Rant: Tired of people asking if it's safe in Oakland (San Francisco: to rent, house prices)

[ken22]

Originally Posted by mini_cute

Is your response to the article I linked to? If so, if you read the article more carefully, it says that catching violent offenders also reduces robberies and burglaries because violent offenders' "day job" tends to be robbing.

Whatever.

Let me know when Oakland is no longer in the top ten with regards to crime stats. (Never mind the top 25)

[mini_cute]

Originally Posted by ken22

Whatever.

Let me know when Oakland is no longer in the top ten with regards to crime stats. (Never mind the top 25)

Hey, I don't really care what you think about Oakland. Oakland does have a crime problem and I am not one of those people who is denying it. I just wanted to share an article with everyone that I found interesting and relevant to the discussion. When you made your comment and since this is a discussion board, I thought to correct you as it seems you didn't read the article carefully. But of course Oakland still has a ways to go to get its crime and reputation under control.

[18Montclair]

Originally Posted by wave9x

Redfin is a much better source for sales data, as it is driven off of the MLS. Also $/sqft is a better metric than median price and looking only at 4 bedrooms houses is not representative of the city.

Nope. 4bd/2.5bth is the basis for the median home price used by the National Association of Realtors. I'm thinking because that is what the average family buys and that's good enough for me. As far as whose more accurate you believe your source and I'll continue using Trulia and according to Trulia regardless of Oakland's crime rate, at the top end of the market Oakland has more million dollar neighborhoods than San Jose.

[18Montclair]

Originally Posted by Malloric

Median doesn't tell you anything, really, just the price of one home. How many 3+ bd homes in Oakland are for sale for less than $400k? (129, per Redfin) and San Jose, (12). Crime rate isn't homogeneous for Oakland. Buy buying into one of the $1,0000,000 homes in Oakland you avoid most of the problems of Oakland's crime rate. Of course, crime rates are just an average. The crime rates being lower in the Hills means they're that much higher in the Flats. And then San Jose is just kind of boring. Oakland's got a lot more going for it, especially if you've got the means to live in the Hills and send your kids to private school.

Sucks for the people who can't afford anything more than $400k and private school since they have to live in the crappy parts of Oakland. On the other hand, they can't afford to buy at all in San Jose so pick your poison.

Yes, but if Oakland is 100% bad, then it shouldn't be higher than San Jose in ANY comparative real estate data and that is the question no one wants to answer.

How is it even possible, in light of the endless barrage of criminal acts that occur in Oakland, how is it possible for it to be that expensive????

It appears that some are too much in denial to acknowledge the obvious answer: BECAUSE OAKLAND HAS PLENTY OF GREAT AREAS THAT ARE HIGHLY DESIRABLE EVEN THOUGH THE CITY AT LARGE HAS A HIGH CRIME RATE. Period.

[wave9x]

Originally Posted by 18Montclair

Nope. 4bd/2.5bth is the basis for the median home price used by the National Association of Realtors. I'm thinking because that is what the average family buys and that's good enough for me. As far as whose more accurate you believe your source and I'll continue using Trulia and according to Trulia regardless of Oakland's crime rate, at the top end of the market Oakland has more million dollar neighborhoods than San Jose.

In the last 3 months there were 200 houses sold in San Jose for $1m or more. In Oakland there were 69. That's 3 times more in San Jose than Oakland in a city only twice as large. Also, taking the median house type from across the U.S. and applying that to Oakland as if that is some sort of median is not statistically valid. The median price of a house in San Jose is 50% higher. San Jose is a much more expensive place to buy a house. It really isn't controversial (except maybe on here).

[ssmaster]

982,765 (2012)
San Jose, Population
400,740 (2012)
Oakland, Population

that's 2.45

[tijlover]

I just returned from a 2-day trip to Oakland, my first, and I found the city very refreshing, even though it rained much of Tues. & Wed.. The downtown area has gigantic potential for development/redevelopment, providing the Nimby's in Oakland aren't as vicious and unreasonable as those across the Bay.

I stayed around Lake Merritt, and where can you see a nice lake, like that, in a downtown area!! That's a real jewel for Oakland, more so than Jack London Square.

Being it was so rainy, I gravitated to some bookstores on Piedmont Avenue and drove around that area of Oakland, which gives you a whole different perspective of Oakland.

I also drove out to Fruitvale on my way to the Airport, nice to see there's an interesting Mexican district there as well.

I will be back!!

[18Montclair]

Originally Posted by wave9x

In the last 3 months there were 200 houses sold in San Jose for $1m or more. In Oakland there were 69. That's 3 times more in San Jose than Oakland in a city only twice as large.

That's nice but it doesn't really change anything that I posted:

Cities by Neighborhoods with an Average
Sale Price $1,000,000+ Aug-Nov 2013, Trulia.com

San Jose
1 Almaden $1,064,618

Oakland
1 Skyline-Hillcrest Estates $1,472,200
2 Crocker Highlands $1,225,000
3 Hiller Highlands $1,218,000
4 Upper Rockridge $1,095,370
5 Montclair $1,016,214

Median Price 4 Bedroom House, Aug-Nov 2013, Year-Over-Year Change, Trulia.com
Oakland $758,000 +51.6%
San Jose $725,000 +17.2%

And I just love how people are being dense about it. I'm not saying that Oakland is more expensive than San Jose overall because it's not--but to say that Oakland is by default cheaper across the board due to crime(which is what I was responding to) is clearly WRONG because the data above proves that^.

Oakland is a city of huge socio-economic contrasts, it's not the one-stereotype-fits-all place some of you apparently believe it is and what's even more bizarre, is you vociferously argue not my point, but the example I used to illustrate my point. LOL

Also, taking the median house type from across the U.S. and applying that to Oakland as if that is some sort of median is not statistically valid.

Yawns. That's precisely what the National Association of Realtors does to compare different metro areas across the country--forward your vain complaint to them. I'm not having it.

San Jose is a much more expensive place to buy a house

And today you have been educated that in actuality, it all depends on the house but more importantly the neighborhood we're talking about. Now you are aware that in fact, anywhere in San Jose is NOT more expensive than anywhere in Oakland.

It was a pleasure to inform you, no thanks are necessary.

[ken22]

You live in a 2-million dollar Oakland home great. I don’t think anyone agues those living in such areas are probably as safe as can be. My buddy lives on the 500 block of Walavista Ave. in a home (Tulia) valued at around $900,000. A very nice home in a very nice neighborhood

Unfortunately, over the past fifteen years he’s had his car stolen from downtown once and vandalized four times (once in front of his home.) He was robbed at gunpoint while riding Bart a few years back and has co-workers and acquaintances who have also experienced robberies/assaults over the years.

My friend and his wife will be the first to tell you wonderful things about Oakland. However, they also aren't shy about telling you crime is a serious concern and they plan to move in a few years after he retires.

[jade408]

Ymmv. I have lived in Oakland for 9 years and the worst thing that has happened is that a few packages have disappeared.


On an autocorrecting iDevice.