Are Lemon Grove and Spring Valley good places to buy near Naval Base San Diego?

Lemon Grove and Spring Valley sit side by side on Highway 94 between the South Bay and La Mesa — Lemon Grove a small incorporated city with a downtown and a trolley stop, Spring Valley a large unincorporated area that climbs from the Sweetwater River up into the hills toward Jamul. Together they are the most affordable single-family territory within a reasonable drive of the 32nd Street base, and a lot of Navy families who want a yard rather than a condo end up here.

Who lives here and why

Junior and mid-grade families who want a house with a lot at a price the South Bay's tracts cannot match, second-tour buyers keeping a house elsewhere who need the second-tier math to work, and buyers who value space over polish. The draw is lot size and price; Spring Valley's eastern hills in particular have half-acre and larger parcels with views. The trade is that both are working-class communities with older housing, uneven infrastructure in the unincorporated parts, and a commute on Highway 94 that congests at the peaks.

The commute

Fifteen to twenty-five minutes to the 32nd Street gates: Highway 94 west to I-15 south, or Highway 125 south to the 54 and across for the western parts of Spring Valley. Highway 94 is the direct route. Downtown is fifteen to twenty minutes; Mission Valley about the same on the 125 and I-8. The Orange Line trolley stops in Lemon Grove.

Housing stock and what the appraiser sees

Most of the stock predates 1978, so peeling paint brings the lead-based paint condition. Original roofs, older electrical and galvanized plumbing are common; unpermitted additions, converted garages and second units are very common on the larger lots and get noted, and a permit history is worth pulling before you write. Some of Spring Valley's older and hillside parcels remain on private septic, which needs an evaluation in most cases — the well and septic answer covers the requirement — and steep private access roads draw notes. A termite clearance is standard practice. The appraisal page covers how conditions are handled. Condos along Broadway and Sweetwater Road require VA project approval. No Mello-Roos in either community; the tax bill is the standard Proposition 13 base.

The loan angle

These are the East County bands where a first-use, full-entitlement buyer's no-down-payment purchase reaches a single-family house at mid-grade BAH, and where the second-tier calculation on remaining entitlement most often works without a down payment near the 32nd Street base — the entitlement calculator shows it. The BAH-to-payment calculator, on the standard tax base, gives an honest read at any grade. The Naval Base San Diego guide compares these against National City and Chula Vista, and the state side is on the California benefits page.

Next

• See BAH for Naval Base San Diego →
• Compare nearby neighborhoods →

Around Naval Base San Diego

• Buying Near Naval Base San Diego and Coronado: The San Diego VA Loan Guide
• California Veteran Home Buying Benefits: CalVet and the VA Loan
• Eastlake and Otay Ranch
• Imperial Beach
• Jamul
• La Mesa
• La Presa
• Lakeside and Alpine
• National City
• Point Loma and Ocean Beach
• San Carlos
• Santee and El Cajon
• The PCS Home Buying Guide