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Old 06-29-2011, 05:07 PM
 
Location: West Contra Costa County, CA
24 posts, read 79,939 times
Reputation: 32

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I am looking to buy a house soon in the East Bay. I have lived here my whole life. I am a property manager and a real estate assistant so I know about cities and neighborhoods very well in this area. I've done a lot of research as well. So far, I have realized the best places for 250,000 in the east bay are East Vallejo, Rodeo, Crockett, Pinole, East Richmond Heights, Hercules, and El Sobrante. I like to live near the bay so I don't think I'll consider anything east of of these areas. I also don't think I would go south of lets say El Cerrito since home prices are significantly higher as you go further down and I really don't like the area as much as west Contra Costa County and such. However, I just wanted to know which area you would pick? So far I am leaning towards East Richmond Heights, Pinole, and El Sobrante because I have lived near there my whole life, there safe, much of these areas have a very natural setting, and I think home values will appreciate well.

So guys, out of these choices, or any other choices you could think of, where would you pick? Keep in mind I only have 250,000 to spend.
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Old 06-29-2011, 05:58 PM
 
12,823 posts, read 24,445,354 times
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Richmond Hts. Just a few steps from El Cerrito, closer to SF, the best climate of the three and surprisingly crime free versus most of West CoCo.
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Old 07-21-2011, 09:13 PM
 
5 posts, read 14,458 times
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I hope both of you are right, presently I am about to close on a house in the 225K price range, in East Richmond Heights. I'm a transplant, have always lived in Oakland or Alameda. I'm not looking forward to the I-80 corridor traffic, but I will make that sacrifice to get so much more bang for my buck.
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Old 07-21-2011, 10:53 PM
 
1,807 posts, read 3,328,974 times
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Hercules. nice quiet neighborhood, warmer than richmond, not as far or hot as vallejo
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Old 07-22-2011, 02:38 PM
 
12,823 posts, read 24,445,354 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RandomGroover View Post
I hope both of you are right, presently I am about to close on a house in the 225K price range, in East Richmond Heights. I'm a transplant, have always lived in Oakland or Alameda. I'm not looking forward to the I-80 corridor traffic, but I will make that sacrifice to get so much more bang for my buck.
By the Country Club?
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Old 07-22-2011, 04:23 PM
 
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No, over by Solano & Arlington...
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Old 07-22-2011, 09:00 PM
 
12,823 posts, read 24,445,354 times
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Ah I see, up a ways past Cutting. I used to ride my bike along Arlington (I lived for a while in El Cerrito near Moeser and Arlington). I would also hike the back country further back into the hills from that area.
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Old 07-22-2011, 09:48 PM
 
Location: Los Altos Hills, CA
36,677 posts, read 67,662,751 times
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Yeah, West Contra Costa County is the ultimate $250K destination imo. You really do get a lot for your money there, including perfect weather.
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Old 07-23-2011, 08:15 PM
 
310 posts, read 652,444 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RandomGroover View Post
I hope both of you are right, presently I am about to close on a house in the 225K price range, in East Richmond Heights. I'm a transplant, have always lived in Oakland or Alameda. I'm not looking forward to the I-80 corridor traffic, but I will make that sacrifice to get so much more bang for my buck...No, over by Solano & Arlington...
Quote:
Originally Posted by BayAreaHillbilly View Post
Ah I see, up a ways past Cutting. I used to ride my bike along Arlington (I lived for a while in El Cerrito near Moeser and Arlington). I would also hike the back country further back into the hills from that area.
Quote:
Originally Posted by 18Montclair View Post
Yeah, West Contra Costa County is the ultimate $250K destination imo. You really do get a lot for your money there, including perfect weather.
I mapped out this area (that RandomGroover speaks of)...it looks like you are also near some nice opportunities for outdoor recreation in Alvarado Park and Wildcat Canyon Regional Park. Very curious now about this area...just a few ques:

How hot does it get in the summer in that area?

Is crime (generally) a problem in that area?
Edit: Oops...looks like you guys have already stated crime is not really an issue, at least in that area.

What are the demographics? (I would imagine fairly diverse)

How bad is the commute into Oakland and SF?

Other than the distance out...what's the biggest downside?

I'm not really asking for myself at this time, but it would be great to know that one can still own a home for under $300k in a decent quality of life neighborhood in the Bay Area.
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Old 07-24-2011, 01:20 AM
 
5 posts, read 14,458 times
Reputation: 10
I work near Jack London Square in Oakland, so I will have the option of taking San Pablo Ave over to Adeline, if 80 is moving too slowly (it does get pretty bad)... I will likely adjust my hours to 7:30-4:40 or 9:00-6:00 in order to ease my morning commute just a little bit. I would guesstimate 30 minutes to downtown Oakland or Bay Bridge. Also, less than a 5 minute drive to El Cerrito North BART station, or a short bike ride (steep hills though on the return trip).

Most web resources are saying it's about 60% white. I noticed on my block there are some Latino and Asian families, I am white.

I'm not sure about the heat there, I know it doesn't seem as intense as the east part of the county. It seems more comfortable than Concord, Pleasant Hill, etc.

The only downside aside from the distance to the city is the fact that there is some serious crime in Central and North Richmond, which isn't that far away. The Richmond crimemap I was looking at though, showed incidents in my immediate quarter mile to be pretty rare. Richmond, CA Crime Map - Showing Crimes in Richmond - Crime Statistics, Alerts and Reports - Crime Stops Here - Honestly I am not too worried about crime. Prior to this place, I almost bought a Victorian in West Oakland (I was outbid). I am a Chicago native, consider myself fairly street smart, and I believe both Oakland and Richmond get a bad rep to some degree... It would be naive to not be aware of all the crime that happens in both cities; but there are also some beautiful safe super expensive/exclusive neighborhoods in both of those cities too.

I had been looking/researching all over the east bay for about 4 months before squeezing the trigger on this place. Somebody paid 400K for it only 4 years ago, and here it is now taking a 44 % price drop!

Last edited by RandomGroover; 07-24-2011 at 01:29 AM.. Reason: mistake
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