moving to benicia from texas for 6 months ... any advice? (relocating, houses)

[dakotaschic]

My husband and I are relocating to Benicia for 6 months in May. We've never lived outside of Texas. From what I've read Benicia is a nice area. How are rental prices there? Rental prices in the Dallas metro area are 700.00 for a large 1 bedroom. Is it true that we'll be paying double that to find something decent in CA? Also, any suggestions on what areas to avoid? Any other advice is greatly appreciated.

[rthathorn]

Benicia is a really nice, quiet town. Perfect for raising kids. I'd avoid the far east side of town if at all possible, although there are some nice parts over there. The city is divided into roughly 3 parts, the east and west sides are divided by First Street, in the heart of downtown Benicia. Streets east and west of First are East 2nd, East 3rd, etc. and West 2nd, West 3rd, etc. You can't go wrong on the west side, which is the newer part of the city, or in the Southampton area, which is even newer. The further West you go, however, the higher the prices. For a one bedroom, you should expect to pay somewhere in the range of 1000-1200. I currently rent a nice 3 bedroom townhouse (1600 sq. ft) in West Benicia for $1600. HOpe this helps. Good luck.

[Alisande]

Originally Posted by dakotaschic

My husband and I are relocating to Benicia for 6 months in May. We've never lived outside of Texas. From what I've read Benicia is a nice area. How are rental prices there? Rental prices in the Dallas metro area are 700.00 for a large 1 bedroom. Is it true that we'll be paying double that to find something decent in CA? Also, any suggestions on what areas to avoid? Any other advice is greatly appreciated.

I love Benicia, there is a new community called Watersend I think the builder was Shea Homes. Houses start in the 800's. There are some smaller ones by another builder that are less. There are some nicer condo's near the marina but they are on the high end of the rent scale. Not sure about other apartments. You can probably rent a decent house in the smaller/older neighborhoods and it has a good school system.