Midwestern Woman, Bay Area Dreamin... (Oakland, Fremont: apartment, renting, insurance)

[jade408]

Originally Posted by njtaylor

Wow, and that's in Oakland, not SF proper?? I've got work to do...lol Thanks!

Jade408, where would you recommend in Oakland if I were to move there? I know a couple folks who live in Oakland Hills, but idk much about where that is and haven't started probing them...just yet.

Depends in what you want... Personally I love being close to transit and walking to places. So that limits my Oakland neighborhood options.

What sort of dwelling do you want/neighborhood type. The hills covers a wide swath of Oakland. I like the Laurel/Dimond districts. They have good amenities in the commercial districts and are diverse solidly middle class areas. Transit is OKish. You'd want to generally speaking live above MacArthur over there.

The thing about Oakland school wise is, most elementary schools are pretty good to excellent. Then by middle school all of the middle class and up parents move or go private. But these older schools are improving in some areas, Oakland tech (a high school) is highly rated, and my neighborhood school.

I also think, in a few years, as more people like me have kids, the public schools in the upper grades will better reflect oakland.

So I guess, how old is your kid? I'd say if under about 8 or so when you move here then go for Oakland. If you have a kid over 8 then try El Cerrito or Albany or Alameda. I like the 2 A towns more as they are more walkable and charming, but any of the 3 is a pretty good choice, and pretty diverse. Schools are good.

[wooliemonster]

Do it. I did. It's great. Budget $3k for rent in the East Bay, $4k for SF. Be wary of apartments that seem "below market" -- they're cheap for a reason. I like Oakland, but I don't have kids yet. Berkeley, Alameda, and Albany are great if you're looking for something more family oriented but still want to experience the "Real Bay Area" instead of random suburbia.

[04kL4nD]

Oakland is great, but not if you have kids. Albany, Alameda, and Fremont are much better bets since you have schools to worry about.

[Ruth4Truth]

There's no reason to budget 3k for rent in the east Bay. Look on Craigslist yourself. I found a 2-br. in-law ground floor apt. with a garden in north Oakland (the Temescal, near Rockridge) for $1500 for a poster here last year. And I just spent a couple of months checking listings in Berkeley, Albany, Rockridge, Oakland hills and Fremont, and found scads of nice houses (not apartments) with 2 or 3 br. in the $2000-$2800 range (the upper part of that range was 3-4 br), all in good neighborhoods, most with yards and/or nice gardens, many with views of the Bay. These were nice places, sunny, some of them quaint (so-called "old world charm"), not drab or dull.

[njtaylor]

Thank you so much for your input!

Jade408 - My son is 4 so he is not quite school age yet, but he will be going to pre-school/kindergarten so I definitely have to take the school system and quality of education into account now.

Ruth4Truth - I am looking for something within $1500-2000/mo for housing fees, taking into account housing would be 1/3 of my income... I am low balling the salary to be realistic in this economy, but hoping to obtain a slightly higher income. I am planning to live within the above parameters though.

I would be renting for the first year or so until I get settled, ideally a two bedroom or some sort of housing sublet. I read somewhere on a different thread that Rockside(?) and Oakland Hills can sometimes have rental housing or floors that the owners sublet/lease while they are traveling, etc...

I also want to be within decent proximity to BART/Muni...in case I do not want to drive, or do not bring/get a vehicle.

I am planning to move out there before the fall, late summer so that I can get my bearings.

I am just bursting with excitement, I have never done anything like this before....I have been California dreaming since high school... It's been calling me for over a decade and won't get out of my system!!!

[njtaylor]

And can someone level with me about this fog... "line" business??? LOL tell me the truth about the fog!!!

[wooliemonster]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

There's no reason to budget 3k for rent in the east Bay.

My search was not an academic exercise to advise posters on the internet, but to actually find a place to live I ended up renting a 1100sf loft space for $2000/mo in a "transitional" area (not kid friendly), but I might move into a nicer unit in the same building if it becomes available.

[rca215]

I moved here recently from Chicago. Some input I can give:

- The move cost about $6K excluding the cost of temporary housing for the first month I was out here.
- My apartment in the Inner Richmond/Laurel Heights area of SF costs about 30% more than I paid in Lake View in Chicago (but is about 60% of the size and much worse in quality)
- Sounds like fog in the East Bay isn't that bad; in my short time here in what is considered one of the foggier places, the fog hasn't been bad at all. Granted, the weather has been weird and I guess this is the less foggy part of year.
- Some higher costs that weren't fully anticipated are bridge tolls, taxis, airport parking (only use it because of high taxi costs and because I don't live by BART)

[jade408]

Originally Posted by wooliemonster

Do it. I did. It's great. Budget $3k for rent in the East Bay, $4k for SF. Be wary of apartments that seem "below market" -- they're cheap for a reason. I like Oakland, but I don't have kids yet. Berkeley, Alameda, and Albany are great if you're looking for something more family oriented but still want to experience the "Real Bay Area" instead of random suburbia.

Berkeley schools are very much "urban" schools as well, and also deal with similar problems to other ones, compounded with income inequality.

[jade408]

Originally Posted by njtaylor

Thank you so much for your input!

Jade408 - My son is 4 so he is not quite school age yet, but he will be going to pre-school/kindergarten so I definitely have to take the school system and quality of education into account now.

Ruth4Truth - I am looking for something within $1500-2000/mo for housing fees, taking into account housing would be 1/3 of my income... I am low balling the salary to be realistic in this economy, but hoping to obtain a slightly higher income. I am planning to live within the above parameters though.

I would be renting for the first year or so until I get settled, ideally a two bedroom or some sort of housing sublet. I read somewhere on a different thread that Rockside(?) and Oakland Hills can sometimes have rental housing or floors that the owners sublet/lease while they are traveling, etc...

I also want to be within decent proximity to BART/Muni...in case I do not want to drive, or do not bring/get a vehicle.

I am planning to move out there before the fall, late summer so that I can get my bearings.

I am just bursting with excitement, I have never done anything like this before....I have been California dreaming since high school... It's been calling me for over a decade and won't get out of my system!!!

OK, the no car (or limited car) variable limits you a bit. I'd pick Temescal, Piedmont Ave, Rockridge, Grand Lake. These areas all have good elementary to middle schools. FYI, Oakland's school scores have been up 15--20% per year every year for the past 7 or so...so if your kid is 4, by the time he gets to middle school, I imagine the cadre of good schools will improve a ton! And Temescal, Piedmont Ave and Rockridge should all feed in to Oakland Tech, which is arguably the best high school in Oakland....pretty highly rated.

All of those areas have a ton of young families... most parents are in their 30s/40s. You'll fit in just fine.

Alameda is a decent choice, since the island is small. But getting off the island can be time consuming depending on where you live. Could be a little tricky with child care logistics.

You are going to want to avoid the hills....no where is particularly walkable or transit friendly.

As for fog? East Bay is less foggy than SF. Berkeley and El Cerrito have more fog than Oakland. Most east bay fog burns off by 11. El Cerrito has pockets where the PM fog rolls in a little early.