turlock/tracy comparison (Modesto, Elk Grove, Nice: sales, home sales, transfer)

[lookingforinfo]

Hello, my husband may soon be getting transferred to the modesto area. We have 2 small children, so are definitely interested in really good schools, as well as safety. We'll probably look for a newer neighborhood where we can meet other families with young children. We're looking in the $550-$700 range. From the research I've done so far, Turlock and Tracy both seem like nice towns. My husband doesn't mind a little bit of a commute (45 minutes or less). We were also looking at Elk Grove, but that seems a little far from Modesto. I was also wondering about Mountain House...
Any comparison of Turlock & Tracy, and/or other suggestions would be greatly appreciated. We're on the east coast, so this is foreign land to us! Thank you in advance.

[catonc]

I don't know much about Turlock, but I live in Tracy. Tracy is a very nice town, but it isn't small anymore. The population is about 80,000 now. Some of the areas are new and nicer, some of the areas are older and run down. Same with the schools. Tracy is probably about a 40 minute commute to Modesto. Mountain House is about 5 -10 minutes further from Modesto but Mountain House is much newer, but also much more expensive. Mountain House is a new town that is still in the process of being built. They have their own elementary schools (one right now with a 2nd opening this fall), but I believe they still use Tracy for their middle and high school. There isn't much in the way of anything else in Mountain House yet, no stores, etc. You have to drive into Tracy for most of it. Like I said, the town is still being built.

[BayAreaHomes]

Hey there! I could tell you alot about Turlock. I am originally from there, and lived their all of my life until after high school. I moved to the bay area and visit Turlock about every weekend. Seems like all of the home sales I do are back home to family members.

This is what I could tell you about the home prices. Right now, for your price range you can get a VERY VERY nice home. Nicer than the Tracy area I would say. I went to Turlock High, which is a good school. There is also a Univeristy there, Cal State Stanislaus!!

Its a smaller town, but bigger than Tracy. The commute to Modesto would be about 15 to 20 minutes, which is pretty close. Modesto is where the local Mall is, and many restuarnts and shopping areas. Turlock has a good side and a bad side I would say. The Univeristy side....is the better side.

There is also a brand new high school there called Pitman High which if your kids are of that age, would love to go to. Its beautiful.

There are a few builders that you have a choice from in choosing your home. Theres Morrison Homes, Rosewalk by hmm I cant remember that builders name, Legends homes and one other.

I recently had a client who was selling his home, and sold it for just under 7K
it was a 6 bedroom home, it was absolutely gorgeous.

You can still move to Tracy though, but I would say you would have much nicer home in Turlock.

Last I checked I seen a brand new home built in 2007 for 290,000 (3 bed/3 bath). It was on the not so liked side of town, but it was over 2000 sq feet...and barely finished being built!

Hope all of this information helped!!

Aman D.
Realtor

[dmpme]

Kids in school and Tracy don't mix in my opinion. I raised my kids here but wouldn't do it now. If you're considering the area.... get the kids into one of the country schools. They have outperformed the city schools for generations and are the only ones I'd even consider. Get the schools annual reports and compare them. It's frightening.