relocating to Benicia (Oakland, Concord, Vallejo: best towns, apartment complexes, rental market)

[smarya76]

Hi,
Can anyone tell me what areas I should look for to rent. We are moving there this fall and I would like excellent schools. Any neighborhoods that would be great for a familly would be good. We want to rent now then buy later once we know our way around. Thank you

[paper555]

i dont know too much about the town itself, but i can tell you it is a good location. Good commuting times to both oakland / sacramento. can get to both in under 1 hour. San fran is a little farther out.

[2sleepy]

The only places you would probably not want to live in Benicia would be the lowest cost apartment complexes, but rent has gone up so much that the riff raff might well have left to Merced or wherever rent is cheaper by now. It's a nice little town with a very proactive Police Dept. Most people who live there love it and don't want to leave.

[Scorpion3510]

There are really no "bad" areas of Benicia. If schools and nicer areas are your paramount concern, then I would say the neighborhoods above Southhampton Rd (approximately north west of downtown). It tends to be newer suburban development up that way and lots of hills.


My wife and I were looking in Benicia but aren't ready to give up being so close to SF. Maybe when we have kids but not at this point. When we do have school age kids, I think Benicia is one of the best towns in the entire Bay area and affordable to boot.

[DebLinney]

Originally Posted by 2sleepy

The only places you would probably not want to live in Benicia would be the lowest cost apartment complexes, but rent has gone up so much that the riff raff might well have left to Merced or wherever rent is cheaper by now.

Long time lurker, finally registered forum member here.

We're moving to Benicia next month. We're coming from the east coast so rents overall are shocking, but Benicia seems to be pricey more so than some surrounding areas. We've yet to come across a low cost apartment complex. Maybe it's the small town feel, marina, adorable downtown, short distance to Concord and Walnut Hill...whatever, rents are pricey, but it's where we want to be right now. My husband's job is in Concord, so it's a dream commute (especially since his day begins at 10am). And, now that he's used to paying the $5 bridge toll daily, it's a non-issue. He's been living in Vacaville for a few months while our kids finish up school in the east, and he's scouted quite a bit of the east bay and north bay areas. From what he's seen, there are no bad areas of Benicia (which he couldn't say about Concord.) He checked out a couple of apartment complexes since we'll be renting for a few months while we get our bearings, and the ones he's toured seem decent, quiet and safe. There are few rental houses, so if that's what you want, you might have to be patient until some open up.

I've no idea about schools since our kids will be in the virtual school there. If you look on Google maps, you can pinpoint neighborhoods near the schools if being close is important to you. But, then again, Benicia isn't large, so it shouldn't be much of an issue.

All the best.

[NJEmmert]

Deb, Martinez schools are about the same quality as Benicia and you'll save the $5 a day. You can also look in Pleasant Hill and Walnut Creek areas. Ever the very south eastern edge of Concord changes school systems. Things are really flakey out here with regards to who goes to what schools.

Scorpion, the big problem with Benicia is the FHA limits. On the Martinez side of the bridge, the FHA limits are like $620,000 which is enough to get you into a smaller house or nicer town house. In Benicia you're in a different county and the FHA limits are $400,000 which won't buy you anything in Benicia. Benicia is definitely cheaper than say Pleasant Hill but it's actually harder to get a home when you consider the cash required for a down payment.

I've been living in Benicia (temp housing, furnished apartment) since March and looking for a townhouse to rent for my family starting here in June. The rental market moves VERY quickly. Homes tend to be listed and rented within a week, just a heads up.

[DebLinney]

Originally Posted by NJEmmert

Scorpion, the big problem with Benicia is the FHA limits. On the Martinez side of the bridge, the FHA limits are like $620,000 which is enough to get you into a smaller house or nicer town house. In Benicia you're in a different county and the FHA limits are $400,000 which won't buy you anything in Benicia.

The FHA limits seem rather arbitrary, or am I missing something?

I guess that precludes us from buying in Benicia. Disappointing. But good to know we might find something in Martinez. Plus, it will be even closer to hubby's work.

[NJEmmert]

Originally Posted by DebLinney

The FHA limits seem rather arbitrary, or am I missing something?

I guess that precludes us from buying in Benicia. Disappointing. But good to know we might find something in Martinez. Plus, it will be even closer to hubby's work.

FHA limits are something like 70% of the average purchase price on homes in the county. In Martinez, the homes are cheaper than average as the same county includes San Ramon and all those places closer to San Fran and Oakland. Being on the cheap side of the county makes the FHA limits very attractive.

In Benicia, you're in the most expensive city in the county as it's a different county on that side of the bridge. Suddenly FHA limits don't do much for you.

[CaliRestoration]

Next to the gangland that is Vallejo. Unfortunately because you have no real shopping options in Benicia, you're either travelling to some gang infested hole like Vallejo just to visit a big box store, or you're crossing the bridge to Concord. Maybe you could drive 20 minutes into Vacaville as well.

[2sleepy]

Originally Posted by CaliRestoration

Next to the gangland that is Vallejo. Unfortunately because you have no real shopping options in Benicia, you're either travelling to some gang infested hole like Vallejo just to visit a big box store, or you're crossing the bridge to Concord. Maybe you could drive 20 minutes into Vacaville as well.

Oh please...Vallejo is not that bad and there are two major grocers in Benicia, Raley's and Safeway. And to get to Costco or a Walmart Superstore you need to drive to Fairfield, there is only a Vallejo Neighbohood Market and no Costco in Vallejo.