Budget aside, most convenient community to buy in in Bay Area (San Francisco: rent, neighborhoods)

[anomeric]

Hi all,

My husband and I are relocating to the bay area for work. My field (biotech) is fairly volatile, and the likelihood that I will have to change companies multiple times during my career is fairly high, especially early in my career. Fortunately, the bay area is obviously a hot spot for biotech, so if I were to get laid off, I can likely find something else within the area.

We're fortunate to be in a position where we can afford to buy in most areas around the bay, so we would obviously prefer to buy over rent. That said, I'm nervous that if we buy in SF, and I end up getting laid off and get a job in south bay, that the commute will be too much.

With that in mind, I was wondering, if budget is not a factor in your decision, is there a community that you all feel would be worth buying in that is 'convenient' for commuting to most areas of the bay area for work. I'd ideally like to avoid getting in a situation where we've bought a home, and I get stuck with a 4 hour commute each day (because even though the bay area is a hotspot for biotech, it's still slim pickings). Or is this just unrealistic, and a reality of the bay area is dealing with awful commutes?

Thanks for the help!

[MountainHi]

It sounds like you currently have a job lined up in SF. You could look somewhere on the Peninsula, which is served by a train line going to SF. Then, if you have to switch employers, you'll be conveniently located to the south Bay as well. And if you choose a community near a bridge (Palo Alto, for example, or Menlo Park, or San Mateo), you'll be well-located to commute to the East Bay, as well.

[jade408]

Nowhere is really that convenient to everywhere. Lots of traffic in all directions. It is best to be near BART and Caltrain.

But most biotech is in the south SF area. I'd pick the middle of the peninsula (I.e. San Mateo). San Mateo is only about 4 miles from Millbrae BART and has better weather than Millbrae. It is a fairly easy bike ride if you don't mind busy intersections. And parking at that station is a lot easier than most. Otherwise try Fremont. But you'd need to drive to commute to the South Bay / Peninsula. It is fairly central.

North of Fremont means a terrible commute to anywhere in the South Bay or peninsula. Basically anywhere else is a sucky commute to all points south. But maybe good for SF. You'll prefer a transit commute when possible. Traffic can suck in all directions. But Caltrain can also be quite annoying. BART is best for commuting to SF.

But I don't think it is a great moment to buy either. Seems like there is some market softening happening now. Unless you are in it for the longer haul.

It also depends on what sort of home/neighborhood you want.

[silverkris]

Originally Posted by jade408

Nowhere is really that convenient to everywhere. Lots of traffic in all directions. It is best to be near BART and Caltrain.

But most biotech is in the south SF area. I'd pick the middle of the peninsula (I.e. San Mateo). San Mateo is only about 4 miles from Millbrae BART and has better weather than Millbrae. It is a fairly easy bike ride if you don't mind busy intersections. And parking at that station is a lot easier than most. Otherwise try Fremont. But you'd need to drive to commute to the South Bay / Peninsula. It is fairly central.

North of Fremont means a terrible commute to anywhere in the South Bay or peninsula. Basically anywhere else is a sucky commute to all points south. But maybe good for SF. You'll prefer a transit commute when possible. Traffic can suck in all directions. But Caltrain can also be quite annoying. BART is best for commuting to SF.

But I don't think it is a great moment to buy either. Seems like there is some market softening happening now. Unless you are in it for the longer haul.

It also depends on what sort of home/neighborhood you want.

Agree.

If you're in biotech, San Mateo County is the center of it all. Genentech is in SSF and Gilead Sciences in Foster City. San Mateo is probably a good starting point - and you could venture either north or south of that, depending on your tastes and budget.

[anomeric]

Thank you all for the help. San Mateo was something that stuck out as being central, but I wasn't sure just looking at a map. In terms of community is San Mateo county a cool area to live in? Obviously, I'm sure it's more suburban, and I know it is fairly expensive. My husband would prefer San Francisco, but neither of us knows much about San Mateo really.

[MountainHi]

Originally Posted by anomeric

Thank you all for the help. San Mateo was something that stuck out as being central, but I wasn't sure just looking at a map. In terms of community is San Mateo county a cool area to live in? Obviously, I'm sure it's more suburban, and I know it is fairly expensive. My husband would prefer San Francisco, but neither of us knows much about San Mateo really.

Is your husband not on the same page as you, in terms of trying to find a central location that would allow you to commute to the south Bay, if necessary? If your job in SF didn't work out long-term, commuting to the south Bay from SF would be miserable. If he doesn't support you in your needs, you two should rent for a few years in SF, and then move when you have to make a job change.

[anomeric]

Originally Posted by MountainHi

Is your husband not on the same page as you, in terms of trying to find a central location that would allow you to commute to the south Bay, if necessary? If your job in SF didn't work out long-term, commuting to the south Bay from SF would be miserable. If he doesn't support you in your needs, you two should rent for a few years in SF, and then move when you have to make a job change.

Yeah, it's definitely an area of contention, but sorta understandable. He's always moved with me for grad school and postdoc work, and he's ready to settle down in a place he actually wants to live in. He's always wanted to move to SF, and doesn't want to buy in a place outside of SF just to be close to a hypothetical job change that I could have in the future. He's open to other areas outside of SF, but it depends on if he likes to neighborhood/city. The problem is, he's only familiar with SF and Berkeley area, and hasn't explored south of SF at all, which we'll do when we start visiting properties more. To me, it doesn't seem like living closer to south bay wouldn't be that big of deal since it's still easy to get to SF, but maybe it is? I'm less drawn to SF than him, obviously, haha.

[WanderingFar]

San Mateo is about as far south as I'd want to be if I were commuting to San Francisco. As far as the vibe, it's cute and family-oriented and it's not the city. That said, the weather is usually a touch warmer (it's below the fog belt), which is good if you're into outdoor activities.

You could also look in some of the southern San Francisco neighborhoods like Glen Park and Bernal Heights, which are close to the freeway. It's not a great commute to the South Bay, but plenty of people do it.

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

If the Caltrain schedules would work for you, it's a much nicer ride than BART. BART is just noisier and dirtier and more crowded.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by anomeric

Yeah, it's definitely an area of contention, but sorta understandable. He's always moved with me for grad school and postdoc work, and he's ready to settle down in a place he actually wants to live in. He's always wanted to move to SF, and doesn't want to buy in a place outside of SF just to be close to a hypothetical job change that I could have in the future. He's open to other areas outside of SF, but it depends on if he likes to neighborhood/city. The problem is, he's only familiar with SF and Berkeley area, and hasn't explored south of SF at all, which we'll do when we start visiting properties more. To me, it doesn't seem like living closer to south bay wouldn't be that big of deal since it's still easy to get to SF, but maybe it is? I'm less drawn to SF than him, obviously, haha.

SF is very urban and noisy, like NYC. There are quiet pockets here and there, but it's more like NYC. You also get a lot less space for your $$ than most other places. It also depends on where in town you want to be: close to work, or out in the farther reaches of town, where it's a slight notch less expensive and there are some nice buildings and cool neighborhoods, closer to the beach?

It's good that he's open to at least checking out other areas. Menlo Park is very nice and walkable, great little downtown, small-town feel. Palo Alto is beautiful. and I'm not familiar with San Mateo. Give yourself time to drive around those places to get a feel for them, and look at a few properties.

Do you have a job nailed down in SF? That's the crux of the matter.