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Old 10-15-2015, 09:26 AM
 
Location: Gilroy, CA
132 posts, read 229,148 times
Reputation: 114

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My husband has his second interview tomorrow and although he won't know if he gets the job until next week, he feels his qualifications are strong and feels good about his chances. With that said, I have been looking on line for houses just to see what is out there and I get more and more concerned about finding a good rental. Our problem is the size if our family. We have 5 kids. A lot of rentals say up to 5 persons only...even though the house is 2100 SF and 4 bedrooms. To me that seems discriminating and possibly illegal. It is from a rental agency too...not an individual. Anyways, I found a house in Castroville that is 2800 SF and 3 bedroom and it allows up to 7 people. So that is good. My husband is driving to Sacramento for the interview tonight and has an appointment to view the property this afternoon. Apparently they are showing the house to another party right before us. So there is interest.

But last night I did some research on the crime and area and I am concerned this location may not be a good fit after all. My husband will be working in south Salinas. I read that the commute to and from Castroville can be rough. Should I take my chances and wait for a house in Spreckles? We can't pay more than 2500 a month, so Monterey and the surrounding area is out. I am scared about living in Salinas itself with all the crime. I stay at home with my kids during the day. I feel desperate to find a house that will fit our needs and the price range. We are willing to forgo the application fee in the event that he doesn't get the job just to secure a good home. Thanks for your help.
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Old 10-15-2015, 10:25 AM
 
Location: Salinas, CA
353 posts, read 422,500 times
Reputation: 313
The commute from Castroville to South Salinas shouldn't be too bad. It's from Salinas, Marina, or anywhere to Monterey that's the worst (in the area).

Salinas is fine if you choose the right location, but you might also consider Marina. We lived there for a number of years, and your husband would be going against traffic.

We can't really advise on the location when you didn't provide one though, so can you put an address or a general area in Castroville?

Spreckless is nice, too; however, they will be putting in a pretty large complex of worker housing(s). I don't think that will have much effect on crime or "quality of living" in the area, but it's worth noting that traffic and number of people in town will increase once that project is complete.
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Old 10-15-2015, 11:39 AM
 
Location: Gilroy, CA
132 posts, read 229,148 times
Reputation: 114
http://monterey.craigslist.org/apa/5254025252.html
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Old 10-15-2015, 01:04 PM
 
Location: Salinas, CA
353 posts, read 422,500 times
Reputation: 313
The location seems okay, but quite frankly I don't know much about Castroville other than it has a very run-down look to it (in my opinion).

A few other places you may have looked at that fall into what you're looking for:

Very outskirts of town, a little noisy from the street though.
4 bed 2 bath south salinas

Might also be noisy, for Marina standards
4bdr/2bath ~DeForest Rd~ =Mast Realty=

Far North Salinas
nice neighborhood north salinas home
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Old 10-15-2015, 01:27 PM
 
Location: Gilroy, CA
132 posts, read 229,148 times
Reputation: 114
Thank you!!! I saw the south Salinas house, but like I said I am a bit concerned about Salinas. The north Salinas house at 1200 SF is too small. I like the Marina house! We might look into that one. My husband is looking at the Castroville home today. I will see what he says about it.
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Old 10-15-2015, 01:31 PM
 
Location: Salinas, CA
353 posts, read 422,500 times
Reputation: 313
I live in South Salinas off Main Street near the High School. It's nothing to be concerned about. That area is nice, doctors, lawyers, police, teachers, etc. Once you begin to branch outside of the Maple Park area then yes you get into shadier spots.

Marina is nice if you want something in the middle of Salinas and Monterey, but know that it is colder, windier, foggier and the soil is ... sand (ie: hard to grow anything). Also, there is not a lot to do; although, they just (as in days/week ago) opened the new theater.

We live in Salinas, but still shop in Marina because all the stores are less crowded and cleaner. There is a lot to say about Marina, but I doubt I would ever live in Marina again.
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Old 10-15-2015, 01:40 PM
 
Location: Salinas, CA
353 posts, read 422,500 times
Reputation: 313
Here are some basic maps that I whipped up as far as places to avoid when looking.

Marina map
(far left in the 3)
Red painted areas are the two main roads in and out of Marina. I would avoid those. The green blotches are where the restaurants are in Marina, pretty much clustered down there with exception of a few dotted throughout that general area. NOTE: Check the house for mold where ever you rent. It's very foggy in Marina at times and poor quality construction leads to mold (prevalent in Pacific Grove, too).

Salinas map
(middle)
Green is good - avoid red
The red marker in the middle is Salinas High School (for a reference point). Tell your husband to drive around that part. I would recommend everything to the RIGHT of main street (ie: Salinas High School) that I labeled in green. Left is okay, too, but I find it's nicer on the right side.

Salinas map
(far right of the three)
Blown up version of the middle map, green area. It's nice to find a place within walking distance to Oldtown. There are a lot of new, prolific restaurants down there mixed in with a few bars and a movie theater as well ($5 movies - all day Tuesday). You'll have your share of homeless people peddling downtown; it's usually the same ten people (about 3-5 will ask for money, the rest just chit chat and socialize).
Attached Thumbnails
Immediate help needed about Castroville-marina.jpg   Immediate help needed about Castroville-salinas.jpg   Immediate help needed about Castroville-salinas-2.jpg  
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Old 10-15-2015, 01:41 PM
 
Location: Gilroy, CA
132 posts, read 229,148 times
Reputation: 114
Oh...thank you for the positives regarding Salinas. I heard so much bad about it, I just opted to not consider it at all. We will look into both houses. Thanks!!!
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Old 10-15-2015, 01:46 PM
 
Location: Salinas, CA
353 posts, read 422,500 times
Reputation: 313
Quote:
Originally Posted by Oh-Happy-Day View Post
Oh...thank you for the positives regarding Salinas. I heard so much bad about it, I just opted to not consider it at all. We will look into both houses. Thanks!!!
Yeah it has it's bad parts, no doubt. 2015 is the worst year for homicides, but they're usually centralized to the areas that you have no business being in anyways. We walk downtown all the time, day and night, without concern for our lives...as do many of our neighbors.
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Old 10-15-2015, 02:05 PM
 
Location: Gilroy, CA
132 posts, read 229,148 times
Reputation: 114
Excellent! So happy to hear that. My husband will be working near the airport if he gets the job promotion. We did drive up a couple months ago and I actually loved the south part of Salinas...cute neighborhoods and parks. Plus easy access to Monterey.
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