wanting to move to CA from IL

[sav858]

Originally Posted by Jonotastic

Bay Area is broad...to say around San Francisco. You won't find a decent house within commuting distance for 200-400k

Yes I realize how broad the Bay Area is and you can find decent homes now for more reasonable prices within commuting distance to SF, unless you're one of those snobs that don't consider the East Bay part of the Bay Area. The Bay Area isn't immune to the real estate crash and there are nice homes that don't need work for under $400K in the Bay Area now, see plenty for sale in places like Pleasant Hill and Castro Valley with are not ghetto and within commuting distance to SF.

[NYSD1995]

In CA you will pay for everything you get. You pay for schools, you pay for safety, you pay for the level of maintenance in your neighborhood.

The medians have fallen but generally speaking I don't see you getting into good schools in the 400k range in any CA city without being far, far out.

Many people live in condos to get into the good school districts because the demand for single-family homes is so high. That is a decent option as is open enrollment, charter schools, etc. If you don't have the money, you need to be flexible and creative.

[sav858]

Originally Posted by nutlee

hi sav858. gosh that is quite disappointing to hear. i'm realizing it's harder to find where you wanna relocate when you also need to consider the schools...i mean, it's hard enough finding where work will take you and where you really wanna live. can you tell me in what ways do the schools suck?

i'm not so concerned about getting into schools with the highest scores. one with an administration that cares enough about the welfare of its students and gets average scores is good enough coz i can always help my kid with studies to supplement what he gets in school. the more important thing for me is not to get my child in a school where there could be shooting or any crime-related violence any time.

thanks for suggesting some areas where we could look. i'd be sure to check them out

As long as you're not living in a bad ghetto in Richmond, Oakland, or wherever then the schools should be good and safe enough for your child to succeed since it seems like you actually pay attention and take a role in your child's education unlike some parents at these lower performing schools. It's just the facilities and supplies can be somewhat inadequate and on the lower end and test scores aren't top notch but plenty of kids at mediocre schools in CA make it and go onto college. CA has the best public university system in the nation though so that kind of help makes up for the poor K-12 schools b/c its a good value too. Places like Pleasant Hill and Castro Valley the schools will be good enough I think, just not the best.

Originally Posted by nutlee

we have some relatives in san diego but my husband is quite reluctant to go there because of the people crossing the borders illegally...we like to live in a peaceful community and not where there's always cops chasing some people very often...that is just our impression of course, and i'd be glad if you tell me otherwise. our relatives would sure love it if we can move there.

hey, thanks for mentioning those areas with medical centers...really appreciate that!

that is a HUGE misconception people have about San Diego. The City of San Diego is one of the safest large cities in America, much safer than San Francisco overall. The metropolitan area is one of the safest in the US overall too and safer than the Bay Area. Crime is NOT a big problem here at all, nothing really that bad or major happens here that often. I don't really ever have a problem with illegals here and unless you live in a low income area near the border you won't either. San Diego is a very peaceful and pleasant place to live imo, probably a little more so than the Bay Area as its more laid back and less hectic with lower crime. $400K goes farther in SD than it does in the Bay Area too.

[humboldtrat]

Originally Posted by sav858

The median price of a single family home in the Bay Area is now $330K

That's not true in Marin, SF, much of the peninsula and many areas in and around San Jose. You can probably get a house for that price in Antioch, Brentwood and Solano County on the far out edges of the Bay Area.

[sav858]

Originally Posted by humboldtrat

That's not true in Marin, SF, much of the peninsula and many areas in and around San Jose. You can probably get a house for that price in Antioch, Brentwood and Solano County on the far out edges of the Bay Area.

I didn't specify those prices could be found in Marin, SF, the Penninsula, or parts of San Jose. Yes we all know price varies by location, that's pretty obvious with real estate but as a whole the Bay Area median is $330K now and dropping. You can get homes closer in than those farther out suburbs in places like Pleasant Hill and Castro Valley for under $400k. The Bay Area isn't quite as overpriced as it once was, if I was the OP I'd probably wait at least another year or two for prices to bottom out.

[nutlee]

Originally Posted by sav858

that is a HUGE misconception people have about San Diego.

well, that is good to hear indeed and i'll let my husband know about it, too, so we can add san diego to our options. we'd probably have a look around when we come to visit our relatives some time soon.

[cjess4homes]

Home prices have dropped dramatically in many places in California. I am a Realtor in the Santa Cruz/Monterey Bay area and it has been great to see first time buyers being able to get back into the market. This is a beautiful area we live in, close to the beach, mountains and a great place to raise kids, there are tons of activities. My clients just closed on a home in North Monterey County in a nice neigborhood for about $330k. It is 2000 SF and on a acre, very nice setting. You can get even cheaper if you are willing to do a little work to the home.

[Fallbrook]

If you move to Fallbrook, stay in the Bonsall School District, which is better than the Fallbrook school district. Bonsall Union School District | District Boundary Map (http://bonsall.schoolwires.com/151210928182456153/site/default.asp?1512Nav=|&NodeID=103 - broken link) You could easily get a condo/townhouse or buy into the Pala Mesa Village in your price range. Pala Mesa Village Homes in Fallbrook San Diego County Real Estate Or there are some nice fixer uppers on the golf course in Gird Valley, east side of Fallbrook, for the low 400s. But they move fast, even in this market. You might also consider renting for a bit until you get settled.

[jc76]

To the OP- Fresno? Sacramento? Maybe look into those cities. They seem much more affordable and you won't have the long cold winters. Not as "hip" of towns, but seem more livable with kids. Good luck!