First SFH - Where to buy?

[tamlang]

You can also look into Santa Teresa, school are good and the neigborhood is quiet too.

[phoenix_new]

What about Milpitas? the schools are improving and the smell issue is in some places , not all....

[mstnghu2]

Originally Posted by phoenix_new

What about Milpitas? the schools are improving and the smell issue is in some places , not all....

Milpitas has mostly good schools and some are excellent. My three nephews all attend great schools there and are thriving.

The topic of odor issues in Milpitas from the landfill has been beaten to death in this forum. Try the search feature and you'll see what I mean. The odor is mostly contained to the neighborhoods directly around I-880, specifically near Dixon Landing Rd. Most parts of Milpitas don't get the odor. Anywhere east of Milpitas Blvd. is pretty much unaffected these days.

I grew up in Milpitas and my parents still live there. I don't hesitate to recommend it. It's actually a pretty decent value by Bay Area standards. It has a low crime rate, good schools, lots of parks and many very nice neighborhoods. The foothills have some beautiful gated communities with amazing views, but those neighborhoods would probably be out of the OP's budget. $1 million should get the OP into one of the nicer neighborhoods in Milpitas though.

[Moddedintegra56]

evergreen for sure is more "upscale" because all of the homes there are A LOT newer. some might even hate it because they will say it lacks character and look too much like cookie cutter tract homes--as they might actually be. but they are newer and more modern.

you have to also consider Evergreen is in the notorious side of San Jose that you hear a lot of crap about.. "EAST SIDE SAN JOSE"

thus why you hear the generalities of silver creek hs as "not good" and evergreen high school as "good". obviously a lot of the student body will be coming from households who make decent income to be able to afford those million dollar homes in the evergreen area, where the silver creek hs boundaries are much lower income.

but whats crazy is even in east side san jose, the SFH detached homes there are at LEAST $500K.

so here is to giving you mad props to be able to afford million dollar homes

[Moddedintegra56]

rule of thumb in the south bay..

if you are ready to spend $1 million on a house, it will land you in a good area. anything from 500-700,000 is not good lol.

sad but true, and crazy how many bay area folks have been desensitized of this housing prices that its not even questioned.

[408Local]

Unless you're able to work from home its always best to live/work close to your work address. There is some inventory in West San Jose, Campbell, Santa Clara in your price range. Almaden is very beautiful and schools are excellent but the commute to Santa Clara is horrible. Cambrian Park, Willow Glen, Rose Garden are good commute locations but very little inventory of decent homes below 1 million. The best bang for your buck would be Santa Teresa where you could get a nice looking home with schools in the Great Schools Range of 8. However, like Almaden the commute is horrible.

[Moddedintegra56]

Originally Posted by 408Local

Unless you're able to work from home its always best to live/work close to your work address. There is some inventory in West San Jose, Campbell, Santa Clara in your price range. Almaden is very beautiful and schools are excellent but the commute to Santa Clara is horrible. Cambrian Park, Willow Glen, Rose Garden are good commute locations but very little inventory of decent homes below 1 million. The best bang for your buck would be Santa Teresa where you could get a nice looking home with schools in the Great Schools Range of 8. However, like Almaden the commute is horrible.

Santa Theresa Blossom Valley Area was so "cheap" back in 2012. Detached SFH, although old, were still ok for being old on a decent lot size were still in the 400s. Forget about it now. $600-700K easy.

[buenos]

First double check what you can really afford. There are still bidding wars, that bid up the sale price by 5-20%. The extra above the appraisal (appr. about the same as the advertised price) has to be paid in cash, mortgage does not cover it. Check your cash reserves what extra over appraisal you can afford.
I suggest Santa Teresa area. I live nearby.