOA dues and the payment on a newer Eastlake home can be a meaningful distance from an older west Chula Vista home at the same list price. Compare payments, not prices.

Stacking the state benefit

California's Disabled Veterans' Exemption removes a fixed, inflation-adjusted amount of assessed value for veterans rated 100% disabled, with a larger low-income tier, and CalVet is the state's own loan program to price against. The California benefits page covers both. The federal funding fee exemption applies at any compensable rating.

The loan side

San Diego is where the difference between full and remaining entitlement is largest in dollars. With full entitlement there is no VA loan limit, and no down payment at any price the appraisal supports. With a VA loan still open at a prior station, the second-tier calculation uses San Diego County's high-cost conforming limit, which helps, but a down payment often enters the picture at local prices. If you are arriving on orders, the lender can qualify you on the orders and the San Diego BAH before you report — the PCS Home Buying Guide has the sequence. For North County and Camp Pendleton, see the Camp Pendleton guide; it is a different commute and a different set of price bands.

Next

• Check your BAH at Naval Base San Diego →
• Compare the neighborhoods →

Related guides

• The taco map is the housing map: San Diego (with a burger argument)
• The PCS Home Buying Guide
• California Veteran Home Buying Benefits: CalVet and the VA Loan
• Buying Near Camp Pendleton: The North County San Diego VA Loan Guide
• Buying Near MCAS Miramar: The Central San Diego VA Loan Guide