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Old 04-18-2011, 09:50 PM
 
15 posts, read 64,877 times
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Hi! Can anyone tell me how Brentwood, CA has changed in the past 3-5 years? Crime? Schools? Type of people?

My family is considering moving there but I know foreclosures are high and I'm curious how that is effecting the town.
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Old 04-18-2011, 11:28 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jamie4040 View Post
Hi! Can anyone tell me how Brentwood, CA has changed in the past 3-5 years? Crime? Schools? Type of people?

My family is considering moving there but I know foreclosures are high and I'm curious how that is effecting the town.
I don't know much about Brentwood but this article caught my eye the other day

THE BAY CITIZEN - Gaining White Residents, Brentwood Earns a Niche - NYTimes.com
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Old 04-20-2011, 11:43 AM
 
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Thanks for your response. That was an interesting article and quiet the opposite of what I thought. I was under the impression that Brentwood has an increase of African Americans and Hispanics.

We are one of those "younger families" looking for a more affordable place to live. But my husband is a firefighter in Hayward so we can't go too far out of the Bay Area.
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Old 04-20-2011, 12:06 PM
 
Location: Bay Area
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I actually know a lot of people from the immediate Bay Area that have moved to Brentwood. It's one of those places that feels like everything was just built overnight in the middle of farm land. Seems like a nice enough place--solidly middle class. There's a nice outdoor shopping center and it seems fairly quiet, clean and safe. The folks I know seem happy with the schools and haven't heard complaints (other than it's reputation for being way the he** out there).

I honestly wouldn't let the foreclosure issue affect your decision---Now I can't speak specifically for Brentwood, but that outlying East Bay regions seems to be slowly picking up again. I know jobs and startups are definitely picking up in the Bay Area which will bring more people looking for more affordable places to live. I would read the Contra Costa Times for more general info on the crime--they have individual city pages.

I wrote a little posting recently about what I observed out that way...(not being specific to Brentwood however) Personally I think the being on the Bart line helps towns become just that bit more desirable overall for people ---not sure if BART is planning on reaching Brentwood anytime soon though.

https://www.city-data.com/forum/san-f...l#post18781791
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Old 04-20-2011, 02:55 PM
 
Location: ABQ
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Brentwood's biggest problem is commute times. Route-4 bottles up like nobodies business as it goes from 2 lanes to 3 lanes to 5 lanes and back down to 3 and 2 again. It gets to be a real mess just past Railroad Avenue in Pittsburg.

That's a QOL issue for me, to be honest. If your husband was commuting to Hayward, you'd certainly want to go Vasco to 580, but it's still an hour + drive.

With the fall of the market, a lot more is available in lower price points elsewhere also.

Hayward between $250 - $350
Real Estate Search | Redfin

Castro Valley $250 - $350
Real Estate Search | Redfin

Fremont $250 - $350
Real Estate Search | Redfin

Even getting down into Livermore will cut your commute time by more than half.

Livermore between $250-$350
Real Estate Search | Redfin

I don't know your price point or exactly what you're looking for in a house. I suspect you're looking for something newer construction, 2000+ square feet, but I thought it might be worth a look to at least look in the area of work first and then branch out - especially with gasoline in the mid 4's right now.
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Old 04-20-2011, 03:11 PM
 
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Parti Rhinoceros- I know the commute and I know how to look up houses on redfin.com. I'm asking about the community, the people.

This is my concern... Is Brentwood considered part of Section 8 housing??? - [domain blocked due to spam]
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Old 04-21-2011, 04:35 PM
 
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Wow came across as kind of snippy. It sounds like maybe your looking for Lily White nirvana. Not going to happen. Unless you can afford Blackhawk, Atherton, Marin County etc.... Discovery Bay is very nice.
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Old 04-22-2011, 04:42 PM
 
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I'm sorry, the irritation was with the salesman...after his post he continues to message me.

I grew up in San Ramon and I'm actually not looking for that kind of area. We currently live in Livermore and LOVE it. But as we look for a house to buy we've noticed how much more you get for your money in areas like Brentwood and Disco Bay. I don't know if you read the link I posted but it's pages of people who live in Brentwood talking about how the neighborhoods are going downhill...much like what happened to Antioch.

Do you live in Discovery Bay?
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Old 04-22-2011, 06:30 PM
 
Location: ABQ
3,771 posts, read 7,098,643 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jamie4040 View Post
I'm sorry, the irritation was with the salesman...after his post he continues to message me.
Oh, really? That's news to 'the salesman.'

It's an odd jab considering I took the high road to your snippy response and didn't respond (notice no one else has replied to your thread since then either except to point out that you were rude; there's nothing to reply to. If you don't live in Brentwood, don't reply was your message. Good luck with that.)

Moreover, don't use my profession as your scapegoat for why it's OK to be rude to others on a message board that gives advice to and helps complete strangers. I gave advice on this board years before I sold real estate, FYI, and I would have given the same advice then as when I messaged you last week, except this time I'll take off the kid-gloves and be blunt with you: you might just be insane to want to live an hour and a half from your work so you can buy in a depreciating community far-flung from where anyone wants to buy real estate anymore when gas is already at $4.55 and climbing. That real estate market has passed and as the far-flung communities become ever more affordable, a host of new folks will live there. Your guess is as good as anyone else's what happens to Brentwood in the next two decades. If you talk to folks in Brentwood, you'll have two schools of thought - one optomistic and one pessimistic (if they still reside there). In addition, I certainly wouldn't do it just because you're attracted to the glitter of the cheaply-made new construction slab, either.

You can make whatever investment you want to make, but if someone very kindly says, hey, you know, check out x, y, and z communities in addition, I don't think I'd take such offense - they might just be doing you a favor. You might not LIKE other people's advice, and that's OK, but if I was a savy buyer and I was asking about a community, I'd take it all in. Remember: when you buy real estate, you better also have a plan to sell it. Take rate of appreciation into consideration, and I'll be sure to let you know the next time anyone (outside of small-time income property investors) asks to see anything in Brentwood, Oakley, Antioch, Stockton, or Discovery Bay post-market crash. Don't hold your breath.
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Old 04-22-2011, 10:01 PM
 
15 posts, read 64,877 times
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I apologize. Your first post did come off "salesman" as well as your private message to me but I shouldn't have been snippy.

Thank you for your second response! That's exactly the kind of advise/opinion I was looking for...an honest one.

I'm not so dumb as to get caught up in the "glitter", that's why I'm on here...to find out why this "glitter" is so cheap?

The reason the commute doesn't concern us is because my husband commute 10 times a month and I don't work (SAHM, 3 kids).
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