We are thinking about buying a "cabin" in the Big Bear area while everything is on sale but we don't know a whole bunch about the area. What are the parts of town to stay away from and what are the good parts? Are there any funky rules in BB that we need to be aware off? Are there any special taxes above and beyond the normal county property taxes? Is homeowners insurance considerably higher than in town?
We'd like to have a little bit of room around the place but we don't need acreage and it needs to be someplace where the kids could play outside without getting run over. We would also be renting it out much of the time. We've looked through the Big Bear MLS listings and found some places that look ok, but without actually going up there we don't know if these places are in "The Hood".
I know a realtor could answer most of these questions but I'd like to hear from from some folks that actually live there instead of from someone who's trying to sell me something.
Thanks for your input.

 

We have a place in Fawnskin, near the top of the hill. It's an awesome short getaway to run up the hill. I would spend a weekend and meet with a few realtors. There are some deals up there and you would likely do best to speak with a few experts to get what you are looking for...

 

I've got a place in Big Bear. It's in the eastern end of the valley, called Sugarloaf. Sugarloaf has more of a mix of year-round residents and weekenders than many of the other areas. (Most areas are mainly vacationers.)

If you are going to buy in the area, try to get at least a "double lot" (5,000 sqft). The property line off-sets have changed recently, and those with single lots (2,500 sqft) cannot make any additions or improvements to their cabins (as they run up against the property lines usually.)

Obviously, the closer to the lake you get, the more expensive the cabin. If you like skiing/snowboarding, or want to rent it out during the winter to skiers, then look in the Moonridge/Snow Summit areas. The Big Bear City area is affordable, but IMHO, not really "woods-like." As mentioned in the post above, Fawnskin is a real nice area, although, it is a bit further away from the "main town." But then again, that depends on what you are looking for in the use of the cabin.

The best thing to do would be to stay up in Big Bear for a couple of days (preferably a weekday and on the weekend (get to see the difference in the amount of people that are in the different neighborhoods). Then, check out the different areas, look at listings, and then, well, I guess, get an agent.

Ty....

 

Sounds Nice.