Cheap Single Family Houses in Concord: Wha'ts the Catch? (San Jose: real estate, foreclosure)

[jzt83]

There are a lot of single family homes in Concord selling in the $200k range. It seems awfully cheap for the Bay Area and seems too good of a deal to be true. The price of real estate in the adjacent cities of Pleasant Hill and Walnut Creek have not dropped as much as Concord. So what's the catch?

[sonarrat]

The catch is that the same money will also get you into San Jose, Union City, some mid-grade parts of Oakland.. all closer in.

[jzt83]

Concord is closer in to SF than SJ. But I'm guessing you mean closer in to the Peninsula and South Bay?

[bayarea-girl]

To add, I think people in Walnut Creek and Pleasant Hill were holding out longer to sell or foreclose because they thought that they might get the asking price for their homes and or that things would turn around. But things are coming down in both areas. Those areas might not go down as far as Concord though. I've seen things in Concord for less than $100K too.

[jzt83]

How is the overall crime rate in Concord? The crime rate data show that the crime rate is relatively low, but statistics and reality often don't coincide with one another.

[skywalker400]

I think with the foreclosure bonanza in east county, some of that drag is carrying over into Concord. 200k is getting you an older home/fixer in the not-so great part of town (lower performing schools, especially compared to PH and WC). Theres no real catch, Hayward has been priced similarly to Concord most of these years and I think you could find similar homes there for about the same price(IMO I think Concord is a bit nicer, but you sacrifice for hotter weather and longer commutes).

[skywalker400]

^^From what I've seen crime reports are at or slightly below the national median. It's safe, its just in the nearby vicinity of a lot more safer and affluent communities (which is a good thing).

[E14]

Originally Posted by skywalker400

I think with the foreclosure bonanza in east county, some of that drag is carrying over into Concord. 200k is getting you an older home/fixer in the not-so great part of town (lower performing schools, especially compared to PH and WC). Theres no real catch, Hayward has been priced similarly to Concord most of these years and I think you could find similar homes there for about the same price(IMO I think Concord is a bit nicer, but you sacrifice for hotter weather and longer commutes).

I would definitely look at hayward before concord. They are similar in a couple of ways, but hayward is definitely in a much better location and will probably give you shorter commute and hold its value better.

[Tallysmom]

Originally Posted by jzt83

How is the overall crime rate in Concord? The crime rate data show that the crime rate is relatively low, but statistics and reality often don't coincide with one another.

There are parts of Concord that aren't nice. Very likely the cheap homes you are seeing are in those parts, as they tend to lose their value quicker, and are usually the first ones foreclosed on.

[tstieber]

I grew up in Walnut Creek and know Concord really well. The catch is simply that it's, well, Concord. It's nothing too exciting, it's a bit far, and it's incredibly hot in the summer. That being said, Concord has some really good qualities -- a really nice downtown square with independent restaurants, shops, and movie theaters; lots of infrastructure as far as chain stores and chain restaurants; Waterworld USA, which is great if you have kids; a large (if average) air conditioned mall; great Mexican food around the Monument Blvd corridor (25% of the population is Latin); great BART access to the City; and despite the summer heat (everyone has A/C anyway), generally awesome, sunny weather ten months of the year, compared to foggy bayside cities (where else in the Bay Area can you walk around in shorts at night?); close proximity to Walnut Creek, Danville, and Pleasant Hill's additional shopping and dining possibilities; and lots of nearby open space for recreation, hiking, tennis, golf, swimming, and boating (Mt. Diablo State Park, East Bay Regional Parks, Contra Costa Canal trail system, the nearby Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, lots of public parks, golf courses, pools, etc.).

That being said, downsides are that areas are very inconsistent with regards to schools and crime. Some schools are really bad, while other (like Ygnacio Valley High School in particular) are quite good. There are also semi-private schools like De La Salle and Carondolet High Schools that are outstanding. My concern would be that sub-$200K houses would be in the not-so-good areas.

Still, I imagine that Concord would still be cheaper than Hayward due to its sort of "fringe" location in the Bay Area, eventhough I would probably prefer it to Hawyard. Hayward itself has less to offer, and it's a bit of a drive to get anywhere decent.