Alameda vs Oakland vs Berkeley (Piedmont, Emeryville: apartment complexes, rental, condo)

[04kL4nD]

Originally Posted by CirclingLogan

The best part of downtown Oakland is Uptown, specifically around the Broadway & Grand intersection. Lots of shops, cafes, restaurants and bars (and two massive beer gardens opening soon, along with more restaurants and condos), and it's right off the lake, so it has a more serene feel than much of downtown/uptown which can feel somewhat gritty. But there are really just two buildings: 100 Grand Ave, which is rentals and Broadway Grand, which is condos. There are some more coming, and hopefully the residential continues to build.

I mostly agree with this, although with such close proximity to the Fox Theater and so many bars it can get a little rowdy at night, as there is much more foot traffic. JLS is much tamer by comparison, but aside from the train I never really hear any riff raff at night. I don't go out to the bars as much these days, so I'll take a bit more quiet than action.

[ssmaster]

Originally Posted by wooliemonster

This is a surprisingly nice apartment in Rockridge:
College avenue - walk to Bart/shops
That location is basically 100% ideal for my needs. It reminds me alot of the apartment we rented briefly before we bought our house here.

My wife and I don't strictly need a 2 bed, we just don't want to feel claustrophobic, and want a place for all our friends and family to stay when they're visiting from Texas.

wow. $2400 for a 700 sq foot 1 bedroom. i did not know rockridge was so expensive.

[Obamadon1]

Originally Posted by ssmaster

wow. $2400 for a 700 sq foot 1 bedroom. i did not know rockridge was so expensive.

Desirable location + no new supply = high cost

[04kL4nD]

I'm sorry, but $2400 for a 1BR in Rockridge is absolutely ridiculous. You can find a 2BR/2BA with a dishwasher and W/D in JLS for slightly more- we did.

Rockridge is nice and all, but there's no sense in overpaying. Do your homework and look around.

[Obamadon1]

Originally Posted by 04kL4nD

I'm sorry, but $2400 for a 1BR in Rockridge is absolutely ridiculous. You can find a 2BR/2BA with a dishwasher and W/D in JLS for slightly more- we did.

Rockridge is nice and all, but there's no sense in overpaying. Do your homework and look around.

Yeah that cost does seem quite a bit higher than the general market for 1 beds

[jade408]

That apartment is way overpriced. My friend is renting a 2 bed house a few blocks from there for 2k.


On an autocorrecting iDevice.

[04kL4nD]

Exactly. $1600-$1800 is around average these days for a 1BR in RR. It used to be you could easily find a nice 1BR for around $1200, but those days are long gone.

[ssmaster]

i think it is expensive but if someone decides to rent it then it's not overpriced.
it has parking,4 blocks to bart ,on site laundry,hardwood floors

time will tell if RR has a new price point

[04kL4nD]

A fool and his money are soon parted. Then again, my parents from the East Coast think I'm nuts for paying as much as I do to live in the Bay Area, so it's all relative.

[rao4400]

ACK! yeah over 2 grand is way over budget for me. I am trying to find a decent place to live for 1400. If I paid that much, all I would be doing is paying rent, student loans, and transport. But hey, I would get skinny. I was just in Oakland last night, over by lakeshore and grand, and my boyfriend and I really liked it. It reminded us of where we went to college (Rochester NY).

The main thing I am concerned with Alameda is the commute. I don't work regular hours. I work usually from 10am- ? Never earlier than 6, sometimes I leave work at 9, get home, then work till midnight some mornings I have to be in by 8. Also, my boyfriend will want to be able to visit his friends in the city. I mean, would we be able to get home without a ton of hassel, like taking the bart would be? Seriously, I would like my commute to be under 30 minutes, door to door, and I want decent access to the rest of the bay area.