From Chicago to Oakland - advice needed please! (Vallejo, Berkeley: sale, rent)

[ladoodle]

Originally Posted by ccm123

You would definitely want to stay in the inner East Bay cities: parts of Oakland itself, San Leandro, Castro Valley, Newark, etc.

Heavy commuting will affect your life in a negative way here.

We will definitely look into Castro Valley and the neighboring areas. Right now, the finance is driving 50 miles one way to work and his commute time is anywhere from 1.5 hrs to 2 hrs depending on time of day...does this compare to what we'd be looking at out there? From what he understands, his hours will be off peak, and the company actually tries to work the shifts around the peak times (they are rotating shifts), but we want to be smart about our choice as we know how a long commute is miserable.

Also, thanks everyone for the helpful words of advice!!

[ccm123]

50 miles commuting during peak periods can be 1.5-2 hours, yes. It can even be more, depending on traffic conditions. Live as close as possible to preserve your quality of life.

[04kL4nD]

I echo what people have said about Alameda. Great location, weather, safe, 15 mins from Oakland and SF. Finding a 2BR house on the budget might be trickier than Castro Valley, but overall, it's a better location. I love Oakland to death, but rents have gotten out of control, so you'd really have to do your homework on finding a suitable neighborhood. $2500 is close to the average 1BR these days. You could check out Lake Merritt (Grand Lake, Cleveland Heights), Dimond, Laurel, Temescal, but I don't think you'd find much in your price range.

Honestly, you don't want to live 50 miles from Oakland and commute. The Bay Area is a great place to live, but the traffic has gotten horrendous. To actually enjoy living here and paying such insane costs, it just doesn't make sense to live far away and not take advantage of what the immediate Oakland/SF/Berkeley area have to offer.

[Chuck5000]

I think you are going to need to spend at least 3k per month on rent, maybe more depending on your standards. California apartments and homes are smaller than what you're probably used to. You didnt' say how much square footage you need. For 2000 here you'll get a small 1 bedroom. Do you really want to live with your family in that for an extended period of time?

[RosieSD]

Negotiate a higher salary so you can afford to live in a decent sized house closer to work.

Don't move otherwise.

[ladoodle]

We realize that homes within our price range are going to be significantly smaller than what we are used to. We are actually looking to downsize a bit...the home we have here is too much space for just the three of us (1800 sq ft). Cutting that in half is ok by us! I think we have a realistic idea of the housing market and the insane prices for the Bay Area...we have two months before the move, plus up to three months of temp housing paid by his company, so I am working on staying positive and doing the research needed to find us the right place. It is so helpful to hear everyone's suggestions..keep them coming please!

[NorCalLover]

I'm also a transplant from the Chicago area to the Bay area. You'll LOVE the weather here! Traffic is not quite as bad as Chicago but still challenging - you definitely want to try to stay closer to work.

The Oakland airport is in the south part of town, bordering San Leandro. It's not a great area, and most likely the parts of Oakland that are safe and have decent elementary schools will be out of budget. I'd recommend Castro Valley, followed by Alameda, for a shorter commute, lower priced housing, and good schools. San Leandro will also work if you can't find something in those cities, although the schools are not as good. Other places you could look into are Fremont and Walnut Creek, however the commute will be longer from those cities. Also maybe Pinole and El Sobrante, since your husband is working off peak hours.

If you see something you'd like in your price range, be prepared to jump on it immediately. Rentals go fast here. You'll have an easier time finding something if you're willing to look at a compromise between a house and apartment, such as a duplex, as standalone houses are more expensive.

[ladoodle]

Thoughts on Vallejo? Seeing many homes in our price range or lower, but my mind instantly equates this with it being not a super great place to live...

[04kL4nD]

It's not. Keep looking.

[ladoodle]

Having a challenging morning over here! We are ready for this next step of our life, but this move is taking us away from my family and I'm pretty emotional about that. We have been talking about moving to the west coast for a couple years, and now we are in a position to do so...he will work for a good company, they are paying for all relocation costs, our daughter is only 3 and we won't be disrupting school or anything. I'm just a little freaked out about leaving my family (I've always lived within a few miles of my mom...and I'm 39!). People do this all the time, right? Yikes.