Nice Areas to live under $325,000 (Granite Bay: houses, good schools, quality of life)

[LZKay1]

Originally Posted by Majin

Stockton

... I thought he said somewhere nice?

[MtnSurfer]

Originally Posted by Hawk J

One of my brothers still lives in Prunedale. It has forest areas. Not far from Monterey/Moss Landing & beach areas. My Bro loves it there.

Yep, I'll second Prunedale and add Oak Hills and Seaside. All these areas are in reasonable driving distance to Monterey. And the weather sure beats Arizona especially this time of the year!

Other parts of Central Cal like Atascadero and possibly San Luis Obispo or other outskirt towns would be worth checking out.

For other states I would check out Portland or outskirt towns of Seattle if you love the outdoors and can handle some clouds & rain.

A lot really depends on what kind of bad weather you and your family can tolerate - excessive heat (90-100+) = SW, snow season (sometimes long) = Rocky Mtn states & MidWest, heat + humidity = South, Clouds & precipitation = PNW, etc...

Depending on what kind of less desireable climate you can live with you can find a more affordable home. But if you want to stay in CA check out some of the less crouded areas, counties.

Derek

[jayely1]

Thanks for the help guys! My Parents will be retired so they just dont want a really busy area. They dont mind hiking or anything outdoors. Living by a beach would be nice to, but im sure all those areas are very populated and/or very expensive. There looking for a home around 2900+ square feet as well.
I will check out those areas listed and get back to you!

[jayely1]

Oh and I like anything outdoors, basketball, football, baseball. A couple clubs would be nice to have in the area, and malls.

[jayely1]

Prunedale is a cooler area, Very odd! And well over $325,000 for a house.

[FresnoFacts]

Originally Posted by MtnSurfer

A lot really depends on what kind of bad weather you and your family can tolerate - excessive heat (90-100+) = SW, snow season (sometimes long) = Rocky Mtn states & MidWest, heat + humidity = South, Clouds & precipitation = PNW, etc...

jayely1 can correct me if I'm wrong, but since the original post says they were looking at Arizona I don't think heat is an issue for them.

I know someone looking to move from Phoenix to the Central Valley right now because they want cooler summers than they see now. They feel 35 days a year over 100 degrees in the Valley is better than 100 days a year over 100 in Phoenix.

[MtnSurfer]

Originally Posted by jayely1

Thanks for the help guys! My Parents will be retired so they just dont want a really busy area. They dont mind hiking or anything outdoors. Living by a beach would be nice to, but im sure all those areas are very populated and/or very expensive. There looking for a home around 2900+ square feet as well.
I will check out those areas listed and get back to you!

Wow, 2900+ sf for under 325K in a nice area of CA? Thats a tall order. Are you sure they want a home that large? Usually retirees want to downsize and not maintain such a large property. Unless of course you have more siblings at home or something?

Anyway I think it is time to explore plan B. Ok, take a look at Murrieta, CA. There are a lot of foreclosures out there. So you might be able to find a larger, cheaper place and its not too far from OC or the coast.

Otherwise look to other states based on your likes/dislikes for hot/cold/humid weather. BTW, do you like NM or AZ? What is so appealing to your parents there besides the larger cheaper house? Just curious. The reason I ask is that I know someone who just moved from CA to NM to buy a nice big house. But now that he has the house he is already thinking of moving back. There's much more to life beyond those four walls. Just something to think about.

Derek

[jayely1]

Chico,Paradise are wel over 300k too. Well for a 2900+ square feet home. Maybe Cali is just to expensive for them. They want to buy it outright with no loan.

[NorCal Dude]

Granite Bay. Good schools, safe streets, low crime, affordable to the middle class. Not too many suburbs like that in California anymore.

[jayely1]

jayely1 can correct me if I'm wrong, but since the original post says they were looking at Arizona I don't think heat is an issue for them.

I know someone looking to move from Phoenix to the Central Valley right now because they want cooler summers than they see now. They feel 35 days a year over 100 degrees in the Valley is better than 100 days a year over 100 in Phoenix.

Correct 100 isn't to bad with low humidity. So Phoenix wouldn't bother them to much. (mom more than dad)

Wow, 2900+ sf for under 325K in a nice area of CA? Thats a tall order. Are you sure they want a home that large? Usually retirees want to downsize and not maintain such a large place. Unless of course you have more siblings at home or something?

Anyway I think it is time to explore plan B. Ok, take a look at Murrieta, CA. There are a lot of foreclosures out there. So you might be able to find a larger, cheaper place and its not too far from OC or the coast.

Otherwise look to other states based on your likes/dislikes for hot/cold/humid weather.

My 2c,

Derek

I figured it was, but Im just trying to keep my options open. They have a lot of things so they would like a bigger home, and our family plans on visiting pretty often so an extra bedroom or two would be ideal.