Possible move to Concord (San Jose, Sacramento: to rent, house, buy)

[Ohio-gurl35]

Hi I'm considering taking a job in Palo Alto that pays around $70,000 a year.
My husband is looking at jobs that pay around $50,000 a year. We have 2 daughters.
Would our combined income be enough to support us in the Concord area.
We are looking only to rent not buy as we only plan to stay a few years.
Thanks.

[NewbiePoster]

Concord won't work if your job is in Palo Alto. That's an impossible commute. Try Fremont, near the bridge to Palo Alto, for more reasonable rents, or on the Palo Alto side of the Bay, Pacifica or Daly City. Those last two might still be brutal commutes unless you can work around the traditional commute times. Huge traffic. Fremont/Union City has decent schools. I hope you both get some raises while you're living there, because rents have exploded, and you'll probably experience some significant rent increases.

[mstnghu2]

Commuting from Concord to Palo Alto?? No, No No!!!! ...very bad idea! I don't think you realize how long that commute would be!

Pick inner East Bay communities based on your income. You'll want to focus on safer parts of Hayward (mainly the hills- but still crappy commute!) and the "Tri-City area"- Fremont/Union City/Newark. Based on your information, I don't think you realize how far many Bay Area cities are apart from each other.

On Google Maps the SF Bay Area may look like this cute little compact area. It's not though. Concord makes no sense at all if you're commuting to Palo Alto. Also, expand your search criteria to South Bay locations (Silicon Valley/San Jose area). It's all going to be expensive based on what you're probably used to though.

[Ohio-gurl35]

Thanks for the info

[NewbiePoster]

Take a look at rents on Craigslist in the Fremont area, and also Daly City and Pacifica, to get an orientation. Take a look at San Mateo, as well, to compare. You may decide to consolidate, and take a 2-br. place, and double up the two girls in one room if you want a nice community with good schools and a shorter commute. It's good to explore all options.

[BayAreaHillbilly]

It is actually not an "impossible" commute. There are people doing all sorts of bad commutes around here. People commuting from Brentwood/Discovery Bay to the South Bay or City. People doing Tracy to the Peninsula. Los Banos to the South Bay. And all sorts of other manifestations. Not nice, but people do it.

[04kL4nD]

Sure, just as it's not impossible to commute from Sacramento or Monterrey.

[cardinal2007]

Originally Posted by BayAreaHillbilly

It is actually not an "impossible" commute. There are people doing all sorts of bad commutes around here. People commuting from Brentwood/Discovery Bay to the South Bay or City. People doing Tracy to the Peninsula. Los Banos to the South Bay. And all sorts of other manifestations. Not nice, but people do it.

My old boss's father has a small plane, and would routinely fly from Concord to Palo Alto to commute before he retired, and after he bought a house in the Concord area (Pleasant Hill), so yeah, I agree it is not "impossible", but most people don't have pilot licenses, a plane, and are willing to pay the maintenance for a plane + landing fees at two different airports.

[jade408]

Originally Posted by cardinal2007

My old boss's father has a small plane, and would routinely fly from Concord to Palo Alto to commute before he retired, and after he bought a house in the Concord area (Pleasant Hill), so yeah, I agree it is not "impossible", but most people don't have pilot licenses, a plane, and are willing to pay the maintenance for a plane + landing fees at two different airports.

Wait, not everyone has a plane? Or a helicopter?

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by cardinal2007

My old boss's father has a small plane, and would routinely fly from Concord to Palo Alto to commute before he retired, and after he bought a house in the Concord area (Pleasant Hill), so yeah, I agree it is not "impossible", but most people don't have pilot licenses, a plane, and are willing to pay the maintenance for a plane + landing fees at two different airports.

That's one way to deal with traffic. Who knew Palo Alto has a landing strip?