Anyone live near Oakland?

[SkiMoguls]

I would like to know if anyone knows some nice areas around the Oakland area (within about a 2 hours drive) that they could suggest that would be a good start for buying a house. My family and I would prefer to live outside the city a bit.

I am considering a move out west to get out of Chicago. Chicago is a fantastic city, but I am more the outdoors type.

Anyone have any suggestions? Links to websites would be a great help too.

Thanks,

Ski

 

[General Lee]

Try Livermoore(sp?). It is East of Oakland and a lot cheaper.


Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[typhoonpilot]

Only one " o " General. To get affordable housing you may have to go out to the valley. Tracy has become a fairly popular bedroom community, as has Stockton. Even Manteca . There are now some very nice developments in Stockton with decent houses in the $400,000 range. Going north you would have to go to Vacaville, Fairfax, Dixon, Woodland, or Sacramento. Not sure of prices there. Prices in California keep going up.


Typhoonpilot

 

[Wiskey Driver]

Try Livermoore(sp?). It is East of Oakland and a lot cheaper.


Bye Bye--General Lee

General you must be out of your mind!!!!! Livermore cheap?? Dam n that doesn't even roll off of the tongue well.

SkiMoguls, TP is correct the valley is somewhat cheaper when compared to the Bay Area, but not by much!! I lived in the bay area for 10yrs bought my first home in 98 a condo for $125,000 and sold it in 01 for $260,000 that's an indication of the bay area prices for you!!! I moved to a Sacramento suburb in 01 because of the growth and building out here so I got a brand new home in a new development almost three times the size of my bay area condo for $315,000. My home was appraised a month ago for $605,000. Apparently many bay area resident got the same idea I did and moved out here. A good number of them were able to sell their homes their and pay cash here with money to spare! So to answer your question I would look at Tracy and Fairfield but do it quick as the prices will continue to rise but that will work in your favor once you buy...

Good luck to ya

WD.

 

[Sir Humpalot]

Livermore is extermely expensive. I just bought a house in sacramento (natomas area) and there were 13 people bidding for the same house. It is extremely competitive to buy a house in sacramento. I think stockton is a good place to commute from and the houses their are reasonably priced. Some parts of Stockton are kind of thuggish and just be careful in the area you move to. Tracy is also a little more expensive but closer (approximately 45 minutes from oakland on a good day). Many houses are listed on www.craigslist.com and you can get a good idea about prices. There is also a travel agent that has mls listing on the net and pm me if you want it.

I own a house in san francisco (well my wife does) that she bought 10 years ago for $350k and now it is appraised at $870k! Its amazing how fast the market is growing.

 

[SkiMoguls]

Mucho bucks!

Holy shat is CA expensive...I said that I wasn't going to ever live in a trailer, but I might have to.

Thanks for all who contributed to my post!

Ski

 

[skirt]

Another place to look in the Stockton-Tracy-Livermore area, is a little pilot ghetto called Discovery Bay and the nearby town of Brentwood.

Disco bay is a cool place on the Sacramento Delta, with fishing, waterskiing and float plane flying right out the back door. Problem is, like much of CA, prices did go through the roof in recent years. I bought my house 10 years ago, and prices have since tripled. I couldn't afford my own house now, if I had to buy it.

However, just down the road is Brentwood. It's not on the water, but close, and the houses run in the 300k-500k range (cheap for CA). The drive is 55 min to OAK. Brentwood is about 20m west of Stockton and 20m North of Tracy/Livermore.

Skirt

 

[FearlessFreep]

There is some affordable housing in the Bay Area. Unfortunately the neighborhoods their in are not places most people would want to live. Real Estate prices here are insane. Houses in my area (Oakland Hills) are on average from 690K to 1.25M. There are a few bargins available here but they are very small Bungalow type dwellings. There is a house across the street from me that is up for sale as the ex-residents are older and one passed away. It is in deplorable condition (for this area), has structural damage and is being marketed at the give away price of 499K. Mind you most of all these places have no real yards as the lots are very steep in most cases. Just a lot to build a house on in the Bay Area can get you a complete and very nice house in many other parts of the country.

When you move to the Bay Area you are doing more than just purchasing a residence. You are buying into a lifestyle, the climate cannot be beat, though you will get a new respect for water, (anywhere in California for that matter).

The hardest thing about living in the Bay Area other than the high cost of living is that inspite of the shortcomings it's very difficult to leave!

The best way to move to the Bay Area is to step into a time machine and go back 20 years, it was still expensive then too.

Good Luck!

 

[Wiskey Driver]

There is some affordable housing in the Bay Area. Unfortunately the neighborhoods their in are not places most people would want to live. Real Estate prices here are insane. Houses in my area (Oakland Hills) QUOTE]

Oakland Hills area!!!! Dam n Freep your rich!!!!

 

[TheDogsBollocks]

SkiMoguls,

If I were you I would give California a miss. The cost of living is outrageous I simply don't know to this day why people still relocate there. After living in LA for 14 years I relocated to Portland OR in the hope of finally buying a house at a reasonable and affordable price.

If moving out West is your preference and SWA is in your future, have you considered Phoenix? If the heat is an issue and you don't mind commuting I can recommend Portland-Oregon is a paradise for outdoor pursuits.

Best of luck with your decision.