Sac newbies who need advice (Sacramento, Lodi: for sale, real estate, to rent)

[WhiteStar07]

Hi folks,

My husband & I just relocated to Sacramento from out of state. We are currently renting in Curtis Park while we house hunt, and are completely unfamiliar with Sacramento. I have been told to buy in the "park" neighborhoods: Land Park, Curtis Park, McKinley Park, and maybe Tahoe Park. These are all great neighborhoods, but for what we can spend
($350K) that seems to only buy you a 2/1 - possibly a 3/1 on a postage stamp sized lot. Where can we find a 3/2 with decent front & back yards, in a nice, safe neighborhood for under $350K? We don't want a cookie cutter tract house, and we like parks & trees - character. My husband works 30 miles south of Sac in Lodi, so we don't want to move too far north...
Advice anyone?

[Mossy]

It is very unlikely that you will find anything like that in those areas. Can you move outside of Sac?

[DMenscha]

Goodness gracious, move to Lodi! It's got plenty of nice neighborhoods and why commute?

[woogexx]

lodi is a horrible town in my opinion (too hickish old fashion for me) but the only family house youll find in sac for under 350 is in parts you dont want your family to live in. for the most part. you mite be able to find OK 2bd houses in in OK parts of town for a lil over...but not much....id would def try to find a place out of sac and look somewhere along those little towns on interstate-5. otherwise you wont find much, sorry...good luck

[NewToCA]

Galt has over 50 homes for sale that meet your 3 bedroom and 2 bath criteria, and have at least a 2 car garage:

Galt, California (CA) Detailed Profile - relocation, real estate, travel, jobs, hospitals, schools, crime, news, sex offenders

[lexi]

What about the pocket area? Very nice and close to downtown for freeway access.
Prices have really come down.... pocket is one the nicest area's downtown and you
could find a 3 bedroom home with a two car garage in a nice neighborhood there for 350 and under.
Pocket area is very safe and desirable.. good luck. Also if someone is asking 375... you should offer less
like 350 because Sacramento is having price corrections right now and you don't want to end up paying
more than you should. You might even want to rent for a year more and wait for a bargain after you
realize what area you really like. If you do look in the pocket area I would concentrate on the Didion school
area....

[CityGirl72]

Do yo have kids??

It's hard to find anything for 350K (depending on the size) in those areas you listed. I love those areas too.

Have you thought about Old FOlsom or Rocklin? They have a bit of character too (but the commute would be hell)

HMMM let me think about this a bit

[AuburnJack]

Originally Posted by woogexx

...but the only family house youll find in sac for under 350 is in parts you dont want your family to live in.

That is a ridiculous exaggeration.

We have been keeping our eye on local real estate prices for the past six months in preparation to buy this year. True, you're probably not going to get into Land Park, Midtown, or East Sac for under 350,000. However, there are perfectly good houses, some in fine condition and some fixers, in areas such as Pocket, West Sac/Southport, decent parts of Arden, and the Eastern burbs. Plenty for under 350k, and many under 300k. Just look hard, and search on the neighborhood and street level.

Of course, a lot of the more affordable homes are in flood plains. However, quite honestly, living anywhere in Sacramento puts you in flood danger, regardless of how far you are from the levees. Even so, though I personally have no qualms about living in Pocket or West Sac, I'd think twice about Natomas, even though some good houses at good prices might be available there.

[clairerandall]

You might consider buying a 2/1 and eventually building a garage conversion/unit above for an office/guest room. The city has loosened its restrictions on these types of remodels.

3/2 are really rare in any pre-1960s neighborhood, which is most of the "Parks." Any 3/2s are generally remodeled properties well above $350k. Keep an eye on River Park and South Land Park Drive areas--prices are still high but occasionally you can find a nice house that might need some work, and these neighborhoods are more centrally located.