Job in San Francisco, Need to buy home (San Jose, Oakland: fit in, apartments)

[Koale]

Originally Posted by ragabnh

Thanks all for the help, I appreciate your detailed response beb0p, here is some answers and details, ranked top to bottom in order of importance.

My only son is going to college, so school district is not important, however resale in the future should be considered.

Commute time is 45 minutes or less using public transport, so easy access to stations is important

Size is around 2000-2500 sq ft, 4 bedrooms, with backyard

Weather, prefer the sunny type, I like to have a vegetable garden.

Preferable the house is 25 years old or newer

Neighborhood, Safe Residential with close proximity to supermarkets for shopping,

Price 750,000 to one million, preferable the lowest however could consider little bit (10%) more for a better house or commute.

Would you please advise based on the above criteria,

Thanks

Shouldn't you be speaking with a Realtor?
Koale

[bmw335xi]

Originally Posted by Koale

Shouldn't you be speaking with a Realtor?
Koale

I think it is better to find specific areas first before talking to realtor(s). A realtor that specializes in SF shouldn't be used to find a home in Walnut Creek. It's very easy to become a realtor, so you should do your own research as well like the OP is doing now.

[felinius]

Originally Posted by ragabnh

Would you kindly elaborate little bit more, as to why you recommend Walnut Creek besides the 25 years old house, in the meantime I will research this area further.

How is the commute to Market st, and how long will it take and given the proximity, am I within the price range for this area?

Thanks,

Based on your wants and needs, Walnut Creek and the East Bay will more easily serve your needs. You're going to get bigger square footage in the East Bay.

Look at this house: 80 Sherwood Way, Walnut Creek, CA 94597

$800k for 4bed, 3.5ba on 0.41 acres. (And a super beautiful house.) Built in the early 90's. The weather is mostly sunny, it does get cold in the winter.
There's a BART station in Walnut Creek and it can take around an hour to BART in (versus driving, you can get stuck in the tunnel).

Then look at something like this: 2534 31st Ave, San Francisco, CA 94116

$860k for 4bed, 2ba with 3000 sq ft built in 1940's. It has a small backyard. The weather is more colder compared to Walnut Creek.

[wooliemonster]

Listing price means NOTHING. Add 20%.

I used to be optimistic about my budget until I started looking at actual sales prices instead of the auction opening bid quaintly referred to as "list price".

[felinius]

Originally Posted by wooliemonster

Listing price means NOTHING. Add 20%.

I used to be optimistic about my budget until I started looking at actual sales prices instead of the auction opening bid quaintly referred to as "list price".

That's not my point. You're getting more bang for your buck when you go to the East Bay versus the Peninsula, and this is even reflected in apartment rent prices.

If you want a larger house with a backyard, the East Bay, especially around Walnut Creek will just be the best place to do it while keeping close enough to SF.

[bmw335xi]

Originally Posted by felinius

That's not my point. You're getting more bang for your buck when you go to the East Bay versus the Peninsula, and this is even reflected in apartment rent prices.

If you want a larger house with a backyard, the East Bay, especially around Walnut Creek will just be the best place to do it while keeping close enough to SF.

It is true you get more HOUSE for the buck in East Bay, but it's also not the Peninsula or San Francisco. It's not a hidden secret the East Bay is cheaper. It's cheaper because of less demand.

[beb0p]

Originally Posted by ragabnh

Thanks all for the help, I appreciate your detailed response beb0p, here is some answers and details, ranked top to bottom in order of importance.

My only son is going to college, so school district is not important, however resale in the future should be considered.

You're very welcome. Anyway, houses in good school districts tend to hold their value better (at least for the suburbs) and appreciates more (although this last point is debatable, I'm sure). But also keep in mind you get less bang for the buck and pay a higher percentage of property taxes (because many homeowners in these communities have school-age children and they will consistently vote to amend property taxes to pay for the underfunded public schools. That means you will pay your share even if you don't use the schools.). Just something to think about. I think deciding between a good-schools neighborhood vs more bang for the buck is a question that will continuously pop up thru your search.

Originally Posted by ragabnh

Commute time is 45 minutes or less using public transport, so easy access to stations is important

Then definitely should stick with towns that have access to BART or ferry (bus is slow and unreliable) - Alameda, Berkeley, Oakland (Rockridge or Temescal), Castro Valley, Lafayette, Orinda, Walnut Creek. Although Walnut Creek is more like 45-60 mins depending how far you live from BART (keep in mind Ygnacio Valley Rd is bumper to bumper in rush hour).

Also check out places in SF that has BART - Glen Park, along Monterey Blvd; and light rail - Sunset and West Portal namely. But you did mentioned you don't like cold or old houses, so may not be your cup of tea...

And then there are towns like Brisbane and South SF which is close distance wise but they're more car-centric.

I think houses in Marin County that are within your price range will be outside of a 45 min commute, but you still may want to check those out.

Originally Posted by ragabnh

Size is around 2000-2500 sq ft, 4 bedrooms, with backyard

Preferable the house is 25 years old or newer

Hmm.... can you be flexible?

2,000 + sq ft is huge by SF and Peninsula standard, and therefore will be very expensive and harder to find. The Outer East Bay (Castro Valley, Walnut Creek, etc) generally has bigger houses.

As for a house that is 25 years old or newer. I strongly urge you to be flexible on this one. Problem is that the hub of the Bay Area was established a long time ago, and just don't have that many newish houses. I mean they do exist, but not common and generally the further out you go, the more likely you find one; but then it pushes that 45 min commute time. Compounding matter is that a lot of the newer stuff are townhomes and condos instead of single family homes.

Walnut Creek and Castro Valley are probably your best bet in finding the right sq footage, the right age, and the right commute. But even there, those properties are still in limited supply.

There are many older homes that have been updated. They may look dated on the outside but inside feels pretty new. Maybe they could be a nice compromise.

Originally Posted by ragabnh

Weather, prefer the sunny type, I like to have a vegetable garden.

Then avoid the western part of SF and down - namely Richmond District, Sunset, Daly City, Colma, Pacifica, etc. On the flip side, Walnut Creek and surrounding area can go in the mid-90 degree in the summer.

Originally Posted by ragabnh

Neighborhood, Safe Residential with close proximity to supermarkets for shopping,

Price 750,000 to one million, preferable the lowest however could consider little bit (10%) more for a better house or commute.

Would you please advise based on the above criteria,

Thanks

All of the neighborhoods recommended are safe. Although the budget cut in Oakland had caused some problems lately. Don't write off the nice part of Oakland but also make sure you do your homework.

Good luck and welcome to the Bay.

[ragabnh]

Thanks a lot for everybodies input, you are great indeed,

One more question, how about Marine County, is that an option I should explore?

[beb0p]

Originally Posted by ragabnh

Thanks a lot for everybodies input, you are great indeed,

One more question, how about Marine County, is that an option I should explore?

The thing with Marin County, is that southbound rush hour is awful in the morning until you hit Mill Valley. So if you live north of Mill Valley your commute is gonna suck and most of the affordable houses there are way north of Mill Valley or tucked in some rural area with one road access.

It's a very safe area but it's intentional rural small-town feel and its isolated location is not for everyone.

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

I vote for Alameda. Alameda has an express bus to San Francisco, which is cheaper than the ferry. I also think the ferry only runs part of the year. At any rate, the bus is supposed to be fast and convenient and pleasant, according to a poster recently.

The homes in Alameda will mostly be older homes as well. But, my boss (the owner of the building I manage) has a large home in Alameda with a large garden. He's been supplying me with all the tomatoes I can eat, so gardening is entirely possible in Alameda. If you can grow tomatoes, it's warm enough for most anything.

Here's a Redfin search for Alameda for max $750,000, 4 bedrooms:

Real Estate Search | Redfin

Here's Alamada transit info:

Transportation | City of Alameda

Alameda has good schools, and has always been a desirable place to live. I think your resale value would be good. And it's a much shorter commute than Walnut Creek, though Walnut Creek is nice, too.