Does anyone want to move FROM the Bay Area? (San Francisco: for sale, renter)

[tennis368fan]

Originally Posted by EasternerInDaWest

...Funny how my one girlfriend carpools with her husband from Tracy - she works in Fremont, and he in Palo Alto. They drop off the baby in Mountain View to daycare. They pack their dinner with their lunch and eat dinner each day in the car on the commute home...but they own (paying on) their house, so must be very happy.

Well, for others in the same situation, public transportation can definitely work. Living in Tracy, commuters can take Altamont Commuter Express from the Tracy Station, getting off at Fremont Station. From there, AC Transit has a bus service to Stanford University. For more stops in the City of Palo Alto, switching buses at Ardenwood Park and Ride exists as a possible option.

[tennis368fan]

For those who want to afford a home and get away from the hectic lifestyle of San Francisco, there are several options available. One is live along BART lines, looking for homes that have been reduced in price and/or foreclosed. Although it is true that homes of this type usually require repair, it can save homebuyers much money.

Another option is to buy homes in outlying communities, with warmer daytime weather and fewer foggy days. Though cities like Brentwood are out of reach due to lack of available viable public transportation directly to the Silicon Valley in addition to the Pleasantion area, less variation in routes, as well as fewer providers, communities like Mountain House and cities like Tracy can be considered. Mountain House has a luxury commuter bus service to the Dublin/Pleasanton BART Station terminus and business parks in the surrounding area. As for Tracy, Altamont Commuter Express, or ACE, brings commuters to the Tri-Valley, Fremont, and the Silicon Valley, with stations that provide connections to most all parts of the Silicon Valley via the use of bus lines, shuttle bus lines, and light rail lines.

[18Montclair]

Everywhere Ive ever moved to has fallen victim to being compared to the Bay Area and I always wind up moving back.

Im already back and forth between here and Sao Paulo and will be officially down there in March but that's for work. Id just as soon stay here in the Bay Area.

[berkeleyres]

I've lived here for almost ten years and am ready to move out...most likely seattle or austin, both great cities in states with no state income tax. It's great, I can work from home and while the weather is nice and it's a great place to live, the taxes just kill you. even with all the taxes California is still in a huge hole. It's just like the federal government, which can at least blame it on the war...California...no excuse at all. Taxes here are just going tp go up, affordability is going down..not a good long term prospect

[mj88]

I hear over and over that there is so much opportunity in SF - does this mean in terms of a career? --because I have been searching and applying for jobs in SF for a year and have not heard a word back-- perhaps I am searching in all the wrong places. I'd love to just move there and THEN find a job, but I'd be broke after month 1 with SF's rents...YIKES!

[Don Vito]

do yourself a favor and dont fall into the hype of sf

[pflau]

So say if you can afford comfortably a house in Walnut Creek would you want to move???

It seems most of the posts here are either about the high cost of housing, the homeless in the city, or to scare people not to move here which would only make the housing cost go up.

[nullgeo]

Originally Posted by vampmiller

I've been comparing living in SF with being in a bad relationship. There's enough good to keep me here, but I know in the long run it's not good for me. ... heading to Seattle and Portland to check them out.

*sigh* Great. Move up to Seattle. You'll love it. (no sarcasm — you will) Except for the long gray chill of winter. But you can always drive back down to SF to visit friends and catch some rays.
I have lived in Puget Sound since early 70's. Lived in SF before that. Seattle was a nice small town back when. Now it has exploded with California escapees and the city is vibrant and alive and incredibly congested. You'll love it. It has so much of California style living now — and nearly as expensive. Ah, the California immigration has brought all kinds of money to our real estate market. Out of sight now for everyday folks. Population of the Puget Sound region has doubled (2.5 million new in the last 30 years) and more arriving faster than ever before. For those of us who came here long ago to enjoy the edge of wilderness and wool shirt, hiking boots and granola lifestyle, there is little left.
Come on up. Bring more money. Drive up the prices even more so I can sell out and take my profits and move back to the woods in Maine where I started out. This is Horrible for me. Love it here. Being driven out.

Cheers ...

[Tallysmom]

Originally Posted by pflau

So say if you can afford comfortably a house in Walnut Creek would you want to move???

It seems most of the posts here are either about the high cost of housing, the homeless in the city, or to scare people not to move here which would only make the housing cost go up.

Maybe/maybe not. For me, it's quality of life. I'm getting less tolerant of the hustle bustle boom boom unrelenting noise of urban life. Granted my urban life is far grittier than a lot of people's.

My sister lived on 12 acres in the middle of nowhere PA -- and that kind of quiet was ---too creepy, too. Sort of "the Hills Have Eyes" creepy.

That's why if we moved back to PA, we'd end up in a more rural suburban area -- where we could be on an acre or two of ground but have neighbors within walking distance. Enough room that they can party to their hearts content and I don't have to hear it.

[Sandpointian]

We did....from the Peninsula to Northern Idaho. Zero regrets. Even the schools are better...no not in terms of standardized tests, but in terms of education. Partial home schooling combined with good schooling, time to think, more native English speakers, and an environment that provides a natural laboratory to learn about nature and the sports of nature has been wonderful. Schooling the SFBA has become "Asiafied," with massive time spent on the game of schooling rather than education...no thanks. I mean this not racially (an aspect of the BA I love) but in terms of the nature of schooling. Anyone who has lived in Asia will understand.

Life here is slower and cheaper and most importantly of higher value/bang for buck. More community. More neighborliness. Quiet and contemplative.

The SFBA will always have a special place in my heart, but each time I go back to a visit, it gets more depressing as to how its soul has been robbed. I think I was amongst the last generations to enjoy the SF Peninsula with one working parent and one at home. The same generation where oone could easily save beyond housing payments.

Final comments...prices? Wow...San Bruno, one of the more miserable places I know, with houses $800K+. LOL! Further down the Peninsula, $1.2 to $1.5m to start with schools that are only mediocre. Geeez, after all this liquidity, with inflation bound to rise. imagine the payments with 7.5% mortgages? And with such high taxes? Crazy...the house of cards has only begun to fall.