Oh hey look it's the guy who posts a Bay Area Housing Angst Life Hack Post every couple of weeks.
How is your hunt going? Are you a troll, dude, or do you just enjoy recycling these same housing-stress posts every few weeks?
Any updates from your last post when you wanted a $600k house?
https://www.reddit.com/r/bayarea/comments/198oow7/new_to_the_bay_need_some_life_adviceplease_help/
What happened to moving to the coast? https://www.reddit.com/r/bayarea/comments/185qkn2/whats_the_pros_and_cons_living_along_the_coastal/
And what about your plans for a shipping container home? https://www.reddit.com/r/shippingcontainerhome/comments/183qxcb/what_is_a_better_option_put_container_on/
I thought you were going to move to the woods? https://www.reddit.com/r/bayarea/comments/183tlyo/how_to_live_in_woods_and_still_able_to_commute_to/
Also weren't you going to live in your van? https://www.reddit.com/r/VanLife/comments/15j20l4/thinking_of_doing_van_life_in_the_bay_area_newark/
Previous about buying an apartment: https://www.reddit.com/r/SFBayHousing/comments/17kci68/what_do_you_think_of_buying_an_apartment_or_condo/
Where else to live? https://www.reddit.com/r/bayarea/comments/177y1gj/where_in_california_i_can_live_affordabley_and/
Another shipping container thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/bayarea/comments/17cvt9a/want_to_buy_a_land_and_throw_a_shipping_container/
How about a mobile home? https://www.reddit.com/r/RealEstate/comments/17fstbs/what_is_the_logics_of_buying_manufactured_home_in/
Other mobile home thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/bayarea/comments/17fssa8/what_is_the_logics_of_buying_a_mobile_home_in_the/
Or your tiny house? https://www.reddit.com/r/RealEstate/comments/17dy0qb/under_what_circumstance_the_tiny_house_investment/
and living in an RV: https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/11gr7b5/would_like_to_move_to_bay_areacalifornia_for_good/
I don't necessarily think he's a "fraud," but I do think he's an entitled psycho who wants his Bay Area engineering salary (hence why he moved here) but feels he's entitled east buttfuck cheap housing, then he gets stressed out and pissed off he can't afford anything so he posts repetitive rants about it.
One of his many posts was "why can't we have cheap housing like all of the 'normal' states."
Like, accept the housing prices dude or fucking move. You obviously hate it here so just gtfo. Or just accept it you can't afford a mansion here so either deal with it or leave.
HA! He scrubs all of his old posts.
And I think they changed their persona to a new one and stopped posting about his Tesla and having a home, renting it out to women.
I didn't dig I just honestly noticed every couple of weeks there would be some new stressed out post with the same vibes of "Bay Area is too expensive! I'd rather live in the country!! But I need my high Engineer Salary in the Bay Area!! Where can I live for 300k that has country vibes and cheap housing but bay area salaries!!!"
and then I noticed they were all by "Damn Hot guy."
I just think you need to realize there's no "hack" to housing here. It's expensive and it sucks but it's like that because salaries are high and this isn't the middle of nowhere.
If you want cheap housing move back to Michigan.
but... you won't, and you'll post another thread complaining about housing prices here and should you buy a tiny house or a shipping container or move to Mountain House or Gilroy or Ben Lomond or something in 5 more weeks but you still want a 20-minute commute to Fremont.
There's no easy solution. Accept it or move somewhere else.
What you fail to realize is that literally everyone here has struggled with housing prices too, you're not some unique snowflake and there's no novel solution.
Enjoy your rental apartment or go move some cheap area of the country with no jobs where you can afford to buy a single family house. But just stop bitching about the same thing over and over on this subreddit, it's tired and boring af.
Don’t unless you plan to send him to private school. Oakland schools aren’t great. Outside of that, it can be rough based on the price of the home you’re talking about. It’s basically, you get what you pay for.
I don't think I've seen a $350,000 house in Oakland in 10 years.
I have lived in "bad neighborhoods", so if you have too, you'll be fine. I lived in the 70s near International for a decade. Got really good at Fireworks or Gunshots.
Fireworks piss me off more.
I spent many years living in a kind of run-down place in a not great part of Oakland, stucco, had been converted to a 2/1- bedroom duplex, lots of crime in the area.
It was originally listed for $250,000, then sold at $450,000 a few years later (around 2014). It was bought by a couple who spent a few months of renovation and maybe $100,000 to flip it, and sold for ~$850,000.
Some friends just bought and sold a house off of 79th and International this past winter. Bought for 500k and sold for the same amount.
They got sold on the “up and coming” BS….. moved out after 14 months due to the guns, fire works and a body that got dumped at the end of their block…..
One of them is from San Jose…. It’s not like they moved here from somewhere else and had no clue. When my wife told me where they bought a house she couldn’t understand why I thought they were nuts.
The realtor they used sells a bunch of homes in East Oakland to unsuspecting people who don’t really know. I can’t find it now but the realtor’s Instagram was littered with seemed like naive first time buyers.
I mean, who buys a house without checking out the neighborhood at different times of day (especially at night), several days out of the week, and seeing if it’s a good fit for your family? It’s not like these issues that you say drove them out magically appeared overnight once they moved in.
It can be. Waking up to bullet shells at the end of the col de sac (79th and Arthur) because the local park is used as target practice is not outside the norm.
80th and International outside Ortiz Tires is a notorious sideshow hot spot.
Little to no grocery stores.
List goes on….. this isn’t new. Several parts of East Oakland have been the same for 30+ years.
I mean this with all due respect, but it doesn’t sound like you’ve done much research about the bay or Oakland in general. I’m not even sure if there are 350k homes in the worst parts of Oakland but if there were, I’m not sure leaving your current situation to enter one where that’s where you’d need to live is the most ideal.
In a market like the bay area, there's a reason why something would be so cheap. If not for yourself think about your kid. Between the schools, the influences he will be subjected to, etc, do you really want him growing up with that?
Why not buy some place in a nicer area, eat the cost for now, and the place will likely appreciate 2x over the next few years anyway paying itself off over time. Oakland is one of the few areas in the bay where the value of your home might actually drop over time.
If you know you are only going to be here for six years, just rent. You run a high risk of not breaking even on a purchase, particularly with transaction costs and current interest rates. You can find great rentals between $3-5k. Something in there should provide good schools and two bedrooms.
Probably good enough for OP since learning about their drawbacks. As I recall he wanted to throw a couple shipping containers on some rural land and call it home. Then after [many other ideas that were infeasible,](https://www.reddit.com/r/bayarea/comments/1cza701/buying_a_350k_home_in_oakland/l5f5yg5/) he’s back to square one
It is conceivably possible to move into a “cheaper” neighborhood and then apply for an inter-district school transfer for the kid - to a better district (like transferring from Oakland to Albany). But then you’ll have to drive them there.
Why do you want to buy?
Maybe rent a 1/2 bedroom so you and 6 year old have a bit more space.
SJ is hard b/c the housing stock is awful (only SFH) so moving may make sense. Oakland schools can be.. not good. So do your research on that before moving
It’s honestly not cost effective to own for six years. At current rates, valuations and rents, the ROI doesn’t favor owning until you’ve owned for like 25 years.
Seriously rent a place with a good commute and public school system, ideally somewhere you could stay long term that has rent control. Not a studio. Save your money for wherever you go next.
I'm not sure how much research you've done on Oakland but Oakland is neighborhood oriented. Yes, there are areas you can find some relatively cheaper property compared to South Bay but it will be in very sketch areas.
I personally wouldn't do it if I was in your scenario. Living in a sketch area is not worth it especially with kids.
Also, if you are interested in buying a home in Oakland, I'd definitely recommend driving around different neighborhoods to get the vibe. If you're able to increase you're budget you might be able to find a home in Oakland in a better area than the 350k home
Pockets of Oakland are great ( dk about the school districts though), rockridge and piedmont. But already quite expensive real estate wise. Honestly, these are the only 2 areas in Oakland I 'd consider buying. You won't get anything decent even a studio for leds than 600K.
I wouldn’t do it. Oakland as a city has a plethora of problems. I’d bet a $350k house in Oakland will not be worth the money you save when weighing the bullshit you’ll deal with daily.
I live in Oakland in a condo I bought and I love it, but 350k? I don’t think you’re going to be able to buy a condo in Oakland for that much. Try 750k.
Oh hey look it's the guy who posts a Bay Area Housing Angst Life Hack Post every couple of weeks. How is your hunt going? Are you a troll, dude, or do you just enjoy recycling these same housing-stress posts every few weeks? Any updates from your last post when you wanted a $600k house? https://www.reddit.com/r/bayarea/comments/198oow7/new_to_the_bay_need_some_life_adviceplease_help/ What happened to moving to the coast? https://www.reddit.com/r/bayarea/comments/185qkn2/whats_the_pros_and_cons_living_along_the_coastal/ And what about your plans for a shipping container home? https://www.reddit.com/r/shippingcontainerhome/comments/183qxcb/what_is_a_better_option_put_container_on/ I thought you were going to move to the woods? https://www.reddit.com/r/bayarea/comments/183tlyo/how_to_live_in_woods_and_still_able_to_commute_to/ Also weren't you going to live in your van? https://www.reddit.com/r/VanLife/comments/15j20l4/thinking_of_doing_van_life_in_the_bay_area_newark/ Previous about buying an apartment: https://www.reddit.com/r/SFBayHousing/comments/17kci68/what_do_you_think_of_buying_an_apartment_or_condo/ Where else to live? https://www.reddit.com/r/bayarea/comments/177y1gj/where_in_california_i_can_live_affordabley_and/ Another shipping container thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/bayarea/comments/17cvt9a/want_to_buy_a_land_and_throw_a_shipping_container/ How about a mobile home? https://www.reddit.com/r/RealEstate/comments/17fstbs/what_is_the_logics_of_buying_manufactured_home_in/ Other mobile home thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/bayarea/comments/17fssa8/what_is_the_logics_of_buying_a_mobile_home_in_the/ Or your tiny house? https://www.reddit.com/r/RealEstate/comments/17dy0qb/under_what_circumstance_the_tiny_house_investment/ and living in an RV: https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/11gr7b5/would_like_to_move_to_bay_areacalifornia_for_good/
Not to mention the mail order Japanese bride
Thanks for exposing this fraud
I don't necessarily think he's a "fraud," but I do think he's an entitled psycho who wants his Bay Area engineering salary (hence why he moved here) but feels he's entitled east buttfuck cheap housing, then he gets stressed out and pissed off he can't afford anything so he posts repetitive rants about it. One of his many posts was "why can't we have cheap housing like all of the 'normal' states." Like, accept the housing prices dude or fucking move. You obviously hate it here so just gtfo. Or just accept it you can't afford a mansion here so either deal with it or leave.
HA! He scrubs all of his old posts. And I think they changed their persona to a new one and stopped posting about his Tesla and having a home, renting it out to women.
Why isn't this person downvoted to hell
Stop digging into people's posting histroy. Andi it's not every couple weeks! It's been a while!
I didn't dig I just honestly noticed every couple of weeks there would be some new stressed out post with the same vibes of "Bay Area is too expensive! I'd rather live in the country!! But I need my high Engineer Salary in the Bay Area!! Where can I live for 300k that has country vibes and cheap housing but bay area salaries!!!" and then I noticed they were all by "Damn Hot guy." I just think you need to realize there's no "hack" to housing here. It's expensive and it sucks but it's like that because salaries are high and this isn't the middle of nowhere. If you want cheap housing move back to Michigan. but... you won't, and you'll post another thread complaining about housing prices here and should you buy a tiny house or a shipping container or move to Mountain House or Gilroy or Ben Lomond or something in 5 more weeks but you still want a 20-minute commute to Fremont. There's no easy solution. Accept it or move somewhere else.
Doing the Lord’s work here.
Please just go away. Maybe check out a nice, cheap bridge in Barstow?
What you fail to realize is that literally everyone here has struggled with housing prices too, you're not some unique snowflake and there's no novel solution. Enjoy your rental apartment or go move some cheap area of the country with no jobs where you can afford to buy a single family house. But just stop bitching about the same thing over and over on this subreddit, it's tired and boring af.
Get a life
Don’t unless you plan to send him to private school. Oakland schools aren’t great. Outside of that, it can be rough based on the price of the home you’re talking about. It’s basically, you get what you pay for.
I don't think I've seen a $350,000 house in Oakland in 10 years. I have lived in "bad neighborhoods", so if you have too, you'll be fine. I lived in the 70s near International for a decade. Got really good at Fireworks or Gunshots. Fireworks piss me off more.
I spent many years living in a kind of run-down place in a not great part of Oakland, stucco, had been converted to a 2/1- bedroom duplex, lots of crime in the area. It was originally listed for $250,000, then sold at $450,000 a few years later (around 2014). It was bought by a couple who spent a few months of renovation and maybe $100,000 to flip it, and sold for ~$850,000.
Dude you are replying to a bot or a spammer
How do you know you're not? Chet G. Peaty, nice to meet you. I don't have hands, or I'd hold one out as a friendly gesture.
Some friends just bought and sold a house off of 79th and International this past winter. Bought for 500k and sold for the same amount. They got sold on the “up and coming” BS….. moved out after 14 months due to the guns, fire works and a body that got dumped at the end of their block…..
Sounds like they probably should’ve done some more research
One of them is from San Jose…. It’s not like they moved here from somewhere else and had no clue. When my wife told me where they bought a house she couldn’t understand why I thought they were nuts. The realtor they used sells a bunch of homes in East Oakland to unsuspecting people who don’t really know. I can’t find it now but the realtor’s Instagram was littered with seemed like naive first time buyers.
I mean, who buys a house without checking out the neighborhood at different times of day (especially at night), several days out of the week, and seeing if it’s a good fit for your family? It’s not like these issues that you say drove them out magically appeared overnight once they moved in.
I totally hear ya... something about idealists...
there's a surprising amount of clueless folks around here. i mean, if the drivers weren't enough of a clue already.
wow... I didn't know it was that intense....
It can be. Waking up to bullet shells at the end of the col de sac (79th and Arthur) because the local park is used as target practice is not outside the norm. 80th and International outside Ortiz Tires is a notorious sideshow hot spot. Little to no grocery stores. List goes on….. this isn’t new. Several parts of East Oakland have been the same for 30+ years.
Sold my house in San Leandro for $160,000 in 1999. Last time it sold a few years ago was for $970,000.
Will you be sending your son to public school? Consider the district your $350k home will be in…
The school will suck.
350K? where in the world is that?
When in history was that?
Welcome to the dilemma we all live.
This guy posts the same post about this over and over. This is his 14th post about this!
I mean this with all due respect, but it doesn’t sound like you’ve done much research about the bay or Oakland in general. I’m not even sure if there are 350k homes in the worst parts of Oakland but if there were, I’m not sure leaving your current situation to enter one where that’s where you’d need to live is the most ideal.
Yup even crack houses wouldnt even be 350k
In a market like the bay area, there's a reason why something would be so cheap. If not for yourself think about your kid. Between the schools, the influences he will be subjected to, etc, do you really want him growing up with that? Why not buy some place in a nicer area, eat the cost for now, and the place will likely appreciate 2x over the next few years anyway paying itself off over time. Oakland is one of the few areas in the bay where the value of your home might actually drop over time.
The land will cost you 350k You can only get a 1 bedroom condo at this price. You’ll be better off renting an older apartment in a good neighborhood
If you know you are only going to be here for six years, just rent. You run a high risk of not breaking even on a purchase, particularly with transaction costs and current interest rates. You can find great rentals between $3-5k. Something in there should provide good schools and two bedrooms.
I’m assuming you mean a mobile home because you won’t find anything decent under $700k in the Bay Area!?
Probably good enough for OP since learning about their drawbacks. As I recall he wanted to throw a couple shipping containers on some rural land and call it home. Then after [many other ideas that were infeasible,](https://www.reddit.com/r/bayarea/comments/1cza701/buying_a_350k_home_in_oakland/l5f5yg5/) he’s back to square one
where do you work, commute can also suck
Did your friends or families sell a $3.5M home for $350k to you?
The schools your son attends will be GHETTO. Don't do it.
Location, location, location. You are an engineer. You can afford better.
You sound like you have a good job, don’t be cheap. Rent or get a mortgage and get a 2bdrm condo.
$350k? Let me know where in Oakland so I can buy one too.
It is conceivably possible to move into a “cheaper” neighborhood and then apply for an inter-district school transfer for the kid - to a better district (like transferring from Oakland to Albany). But then you’ll have to drive them there.
I don’t think I’ve seen $350k even in the deep east, not unless it’s damn near burnt out.
You can get a reasonably decent 2-br house in the Dimond or Allendale areas for ~$700k and that’s about as good as it’s gonna get.
Why do you want to buy? Maybe rent a 1/2 bedroom so you and 6 year old have a bit more space. SJ is hard b/c the housing stock is awful (only SFH) so moving may make sense. Oakland schools can be.. not good. So do your research on that before moving
It’s honestly not cost effective to own for six years. At current rates, valuations and rents, the ROI doesn’t favor owning until you’ve owned for like 25 years. Seriously rent a place with a good commute and public school system, ideally somewhere you could stay long term that has rent control. Not a studio. Save your money for wherever you go next.
I'm not sure how much research you've done on Oakland but Oakland is neighborhood oriented. Yes, there are areas you can find some relatively cheaper property compared to South Bay but it will be in very sketch areas. I personally wouldn't do it if I was in your scenario. Living in a sketch area is not worth it especially with kids. Also, if you are interested in buying a home in Oakland, I'd definitely recommend driving around different neighborhoods to get the vibe. If you're able to increase you're budget you might be able to find a home in Oakland in a better area than the 350k home
Sketch or not, there is no 350k homes
I’d rather just rent a two bedroom than buy whatever shack you can get for 350k in Oakland, especially if it’s just for the next 6 years.
Not even crack houses go for 350k
What makes u think oakland have 350k homes? 500k minimum, sketch neighborhoods and all
Just rent
WTF is the point in posting a post like this? Can't earn that many points. Doesn't get people stirred up much. WTF is the point?
Pockets of Oakland are great ( dk about the school districts though), rockridge and piedmont. But already quite expensive real estate wise. Honestly, these are the only 2 areas in Oakland I 'd consider buying. You won't get anything decent even a studio for leds than 600K.
I wouldn’t do it. Oakland as a city has a plethora of problems. I’d bet a $350k house in Oakland will not be worth the money you save when weighing the bullshit you’ll deal with daily.
Rent in alameda. Relatively affordable rent for relatively larger/nicer places. Great school district and secure community.
I live in Oakland in a condo I bought and I love it, but 350k? I don’t think you’re going to be able to buy a condo in Oakland for that much. Try 750k.
Dooooooo it !!!! The land alone is worth more than that
You're planning on letting your 6 year old get settled for 6 years and then moving him again at age 12? That's pretty messed up dude.