New to Bay Area - where to live? (Oakland, Fremont: for sale, buying a house)

[newtosf1]

Hi everyone!

My wife and I, along with our two kids, will be moving from Texas to the Bay Area in late July, and wanted to get a feel for which areas are best for our budget since we're planning on buying a house. The following specifications apply:

- 4+ bedrooms
- Some kind of a yard
- Quality public schools (since we'd prefer not to have to send the children to private schools- they're aged 9 and 7)
- Budget is $1 million, can go up to 1.25 M at the very most.

This will likely be a move for the long term. My office will be in downtown SF, and hers in Palo Alto, so I suppose that might constrain the areas we can live in. Thank you in advance for your suggestions and help!

[capoeira]

Originally Posted by newtosf1

This will likely be a move for the long term. My office will be in downtown SF, and hers in Palo Alto, so I suppose that might constrain the areas we can live in. Thank you in advance for your suggestions and help!

The obvious choice is Fremont. One can take the Bart from Fremont Station or Union City station to downtown SF. One can also take the Dumbarton Express bus to Palo Alto from Fremont.

Living in somewhere in the middle like Burlingame or San Mateo won't work on a 1.25M budget.

Even a very small old house on the peninsula is above the 1.2M price range like this example.

https://www.trulia.com/p/ca/belmont/...02--2082608424

[Ruth4Truth]

I think the Alameda ferry service should start a route to Palo Alto. Then people could live in Oakland or Alameda, and commute to the Peninsula as well as to SF. I was going to suggest Alameda first, but the drive to the Dumbarton, and then over the bridge, would be too miserable a commute. (Unless she would be working non-conventional hours.) So, Fremont it is! There's no other practicable choice, really.

[DeanoSF]

I think Fremont is a good (if not the only) choice. Even so, expect to test the high end of your budget if you hit all your asks. You might also look into Pleasanton. That might get you a somewhat nicer home for that money, but would worsen both of your commutes.

The market has quieted a little, but desirable homes are still getting well above asking price and it's a bit of a game across the entire Bay Area. Good luck!

I'm also originally from Texas, BTW. Welcome.

[marissamay]

Are you part of a corporate relo or just doing this on your own?

[artemis78]

Another vote for Fremont. You might also consider Castro Valley, depending on which commute you want to prioritize. You may need to be flexible on either your budget or the bedroom count depending on what else you need in a home, but there will be some options. Welcome to the Bay Area!

[newtosf1]

Originally Posted by capoeira

The obvious choice is Fremont. One can take the Bart from Fremont Station or Union City station to downtown SF. One can also take the Dumbarton Express bus to Palo Alto from Fremont.

Living in somewhere in the middle like Burlingame or San Mateo won't work on a 1.25M budget.

Even a very small old house on the peninsula is above the 1.2M price range like this example.

https://www.trulia.com/p/ca/belmont/...02--2082608424

OP here. Found a nice looking place in Moss Beach. Is this generally considered a good/convenient area?

https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sal...04_rect/11_zm/

[roadwarrior101]

Originally Posted by newtosf1

OP here. Found a nice looking place in Moss Beach. Is this generally considered a good/convenient area?

https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sal...04_rect/11_zm/

I think the whole Half Moon Bay area is ok in terms of community. However, beware that it tends to be very cold and foggy. Personally, I wouldn't want to live there as it would get to me after a while. But, some people love that type of weather.

[Ruth4Truth]

People do live in Half-moon Bay and commute to the Peninsula. I don't know if they commute all the way to SF. That would be a lot of traffic to slog through. Maybe, if you do Half-moon Bay, you could commute to a train station on the Peninsula, and take the train to SF? Just thinking out loud. You could take a look at Pacifica, which is much closer to SF, and is near a BART station. But then your wife would have to drive to PA from there, unless she could park at a Caltrain station in Millbrae or Burlingame, and take the train.

We're trying to spare both of you the worst commutes, OP, which is why Fremont was the consensus vote. But your wife should find out if her employer runs commuter shuttles for employees, and if so, what communities they serve. That could open up more possibilities. For example, if they serve not only Fremont, but also Castro Valley, that would be great. Or they might run north/south on the Peninsula, so may extend to Pacifica.

Half-moon Bay is a nice little rural community, tucked away from the hustle-bustle. Some people feel, that it's worth the commute to have a place like that to come home to. Depends on what you're interested in. IF you two decide on Half-moon Bay, conceivably you could only take one car for the commute, and she could drop you off at the train station in Palo Alto. Just a thought.

[twins4lynn]

There are homes on the peninsula in your price range. San Bruno - https://www.realtor.com/realestatean...-65252?view=qv is currently for sale. Others in that price range are pending (homes move fast). Pacifica would also have a few.