La Costa (Carlsbad) Golf Course Homes

If you are looking for Carlsbad homes for sale, why not look in La Costa?

La Costa (zip code 92009) is an area of Southeast Carlsbad centered around the world-renowned La Costa Spa and Resort. This residential community if generally considered to be bordered on the west by El Camino Real, the north by Alga Road, the south by Olivenhain Boulevard, and the east by Rancho Santa Fe Road. In addition to a number of neighborhoods, the majority of Carlsbad's master planned communities are here - the La Costa Villages (La Costa Oaks, La Costa Greens and La Costa Ridge [the newest]), and La Costa Valley.

Development of La Costa, formerly a separate area and not part of Carlsbad (later annexed by the town), began in the mid 1960s. A golf course was built along with the Rancho la Costa Inn (the forerunner of the currrent La Costa Spa). Homes were built around the golf course and the Spa was added.

The La Costa area was well-known as a playground of the Hollywood set during the early development, including the Rat pack. Sports Shinko, a Japanese conglomerate, bought the resort in 1987. It was later purchased by KSL Resorts in 2001. Since then it has gone through major development, with millions being spend on renovation on the course, in the spa, and more recently in the addition of several phases of hotel-condo units, some currently under construction.

The La Costa Spa and Resort is the site of two major events annuals - the Accenture Match Play Championship has bee n held there for years, although 2006 was the last event, and the Accura Classic Women's Tennis Tournament. The resort features The Blue Fire Grill, with upscale indoor and outdoor dining, along with the famous Chopra Center.

If La Costa homes are of interest, you might consider living along the golf course itself. There are a number of properties that border the course, offering terrific views of the grounds, the resort and the surrounding hills. You can choose from large estate-like homes directly on the course, as well as attached condos and townhouse-style properties with views. Most of the properties were built in the late 60s through the 80s, with many of the older homes being remodeled from top to bottom. Styles include custom California ranches, contemporary, and Spanish. The land has been almost fully built so brand new construction is rare, unless a tear-down occurs, although there are some brand new homes (mostly attached) along the course of La Costa Avenue.

Streets bordering the course include Arenal and Estrella de Mar, Almaden, Greenview, Playa, Caleta, Caracol and Mar Azul, as well as the busier La Costa Avenue. Well known complexes with current listings include the gated Jockey Club(large townhouse homes are priced in the high $800s to the high $900s) and Greenview (with some attached homes directly on the course (from the mid $700s to a little over $1 million).

Several properties on the market as of April 2007 may be of interest, and will provide a good feel for the larger properties one can acquire from time to time along the course. A newly constructed home on Playa is priced at $2.75 million (top left) and offers fabulous course and resort views from it's hillside location There is an expansive (over 8000 SF) single story home directly on the 2^ndfairway priced around $2.65 million. A contemporary estate located at the Alga Road end of the North Course is $2.695, and a nearby frontage home is available for $1.449 million). Several homes on Almaden are available in the $1.2 million to $1.8 million range.

Several smaller attached townhouse properties in small gated communities, near the resort and some with views, can be found in the high $400s to high $500s. Nearby there are multiple condo complexes that, while not on the course, offer views of the resort and in some cases the distant ocean. Some of these can be priced starting in the mid to high $200s for small 1 and 2 bedroom units.

Because of the school boundaries, some students in this area attend Carlsbad Schools and other go to the San Marcos Schools (primarily east of the course).

The La Costa area around the golf course is a unique neighborhood in Carlsbad. The older style of homes, for the most part, may not appeal to everyone, yet many are custom-built and, thus, are different that the many tract properties located nearby. If you are looking for rentals, there are several apartment complexes in the area well as condos and homes for rent.

If you are still in the exploratory stages of your house hunting, you may want to check out the community profiles on the other communities in Carlsbad (Aviara, La Costa Greens, and Rancho Carrillo), as well as the coastal towns of Encinitas (Encinitas Ranch), Cardiff (the Composer and Walking Districts) and San Marcos (Lake San Marcos, San Elijo Hills), among others.

Please feel free to call me at (760) 840-1360 or email me at JDowler@remax.net if I can be of assistance or answer any questions.

Update 4/30/07 - LA COSTA IS IN THE LA TIMES. I provided some information to the reporter/writer and the article got published this past Sunday in the real estate section. Take a look.

MORE INFORMATION:

Fans of Coastal San Diego - a fun blog about living in Carlsbad and the San Diego area in general

Relocation A to Z - everything you need to know about relocation to Carlsbad or elsewhere in the San Diego area

First Time Buyer Central - for new AND experienced buyers