Relocating and Househunting (Sacramento, Orange, Vallejo: new home, neighborhood, buying)

[AnythingOutdoors]

OP, the above post from capoeira contains a wealth of great info.

Petaluma is a wonderful town, but unless you are mostly/all full-time remote work I would seriously reconsider this as a regular commute. In ideal conditions it's minimum 45 minutes. During rush hour, inclement weather (when it actually rains), or if there's an accident or construction, it's more like 60-90 minutes. You may like driving, but how do you feel about sitting in stop-and-go traffic? Gas is expensive in CA. Then, for all the added commute time and spending on gas, you get to pay a lot more for housing. I don't get it.

You have the option to live for less near where you work, avoid an awful commute, and still have the greater Bay Area to explore and enjoy during your off hours.

Consider this perfectly nice house near Cordelia. Good schools. Great price below your budget. Walking/biking paths right out your backdoor. Kayaking and more hiking a few minutes away at Grizzly Island. Easy low stress ~10 min commute to Fairfield saves time and money. Instead of sitting in traffic for ~2hrs/day commuting from Petaluma, you could be home in 10 minutes and squeeze in an afternoon kayaking session or hike. I get that Fairfield isn't exciting, but it has everything you need, and there's a logic to living day in and day out in a place that's not overrun with tourists. Then, on weekends, you can head to Petaluma or Napa, or SF, or pretty much anywhere in the North/East Bay. This also puts you in easier reach of Tahoe. The best part: since you're spending less on commuting and housing, you'll have more money to enjoy the area.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by AnythingOutdoors

OP, the above post from capoeira contains a wealth of great info.

Petaluma is a wonderful town, but unless you are mostly/all full-time remote work I would seriously reconsider this as a regular commute. In ideal conditions it's minimum 45 minutes. During rush hour, inclement weather (when it actually rains), or if there's an accident or construction, it's more like 60-90 minutes. You may like driving, but how do you feel about sitting in stop-and-go traffic? Gas is expensive in CA. Then, for all the added commute time and spending on gas, you get to pay a lot more for housing. I don't get it.

You have the option to live for less near where you work, avoid an awful commute, and still have the greater Bay Area to explore and enjoy during your off hours.

Consider this perfectly nice house near Cordelia. Good schools. Great price below your budget. Walking/biking paths right out your backdoor. Kayaking and more hiking a few minutes away at Grizzly Island. Easy low stress ~10 min commute to Fairfield saves time and money. Instead of sitting in traffic for ~2hrs/day commuting from Petaluma, you could be home in 10 minutes and squeeze in an afternoon kayaking session or hike. I get that Fairfield isn't exciting, but it has everything you need, and there's a logic to living day in and day out in a place that's not overrun with tourists. Then, on weekends, you can head to Petaluma or Napa, or SF, or pretty much anywhere in the North/East Bay. This also puts you in easier reach of Tahoe. The best part: since you're spending less on commuting and housing, you'll have more money to enjoy the area.

If you don't mind my saying so, that looks like a neighborhood developed by a REIT. (Very small lot.) But the advantage of that property is, that it's surrounded in back on on one side by open space that won't be built on.

This is a good alternative for the OP. Thanks for a thoughtful post. Ditto to capoeira. Now we're really getting down to some nitty-gritty info for the OP.

[sav858]

Originally Posted by capoeira

The alternate routes from Petaluma to Fairfield like Lakeville Hwy and Route 116 are even worse.

Lakeville Highway is so much quicker than taking 37 all the way to 101. I've been going between Mendocino County and Contra Costa County for over 30 years and have never taken 37 all the way to 101.

[Lalato]

Others have mentioned it, but I don't know if OP has really looked there. Martinez sounds like the perfect spot for this particular case. Relatively affordable with easy access to the Bay itself. And the big bonus is the Capitol Corridor train which gives some extra options for both commuting and exploring the Bay Area (though I realize OP says they enjoy driving).

Capitol Corridor also has a station in Fairfield (though no clue how close that is to OP's job).

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by Lalato

Others have mentioned it, but I don't know if OP has really looked there. Martinez sounds like the perfect spot for this particular case. Relatively affordable with easy access to the Bay itself. And the big bonus is the Capitol Corridor train which gives some extra options for both commuting and exploring the Bay Area (though I realize OP says they enjoy driving).

Capitol Corridor also has a station in Fairfield (though no clue how close that is to OP's job).

Great idea to have public transit as an option!

[pathrunner]

Originally Posted by sav858

Lakeville Highway is so much quicker than taking 37 all the way to 101. I've been going between Mendocino County and Contra Costa County for over 30 years and have never taken 37 all the way to 101.

OT, I used to live in Marin County for several years. Did they ever finally fix Hwy 37 which was an absolute suicide mission to drive on? As in, people killed in accidents on there all the time. Also, I saw the flooding photos. I think Petaluma is out, except that it would only be 2-3 times a week, so maybe doable if the OP can swing it price wise (she originally said it's probably out of her price range).

PS What's wrong with Dixon? 21 or 22 miles, two ways to get there, surface streets if the I-80 is messed up.

[sav858]

Originally Posted by pathrunner

OT, I used to live in Marin County for several years. Did they ever finally fix Hwy 37 which was an absolute suicide mission to drive on? As in, people killed in accidents on there all the time. Also, I saw the flooding photos. I think Petaluma is out, except that it would only be 2-3 times a week, so maybe doable if the OP can swing it price wise (she originally said it's probably out of her price range).

PS What's wrong with Dixon? 21 or 22 miles, two ways to get there, surface streets if the I-80 is messed up.

37 has had a median barrier on the causeway part for decades now, when was the last time you were on? But yeah back in the day it was bad.

[RedWolf6450]

Originally Posted by davdaven

Good school districts aren't a Bay Area specialty unless you pay a hefty premium. Everything around here gains value, even in the worst imaginable school districts, so I wouldn't sweat that too much for future resale value. My house is worth about 30% more now than when I bought it 3 years ago, and that's with 1/10 rated schools.

Obvious choice is Benicia if you can afford it. Smaller homes should just barely meet your max budget, but listings are few and far between at the moment. If not there, you might be able to get something similar in Martinez. Benicia is nicer than Martinez but both are more appealing (i.e., less cookie cutter) than many of the alternatives (American Canyon, Antioch, Fairfield, Vacaville, etc.). If you are open to a slightly longer reverse commute, consider something around the downtown area of Pinole or the new development on the west side of Hercules (west of the 80/4 interchange).

If cookie cutter is OK with you, then there's nothing really wrong with Fairfield or Vacaville if you stick to the nicer neighborhoods. However, these areas are not where you would mingle with other singles but rather would be where you move 9 months after getting extra mingly.

I just wanted to double down on the recommendation for Benicia. There is a unique balance of schools, natural beauty and character (especially downtown homes), that simply cannot be found in other parts of the Bay Area for the price. There is a definite progressive community and a very active arts community. It is a definite east bay gem. The only comparison is Martinez and Petaluma culturally - Benicia has a bit of both.

For folks that are concerned about the refinery in Benicia - thank you! There is a growing contingent of environmental activists - fighting for environmental justice in the Bay Area. The town of Benicia recently invested in one of the worlds most advanced community air monitoring equipment/programs - it will be used as a model for other Bay Area towns. There is an excess of air monitoring and activism forcing stricter regulation from nearby refineries. The air quality is better on an aggregate than many parts of the Bay Area - Oakland, Richmond, etc. See CalEnviroScreen 4.0 information on the OEHHA website.* https://oehha.ca.gov/calenviroscreen...nviroscreen-40

On aggregate, the air quality in Benicia is actually quite good when you look at the data - especially if you do not live in fence line communities. The important part is that there is a growing population of Benician's that are fighting Valero Refinery.

[mattja]

Originally Posted by sav858

37 has had a median barrier on the causeway part for decades now, when was the last time you were on? But yeah back in the day it was bad.

The last time I drove 37 there was no barrier. Of course, that was 1986.

I see they are finally putting up barrier along 12. I hate that road. It's like death roulette. There have been some horrible accidents on 12.

[mattja]

Originally Posted by RedWolf6450

The important part is that there is a growing population of Benician's that are fighting Valero Refinery.

Wishful thinking. That refinery producing gasoline for the Bay Area and California. It's needed and its loss would affect every Californian.

How long have you been in the Bay Area? California?