Help me understand the appeal of Frick at Somerset (Oakland: home, schools)

[Enough_Already]

Originally Posted by gladhands

But the pool and fitness center aren’t really factored into the high home price. You have to pay for them each month. The HOA fee is 120/mo...more than a family membership at the JCC.

Not everyone has the same values and tastes you do. To some people a walk score is of very little value. Some people do not want to live in a typical city neighborhood.

I imagine the people who live here have similar social and economic status and are somewhat isolated from the "city". They have a nice neighborhood to walk and can drive to get anything they want / need.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by Enough_Already

Not everyone has the same values and tastes you do. To some people a walk score is of very little value. Some people do not want to live in a typical city neighborhood.

I imagine the people who live here have similar social and economic status and are somewhat isolated from the "city". They have a nice neighborhood to walk and can drive to get anything they want / need.

The question really isn't why this would be appealing to someone. It's why it would be appealing to someone within city limits - dealing with the higher city income taxes and iffy schools. There are plenty of locations like this out in the suburbs after all.

[gg]

Originally Posted by gladhands

But the pool and fitness center aren’t really factored into the high home price. You have to pay for them each month. The HOA fee is 120/mo...more than a family membership at the JCC.

Some will pay for the "community". An enclave that is sort of separate. No JCC to deal with if you want a quick workout with very few people.

Remember, this doesn't mean it is for me or you. It is for some people that want a new home in a enclave in the city. They seem to sell fine, so people like the idea. I wouldn't want to live there as I stated, but some people do.

If someone makes $250K a year and has no debt and a huge savings, it is peanuts for them. They don't want a 100 year old home, they want new and updated. To each their own. Every home I ever owned was about 100 years old or older. lol Guess I like the old ones.

[xdv8]

Originally Posted by eschaton

The question really isn't why this would be appealing to someone. It's why it would be appealing to someone within city limits - dealing with the higher city income taxes and iffy schools. There are plenty of locations like this out in the suburbs after all.

I think some of their choice has to do with the conflict between wanting new builds but not wanting the stigma that comes with a suburb.

[gg]

Originally Posted by eschaton

The question really isn't why this would be appealing to someone. It's why it would be appealing to someone within city limits - dealing with the higher city income taxes and iffy schools. There are plenty of locations like this out in the suburbs after all.

Location, location, location. Why do people chose a spot? Maybe it is super close to their work. Why commute across a bridge when you can be right there?

Schools may have very little meaning in this price range as they may send their kids to private schools anyway, so they don't care about that.

It isn't for most on here, but I can understand someone wanting a newer home in the city with an enclave feel. Different strokes.

[gladhands]

Originally Posted by gg

Location, location, location. Why do people chose a spot? Maybe it is super close to their work. Why commute across a bridge when you can be right there?

Schools may have very little meaning in this price range as they may send their kids to private schools anyway, so they don't care about that.

It isn't for most on here, but I can understand someone wanting a newer home in the city with an enclave feel. Different strokes.

The location is really only good if you’re commuting into Oakland. You can get similar downtown commute times in suburbs with better schools.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by gg

Location, location, location. Why do people chose a spot? Maybe it is super close to their work. Why commute across a bridge when you can be right there?.

Perhaps. It would suggest to me most of the people who live there probably work in Oakland or elsewhere in the East End. A Squirrel Hill to downtown commute is not much better than the suburbs - particularly if you are driving and have to park at the end of it (and I can't see many people there busing it).

[PGH423]

Originally Posted by norcider

Must be the desire to live atop a mountain of industrial waste, ohh and the drone of the parkway and lovely exhaust smell must be endearing in some way.

According to these maps, it actually has better air quality than most of the city.

https://breatheproject.org/pollution-map/
In general, it's valleys not hilltops that attract and retain pollutants.

I actually like new homes that are meant to look older. If I were going to buy a new home, it's the only kind I'd be interested in.

[Lost_In_Translation]

I’m glad the city is attractive enough to bring in this sort of investment at the very least. Everyone has their preferences and this development helps fund other things through the taxes these residents pay. I’d buy somewhere else and like a bit of history, but glad they want to be a part of the city in their own way.

[norcider]

Originally Posted by PGH423

According to these maps, it actually has better air quality than most of the city.

https://breatheproject.org/pollution-map/
In general, it's valleys not hilltops that attract and retain pollutants.

I actually like new homes that are meant to look older. If I were going to buy a new home, it's the only kind I'd be interested in.

Then there's this:
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full...7.2016.1139517