Best Family Areas for Low-$1Millions Budget

[The-Shoveler]

Out by Tracy (to the east) then Stockton to the north etc..
to the south I am not sure the towns current name(s) but I know co-workers to bought new homes to the south (not cheap by the way)
They are not great areas currently but I bet they improve quickly.

[bearishgurl]

[quote=FlyerInHi]I just saw a 2000sf condo. That would be fine for a family.
Why is a house a necessity if you have kids? I’m enjoying condo living and never want a house again.

I wish they’d build more condos. Mid to high rises over 4 stories so they are solid concrete and steel. I think in Irvine and Carmel Valley, the Asians and tech workers would buy them up like hot cakes.[/quote]

Condos are fine for a family who has a parent regularly available to take the kids to a park where they can run and play … OR the kids go to after-school care until 5-6 pm and their parent(s) take them to a park on weekends. Condos are bad for large dogs and all dogs in units which are not on the ground floor (with dog doors installed to the outside). A condo’s outside enclosed ground-floor courtyard needs some dirt and grass for dogs and so many of them are just concrete.

HOA Assns have many rules prohibiting kids from playing in the common area due to owner complaints about trampling landscaping, littering and throwing balls too close to windows, etc. It’s not ideal to raise kid(s) in, even if there is a tot lot on the premises (which needs a chaperone in attendance for kids visiting it). If the parent at home needs to get work done inside the unit, the kids can only play on their enclosed balcony, patio or courtyard, where the parent can see them. With their own fenced backyard and playthings, kids can busy themselves much longer so the parent can get some work done.

For a family with teenagers, a condo may be fine, as long as the family doesn’t have too many cars for their garage and/or assigned parking spaces. If they do, it will be an everyday hassle to figure out where to park their extra vehicles and keep them from being ticketed.

Families with kids are typically bulging out of condos within a very short time after move-in. I’ve seen listings of condos with families of 4 or more living in them which were literally stuffed with junk in every closet, wall and crevice. I have no idea how those inhabitants were able to move around in there and enter and use all the rooms, etc.

No matter what size the house is, having a lot which is owned eases the burden of storing unused items in your condo unit, especially in those units without a garage. With a backyard, a homeowner can always buy storage shed(s) or even expand the footprint of the rear of their home. With a condo, you’re essentially stuck with the way it was built for the length of your ownership.

A condo is mostly NOT ideal for people with dogs and/or young families in SoCal, which is very car-dependent.

[The-Shoveler]

I think Condos are great to single people, Married I think it becomes kind cramped and limiting like BG was saying I guess.

Or if it is single level (or elevator convenient) retire single may be fine.

I have never known a married couple who were happy in their condo.

foreign Asian buyers tend to like bigger new SFH’s near a UC. (you would be surprised at the demand for places like eastville).

[bearishgurl]

[quote=The-Shoveler]Out by Tracy (to the east) then Stockton to the north etc..
to the south I am not sure the towns current name(s) but I know co-workers to bought new homes to the south (not cheap by the way)
They are not great areas currently but I bet they improve quickly.[/quote]

Shoveler, Tracy and Stockton are NOT anywhere near SJ (Santa Clara County). Not by a long shot. They are not even located in the bay area! They are in San Joaquin County, within the states’ interior “Central Valley.” The City of Stockton has filed for BK protection in recent years, all due to allowing too many subdivisons to be built during the ’00’s and being unable to adequately service them with city services (incl police and fire).

To the south of Stockton and Tracy is Turlock, Modesto and Patterson, situated in Stanislaus County (also located in the state’s “Central Valley,” which boasts mostly of lower-paying agricultural and warehousing jobs).

Uhhh, if workers are actually commuting daily to/from SM and SC counties to higher-paying tech/biotech jobs from these remote locales, they all have some screws loose and need their heads examined, IMO.

I can’t imagine in my wildest dreams that the Stockton City Council has recently approved more subdivision permits after all the BS they have gone through in recent years! At one point, they actually had to subcontract out more than half of the city services that they were supposed to provide to Lodi and other adjacent cities and the county because they themselves could not provide them to their burgeoning population … nor could they even pay for some of them.

Big Fail ….

[evolusd]

If you’re willing to go a bit farther north to south Carlsbad (92009), there are a lot of nice homes in the low $1M range with great schools, more space and access to all accommodations/shopping/beaches.

http://www.sdlookup.com/Real_Estate-Carlsbad-Houses_For_Sale-92009

We’ve been in San Elijo Hills for 4 years and really like the community, which has a lower price point than 92009 as it’s a bit farther out and is technically in the City of San Marcos. We do most of our shopping and entertainment in south Carlsbad/Encinitas – really a great place to be. Commute wouldn’t be too bad to REI off 52 – I commuted to UTC everyday the last 4 years and I’m an additional 10 mins from 92009. Your commute would be 35 mins with regular traffic.

Good luck.

[The-Shoveler]

LOL BG Again whatever, that is where they are building and that is where people who work in SJ are buying and living.

[bearishgurl]

[quote=The-Shoveler]LOL BG Again whatever, that is where they are building and that is where people who work in SJ are buying and living.[/quote]If you say so, shoveler. It is unbelievable to me that SV workers would commute that far when Alameda County is much closer and has a lot of cities to choose from. And it is even MORE unbelievable to me if Stockton has now decided to allow more subdivision permits on former feedlot land.

Will the feedlot odor still be included for free with the purchase of a new home in Stockton??

[The-Shoveler]

Whatever you should try buying a home in Norco. it’s quite expensive these days.

Its about the same commute to Stockton as it is to SF time wise. Who would want to do that and pay SF prices, I guess they are both crazy commutes but people do it.

[bearishgurl]

Last threadjack …. What about Fremont, Castro Valley, Hayward, Union City, Newark, Milpitas, etc? What about the outer exurbs of Dublin and Pleasanton, etc and that nice green bedroom city and former cow pasture known as Livermore? Aren’t these places all still there? Do they not have any SFR listings??

What am I missing here??? Why do some SC County workers feel they “need” to double their commute from 1 hour to 2-3 hours two counties over, one way????

Is it really “worth it” for workers to do this?

[an]

Back to the OP, it really depend on the type and age of houses you’re looking for. If I’m looking for a low $1M house, I would consider South West UC, something like this one: http://www.sdlookup.com/MLS-150049752-5561_Stresemann_San_Diego_CA_92122, put $100k to upgrade and spend the other $100-500k in private school.

[The-Shoveler]

OK Last one here too,

It’s a price thing. and its about 90 minutes not 3 hours.

[bearishgurl]

[quote=The-Shoveler]Whatever you should try buying a home in Norco. it’s quite expensive these days. . . .[/quote]

Are any new Norco subdivisions adjacent to the infamous “CA Rehabilitation Center?”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Rehabilitation_Center
[img_assist|nid=25628|title=CRC – Norco, CA|desc=|link=node|align=left|width=300|height=199]

Is that “haze” I see in the background? Count me in! Where is the sales trailer for me to sign up for a new home plan!!

sca-a-a-a-r-dey. Hello? Next time you visit one of your esteemed “clients,” I wanna come with you (if they’ll let me in, lol). I haven’t been on a tour of this esteemed “CA Big House” in decades!!

[Coronita]

[quote=FlyerInHi]I just saw a 2000sf condo. That would be fine for a family.
Why is a house a necessity if you have kids? I’m enjoying condo living and never want a house again.

I wish they’d build more condos. Mid to high rises over 4 stories so they are solid concrete and steel. I think in Irvine and Carmel Valley, the Asians and tech workers would buy them up like hot cakes.[/quote]

Buying a 2000 sqft attached home in a given area might not me that much more affordable than an sfh. It depends on what the hoa will be. For example, if a condos hoa ends up being $400/month, that would be equivalent to borrowing more on a 30year with monthly payments being $400 more.

[an]

Or if you must have new, $1.1M can get you this in Sorrento Valley: http://www.sdlookup.com/MLS-150062258-10971_Lopez_Ridge_Way_San_Diego_CA_92121

[an]

[quote=flu][quote=FlyerInHi]I just saw a 2000sf condo. That would be fine for a family.
Why is a house a necessity if you have kids? I’m enjoying condo living and never want a house again.

I wish they’d build more condos. Mid to high rises over 4 stories so they are solid concrete and steel. I think in Irvine and Carmel Valley, the Asians and tech workers would buy them up like hot cakes.[/quote]

Buying a 2000 sqft attached home in a given area might not me that much more affordable than an sfh. It depends on what the hoa will be. For example, if a condos hoa ends up being $400/month, that would be equivalent to borrowing more on a 30year with monthly payments being $400 more.[/quote]
Also, mortgage payment will end, while HOA will not.

[Author]

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