Relocating to San Rafael area (Richmond, Petaluma: for sale, real estate, houses)

[kmallen]

My husband was offered a job in San Rafael and we are thinking about relocating to that area. We would like to buy a house but it seems that san rafael is too expensive. We are thinking more around 500,000 for a house with 3 bedrooms and at least 2 baths somewhere around 1500-2000 square feet. Does anybody have any suggestions where to look where my husband will have somewhere around a 30 min commute? We were looking across the richmond bridge but it sounds like the area is not good. Also we looked in Petaluma but the commute can be around an hour in traffic.

Thanks for any help or advice.

[sonarrat]

Just with a cursory look at the MLS - check out 1300 Chase Street, Novato. It has been on the market for 2 months and the market is really weak, so they might be willing to go further down from their $500K pricepoint.

[SergeantL]

Marin County and its cities are very expensive. I am not sure whether it is still true, but Marin County was once the most affluent county in the United States. You will have a very difficult time finding what you are looking for in Marin. Even with the current housing dump, lowered prices in Marin are still over 500K.

I know Petaluma is probably further than you want to drive, but in my opinion, it is the only place you will have any luck finding the house and price you desire. If you are willing to add another seven miles to your commute, Rohnert Park is another possibility and will have an even larger selection.

Marin and its cities have what I consider a nasty and very un-neighborly habit of luring businesses to fatten public coffers through sales taxes while at the same time discouraging housing. This leaves the burden of housing Marin’s workforce primarily on Sonoma County and Contra Costa County to a lesser extent. In short, Marin receives all the benefits but endures none of the burdens.

[DowNout]

I commute to San Rafael from Petaluma, and it is only 30 minutes for me most days. 20 minutes on Fridays.

[summitlover]

I lived in San Rafael and in Novato during my childhood and teen years. It is an absolutely beautiful place to live that is rich in culture as well as nature. You might try the Terra Linda area which is a little suburb/community of San Rafael. There are other little communities just over the hill from San Rafael. Also, there is Lucas Valley that is really nice and Novato as someone else has suggested. There is an area in Blackpoint that is just east of Novato that is less expensive than Novato, when I was there a couple of years ago they were cleaning up that area and putting in nice homes. The further you go north of San Rafael is going to be more reasonable. Petaluma and Rohnert Park are nice towns but it will be a bit of a drive into downtown San Rafael.

Marin County is a great place to live if you can afford it.

[joebarb]

30 minutes from Petaluma to San Rafael? This is a little unbelievable unless you are hitting the carpool lane between 6:30 & 8:30. I live off the Rowland Blvd. exit in Novato and can't get to San Rafael in 30 minutes on your average weekday morning. I work in Sausalito and it takes approx. 55 minutes to an hour(sometimes more) driving legally. And the highway opens up after San Rafael. But if you want to pay 500K for a house, you will have no choice but to move further North.
There are some places in Point Richmond that may be a little less expensive. Don't confuse Point Richmond with Richmond, two different worlds.

[tennis368fan]

Perhaps you could consider American Canyon. Google Maps says that it is a 32 minute commute. I don't know if you will have children, but the high schools are probably rated a little less than the best in Marin County. Homes cost considerably less, so much so that you could buy your described home at $300,000. For $500,000, you can buy a really nice home in American Canyon.

School Performance Ratings

DataQuest (CA Dept of Education) - California Department of Education's Dataquest
GreatSchools.net - GreatSchools.net. Type "American Canyon" and choose California to see school reviews
REALTOR.com - Real Estate Listings & Homes For Sale and ZipRealty Real Estate -- Homes for sale and local real estate agents - Helps you search for your home. Ziprealty.com requires registration for use.

[vicfisher]

Hi,

I wouldn't give up on San Rafael so easliy. I just did a quick search on the MLS for single family homes in San Rafael that are 3 bedrooms and 2 baths. I came up with 10 homes of which 6 are in contract and 4 are still available. I also think that there will be a lot of inventory coming on the market this year which should lead to further price softening. Please have a look at my website www.MarinHomeSale.com and you can search for yourself, or contact me if you would like some help.

Best regards, Victor

[G Grasshopper]

I agree that you might find something in Novato or Marinwood. Houses in the $500 range are not the norm, but they are a few out there. I would be hesitant to buy into the commute from Petaluma. There are improvements being made on the freeway (in the central San Rafael area) that might help the commute, but I imagine that won't last long, and we will be back to the crawl in a few years. So I would try really hard not to get too far away. For beauty and availability of open space, you really can't beat Marin.