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Old 03-02-2015, 12:34 AM
 
2 posts, read 19,130 times
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Hi,

I will be working in Pleasanton and am looking for housing with good schools/ neighborhood. But we can't afford much. Mountain House seems affordable. Is the commute ok? Are the schools decent now? What is it like to live there? It seems too pricy to live in Pleasanton, Dublin or Livermore. Would it be better to live in San Jose or Fremont and commute? I would appreciate any advice!
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Old 03-02-2015, 10:49 AM
 
Location: Pleasanton, CA
2,406 posts, read 6,038,166 times
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Distance-wise, Mountain House is not far from Pleasanton. The commute traffic is horrific though. Lots of people commute from Tracy/Mountain House to the Bay Area for jobs. You will be crawling along I-580 for almost your entire commute. Throw in an accident or bad weather and you're screwed.

Commuting from Milpitas or Fremont would be a reverse commute to Pleasanton and wouldn't be too bad. Those areas also a lot more expensive than MH though. San Jose is very big, so your commute would really depend on where in the city you are. If you focused on the the north eastern part of SJ, your commute wouldn't be too bad. The prices really aren't any different from Pleasanton/Dublin/Livermore though. You should also consider Castro Valley. Prices are slightly lower there and a commute to Pleasanton would be fairly painless.
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Old 03-02-2015, 01:17 PM
 
Location: California
37,131 posts, read 42,200,354 times
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Going to Fremont or SJ isn't going to save you any $$ housing wise. Mtn House is a bit of an odd duck, but everything is newish and development has picked up so that's probably where I would go if I couldn't afford something in the Tri Valley.
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Old 03-02-2015, 10:00 PM
 
2 posts, read 19,130 times
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Thank you for the advice. I was afraid the traffic would be bad. Does anyone know how the commute from Brentwood to Pleasanton is? It seems like the next cheaper place to live with good schools..?
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Old 03-02-2015, 10:17 PM
 
Location: Silicon Valley
18,813 posts, read 32,491,098 times
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Why don't you check out Concord? I believe the schools are decent, and it's a pretty affordable town. My cousins grew up there. It's kind of the blue collar "suburb" of Walnut Creek, but much more affordable. And safe.
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Old 03-02-2015, 10:35 PM
 
1,021 posts, read 1,664,585 times
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If you think that Pleasanton, Dublin or Livermore is too pricey then San Jose or Fremont is going to probably be too pricey as well since those areas tend to be more expensive than the tri-valley. Mountain House to Pleasanton is going to probably take over a good 1 hour to 1 hour and 20 minutes each way during commute times. Brentwood to Pleasanton is going to be just as bad if not worse but that is the price people pay to buy a home with Bay Area home so expensive you have to head out to the exurbs.
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Old 03-03-2015, 06:46 AM
 
Location: San Jose, CA
7,688 posts, read 29,148,496 times
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Mountain House is safe, but that's because it's a bunch of houses thrown up in the middle of the valley marketed to families. Concord, Livermore, Castro Valley etc. are established communities. And just going from Livermore out to Mountain House adds 30 minutes to the commute, even if you're leaving before 5 am. That's how bad the Altamont Pass is.
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Old 07-22-2015, 11:10 PM
 
53 posts, read 94,852 times
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Default No!

I have family that live in mountain house. It looks picture perfect from the outside but is definitely not! Lots of crime/grow houses and you definitely need to get an alarm system. It is okay for a bachelor maybe but we choose not to move there. They have one school that is rated 8 but I know it is far behind. Plus you are right next to Tracy(gangs) and Stockton is not too far ( one of the most dangerous cities in the US). The commute is prohibitively long... Don't do it! You can buy a town home in really nice safe places like Danville or Pleasanton for the same price.
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Old 07-23-2015, 10:15 AM
 
Location: Pleasanton, CA
2,406 posts, read 6,038,166 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Midwestforme View Post
I have family that live in mountain house. It looks picture perfect from the outside but is definitely not! Lots of crime/grow houses and you definitely need to get an alarm system. It is okay for a bachelor maybe but we choose not to move there. They have one school that is rated 8 but I know it is far behind. Plus you are right next to Tracy(gangs) and Stockton is not too far ( one of the most dangerous cities in the US). The commute is prohibitively long... Don't do it! You can buy a town home in really nice safe places like Danville or Pleasanton for the same price.
Huh????

Some people sure do post some crazy off-base stuff on this forum. First off, I somewhat agree about the crime and grow houses. The same could be said for plenty of other places in CA. A couple of things you said are completely ridiculous though...

Tracy may have some mild gang issues but is absolutely nothing compared to nearby Stockton. I've known many people living in Tracy over the years who commute to the Bay Area. Apart from them loathing their commutes, they actually like living in Tracy and feel perfectly safe. I've never felt even remotely unsafe in Tracy.

As far as Danville and Pleasanton being as affordable as Mountain House, that's completely absurd! Danville and Pleasanton are among the most desirable and upscale locations in the inland East Bay and the Bay Area in general. Their home prices reflect that. I literally shook my head when I read the above post.
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Old 10-13-2015, 10:27 PM
 
2 posts, read 9,305 times
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Midwestforme said that a townhouse in Danville or Pleasanton was comperable to a single family house in mountain house. I looked up the prices and he is correct. About $500k-$600k gets you a house in mountain house or a townhouse in Danville or Pleasanton. I would rather live in a townhouse with my family in a great area with great schools than a nicer bigger house in a less desirable school district.
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