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Old 10-27-2008, 01:21 AM
 
5 posts, read 11,770 times
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do not laugh... I'm sure they are out there.


My in-laws have transferred a large amount of money to my wife and myself to buy a house in America for them(they will move here in the next 5+ years). We will live there until they are able to move. Now, we are not going to buy tomorrow, but I need to start getting an idea of some place nice to live up there. I have been to the bay area many times. I mostly stayed in the downtown area. We reallllly like Petaluma when we were there a few years ago, but that may be a bit far to drive. East Bay, or the North Bay are what we were thinking. I’m open to just about anything. I know that living in anything nice in SF itself is out of the question.


I was wondering if anyone knows of some nice areas in the range of 400-600k. We are hoping to get a deal since we have cash, and the market is not what it was 2 years ago.
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Old 10-27-2008, 09:22 AM
 
Location: San Jose, CA
7,688 posts, read 29,052,085 times
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Cash is king right now. If you have that much money to plunk down, then you should look for a $700K property that's a short sale and make a lowball, all cash offer. How many bedrooms do you need? The big determinants in price are the location and the number of bedrooms.
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Old 10-27-2008, 06:41 PM
 
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Yea, I know that having this much cash is a once in a life time opportunity to move up, and get something better. Being that I'm from the central valley (where prices are a bit lower), I have grown accustomed to more room. However, I'm hoping that a 3 bed room 1600-1800 sqf is not out of reach. I would just like some place clean. I'm not looking for Piedmont, or the presidio heights area. I know they are too much. However, is there someplace just as nice for less? It is just that the Google street view of fredmont was scary. im looking for the nock-off brand... you know, someplace just as good without the lable markup.

Last edited by arslin; 10-27-2008 at 06:50 PM..
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Old 10-27-2008, 11:51 PM
 
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I meant Richmond, not Fredmont. I am looking at Alameda. It looks like a nice area. from the searches, not toOOO pricey (I feel insane saying that 500k is not pricey)
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Old 10-28-2008, 12:01 AM
 
Location: Sacramento, Ca
2,039 posts, read 3,267,436 times
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There are some nice places listed right now, I did a 1 minute search, and found this, and a ton of others(I am NOT associated with any realtors.)

Frank Howard Allen Realtors, Love where you live, Marin, Sonoma, Napa, and San Francisco Real Estat
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Old 10-28-2008, 03:03 AM
 
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thank you, but I am also doing searches... there are more than one can shake a stick at really. The thing is that I was hopping for some ideas of areas that I could look at while i am up there next month. I want to get a feel of more than just one home on a web site. I'm not buying right now. I want to really know a few neighborhoods/cities... really I am just asking for a few favorite spots in my price range.

thanks
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Old 10-28-2008, 10:45 AM
 
Location: San Jose, CA
7,688 posts, read 29,052,085 times
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Get yourself a nice place in the hills of Oakland with a good sized lot and a view.. something like 6311 Wood Dr.
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Old 10-28-2008, 02:58 PM
 
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Well, I hate to burst your bubble but the bay area market is one that seems to never go down. Depending on what your standard of living is you will most likely not be able to afford anything in Marin County in your price range. For 600k you may be able to find a town home but not likely a single family unless you did go up to Petaluma but even that is becoming over priced. East Bay is a good place look. I would strongly recommend calling an agent and have them start pulling listings for you in all areas. I would call an agent in Berkeley, Marin and S.F. and see what they come up with. Remember, and I hate saying this because my mom is a realestate agent but you don't have to use any of them in the long run. They will work for you! If you want to be nice you can tell them you're working with multiple agents in different areas so that they aren't totally pissed if you buy something from someone else.
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Old 10-28-2008, 07:51 PM
 
516 posts, read 1,335,148 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by arslin View Post
I know that living in anything nice in SF itself is out of the question.
Well...anything big in San Fran is out of the question, but there are some places out there (mostly in the Richmond and Sunset districts). Here are two examples:

Zephyr Real Estate : Real Estate Listing Information (http://www.zephyr-re.com/listingdetail.cfm?ID=7610 - broken link)

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/reb/894223727.html (broken link)

Last edited by Stacy From Cali; 10-28-2008 at 08:15 PM..
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Old 10-29-2008, 03:45 PM
 
226 posts, read 1,123,120 times
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I think you should pay attention to Castro Valley. For its distance to San Francisco and the quality of its schools, it is good deal considering your price range. Castro Valley also has a BART station, as well as transbay commuter bus lines to peninsula tech corporations and San Francisco. There is currently a 4 bedroom home in east Castro Valley in your price range (three bedrooms in the main house with one bedroom in the in-law unit).

Fremont has good schools as well, for the most part. Just stay away from Kennedy High and its feeder schools and you will be fine.

Parent Resource Information - Attendance Area (http://www.fremont.k12.ca.us/prg/2attendarea.html - broken link)

Fremont BART is the terminus for the Fremont line. There is currently a six-bedroom home in the American High School district for $500K.

Alameda is a good city as well, but pricier than Fremont and Castro Valley. Of course, it is right across the bay from San Francisco (you can see the Financial District from Alameda Point and South Shore). It is connected to San Francisco by commuter buses and ferries. The nearest BART stations are Lake Merritt and Fruitvale in Oakland, although Fruitvale has a lot more parking. Buses from Alameda connect you to BART stations in Oakland.

Dublin and Pleasanton are also connected by BART and have good schools as well. You can buy a 4 bedroom home in your price range in Dublin, though it will be harder in Pleasanton, probably because Pleasanton has better schools and is sought after by families.

API Scores for Alameda County (Out of 1000, 800 is proficient, but high schools scoring in the mid 700's are OKAY)
http://dq.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/AcntRpt2008/2008GrthAPICo.aspx?cYear=2007-08&cSelect=01,ALAMEDA

Depending on where you work, San Ramon, Danville, and Alamo are good cities, but they may be a bit of a drive. You will probably have better luck looking in San Ramon of the three, but there may be a rare few in Danville or Alamo.

I would also look at Walnut Creek and Pleasant Hill, both of which are on the BART line, but are less expensive than Lamorinda. With Walnut Creek, I would check to see where the home is zoned to for public schools and ensure that it is in the Northgate High attendance area if it is in the Mt. Diablo School District. As for Pleasant Hill, make sure the home is zoned to College Park High. All other schools at other grade levels that feed into these high schools should be good, but I would still double check for College Park High. Clayton is also a good city, but I would avoid the Silverwood Elementary/Pine Hollow Middle School attendance zone.

MDUSD::Schools : Find Your School (http://www.mdusd.k12.ca.us/mdusd/schoolfind.php - broken link)

Some parts of Walnut Creek are served by Walnut Creek Elementary School District and Acalanes Union High School District, both of which are top-notch, top-priced zones. However, in this market, you can try your luck to see if a home meeting your specifications comes onto the market. They may already be there, and I may have overlooked them.

API Scores for Contra Costa County (Out of 1000, 800 is proficient, but high schools scoring in the mid 700's are OKAY)
County List of Schools


You could also consider Albany, if you can find a home is at the right size and at the right price.

Probably if you wait a few months, you options will be greatly expanded. Looking into foreclosures will also expand your options.

Someone else should fill in on possible cities on the peninsula.
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