Is Marin worth it? (San Francisco, Oakland: hardwood floors, for sale, real estate)

[samislucky]

My family is trying to decide where to move. It is between Southern Marin County (South of San Rafael) and Lafayette/Orinda. It is such a tough call because both areas have their positives and negatives.

Lafayette/Orinda are nice because both areas have much better selection of housing for a lot less per sqft. This area also has BART, which makes commuting convenient even though it is further.

Marin has horrible housing. The worst unless you are in the over 1,500,000 range. You cannot get much for 1-1.1M in our chosen areas. Tiny fixers on crappy lots needing a lot of work. Plus there is so little for sale, many people just settle for a bad house.

Lamorinda has larger (2400sqft++) homes w/ flat yards and canyon views that are remodeled for the same price.

Both areas have good schools.

Lamorinda is closer to OAK vs Marin being closer to SFO

So....what is the best long term investment? We can't decide. I will say it seems like more So Cal people relocate to Marin vs. Lamorinda probably due to the water activities available.

[topgear]

Originally Posted by samislucky

My family is trying to decide where to move. It is between Southern Marin County (South of San Rafael) and Lafayette/Orinda. It is such a tough call because both areas have their positives and negatives.

Lafayette/Orinda are nice because both areas have much better selection of housing for a lot less per sqft. This area also has BART, which makes commuting convenient even though it is further.

Marin has horrible housing. The worst unless you are in the over 1,500,000 range. You cannot get much for 1-1.1M in our chosen areas. Tiny fixers on crappy lots needing a lot of work. Plus there is so little for sale, many people just settle for a bad house.

Lamorinda has larger (2400sqft++) homes w/ flat yards and canyon views that are remodeled for the same price.

Both areas have good schools.

Lamorinda is closer to OAK vs Marin being closer to SFO

So....what is the best long term investment? We can't decide. I will say it seems like more So Cal people relocate to Marin vs. Lamorinda probably due to the water activities available.

Never personally been a fan of Marin, out of all the Bay Area counties I would probably put it fairly low. Its over hyped, but has a certain charm that appeals to some folks.

[turbored]

Marin is also the least diverse of the Bay Area counties, if that matters to you.

[SickOfCalifornia]

Marin is really gorgeous, has very mild weather, and if you have a lot of money it's nearly ideal. If you can't afford it, you'll probably soon get sick of seeing people drive around in their $90k cars, sitting in overpriced cafes midday, and shopping like there is no down economy. When I lived up there a few years ago, we used to take visitors from out of town to the Kent Woodlands market just to see the look on their face - $1.50 for an apple, wine tasting bar, hardwood floors. Some people saw that and thought "wow, what a dream to live here." Some saw it and thought "the vulgarity of the wealth is too much to take." Most people fall into one of those camps, and there is very little in between.

[clongirl]

Either one. Both areas are gorgeous and have a lot to offer.

It's more about landscape than anything else. Marin being more woodsy/pine forested similar to Tahoe in many respects, Lamorinda being more woodland/oak trees/rolling grassy hills/open space.

I don't think you should "settle" on a town over some long term investment strategy. Pick the area you LOVE or is closer to the job...not base your decision on where more people from SoCal come to live.

I live in Lamorinda and love it...but I'm sure if I ended up in Marin Co, I'd love it just as much. These were also the two areas where we narrowed down our search. We just ended up here over pure fate.

[samislucky]

To be honest, after living in the bay area a couple years, I've come to realize the safe neighborhoods w/ good schools lack diversity. It really bothered me when I first moved here, especially because of how politically correct it is. It just didn't make sense to me. I remember complaining about it to my husband because I assumed my child would grow up around all types of people like I did.

The suburbs here are very segregated. I've speculated it is because the towns in Marin, Lamorinda, and parts of SV are pretty small, and perhaps minorities feel strange moving to somewhat isolated "little villages" filled w/ white people. What really surprises me is why bigger suburbs like Walnut Creek and Pleasanton don't have more middle and upper middle class minorities living there. Since they are larger communities with more shopping and dining options, it would seem to attract a larger variety of people.

I guess thats just the way it is up here.

[llowllevellowll]

I haven't lived in either but visit both - one more than the other. Lamorinda's location is way better for transport elsewhere. Marin to just about anything can be a pain in the neck. I'd much rather have easier access out of where I live than feel like I'm stuck inside - regardless of how nice it is. Some may disagree, but that's my perception when I'm there.

I agree with your OP as well being into real estate - I'd rather have more choice when it comes to housing stock, not less. While I never prefer character-less new construction, I'd rather not be sandwiched into housing stock where I felt I was clearly lacking amenities.

Save your money or have a nicer home - Lamorinda is a terrific location.

[samislucky]

Im not sure I agree with Lamorinda being easier to get anywhere. I guess that depends on where you are trying to go. I think the traffic getting out of LMO is pretty awful, and then it continues to get across the bay bridge....sometimes taking over an hour to get into SF. If you are from out of the area, that experience is pretty nerve wracking. The tunnel in Marin doesn't have traffic and the GGB is only a mile or so long so even though it is really annoying, its so short, that it really isn't a big deal.,,,meaning I am not afraid to drive it. Whereas, I have never driven across the bay bridge, and only driven through the tunnel 2X. I actually feel more isolated in the east bay because I cannot drive out of there. Too chicken.

[llowllevellowll]

Originally Posted by samislucky

Im not sure I agree with Lamorinda being easier to get anywhere. I guess that depends on where you are trying to go. I think the traffic getting out of LMO is pretty awful, and then it continues to get across the bay bridge....sometimes taking over an hour to get into SF. If you are from out of the area, that experience is pretty nerve wracking. The tunnel in Marin doesn't have traffic and the GGB is only a mile or so long so even though it is really annoying, its so short, that it really isn't a big deal.,,,meaning I am not afraid to drive it. Whereas, I have never driven across the bay bridge, and only driven through the tunnel 2X. I actually feel more isolated in the east bay because I cannot drive out of there. Too chicken.

Well, no one can help you with that.

The Caldecott tunnel is super easy as long as you're going in and out at the right times. I can fly in and out of Lamorinda with ease and minimal planning. Even in the worst of rush hour, it doesn't take very long to get down 24. When the Caldecott sucks is when you're going opposite rush hour and it gets cut down to 2 lanes. They're currently adding on, though, and in a few years it will be 4 lanes in each direction at all times (not sure when that's to be completed)

I don't know what you mean about Lamorinda not being easy to get elsewhere - it's super central. BART access, San Francisco, Oakland, Walnut Creek, 680, 80, 880. Part of this might be that my favorite hangout spot is Oakland and not the area of San Francisco that borders the GG Bridge. The GG Bridge is an absolute nightmare at times to get from SF to Marin. Occasionally, I take the GG Bridge OUT of the city and go 101 to 37 to get through Vallejo to avoid the $4 dollar toll at the Carquinez Bridge and I regret it almost EVERYTIME I do it lol

I can guarentee you that there is no way that even in rush hour it'd take an hour to get from Orinda to SF. I just commuted this morning from Fairfield to Market Street in morning rush hour and got to the Harrison exit in 45 minutes. I'm not saying it's always that easy - it's not, but the Caldecott has all 4 tunnels open going west on 24 in morning rush hour. Coming down 24 into Oakland is really just a breeze - everyone is flying down and you're to the bridge in no time.

Get a FastTrak!

[Nineties Flava]

Originally Posted by samislucky

To be honest, after living in the bay area a couple years, I've come to realize the safe neighborhoods w/ good schools lack diversity. It really bothered me when I first moved here, especially because of how politically correct it is. It just didn't make sense to me. I remember complaining about it to my husband because I assumed my child would grow up around all types of people like I did.

The suburbs here are very segregated. I've speculated it is because the towns in Marin, Lamorinda, and parts of SV are pretty small, and perhaps minorities feel strange moving to somewhat isolated "little villages" filled w/ white people. What really surprises me is why bigger suburbs like Walnut Creek and Pleasanton don't have more middle and upper middle class minorities living there. Since they are larger communities with more shopping and dining options, it would seem to attract a larger variety of people.

I guess thats just the way it is up here.

Upper east bay suburbs, let alone Marin, are not representative of bay area suburbs as a whole. The peninsula is one of the wealthiest areas in the entire bay area (and acts as a giant suburb for San Francisco and the Silicon Valley) but has a racially diverse population (whites, latinos and asians being the best represented). That being said, the peninsula also has much more socio-economic diversity than Lamorinda or Marin. As for the reason why wealthier minorities aren't attracted to places like Pleasanton... not too many people would want to move into a city where they'll never see themselves outside of Stoneridge Mall.