Best Housing Value in Bay Area? (San Francisco, Oakland: rent, school district, prices)

[eastmemphisguy]

A bit of a fantasy of mine to move to the Bay Area, but I am skeptical that I can afford it. I know housing is very pricey throughout the area, but is there anywhere less bad on this front? I have some friends in Oakland, and even there the rents are crazy and parking is a pain, although, obviously, neither of those issues is as bad as in sf. I have another friend in Fairfield, and prices seem reasonable out there but it is so far and I don't like that it gets hot out there in the summer. Half of the appeal to me is the cool weather. Any ideas for a guy looking to have his cake and eat it too?

[ippi76]

It's helpful if you can give a budget and some idea of where'd you be working?

What size and what is "affordable" to you? In general, you get the idea, the further you go out from Oakland and San Francisco the cheaper it gets, the further you go inland the warmer it gets as well. Commutes get crappier the further you go to cheap housing too.

Really hard to give you a place without any additional info. Newark/Union City/Castro Valley perhaps? Concord?

[beb0p]

Originally Posted by eastmemphisguy

Half of the appeal to me is the cool weather.

I don't know how cold you can stand it, but many people stay away from Daly City, Pacifica and that area up to Outer Richmond in SF because it's cold and foggy all the time. Alas, it's much more affordable as a result.

However, if you think Oakland rent is crazy then those area is still going to be a bit of a sticker stock.

[18Montclair]

Please tell us what exactly you are looking for as far as price and amenities.

[roadwarrior101]

Originally Posted by ippi76

Really hard to give you a place without any additional info. Newark/Union City/Castro Valley perhaps? Concord?

Those areas are cheaper, but I'm not sure if I'd call this best value. I consider best value to be more of an arbitrage situation, where you need to look at the overall desirability of the area, the commute distance, the quality of the schools and the overall housing cost relative to neighboring cities. Best value doesn't necessarily mean cheapest in the entire bay area. Tracy is incredibly cheap (by Bay Area standards), but given the terrible commutes and lack of character in the town, most people wouldn't consider that the best value.

[DocGoldstein]

I think Benicia was getting to be a great value about 9 months ago. Prices were down something like 50% from peak, and the school district is excellent. Also right across the bridge from Concord (and BART). A very easy commute into the city.

Now, forget about it. None of the Bay Area cities have real value left until this mini-bubble goes away.