Moving from NY to Sunnyvale, Livermore, Castro Valley? confused? help (San Jose: best town, crime)

[sanz2007]

I've lived in the Bronx (great/safe residential area!) happily for 23yrs, but due to a family tragedy, I want my girls (11 & 6) to be & grow up closer to my family in case ever anything happens to us. My family lives in Fremont and San Jose area, but don't want to live NEXT DOOR to them since a little space sometimes is better, so I'm looking into Livermore, Castro Valley and my husband's fav: Sunnyvale. Incidentally, can't get an unbiased opining from my family since they want me to live next to them. I had a chance to drive around Sunnyvale last year and my family loved it. Here's my problem: I'm looking to buy a home for 500K since I don't want to have a huge mortgage to worry about, I've accumulated 350K in equity in my current home that I can put towards a downpymt and have an easy mortgage, but only if I move to one of the outer towns where the homes are more affordable, plus safety and great public schools are a must since the girls will be going to Public as opposed to private school which they currently attend. I have a great job in the garment import industry here so I guess it won't be a problem to find something similar over there, my hubby is terrified since he's had his (and only) job for 25yrs working for the city (tax property assessments) and it's kind of unique, but I'm confident he'll find something.
I've read so many threads about Livermore & Castro Valley that I'm totally confused now and don't know what to do, plus in reading I've found great reviews about San Carlos, Belmont & Foster City. Any input I can get on all of these?
Plus, does anyone know if you have to pay a buying commission? Here in NY you don't pay a commss if you're buying, only when you sell.
Also, if you have any comments regarding the job market for imports that would be great. Thanks in advance for all your help, must sound crazy to most reading this since I'm leaving a whole life behind w/no job yet but home is where your heart is and is definitely there where my family is.

[humboldtrat]

Originally Posted by sanz2007

I've read so many threads about Livermore & Castro Valley that I'm totally confused now and don't know what to do, plus in reading I've found great reviews about San Carlos, Belmont & Foster City. Any input I can get on all of these?

While they are nice and safe places, you'll find San Carlos, Belmont and Foster City to be a little more expensive than what you mentioned. A post World War II tract home on a small lot can run about $800K to $900K in San Carlos and Belmont.

You don't say where you're going to work, but I recommend you live as close to your job as possible. Gas is now $4/gal and commuting 30 or 50 miles round trip everyday can get expensive.

[LetsGoA's]

As long as you dont work south of fremont and north of oakland and anywhere west, youd be okay in livermore...this is hard though, with out a reference point of employment its hard to adequately direct you to an affordable suburb.

[sanz2007]

Yes, I understand it's hard to give advise on best town to live w/out the job reference. I haven't figured out the work part yet but I gues my main concer is to find out from any locals the best parts of town and schools for these 3 towns: Livermore, Castro Valley and Sunnyvale - since I don't want to make my decision where to live based on the job I'll have at the time. I'm planning to buy a house and live there for the rest of my life while the job might not be the same 2yrs from now - so the info on these 3 particular towns will be good enough. I keep reading great things about Castro Valley but now and them someone says the crime is high there. Then everybody says great things about Livermore and then that gangs are starting to be a problem and the heat is unbereable in the summer. Then Sunnyvale is absolutely great, great schools, but there is also gang issues if you go this way or that way. So that's the part that has me going back and forth.

THANKS for any responses and input!

[humboldtrat]

Out of the three places you mentioned, I would lean towards Sunnyvale. Livermore does get hot during the summer. As for the gang issues, it's not really noticeable in any of those three places (although it's bad in Richmond and Oakland). Sure, crime happens once in a while, but that's true in any place.

Sunnyvale, along with nearby Mountain View, are nice middle class suburban towns. For public transit, Caltrain caltrain.com - General Info: System Map runs between San Francisco and San Jose.

[LetsGoA's]

Sunnyvale is nice. Very suburbsy kind of run of the mill indistinquishable from the next silicon valley suburb type place. Large asian population. Many of the public schools actually are starting to have schools with asians being the largest demographic. Schools usually score through the roof most kids come from backrounds where education is HIGHLY STRESSED. Livermore is nice, more affordable, has a blue collar element in the older part of town and a small hispanic population. Of the gang issues in the Pleasanton, Livermore, Dublin, San Ramon Danville area, to be honest, tend to come from Livermore. But this is usually isolated to the small segment of the latino population that activley embrace gang lifestyle.

Castro Valley is nice, good schools, safe streets, they do tend to have property cime issues (burglaries, vandalism, thefts), as does any place these days, most residents are under the assumption that this is "spill over crime" from people "down the hill" from hayward or san lorenzo. This may or may not be true. Either way simple things like locking doors and not leaving valuables out usually is all it takes. Its not like Hayward where you might, say, have a "guard dog". The castro valley hills are are Very Very nice and relativley upper middle to upper class. Generally speaking the further up the hill the nicer.

Have you considerd Dublin?????

[sanz2007]

Thanks for all the info. Yes, I had considered Dublin but not too much to be honest since I didn't know much about it, all the stuff that I read was about the other 3 towns.
I should start looking into Dublin as well then and see what properties are like over there and neighborhoods as well.
Thanks!

[18Montclair]

Hercules
Pinole
El Cerrito
Albany
San Leandro
Castro Valley

are all real bargains right now and really offer you what you want-plus nice summer weather.

[sanz2007]

Thank you Montclair, I've been following the prices in Castro Valley and indeed they are affordable, plus I hear that the schools are very nice.
How about the other towns, do you happen to know if schools are good?
Tks

[Yvonne1207]

I lived in Livermore for 15 years. You will not have a (noticeable) gang issue there, especially in the home price range you are thinking of. Yes, it is hot in the summer, but heat is relative. Coming from NY/Bronx area, you are probably used to quite a hot summer and with humidity. There is no humidity in Livermore. They have a very nice (quaint) downtown area, thriving vineyard/wine industry, decent schools - has a nice "hometown" atmosphere. Right next to Livermore is Pleasanton. Bit pricier but a very nice place to live too. No real bad parts of town, excellent schools.

I went to college in Hayward, and the Hayward/Castro Valley area is a bit more of a big city, urban feel. Much cooler climate.

I know nothing about Sunnyvale except that I don't want to live there!

Feel free to PM me if you want to know about specific areas of Livermore, Pleasanton, or Dublin (grew up there).