If you had $350-375k for a home, which family-friendly area of Sacramento would you pick? (Los Angeles: neighborhoods, construction) - California (CA) - Page 4 - City-Data Forum

lexi · 08-18-2007, 11:15 AM

Oh, if you did pick folsom you'd need to make sure your home was in Folsom
school boundries... I think some area's of Folsom go to another districts schools, not sure if the other
area's have pockets in them that do that or not.

Chatcat · 08-20-2007, 05:13 PM

Hi,
This is my first post, but here goes: I have found that a really nice family friendly area is Greenhaven. (They also have already repaired levees here so that Federal flood insurance is no longer required). It has wide "greenbelt areas" and trails throughout that you can walk and/or bike alongside canals that cater to ducks - kids love this. I walk my dogs there everyday and always meet friendly and nice people. It is close to downtown and Elk Grove. There is availability to many restaurants, a Nugget grocery store and gyms. As for safety, I sometimes work long hours and have left my house at 7:00 AM in a hurry, thinking that I shut my garage door and returned at midnight to find it wide open (probably at least 7 times) and not a thing was missing. I checked out some houses here for you at the price you were willing to spend and I would recommend that you go to GreenhavenPocketHomes.com and click on where it says "Featured Homes" and you will see a really nice one at $330,000 and on up. Good luck in your search.

Carolyn Montgomery · 08-20-2007, 07:35 PM

Regarding Roseville, the Galleria is by far the most congested part of Roseville. For a better idea of the older neighborhoods try the streets around Darling Way and Keehner Avenue. And actually, not far from the Galleria through the back streets is the neighborhood west of Roseville High School which has many lovely old homes in your price range. These are the neighborhoods I grew up in and things haven't changed all that much since the 1950's.

Carolyn Montgomery
Realtor

MamaToThree · 08-20-2007, 08:13 PM

I would stay in Carmichael/Fair Oaks. I have 3 young children and if you live in this area (San Juan unified district) you have awesome public elementary schools (Del Dayo, Deterding, Orangevale open, CA Montessori Project). I know you can get beautiful homes in the F.O. area (near Madison/Dewey which is in the F.O. zip code) for around that price range. My SIL lives there and it's a GREAT neighborhood. Carmichael/F.O. is definitely not a high crime area. It's one of the nicer older communities. Stay away from Mather (too close to Rancho Cordova). Elk Grove and Natomas are urban decay waiting to happen. You could look in the older parts of Folsom and probably find something under $400K. Also, there are some really nice areas in Orangevale, but my beef with that city is that it's rather far from any major freeway. Roseville is nice, too. You just have to find a good agent or look on MetroListMLS. Good luck!

CJPinRC · 09-01-2007, 03:22 PM

I am a Realtor who works the greater Rancho Cordova area. One aspect to home-ownership that is frequently overlooked by Buyers is the quality of the loan they can get and how that can positively influence what and where they can buy. For instance, there are fixed-rate loan programs with competitive interest rates that can only be obtained for the purchase of owner-occupied homes in census tracts designated by HUD as 'underserved' for home-ownership. The housing in Mather is in such a designated census tract. So, Mather is an attractive area to buy a home because if the Buyer qualifies, they can get a great loan. This loan would apply to ANY home in Mather including the McMansions of 4,000sf on .50+ acre lots that go for $600,000+.

There are many census tracts in the greater Rancho Cordova area designated as 'underserved'. The designation changes every ten years with the results of the census.

The greater Rancho Cordova area is made up of many, many neighborhoods, including those created by new constuction, which has its own share of pros and cons. To apply lables to broad geographic areas can be misleading.

NewToCA · 09-01-2007, 10:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CJPinRC

I am a Realtor who works the greater Rancho Cordova area. One aspect to home-ownership that is frequently overlooked by Buyers is the quality of the loan they can get and how that can positively influence what and where they can buy. For instance, there are fixed-rate loan programs with competitive interest rates that can only be obtained for the purchase of owner-occupied homes in census tracts designated by HUD as 'underserved' for home-ownership. The housing in Mather is in such a designated census tract. So, Mather is an attractive area to buy a home because if the Buyer qualifies, they can get a great loan. This loan would apply to ANY home in Mather including the McMansions of 4,000sf on .50+ acre lots that go for $600,000+.

There are many census tracts in the greater Rancho Cordova area designated as 'underserved'. The designation changes every ten years with the results of the census.

The greater Rancho Cordova area is made up of many, many neighborhoods, including those created by new constuction, which has its own share of pros and cons. To apply lables to broad geographic areas can be misleading.

Are the new subdivisions south of Douglas, Kavala Ranch, Sunridge Park and Anatolia, included in this program?

Revolution Financial · 09-03-2007, 05:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by humboldtrat

Bad news!!

You're not going to find a 3 bedroom house in the Sacramento area for $350K - $375K. Maybe a small condo.

This is just simply not true. There are plenty of great houses in this range.

If i were you, i would focus my search in Fair Oaks. Safety can be a concern though, as some of the neighborhoods are a little sketchy. My good friend just moved to the 'Bird Tract' near Madison and Dewey. He got a 1/3 acre lot with a pool for 425,000. But, as a real estate broker, i can tell you that the market has dropped since he bought it and your odds of finding something between 350 and 375 are VERY good. Just try not to expect a palace

MamaToThree · 09-07-2007, 11:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Revolution Financial

This is just simply not true. There are plenty of great houses in this range.

If i were you, i would focus my search in Fair Oaks. Safety can be a concern though, as some of the neighborhoods are a little sketchy. My good friend just moved to the 'Bird Tract' near Madison and Dewey. He got a 1/3 acre lot with a pool for 425,000. But, as a real estate broker, i can tell you that the market has dropped since he bought it and your odds of finding something between 350 and 375 are VERY good. Just try not to expect a palace

Yep!! That little neighborhood right behind the Safeway (which is still Fair Oaks until you hit Linda Sue Dr., I think?) is AWESOME! Safe neighborhood with a lot of 3/2's and VERY affordable now that the market has dropped. HUGE yards, too.

CJPinRC · 09-17-2007, 10:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NewToCA

Are the new subdivisions south of Douglas, Kavala Ranch, Sunridge Park and Anatolia, included in this program?

Unfortunately, these sub-divisions are not in the census tracts that would be applicable to the loan program. Have you looked in Mather? There are some wonderful homes there and the sub-division is less than seven years old. There is a new elementary school in the middle of the housing and the area is surrounded by vernal pools - protected habitat that will limit future housing. It's really like being out in the country to a lot of people and the prices have dropped considerably. The other benefit is that there isn't a Mello-Roos tax assessment and the HOA dues, which are less than $70/month, cover all the front yard maintenance. So, even if there's a rental down the street or a vacant home next door, you'd never know it from the curb - unlike Anatolia. I'm not sure you could hire a lawn service for $70/month to mow your lawn for you let alone take care of all the plants. In addition, none of the homes in Mather have a private transfer tax unlike some of the homes in Anatolia. Just giving you something to think about.

sacramento · 09-28-2009, 12:58 PM

We are thinking about buying one of the Lennar homes in Kavala Ranch--We like the layout of the homes. Any cons (already know about the rendering plant). Location would be best for my DH's commute to downtown near the capital. ONLY WANT NEW CONSTRUCTION and want to stay under $450K with all upgrades included --- can do this with Lennar.

Thanks in advance for your help.