Would San Francisco be a good fit for an unhappy DC dweller? (Berkeley: HOA fees, condos)

[ServoMiff]

Originally Posted by likealady

The wind chill is ridiculous, it's gotta be windier here than Chicago.

Nope. Go to Chicago in December and you'll yearn for SF. 20 mph sustained wind when it's 15 degrees will do more than chill you to the bone.

I absolutely love Chicago, but those winters make SF summers feel tropical. I moved to SF from Orlando, and I am loving this SF weather. If I don't want to feel chilly, I can just BART out to Walnut Creek or Pleasanton and hang out there for a day to get the sunny and 80+ temps. You can't escape the wind and cold in Chi-town in the winter.

[ippi76]

I'm 26 like you and live across the bay in Alameda, lived here all my life. For your COL comparison etc. I am not sure you considered NOT living in Sf? Or is that the point of coming here? Your dollar goes a lot further in the East Bay, meaning Oakland, Alameda, Berkeley.

I also found you post of interest because I am considering also switching coasts in the opposite direction, West to East. Sort of same you said- new adventure, new challenge, hopefully grow as a person, not to mention the COL is INSANE here, I know it is in DC though too. My points of interest are Charlotte and Raleigh NC so far.

[Mordin]

Originally Posted by ippi76

Your dollar goes a lot further in the East Bay, meaning Oakland, Alameda, Berkeley.

Not all that much further, not really. I lived in Oakland from 2004-2011, moved to the south bay for awhile, and then returned to Oakland for a couple more years before that house was sold (I was renting). Both of those times I saw the overall COL rise, moderately the first time, then even more steeply the second time I was up there. Rents around the Lake Merritt area have already gone up substantially; the last area I lived in was over by the Oakland stadium. I saw houses being purchased in the 'hood for well over the seller's asking prices.

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely loved living in the East Bay but it's quickly becoming more and more pricy as spillover from SF sets up shop there. This includes cities all down 880S (San Leandro, Hayward, Fremont, etc.) and inland from Castro Valley all the way out to Livermore.

[bmw335xi]

Oakland has gone up a lot and is still much more expensive than the national average. On top of that it has all the SF problems but x3.

[Cardiff Kook]

Originally Posted by epichero83

Oh boy. Cut to me at 26. (I will be 32 soon). Here's my quarter life crisis story:

I was 26 too thinking about making a big move. I'm from San Diego and had only lived in So Cal my entire life. I yearned for something different. I had an okay job but I needed to see something different so off to DC I went. My partner at the time moved to Dupont/Logan for work. I desperately needed a change of scenery from the laid-back, skater, surfer vibe that permeates San Diego, and found DC to be refreshingly academic and self-aware. Of course, there are those douchey-types who are all about their job titles. Alas, in big cities there will always be those types (even in SF).

That's funny. I was like you and did the exact opposite move for the exact opposite reasons. Loooooooooooove San Diego!

[Ruth4Truth]

OP, you can easily afford to live in the East Bay on your current salary, let alone with a COL adjustment. And you can get a good condo or townhome around there for far less than 1/2 mil, and you can get a nice 2-br. with sun porch & other add-ons + nice yard in Albany for 1/2 mil. Or you can pick up a nice foreclosed home for half that. Don't worry about it so much; you'll be fine, if the startup you're working for actually pans out, that is.

Gawd, I'd never be able to live in the hot, humid summers in DC, which begin in May already. Not to mention the freezing, sloppy winters. But, to each his own. It's your life, your call.

[bmw335xi]

Moving from a city like DC to Albany is taking a BIG step backwards.

[EastCoastOutcast]

I should clarify - I definitely am not thinking that I need to live in the city proper to be satisfied here. East Bay looks like it’d be where I’d land - been trolling Zillow quite a bit looking around Oakland and Berkeley…honestly, the prices they have listed up there still don’t impress me much. Aside from a couple of listings for decently sized places around $1600-$1800, everything’s still north of $2k unless you want to live in downtown Oakland, and I’ve heard no small number of people suggest not to do that if I didn’t have to. One of my coworkers who’s migrating from DC is staying at a place out in Lake Merritt while he looks, and he says he really likes it out there. If I ended up deciding to take the plunge, that’d probably be where I’d land, I’m thinking. Provided that I could find a 1BR under $2k. I’m not sure I’d fit into a place smaller than 600-700 square feet with my current set of furniture, but going that big (I’m in a 750 sq. ft. place now with room to spare) might be tough out here.

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

Gawd, I'd never be able to live in the hot, humid summers in DC, which begin in May already. Not to mention the freezing, sloppy winters. But, to each his own. It's your life, your call.

It can be rough, sure. Never rougher than those summer nights where it’s north of 90 degrees and 80-90% humidity even in the pitch black night. But my favorite season by a mile is autumn, and I do love the searing heat of the summer at times, if I can get it without the humidity. Makes me feel alive. Snow is great too, until it all turns to slush. February through April sucks. I just think I’d really miss having four seasons.

Of course, maybe actually being social would be plenty enough to take my mind off it all. The women out here in SF are pretty beautiful…of course, they are in DC as much or more, but here they’re actually approachable and nice. Dating sucks in DC, it really does - at times it feels like everyone my age is looking for a rich 40+ year old sugar daddy, and everybody younger still lives like they’re in a college dorm. Or with their parents. :-P So, so hard to find somebody to be with, even with the raw numbers tilted in my favor. Might end up being the deciding factor, TBH, which city ends up being better for singles. As long as I get the economics under control (and you’ve all been pretty helpful there), it’d just be about ease of meeting new people.

[Chuck5000]

I have heard it said that dating sucks in NYC, LA, SF, DC....you name it. I personally didn't enjoy dating in the three of those places I lived until I got to a different place in my life. And then I met my wife here. But realistically, it's a numbers game, and one should do better in a larger city assuming an equal social network.

People who have never lived East don't know how great spring and fall are, they just think it's snowing or sweltering. And warm summer nights, summer rains, are amazing. Yes, Jan - Mar I was sick of the winter though, but as one gets older you get busier. Overall I love the climate here, of course.

Strongly recommend watching the HBO show, "Silicon Valley."

[Chuck5000]

Ruth's advice is generally great, but no way at all one can get the kind of quality 2 bedroom she describes anywhere where there are good schools within one hour commute of SF for less than 500k, let alone Albany. If you see such a listing, it's designed to get bids, or it has serious things wrong with it. Check sale prices and learn to look for factors like road locatiion, condition of building, etc.