good areas and bad areas in Pittsburg, CA (San Francisco, Oakland: for sale, foreclosure)

[gxui223]

My wife and I are looking at homes for sale in Pittsburg. We have been told that the good areas and bad areas in Pittsburg divided by Highway 4. True? Which part is the good area? Or can you list some communities that are the good areas?

Any info would be helpful. Thanks.

[City Boy]

Pittsburg has gotten worse but has always had a reputation for being a ghetto in the middle of nowhere. It's a far drive into San Francisco/Oakland thanks to the terrible highway 4 traffic. There are some ok area's but even the "Safe" area's have had some home invasion robberies as of late.

[Ultrarunner]

I've been out of Pittsburg a few years now... I had a beautiful older home on a tree lined street that would have been worth at least double had it been in a city like Pleasant Hill...

As nice as the home was... I was always having minor problems... things like my garden hose would be missing, a window broken or the tags on my truck license stolen brazenly...

The Pittsburgh City government left me unimpressed and code compliance made me prove the extra carport at my home was done with a permit or I would have to demolish it. I bought it that way and after spending the equivalent of day researching city and county records... I found that it was built with a permit in 1961

A little too heavy handed for me and I was put out that I had to prove my innocence...

That said, a friend of mine has picked up several 3 bedroom 1 bath homes in my old neighborhood between 65 and 90k each... these were homes that had sold around 300k a couple of years before...

If someone will always be at home and you are looking for the most square footage of house for your money... it will probably be OK... just know people buy there because of price...

[skywalker400]

Originally Posted by Ultrarunner

The Pittsburgh City government left me unimpressed and code compliance made me prove the extra carport at my home was done with a permit or I would have to demolish it. I bought it that way and after spending the equivalent of day researching city and county records... I found that it was built with a permit in 1961

Jeez, thats surprising they'd be like that. I was looking at homes over there recently and most seem to have a converted garage or some sort of room extension not part of the original house plan. Stuff I would really doubt were ever permitted. I'd expect now with the foreclosure crisis they'd have bigger issues to deal with.

[Ultrarunner]

Originally Posted by skywalker400

Jeez, thats surprising they'd be like that. I was looking at homes over there recently and most seem to have a converted garage or some sort of room extension not part of the original house plan. Stuff I would really doubt were ever permitted. I'd expect now with the foreclosure crisis they'd have bigger issues to deal with.

I was really surprised by it myself... I owned other homes and I've never had to "Prove" anything.

My understanding at the time was the community just received funding for a code compliance officer and my neighborhood was selected.

Another neighbor down the street was cited for a fence and someone else for have a registered NON-OP car in public view... the car was registered... and looked decent... she was keeping it for her son. This all happened in the Central Edition part of town.

I must have had one of the first citations because it was countersigned by the Chief of Police... I immediately went to the Police Department to file an appeal and NO ONE their knew anything about it they said I had to go to zoning and then I showed the citation that said Chief of Police

Later they removed the Police Department from the notice... I guess they were dealing with too many concerned citizens... anyway, in my case I proved I was in full compliance and that's when I decided to move back to Oakland

Oh, I also got a notice because some apples from my backyard tree were on the ground. The people I sold too rectified that situation by building a 6' high fence.

I do know people buying there now and you can get a lot of house for the money... at least Bay Area speaking.

[CA central coast]

Go look in Antioch.