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Old 06-27-2018, 05:51 PM
 
Location: Oakland, CA
227 posts, read 538,409 times
Reputation: 208

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Quote:
Originally Posted by jloaklife View Post
Just a second question not sure if appropriate for the forum but if you were thinking of having kids would you prioritize a yard? or proximity to your job and parents (for backup child care)? I figure some of you folks have been parents and have some good advice on that.
Most important to me is proximity to my job. With kids, especially once they're in school, it's ideal to have close proximity to their school so you can stay extra time in the mornings or pop-in to see an assembly and then head back into work. And traffic is so bad in the Bay Area, the further you are from your kids daycare/school, the earlier you have to factor in work for pick-up/drop-off. I factor in 45 minutes in the evening to ensure I get to the after-school program in time (and I live and work in Oakland). If your parents are mobile and fairly close (like within the Bay Area), one or the other driving to/from your house for babysitting (especially if you know in advance) is actually doable. A yard is third place for me. We have a small yard in Oakland, but we still spent a lot of time at parks. There are more kids to interact with, and more activities to engage in at the park than in our back/front yard.
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Old 06-27-2018, 06:58 PM
 
24 posts, read 26,549 times
Reputation: 15
Quote:
Originally Posted by Shelacious View Post
Most important to me is proximity to my job. With kids, especially once they're in school, it's ideal to have close proximity to their school so you can stay extra time in the mornings or pop-in to see an assembly and then head back into work. And traffic is so bad in the Bay Area, the further you are from your kids daycare/school, the earlier you have to factor in work for pick-up/drop-off. I factor in 45 minutes in the evening to ensure I get to the after-school program in time (and I live and work in Oakland). If your parents are mobile and fairly close (like within the Bay Area), one or the other driving to/from your house for babysitting (especially if you know in advance) is actually doable. A yard is third place for me. We have a small yard in Oakland, but we still spent a lot of time at parks. There are more kids to interact with, and more activities to engage in at the park than in our back/front yard.
Good Info!
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Old 06-28-2018, 07:28 AM
 
63 posts, read 54,042 times
Reputation: 63
Dublin Mayor Calls For Halt On Housing Growth

Mayor Haubert questions if the city's breakneck-speed development is good for the community and is asking for a "stop and pause." ...



https://patch.com/california/dublin/...housing-growth


Finally
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Old 06-28-2018, 07:34 PM
 
24 posts, read 26,549 times
Reputation: 15
Quote:
Originally Posted by jeopardyd View Post
Dublin Mayor Calls For Halt On Housing Growth

Mayor Haubert questions if the city's breakneck-speed development is good for the community and is asking for a "stop and pause." ...



https://patch.com/california/dublin/...housing-growth


Finally
Oh wow, does that mean the next phases of building new homes will not be going forward?
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Old 06-29-2018, 08:29 AM
 
3,463 posts, read 5,259,506 times
Reputation: 3205
As a longtime Emeryville resident over the years, I'd agree with your husband about safety along Mandela Parkway. It seems quiet but borders a very bad neighborhood with some gang violence. That doesn't mean your place will be broken into if it's secure, but it's not an ideal place for kids to play, for example. For that reason, plus commute and proximity to family, I'd stick to Dublin.

I do think the Hayward fault risk is also something to consider, but I don't think we'll see sea levels rising to the point of flooding in that area for centuries.
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Old 06-29-2018, 01:10 PM
 
Location: San Francisco, CA
1,386 posts, read 1,496,920 times
Reputation: 2431
I have two sets of friends who bought houses in this area in the past year.

Couple 1: Married, just had a kid a few months ago (post house purchase). One works in Concord, one works in Oakland. They bought in Castro Valley, a mile or so northwest of the BART station.

Couple 2: Married, no kid. One works in Pleasanton, one works in SF, but SF job is in flux. They bought in Livermore, several miles from BART obviously.

Both are happy with their decisions. I went to their housewarmings not too long ago, and both houses are standard 3bd/2ba with front and back yards. Nice, older properties in both cases, situated in established neighborhoods. Both locations are too suburban for my liking, but that's why I live in Berkeley and not over that way.

If there's an earthquake on the Hayward Fault, it won't matter if you are 5 feet or 5 miles from the fault line. It's going to suck either way. If you are worried about earthquakes, my sincere advice is that you move out of the Bay Area.
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Old 06-29-2018, 08:00 PM
 
24 posts, read 26,549 times
Reputation: 15
Quote:
Originally Posted by tstieber View Post
As a longtime Emeryville resident over the years, I'd agree with your husband about safety along Mandela Parkway. It seems quiet but borders a very bad neighborhood with some gang violence. That doesn't mean your place will be broken into if it's secure, but it's not an ideal place for kids to play, for example. For that reason, plus commute and proximity to family, I'd stick to Dublin.

I do think the Hayward fault risk is also something to consider, but I don't think we'll see sea levels rising to the point of flooding in that area for centuries.
Ok, thats good to know. I don't want to be overreacting but its good to hear from folks who live in the area. I've lived in Oakland a number of years and folks are so scared of it and I've never had bad experiences but I also have made sure to rent/buy in areas where there are a lot of pedestrian traffic and open businesses (restaurants/bars). That being said, folks are constantly trying to break into our building to perpetrate petty theft (packages, bicycles etc). They follow cars into the garage on foot, the try and pry open the door and they suspect one guy scaled a tall wall because they didn't have footage of him entering the building but he was found sleeping in the workout room. One person got physically assaulted for trying to confront a would be thief. My husband has been approached by strange people when he goes out for his early morning bicycle ride (the guy said nice bike I want it and my husband was like hahah funny and rode away. we're still not sure if the guy was serious but it left my husband weirded out).

We were just not sure what sorts of issues folks in other neighborhoods deal with. Ours is workable but definitely you have to keep your eyes open.
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Old 06-29-2018, 08:34 PM
 
24 posts, read 26,549 times
Reputation: 15
Quote:
Originally Posted by davdaven View Post

If there's an earthquake on the Hayward Fault, it won't matter if you are 5 feet or 5 miles from the fault line. It's going to suck either way. If you are worried about earthquakes, my sincere advice is that you move out of the Bay Area.
You're probably right. From bodily injury perspective I figure being in an earthquake is like being victim to a car accident or something else that just happens. If you worry about every injury that could befall you couldn't live a normal life so I don't worry about that so much.

That being said, I can't shake my financial concern about earthquakes. My husband is older than I am so we saw friends of his lose their homes and have their finances destroyed during the Great Recession and some of them still haven't recovered. I realize its different than an earthquake but just the idea that some crazy event can cause everything you worked hard for to go POOF is unnerving. I had a string of unpleasant jobs for almost a decade before landing this one and my husband and I were quite frugal. Getting to this point where we have a halfway decent nest egg was far from fun and I don't want to put it at unnecessary risk.

We talked about leaving the Bay Area many times but our family is here and right now I have a job that is going really well for me (Finally!)

Do you guys know anyone who has good experience buying a rental property somewhere outside the Bay Area and just renting here? I realize you'd put your nest egg at risk of market fluctuations but it seems like that is preferable to potentially having a house that is unlivable because of an earthquake and needs lots of repairs? Or am I overthinking the financial consequences of an earthquake? Most folks say earthquake insurance does not make financial sense or else getting insurance to calm my anxieties would obviously make sense.

For the record my husband and I are on the same page regarding wanting to protect our finances. We are neurotic together!
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Old 06-30-2018, 01:09 AM
 
63 posts, read 54,042 times
Reputation: 63
Quote:
Originally Posted by jloaklife View Post
Oh wow, does that mean the next phases of building new homes will not be going forward?

Who knows. It's possible after he gets re-elected later this year, it would be business as usual.
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Old 07-01-2018, 09:26 PM
 
Location: Formerly Pleasanton Ca, now in Marietta Ga
10,345 posts, read 8,561,064 times
Reputation: 16679
Quote:
Originally Posted by jeopardyd View Post
Dublin Mayor Calls For Halt On Housing Growth

Mayor Haubert questions if the city's breakneck-speed development is good for the community and is asking for a "stop and pause." ...



https://patch.com/california/dublin/...housing-growth


Finally
We'll see if that happens. The golden hills north of 580 are covered with ugly condos and subdivisions. Taffic is obnoxious.
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