If you had $350-375k for a home, which family-friendly area of Sacramento would you pick? (Roseville: cul-de-sac, sales)

[MotleyCrew]

If you can handle a lenghthy commute, the look around Chico and Oroville. The land is beautiful and I would rather raise my kids in Chico (which we did) Oroville area than down in Sacramento. Good luck in your search!

[pgerwal]

The good news is that now is the time to buy if you're looking for homes in that price range... and there are plenty of nice homes in that price range now (I'm not sure what next Spring will bring). 2-3 years ago you couldn't find anything decent under $400k, especially in the nicer areas like Folsom and Roseville. The market will go up, and it will again push people out of the market especially with the chance of rates going up and the large amount of subprime lenders that have closed their doors, in turn making it MUCH more difficult to get a loan unless your credit is good and you have a little money to put down. You have options right now, so focus on the areas you like 1st, and if you're not happy with the neighborhoods, go to your 2nd choice, etc.

[cw68]

Originally Posted by MotleyCrew

If you can handle a lenghthy commute, the look around Chico and Oroville. The land is beautiful and I would rather raise my kids in Chico (which we did) Oroville area than down in Sacramento. Good luck in your search!

You'll go through the oil reserves in gas though. Live where you work and don't spend half your life on the road. Your planet will thank you and your family will, too.

[SingleNurseMom]

Have you ever considered a Montessori school? If you're not thrilled with the traditional public schools, consider the many Montessori tuition-free charter schools in the area. My children attend one, and it has been a wonderful experience in the last three years. They are located in Carmichael (on Engle), Citrus Heights, downtown Sac, and Elk Grove.

Good luck!

[DMD]

Go with Roseville. It may seem busy at first, but once you get to know the area you’ll love all the options for shopping, dining, etc. It’s a great suburb.

[BearBranch]

Can the get something decent in Roseville for that pricepoint?

[SingleNurseMom]

Originally Posted by DMD

Go with Roseville. It may seem busy at first, but once you get to know the area you’ll love all the options for shopping, dining, etc. It’s a great suburb.

Rocklin, Antelope, and Citrus Heights are really close to Roseville too, but CH and Antelope are generally cheaper than Roseville. Stay away from North Highlands (which is also near the area). Lincoln is VERY nice but it's kind of far - you can Mapquest or Google it to see where each of these cities are in relation to Roseville. Loomis is fairly close with a more rural feel, but it's more of a drive than the other areas.

Traffic from those areas to and from Roseville is a BEAR these days too, if you take the freeways (there ARE back roads that are better). But on I-80 between the Antelope Road exit and the Hwy 65 exit (to Rocklin), I'd say it's at least tripled in the last decade or so. And now they're doing construction for the next year at I-80 and Douglas Blvd (in Roseville) so eastbound traffic is often at a near standstill from about 2pm until way past rush hour, and it can get backed up for miles (past Madison Ave). I have to take the back roads to get anywhere. Westbound traffic (toward Sac) is a monster as always in the morning, but it's somewhat bearable until you pass Antelope Road (beyond that though, forget it). There IS a rush hour carpool lane between Citrus Heights and Sacramento both ways (not out to Roseville though), which helps if you're lucky enough to have a carpool!

I hope this helps!

[cag25]

Thanks everybody for your responses. Honest opinions really help so much!

I think that Roseville will be where we end up... hopefully in East Roseville so that DH's work in Carmichael will be a little closer. We spent some time in Roseville this week; of course it seems crowded near the Galleria shopping area, but there were lots of nice quiet neighborhoods.

We also saw some lovely areas in Orangevale and Carmichael... but those areas seem more expensive than Roseville, which surprises me. Roseville felt safer and nicer.

I will have to look into some of the other areas that previous posters mentioned a little bit more.

Thanks again!

[lexi]

Originally Posted by cag25

Thanks everybody for your responses. Honest opinions really help so much!

I think that Roseville will be where we end up... hopefully in East Roseville so that DH's work in Carmichael will be a little closer. We spent some time in Roseville this week; of course it seems crowded near the Galleria shopping area, but there were lots of nice quiet neighborhoods.

We also saw some lovely areas in Orangevale and Carmichael... but those areas seem more expensive than Roseville, which surprises me. Roseville felt safer and nicer.

I will have to look into some of the other areas that previous posters mentioned a little bit more.

Thanks again!

I would recomend...
Roseville
Rocklin
Lincoln
Folsom
El Dorado Hills
Cameron Park
All safe good area's to raise kids.

[quasi888]

For $330-330k (comfortably below your range) I would recommend the Denby Square development in Westpark Roseville:

Pulte Homes - Denby Square at WestPark

I just toured the single family home models a few days ago (looking for a friend; I've already bought a home in a different development up the street) and was VERY impressed with what I saw, in all 3 of the models. Very nice floorplans.