Commute from Concord to Mt View (San Diego, Fremont: sublet, lease, how much)

[grazy]

Can someone please let me know how bad the drive is? I checked Google's traffic and if I leave concord at around 7am, I will be OK? Is this even possible?

[Luke9686]

Depends on what you call OK? That commute would be terrible at best. At least an hour and 15 minutes each way.

[sonarrat]

Of course it's possible, that doesn't mean it's wise though.. have you lived in the area long? Do you have any experience commuting on 680 over the Sunol Grade? It's not unusual for traffic to be stop and go all the way from the 237 junction to the top of the grade at Andrade Rd in Sunol.

[grazy]

we just moved from San Diego about two months ago. I have been working from home, but I will be laid off in 2 months. So I am considering what my options are. this also means i have absolutely no experience with Bay area traffic at all.

[18Montclair]

That's a really bad commute. I would move closer to Mt View. If price is the major concern, then I think Union City, Fremont and Newark are probably much better options, not cheaper than Concord, but the small difference in cost is saved in how much time you avoid driving to all the way to Concord.

[DrN]

I used to do the reverse commute from Los Altos to Pleasant Hill. I always felt bad for the people on the other side of the freeway - it was like a parking lot at times. It would take me approx 55 minutes so I imagine going from Concord to MV would be hell. As Luke said, expect 1.25 hours, ATLEAST. And keep in mind you're dealing with the same situation coming home every evening. 18Montclair makes a good point. Consider Fremont/Newark area if you plan on working in MV.

[grazy]

OMG, so it's really bad. If I move, I will need to break the lease and pay about 8K... I guess I should just start looking closer to home for now.
THanks for all your input!

[Luke9686]

Try to get someone to take over your lease. Or maybe talk to the landlord. Sometimes they will work with you.

[artemis78]

You can also transit it---it's not any shorter but it's certainly less painful and you could work on the train. You'd need to BART from Concord to Millbrae and then there's a direct transfer to Caltrain for Millbrae to MV.

But if a lease is the only thing keeping you in Concord, I'd definitely talk to your landlord and see if he'll permit you to sublet or find a new tenant that he can check out and approve. (Tell him the truth; he might be sympathetic!)

[N CA]

My friend bought a home and needed to break her lease of about $20K. The landlord wanted my friend to pay the $20K and he expected to have access to the house to re-rent it. Sort of like double dipping, yes? My friend figured she might as well pay the rent each month, and not allow the landlord access to re-rent the place. It frustrated the landlord so much, he and my friend were able to come to a mutually agreeable amount for her to pay for breaking the lease.