Silicon Valley Job Offer (Campbell, Los Gatos: how much, houses, school districts)

[cincylifer]

What yearly income is needed for a family of five , excellent schools, 4 bd room, 2 bath house? My hubby got a call from a headhunter, and I am just doing some investigation on how much it would take to maintain our standard of living in Ohio....

[EscapeCalifornia]

$150-200k at least.

[lovelysky]

I am in a similar situation (looking to relocate family to SV and want great schools and decent house) and have only done internet research and I believe it is closer to the *at least 200k... mainly because it appears only the great school districts are in the areas where houses start at around 850K+

[nightlysparrow]

Originally Posted by lovelysky

I am in a similar situation (looking to relocate family to SV and want great schools and decent house) and have only done internet research and I believe it is closer to the *at least 200k... mainly because it appears only the great school districts are in the areas where houses start at around 850K+

You're responding to a 7-year old post (see date upper left corner of posts)

[threepounduniverse]

Originally Posted by lovelysky

I am in a similar situation (looking to relocate family to SV and want great schools and decent house) and have only done internet research and I believe it is closer to the *at least 200k... mainly because it appears only the great school districts are in the areas where houses start at around 850K+

Good luck with 'great schools' in SV... we were looking at the area while living for years in SC and visiting SV almost daily for our son's Martial Arts classes... could afford virtually anything in SV but the schools are mediocre at best. Over the years we spoke with *scores* of parents with elementary, middle and high school age kids, they told ud of MAJOR overcrowding (35 kids per class with ONE teacher, mobile units with no A/C during hot spring weather, poor leadership from absent Principles, etc... so we passed and moved to North County SLO. It's VERY congested, no real shopping beyond three supermarkets, a K-Mart, a shoe store, fast-food joints and not much else.

If you're gonna spend that kind of money on housing, go a little higher on RE and save the commute danger +costs of taking Route 17 over the hill and back every day and find something in Los Gatos, etc... it's WORTH the stretch... everyone, and I mean *everyone* with whom we've spoken who has moved from SV over the hill to the SJ suburb areas has never looked back. Just saying'.

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

Originally Posted by lovelysky

I am in a similar situation (looking to relocate family to SV and want great schools and decent house) and have only done internet research and I believe it is closer to the *at least 200k... mainly because it appears only the great school districts are in the areas where houses start at around 850K+

Yep. Your research is right. Good school districts are expensive. Plan B: private schools, and house in decent area.

[threepounduniverse]

Originally Posted by NoMoreSnowForMe

Yep. Your research is right. Good school districts are expensive. Plan B: private schools, and house in decent area.

SV= Mediocre schools, overcrowded, overpriced, little sense of community... no decent secular private schools nearby except the Kirby School, which is great but WAY hard to get your kid into, as it's the ONLY secular private school in the SV/SC area that goes to 12th grade... the Pacific Collegiate School is a magnet school which is also great.. and also located on the West Side of SC (good luck getting to either of these in the morning and afternoon from/to SV in less than 45 minutes each way in the hell that is SC/SV 'rush hour' traffic via Route 9, 17 or Graham Hill Road)... but it's by lottery, with over 600 kids vying for each spot. The FOUNDER of PCS couldn't get HER OWN KID into it one year... so if it's good secular private/public schools you're after, they reside for the most part over the hill in/near SJ.

Either pony up for Campbell/Los Gatos etc. or recalibrate your expectations. There *is* no third option. Like they say- cheap, good or close- pick two...