Family moving to SF, where to live?

[Jonotastic]

I wouldn't want to make that commute everyday.
Are you going to put your kids in private school?

[JSmom23]

No private school, my kids have always attended public schools. What are the districts that I should be wary of?

So, we should be concentrating on finding a place on the penninsula, are there towns/cities to avoid?

Thanks you guys, I appreciate it.

[twins4lynn]

On the peninsula, you really can't beat Burlingame. It's a nice safe place to live and has excellent schools all the way through (elementary, middle and high school).

[sliverbox]

Our house budget will be between 1.5 and 2.5 million--I can NOT believe how expensive homes are in the area! Unreal. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

well, you don't sound exactly poor. Count yourself as lucky since at least you can afford something. I still find it atrocious that a starter home here is over 500k. I'd gladly trade to be in your position.

[JSmom23]

sliverbox, I know where you're coming from. Our first home (starter home) was $120,000. We've moved 4 times in the past 12 years due to my husband climbing the corporate ladder. We've had to make lots of sacrafices along the way. We aren't poor living here in Chicago...but if we move to SF, I certainly won't feel rich! It just kills me to be looking at tiny homes that sell for upwards of $1.8 million dollars!

[sonarrat]

If it's any consolation, a year ago you couldn't buy ANYTHING in Hillsborough for $2 million.. now there are a half-dozen properties at that price point and they're moving about as fast as molasses in January in Alaska. This is hardly tiny:

http://www.movoto.com/real-estate/ho...110_339268.htm
26 La Strada Ct, Burlingame, CA 94010 MLS# 80817896 - Property Details

Or perhaps you'd like a 1878 mansion on San Francisco's historical landmark list?

201 Buchanan St, San Francisco, CA 94102 Hayes Valley MLS# 342287 - Property Details

[Jonotastic]

Originally Posted by JSmom23

No private school, my kids have always attended public schools. What are the districts that I should be wary of?

So, we should be concentrating on finding a place on the penninsula, are there towns/cities to avoid?

Thanks you guys, I appreciate it.

I asked about private schools because you could then live in San Francisco. Your price range would get you into almost any neighborhood, it's just most of the public schools aren't that good in the city. There are a couple good ones though. I moved around a lot growing up and used www.greatschools.net to find which schools I should attend.

I just find the cities south of San Francisco to just be blah...old and expensive, nothing special, until you get to Menlo Park/Palo Alto area. It's a shame that you have to commute to Brisbane because then the drive from Walnut Creek or even Mill Valley wouldn't be that bad. I think Marin County (Mill Valley, Sausalito, Tiburon) is the nicest area in Bay Area, I'd even go as far as saying in California. I just love the rolling hills, the neighborhoods and all the hiking options available. Plus the weather is a lot nicer. I also heard Mill Valley has a very good public school system, but the drive is about 20 miles/40 minutes to Brisbane, so I don't know if that'd be worth it to you. It's worth to check out when you fly down.

[humboldtrat]

Here are a couple of real estate sites for Burlingame and San Mateo. Prices get a little cheaper as you scroll down. There isn't much good news here for finding a home for 5 people . The good news is the schools are good:

Geoffrey Nelson: Burlingame CA Real Estate Homes for Sale MLS Listings
Geoffrey Nelson: San Mateo

This is one of the nicest areas that is close to Brisbane with a reasonable commute. Living on the other side of the bay would make for a longer commute and would require crossing a bridge to get to Brisbane. The bridge traffic during commute hours can get really ugly. Home prices don't get much better the further south you go on the peninsula and Palo Alto homes are also very expensive. There are post World War II tract 2 bedroom/1 bath homes on lots that are 50 feet by 100 feet that sell in my neighborhood for $750K and sometimes higher . Good luck in your search.

[SzAnn1962]

I relocated here from Texas 4 years ago. House prices are staggering but for the first time in 4 years they are not continuing to skyrocket so it is probably a good time to buy for the bay area. Belmont, San Carlos are also lovely towns a little farther south. The real estate above Alemeda de las Pulgas is some of the prettiest and incredible views of the bay. Commutes are not bad to Brisbane (traffic is nothing like in Chicago on the Peninsula) 280 rarely ever slows down even in rush hour. The East Bay traffic is bad and communting to Brisbane would require travel on the San Mateo Bridge everyday. Tolls are $4 The East Bay schools are not as good at least in the public schools. My children attend Belmont Redwood Shores schools and they are great. The state government in California is in really sad shape so schools are all in financial trouble here...even if they are good academically. The state cuts education budgets everytime you turn around. Most of the school districts have foundations run by the parents that subsidize the districts. Hope that helps some. Not to be negative but you should check out cost of living calculators..I was thrown when not only housing and property taxes are unbelievably expensive (our taxes are 13,000 on our 1.1 million dollar house) but food, gas and everything else cost more than I could have ever expected. On the upside, it is an great thing to be at the beach (however always cold) in 20 minutes and the mountains in 3 hours. Good luck to you.