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Apparently he bought in the "Durant Manor" neighborhood.
Correct me if I'm wrong but based on what I have read, there's a difference between "central east" oakland which is everything west of the 73rd and then there is "deep east" oakland which is everything east of the 73rd. I was under the impression that "deep east" is a war zone and should be avoided at all cost while "central east" is prime for gentrification.
And it seems like those neighborhoods I mentioned seems ripe for the next wave of gentrification. Of course, nothing beats the real opinions and experiences of people who live and breathe in the bay area which is why I appreciate y'all chiming in on this so much. Thank you!
Yeah. We thought that 30 years ago when we bought in scary Deep East.
Saying that, however, it was the best financial decision we ever made. Our house payment is less than 400 bucks, and yes, we refinanced, and will be paying for a few more years to come. We live in what is called both North Stonehurst and East 14th Business District, very near San Leandro. I’m an older white woman, married, and our little section is pretty quiet. Here’s the caveat. Car break ins are terrible, car thefts are happening, and it’s difficult to park your car in the garage. Garages built in the 1920’s were built for 1920’s cars. Don’t leave stuff in your car and do your best to not park on the street. I’m not saying there isn’t crime, but when I’m home, I’m home, not hanging on the streets.
There’s one other thing. You might find people terrified to visit you. We were okay with that.
Car smash and grab are easy pickens... not as much as San Francisco which leads the nation but still a real problem.
Leaving a car on the street is almost an invitation over time...
I too experienced the friends or co-workers not wanting to visit... simply mention Oakland and that was enough back in the day.
What I find amazing is the kids of those now living in Pleasanton, Danville, Walnut Creek, etc. are drawn to Oakland... their parents said we left or their Grandparents left and now the next generation is shunning the suburbs... it's coming full circle.
Oakland is a collection of neighborhoods... and some neighborhoods are no more than a block or two.
One of my coworkers had me look at the nicest picture postcard 1920's Oakland home about 20 years ago... the original owner was selling and was a toddler when her parents bought it new.
The house checked all the boxes BUT it was in Oakland and her family and friends said she was crazy... she could have easily afforded it but got cold feet... 20 years later she is still renting and had she bought that little bungalow she would have over half a million in equity right now...
If you value your car... a garage or at least off street parking is important... at least with off street parking less likely to have someone crash into it.
A simple rule of thumb that has worked for me when looking at a neighborhood are the number of homes with bars on the windows...
I lived in Pittsburg CA for a time... great older home with lots of room, etc... had the most trouble there of anywhere... problem was everyone commuted to work... no one around during the day in the neighborhood so it was easy pickens... the family I sold it to has never had a single problem... larger extended family and someone is always around... it makes a difference.
Car smash and grab are easy pickens... not as much as San Francisco which leads the nation but still a real problem.
Leaving a car on the street is almost an invitation over time...
I too experienced the friends or co-workers not wanting to visit... simply mention Oakland and that was enough back in the day.
What I find amazing is the kids of those now living in Pleasanton, Danville, Walnut Creek, etc. are drawn to Oakland... their parents said we left or their Grandparents left and now the next generation is shunning the suburbs... it's coming full circle.
Oakland is a collection of neighborhoods... and some neighborhoods are no more than a block or two.
One of my coworkers had me look at the nicest picture postcard 1920's Oakland home about 20 years ago... the original owner was selling and was a toddler when her parents bought it new.
The house checked all the boxes BUT it was in Oakland and her family and friends said she was crazy... she could have easily afforded it but got cold feet... 20 years later she is still renting and had she bought that little bungalow she would have over half a million in equity right now...
If you value your car... a garage or at least off street parking is important... at least with off street parking less likely to have someone crash into it.
A simple rule of thumb that has worked for me when looking at a neighborhood are the number of homes with bars on the windows...
I lived in Pittsburg CA for a time... great older home with lots of room, etc... had the most trouble there of anywhere... problem was everyone commuted to work... no one around during the day in the neighborhood so it was easy pickens... the family I sold it to has never had a single problem... larger extended family and someone is always around... it makes a difference.
I really enjoy your stories! Where was that little bungalow your coworker passed up? I can only guess that it wasn't in Rockridge (parts of which do have those 1920's Craftsman's), or in any of the other north Oakland neighborhoods...? "Oakland" in my experience, certainly is NOT synonymous with crime. As you know, there are some very high-end neighborhoods in Oakland with no crime issues. Or there were, back at that time.
The Bungalow was straddling Laurel and Dimond Districts...
For most of my life I have lived in one place or another in Oakland...
My parents home is near the listing I posted in my first link... always thought of the neighborhood around the Zoo to be a sleeper... some amazing 5 bridge views and homes from the 1960's....
A few years back... there was a telephone lineman up on a pole... he was covering from Pleasanton and had NEVER been anywhere in Oakland accept the airport and stadium... he kept saying how surprised he was that this was Oakland...
You know... for those of us that live here we do keep it a secret...
A lot of my friends live in Montclair.... amazing homes with amazing views... one held a surprise birthday party for me and everyone was invited from work... some did not go because it was in Oakland... others couldn't stop talking about how nice it was... my friend at built the home and it does have a million dollar view of downtown Oakland and SF with Mount Tam and 5 bridges...
In my parents neighborhood there have only been 5 sales in the last 10 or so years... each home was bought by a LGBT couple... only one couple has a child.
Schools are still a big issue when deciding where to buy... if you don't have public school age kids it is not an issue. Oakland Public Schools run the gamut from top to bottom... Tom Hanks graduated from Skyline.
Piedmont is a city entirely within Oakland and has top rated schools and expensive... now if Piedmont was part of Oakland it would change the demographics.
The Bungalow was straddling Laurel and Dimond Districts...
For most of my life I have lived in one place or another in Oakland...
My parents home is near the listing I posted in my first link... always thought of the neighborhood around the Zoo to be a sleeper... some amazing 5 bridge views and homes from the 1960's....
A few years back... there was a telephone lineman up on a pole... he was covering from Pleasanton and had NEVER been anywhere in Oakland accept the airport and stadium... he kept saying how surprised he was that this was Oakland...
You know... for those of us that live here we do keep it a secret...
A lot of my friends live in Montclair.... amazing homes with amazing views... one held a surprise birthday party for me and everyone was invited from work... some did not go because it was in Oakland... others couldn't stop talking about how nice it was... my friend at built the home and it does have a million dollar view of downtown Oakland and SF with Mount Tam and 5 bridges...
In my parents neighborhood there have only been 5 sales in the last 10 or so years... each home was bought by a LGBT couple... only one couple has a child.
Schools are still a big issue when deciding where to buy... if you don't have public school age kids it is not an issue. Oakland Public Schools run the gamut from top to bottom... Tom Hanks graduated from Skyline.
Piedmont is a city entirely within Oakland and has top rated schools and expensive... now if Piedmont was part of Oakland it would change the demographics.
OK, now that was just foolish and ignorant of your coworker. Did you not try to advise her, on Oakland neighborhoods? Wow. Where did she grow up, that she's so poorly informed about Oakland, and so easily swayed by negative stereotypes?
I grew up on the Berkeley end of a street, that had a barn with dairy cows on the Oakland side, and a family with a donkey and a cart that the kids rode around the neighborhood on. The neighbor a couple of houses down from the barn was Italian, and farmed the empty lot next to his house. That Oakland was my world, as a little kid. lol. And it wasn't that long ago. In the 80's, as RE values went up, things changed pretty quickly, as people divided their large properties, and sold off the extra, on both the Berkeley and Oakland sides. Even with Prop 13, the taxes were too much to handle on full-acre or 3/4-acre properties.
Last edited by Ruth4Truth; 04-20-2018 at 01:24 PM..
OK, now that was just foolish and ignorant of your coworker. Did you not try to advise her, on Oakland neighborhoods? Wow. Where did she grow up, that she's so poorly informed about Oakland, and so easily swayed by negative stereotypes?
I grew up on the Berkeley end of a street, that had a barn with dairy cows on the Oakland side, and a family with a donkey and a cart that the kids rode around the neighborhood on. The neighbor a couple of houses down from the barn was Italian, and farmed the empty lot next to his house. That Oakland was my world, as a little kid. lol
She grew up in Pleasanton CA and it was her parents that were the most vocal against her moving to Oakland... they sold their home on Brookdale in the 60's because it was "Getting bad" and bought in Pleasanton and couldn't bare the thought of their daughter in Oakland... her Mom said it would worry her to death...
When I bought my home... I didn't tell anyone until after I had made the offer... and then it started... but, it was what I could afford and growing up here it wasn't as if I didn't have a clue.
The home I bought was scheduled for a condemnation hearing... my buying reset the clock and the first thing I did on the day of closing was have a 20 yard dumpster delivered... within a week I had hauled out mountains of trash... cut the weeds, replaced the broken windows and had finished painting the street side of the house... met some wonderful neighbors that couldn't have been happier having the neighborhood eyesore cleaned up...
Joining the ranks of Homeowner at age 22 was the single best financial move of my life... all 600 square feet of 1910 cottage on a 25 x 100 lot was mine...
My grandmother was born and raised in Oakland on Eileen Street on the Berkeley border... her neighbor friend had a pony in the back yard with a pony cart... she said it was a lot of fun growing up here and taking the street car on shopping day...
My advice to anyone thinking of buying is to think long term... 10 years ago the common wisdom was Oakland Real Estate would never recover in our lifetime... and we all know how wrong that prediction is.
Please do spend some time getting familiar... talk to would be neighbors...
OK, now that was just foolish and ignorant of your coworker. Did you not try to advise her, on Oakland neighborhoods? Wow. Where did she grow up, that she's so poorly informed about Oakland, and so easily swayed by negative stereotypes?
I grew up on the Berkeley end of a street, that had a barn with dairy cows on the Oakland side, and a family with a donkey and a cart that the kids rode around the neighborhood on. The neighbor a couple of houses down from the barn was Italian, and farmed the empty lot next to his house. That Oakland was my world, as a little kid. lol. And it wasn't that long ago. In the 80's, as RE values went up, things changed pretty quickly, as people divided their large properties, and sold off the extra, on both the Berkeley and Oakland sides. Even with Prop 13, the taxes were too much to handle on full-acre properties.
I had a dear friend who flat out refused to visit me in Oakland. She lived in a nice part of Concord. She had a party, and all her friends were talking about the happenings in their neighborhood. One had experienced multiple car break ins in her driveway, one had a homeless guy light a fire by a dry creek that went out of control and burned a tree and her fence and nearly the house and one, while doing laundry in her garage, missed getting shot in the head during a drive by because she bent down to pick up dropped laundry.
I looked at my friend, wagged my finger at her, and said — none of that happens in my neighborhood.
She grew up in Pleasanton CA and it was her parents that were the most vocal against her moving to Oakland... they sold their home on Brookdale in the 60's because it was "Getting bad" and bought in Pleasanton and couldn't bare the thought of their daughter in Oakland... her Mom said it would worry her to death...
When I bought my home... I didn't tell anyone until after I had made the offer... and then it started... but, it was what I could afford and growing up here it wasn't as if I didn't have a clue.
The home I bought was scheduled for a condemnation hearing... my buying reset the clock and the first thing I did on the day of closing was have a 20 yard dumpster delivered... within a week I had hauled out mountains of trash... cut the weeds, replaced the broken windows and had finished painting the street side of the house... met some wonderful neighbors that couldn't have been happier having the neighborhood eyesore cleaned up...
Joining the ranks of Homeowner at age 22 was the single best financial move of my life... all 600 square feet of 1910 cottage on a 25 x 100 lot was mine...
My grandmother was born and raised in Oakland on Eileen Street on the Berkeley border... her neighbor friend had a pony in the back yard with a pony cart... she said it was a lot of fun growing up here and taking the street car on shopping day...
My advice to anyone thinking of buying is to think long term... 10 years ago the common wisdom was Oakland Real Estate would never recover in our lifetime... and we all know how wrong that prediction is.
Please do spend some time getting familiar... talk to would be neighbors...
What a fabulous story! I think you should write a book! Seriously! The RE market and book market are ripe for that!
So, I live in Millsmont. To answer an earlier comment, it's not a part of the Oakland Hills, but is a foothills neighborhood in between the flatlands and hills. If you're going to buy now, doing so in Millsmont on any street west of 68th and above MacArthur for $500K is currently very difficult (west of 72nd if you're on Outlook and above) There is currently ONE single family property that is around $500K 3387 64th Avenue, OAKLAND, CA, 94605. There will be a bidding war that will push that over the $535K ask, since two other properties on the street both sold for around $700K earlier this year with multiple offers. I've seen a couple of fixers (like "bring your contractor and plans" sort of properties) that have gone for about $375-450K this year. Last year (2017) I feel like the prices were reasonable. In 2018, they're pricey.
Other East Oakland neighborhoods to consider: Camden (right below Millsmont), Mills Garden (right below Mills College, next to Maxwell Park), Eastmont Hills, Frick depending on location, Fairfax depending on location, Havenscourt (the actual street), Toler Heights. Laurel, Allendale, and Lower Peralta Creek (also known as lower Dimond) are also places to consider. Most of these neighborhoods are diverse in ethnicity, age, family structure, etc. I would also look at the San Leandro neighborhoods (Dutton, Broadmoor, Durant, and Estudillo) east of Oakland, because access to Alameda isn't too bad.
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