Why is Alameda housing so (relatively) cheap? (San Francisco, Oakland: apartments, for rent)

[jasonellis]

Hi,

My family has an opportunity in the next year or so to move to the Bary area. I have read many of the posts here on Alameda, and I am really interested. It seems to fit the atmosphere we want, and has decent schools and a good commute situation.

My question is cost. For where it is (on the water) and what it offers (cool vibe, good schools, etc.) why do I find so many 2BD apartments and homes on craigslist that are well under $2000/month? I could say because of the economy, but so many areas in the region are still very expensive. Am I missing something?

Thanks.

jasonellis

[Oakland City]

It's cheaper because they are older and less modern apartments. But it's not "cheap". You won't find many new, modern apartments for rent in Alameda.

[jasonellis]

Thanks for the reply. To be clear, I intended the word "cheap" in the context of cost. I did not intend it to mean it in the context of quality. If it was taken that way, it wasn't my intent, and I apologize.

That does help answer my question, in regards to cost.... that the lack of more modern apartments may be why it is not as expensive. Any other thoughts?

Thanks.

jasonellis

[18Montclair]

If you are finding it cheaper than you'd expect, then I think you are very lucky to be getting a great deal in such a great town.

I don't necessarily know the reason as to why-maybe its the economy?

But I prefer Alameda to most of the Bay Area cities whose home prices top $1 Million.

[BayAreaHillbilly]

Alameda is a really great town. Good for living and enough commercial business to prevent you having to go across the Estuary if you don't want to.

[ssmaster]

i'm curious about rush hour traffic in the tunnel and on the bridge.

[Ultrarunner]

Some people don't like the weather and others love it...

Housing stock does tend to be older... I still see some plexes in converted Victorians that have ceiling heights of less than 7 feet... wouldn't work today, but they are Grandfathered...

[jasonellis]

Can you (or anyone) give more details on the weather? I would assume it is about the same as San Francisco.... cool and foggy. Is that right?

I know there are lots of micro-climates in the region, so I am not positive that Alameda is like that, and would love to hear from those in the know.

jasonellis

[Ultrarunner]

Originally Posted by jasonellis

Can you (or anyone) give more details on the weather? I would assume it is about the same as San Francisco.... cool and foggy. Is that right?

I know there are lots of micro-climates in the region, so I am not positive that Alameda is like that, and would love to hear from those in the know.

jasonellis

Very mild... almost never scorching even when the East Bay Hills and Inland are.

Not as cool as SF...

I had friends living there... they moved to Walnut Creek for the warm Summer Evenings... they never used the pool in their complex in Alameda and use it all Summer in Walnut Creek.

[kgbnsf]

Alameda weather is very similar to Oakland's weather. It's typically a few degrees warmer than SF each day in the fog influenced summer months. The fog breaks a couple hours sooner and comes in a couple hours later than SF. In the summer its typically in the 70's. Occasionally we'll get heat waves that last 2-3 days when the marine layer is pushed out. Then we could climb into the 90's as would SF. Like SF and Oakland, in the winter Alameda is somewhat protected by the bay so the low temps are moderated.

Last August our temperature records were:
Maximum temperature = 99.0 °F on day 28 at time 13:57
Minimum temperature = 54.2 °F on day 15 at time 06:55
This local site has daily history of Alameda weather:
Daily Report

It's not like the east coast with hot summer days and warm nights. You would want to look at the Southbay or far Eastbay for something close to that.