Affordable Neighborhoods
Berkeley Parents Network >
Reviews >
Housing, Neighborhoods, & Moving >
Affordable Neighborhoods
Jan 2008
My sister is hoping to move to California with her 1 year old daughter. She
would like to find an affordable place to own a home that is near a good
hospital (she's a nurse). She's hoping to be outside the metropolitan Bay
Area but not in the middle of nowhere. Maybe Santa Rosa area. She can
afford to pay about $2000 a month in mortgage etc. Any suggestions?
I'm a single mom who chose San Leandro. You can buy condos and homes
cheaply that are near hospitals, doctor's offices, grocery stores,
banks and a mall with Target, Macy's, BART etc. It's very convenient
and affordable.
Lori
My coworker just offered 50% of the asking price on a house in an
outlying suburb, and his offer was accepted. Your sister can check out
what's available in the Santa Rosa area by going to www.ziprealty.com.
In Santa Rosa, there are currently 1,364 homes for sale, many with the
price reduced at least once.
Waiting for buying opportunity
There is a great book by a local realtor named Tara Nelson - she was a
single mom too. The book is The Savvy Woman's homebuying guide.
her website is www.rethinkrealestate.com
christina
May 2007
Hi,
I am a single mom to a 12 yo son. I have lived in Berkeley for
the past 7 years.
I am looking to move to the North Bay, as I have been unhappy
with the public school system here, also.. the neighborhood I
live is not the best, and I can not afford to live in a nicer
area, even semi-nicer area. (and by that I mean safe.. I live on
the Oakland/Berkeley border) I can't even walk around my block
without meeting some kind of 'confrontation' be it small or
large. I have individuals knocking on my door at night asking
for money... that sort of thing... I don't open the door, but I
talk to them through the door.
My son has some great friendships from kids he has known from
Kindergarten.... and some he has just met. They are a great
group of kids... he is getting straight A's (but considering the
over all study-ethics of the majority of his classmates, I don't
know if this is 'in-spit-of' or his actual grades)and he is an
overall happy kid... he does complain on a daily basis about the
disruptions he faces in class, he is sometimes harrassed after
school. There seems to be utter chaos everytime I go to the
school... I have talked to the principle, his teachers.... and I
get the same answer, ''every student has a right to an
education.'' I agree... but at what costs to those that WANT to
learn and can't?
I could change schools.. but which is the lessor of two evils...
and being his friends are at this school....
Also, he started playing baseball for NOLL-SOLL and we LOVE it.
I would like to find a compariable league in the North Bay....
and the public school system... what is your opinion?
I would continue to work in Berkeley, commuting for at least the
next 2 years. I was looking at Fairfax, Novato, San Rafael.....
would consider other areas... Again, I would love to stay in
Berkeley if I could move to a relatively safer neighborhood...
but there is no way. The diffrence in price is $500 and up a
month. I have found comparible apartments in other areas of the
north bay for the same if not less than what I am paying now. I
am just tired of always being on edge.... and I am hoping that
a 'smaller' community will benefit my needs more.
Please be nice with your answers, but brutal honesty about how I
am looking at things is appreciated also.... I am confused and
just want the best for my child.
Confused
Friends of ours just bought a home in Lagunitas, Marin Co. They
moved there from the East Bay, because they also were disgusted
by the public school system. Lagunitas apparently still has
fairly affordable housing (for Marin) and incredible (public)
school choices. Here is a link to the Lagunitas School
District's website: http://lagunitas.marin.k12.ca.us/ You are
able to choose from a public Montessori school, Open School or
a Waldorf Inspired school. Our friends almost cried when they
went to their first informational meeting and learned of all
these wonderful school choices for their children. And they
will both also commute to UC Berkeley. Good luck in your
search! Hope this helps.
JOJ
Have you considered Alameda? Generally rent is lower there than
Berkeley for nice apartments, and there is a lot of new housing
there and move in specials.Your son would be close enough to stay
in touch with his friends and your commute would be shorter. I am
not familiar with their schools but haven't heard negatives.
Remember to calculate bridge toll and gas if you move to the
North Bay but work in Berkeley. Good Luck
anon
Hi, I feel your plight and I would like to give a shout out to my new
neighborhood in
Green Valley. I moved here for the schools which are all top ranked, very
diverse
and almost new. The community is small and there are a lot of East and
North Bay
transplants like us. It is a lot more convenient and affordable plus the
commute is
OK if you drive or carpool. There are a lot of fun and safe sports and
activities for
kids and the parents are very involved in the schools. All places have
problems but
we can fly kites in the park, buy ice cream from the Ice Cream Man, jog by
horses
and beavers after dinner, leave our windows open all night long, jump to
Napa for
pizza, and sit on the front porch afterschool. Little mundane things like
that make
the rural suburbs heaven to us. The major drawback is the lack of
diversity
amongst the teaching staff and a lack of large regional parks. Those are
the things
we miss most about Berkeley.
Urban Single Mom in the Burbs
Home |
Reviews |
Advice |
Members |
Post a Message
Join BPN |
Help |
What's New |
Search |
Contact Us
Last updated: Nov 22, 2008
Copyright © 1996-2009 Berkeley Parents Network
The opinions and statements expressed on this website
are those of parents who subscribe to the
Berkeley Parents Network.
Please see
Disclaimer & Usage for
information about using content on this website.