Bay Area vs. DC - Need Your Help! (San Jose, Oakland: apartment, condo)

[silverkris]

Originally Posted by Blitz2014

Awesome, thanks!

So of these 6 areas, which would be the 3 "nicest"?

Maybe the question to ask yourself - again, what can I afford to buy here? What's your budget? Then we can talk about how nice those places are.

Lafayette, Moraga, Orinda - median home price is around $1.5m, for example.

[tstieber]

Originally Posted by Blitz2014

Awesome, thanks!

So of these 6 areas, which would be the 3 "nicest"?

I'd rank Piedmont as #1 - old money, beautiful historic homes, leafy streets, very traditional looking as opposed to newer suburbia. Location closer to Berkeley, Oakland, and SF for city life, and bayside location keeps it a bit milder in summer.

I'd rank Danville #2 for it's quaint downtown and ranchy atmosphere (although it has tract suburbs too). Beautiful setting. But it's the least diverse -- very white -- and it's hot in summer.

Lafayette/Moraga/Orinda ("Lamorinda") would fall in #3 for me.

[Blitz2014]

Originally Posted by tstieber

I'd rank Piedmont as #1 - old money, beautiful historic homes, leafy streets, very traditional looking as opposed to newer suburbia. Location closer to Berkeley, Oakland, and SF for city life, and bayside location keeps it a bit milder in summer.

I'd rank Danville #2 for it's quaint downtown and ranchy atmosphere (although it has tract suburbs too). Beautiful setting. But it's the least diverse -- very white -- and it's hot in summer.

Lafayette/Moraga/Orinda ("Lamorinda") would fall in #3 for me.

So for Piedmont and Danville, whats the average for 3500 sq ft, 4 bdr home? $2 million?

I'll cross check with zillow

[likealady]

The real question is what is your career field for both you and your girlfriend?

One big con: homeless population and encampments.
Another con: too many people, creates lines and crowding for everything

[likealady]

Originally Posted by tstieber

I'd rank Piedmont as #1 - old money, beautiful historic homes, leafy streets, very traditional looking as opposed to newer suburbia. Location closer to Berkeley, Oakland, and SF for city life, and bayside location keeps it a bit milder in summer.

I'd rank Danville #2 for it's quaint downtown and ranchy atmosphere (although it has tract suburbs too). Beautiful setting. But it's the least diverse -- very white -- and it's hot in summer.

Lafayette/Moraga/Orinda ("Lamorinda") would fall in #3 for me.

These are places you settle down in when you want the best schools for your children. I don't think these are the best spots for a young couple who like living in urban environments. Someplace like Walnut Creek or Berkeley is better suited for them at this stage of life.

[CirclingLogan]

Originally Posted by Blitz2014

So for Piedmont and Danville, whats the average for 3500 sq ft, 4 bdr home? $2 million?

I'll cross check with zillow

$2-$3 million in Piedmont.

Look at Oakland neighborhoods near Piedmont. Crocker higjlands, Trestle Glenn, Montclair, Rockridge. A slight discount, but all quite upscale.

[jade408]

NYC and DC metros have a lot more housing options at more price ranges. In the Bay your options are expensive and convenient, expensive and old, expensive and crappy, and somewhat moderate and really remote. Nice is really really expensive. Nice and convenient do not always go hand in hand.

[tstieber]

Originally Posted by likealady

These are places you settle down in when you want the best schools for your children. I don't think these are the best spots for a young couple who like living in urban environments. Someplace like Walnut Creek or Berkeley is better suited for them at this stage of life.

I agree with that , was just answering a very specific question about a specific list of cities that OP provided. out of that list, I would say those are the nicest and the most upscale of the neighborhoods. I do think Piedmont is very close to Urban amenities compared to the other neighborhoods, and Danville is reasonably close to Walnut Creek, like 10 minutes. But it's not a bustling Urban walkable lifestyle for sure.

[tstieber]

Originally Posted by CirclingLogan

$2-$3 million in Piedmont.

Look at Oakland neighborhoods near Piedmont. Crocker higjlands, Trestle Glenn, Montclair, Rockridge. A slight discount, but all quite upscale.

I want to second that! These are all great neighborhoods with a similar feel but not quite as Grand. I particularly love Crocker Highlands, which has some gorgeous houses with that same leafy, established neighborhood feel. Trestle Glen would be another notch down from that. Montclair has a quaint and walkable Village of shops and restaurants that feels almost like you are in the mountains, and the highway, Highway 13, which runs alongside it, is the only Highway I've seen in California that has that wooded East Coast feel where you are surrounded by Forest on both sides (albeit non native, planted forest). There's another awesome neighborhood in Oakland, on the south side of Highway 13, west of Park Boulevard, and just south of Montclair, that I can't remember the name of for some reason. Beautiful neighborhood, old and established. Also check that out. Rockridge is a great neighborhood with a nice District of shops and restaurants that might be a little reminiscence of Adams Morgan or parts of Charleston SC. There are walkable neighborhoods, mostly with arts and crafts style houses, closer together than some of the other neighborhoods, and pretty expensive per square foot because of the location. But also with a unique atmosphere. You can also check out upper Rockridge which is on the Northside of Broadway, less walkable to shops, but also with beautiful homes at somewhat decent values compared to Piedmont for example.

While we're at it, also check out the Claremont neighborhood, which features beautiful old homes not far from The Claremont Hotel. Very convenient to the freeways as well as shopping and restaurants. Truly lots of wonderful neighborhoods on the Bay Side of the East Bay, close to the hills.

Walnut Creek is a really great small city with a really bustling and vibrant downtown, lots of condos being built, tons of restaurants and shopping, great amenities, and in my opinion, nicer weather than on the Bayside of the hills because of the Hills blocking the fog and cool weather. Way more of that California sunshine and warmth. But the housing stock is generally more post-war tracks. There are pockets of prestigious and expensive homes if you're looking for them though, so just put in your preferred price range and square footage, and you'll see you'll get more for the money out there. Considering it was good enough for Steph Curry to live in his Mansion for a while, then you can expect some quality homes as well.

[butercup]

One thing, OP - 3500 SF is a HUGE home out here - I'm not as familiar with the farther east bay, but I'd say 2000-2500 SF is more typical for a 4 BR house, and these prices you are being quoted casually here are likely for a more normal-sized bay area home.