List of new housing developments

[SmellsFeeshy]

Is there a good website that has a comprehensive list of new housing developments that are for sale by the developer and thus have not hit the MLS yet? I’m mostly interested in the SF bay area but just in general if such a resource exists for CA that would be useful. Most of the websites I’ve found don’t have a complete list or seem to be obviously biased towards selling specific communities.

[an]

Maybe you should try Bing 🙂 j/k… here ya go: http://www.newhomesdirectory.com/BayArea

[bearishgurl]

Any new housing development in the SF Bay area that is not a very small “infill spec development” will be a minimum of 50 miles from SF and 30 miles from OAK.

I doubt that there is even vacant land set aside for development THIS CLOSE to SF and OAK due to a greater political bent to dedicate open spaces in those affected six counties.

As one gets out past 30 miles from OAK, either NE, E or SE, they are entering areas which have been very hard hit by distressed properties due to massive overbuilding in recent years.

These areas aren’t worth buying into unless the buyer has some need to live there (family/job) AND buys the property cheap enough, IMHO.

Smells Feeshy, why don’t you ask your agent to monitor 45+ yo SFR listings as they hit the market for you in close-in Contra Costa County (west of the Caldecott Tunnel)?

They seem to trickle in (and out) every week.

You must be ready and willing to act VERY fast if you see a listing you want to buy in the SF Bay area.

If there is some reason why you MUST have NEW construction, you may very well be shopping in the wrong jurisdiction.

[bearishgurl]

[quote=AN]Maybe you should try Bing 🙂 j/k… here ya go: http://www.newhomesdirectory.com/BayArea
[/quote]

The vast majority of these developments which are <25 miles from the city are condos.

And for example, the new SFR “spec developments,” in San Ramon and Livermore are 27 miles and 35 miles, respectively, from the city. Both have HOA/MR.

[SmellsFeeshy]

[quote=AN]Maybe you should try Bing 🙂 j/k… here ya go: http://www.newhomesdirectory.com/BayArea%5B/quote%5D

Yeah, I found that site but it seems to be incomplete (for example One Marina in Redwood City is not listed).

This one seems more complete:

http://www.toptennewhomecommunities.com/?p=bay-area-new-homes

But it looks like I’ll have to cross check this against other sites to make sure nothing is left out either.

[SmellsFeeshy]

[quote=bearishgurl][quote=AN]Maybe you should try Bing 🙂 j/k… here ya go: http://www.newhomesdirectory.com/BayArea
[/quote]

The vast majority of these developments which are <25 miles from the city are condos.

And for example, the new SFR “spec developments,” in San Ramon and Livermore are 27 miles and 35 miles, respectively, from the city. Both have HOA/MR.[/quote]

Thanks BG. To clarify I’m actually only interested in condos or townhomes on the Peninsula. SFRs on the Peninsula are out of my price range and East Bay/Oakland/Berkeley are too far of a commute to Silicon Valley.

[bearishgurl]

SmellsFeeshy, I see now that you brought up your home search in the bay area here back in March of this year on Pigg Shadowfax’s thread:

http://piggington.com/ot_piggington_equivalent_for_the_bay_area

Apparently at that time, you were looking for housing in the peninsula (SV) so am assuming you must still work there.

I would advise you to look in Hayward, Fremont or Castro Valley, for starters (across the SM/Dumbarton Bridges).

If you have already scoured and/or placed (unsuccessful) offers these cities and others in this area, I would be very interested to know how your search went.

The comment below I made in March still stands IF your price range is still $600-$750K.

http://piggington.com/ot_piggington_equivalent_for_the_bay_area#comment-205008

[bearishgurl]

[quote=SmellsFeeshy][quote=bearishgurl][quote=AN]Maybe you should try Bing 🙂 j/k… here ya go: http://www.newhomesdirectory.com/BayArea
[/quote]

The vast majority of these developments which are <25 miles from the city are condos.

And for example, the new SFR “spec developments,” in San Ramon and Livermore are 27 miles and 35 miles, respectively, from the city. Both have HOA/MR.[/quote]

Thanks BG. To clarify I’m actually only interested in condos or townhomes on the Peninsula. SFRs on the Peninsula are out of my price range and East Bay/Oakland/Berkeley are too far of a commute to Silicon Valley.[/quote]

Yes, I see that our posts crossed when I left to do something else :=]

Have you looked at townhomes in or close to SJ (Milpitas, Campbell, etc)??

And don’t lose sight of (cheaper) Fremont. It is just around the bend, and, if you have kids, I hear the schools there are excellent.

[SmellsFeeshy]

[quote=bearishgurl]
Have you looked at townhomes in or close to SJ (Milpitas, Campbell, etc)??

And don’t lose sight of (cheaper) Fremont. It is just around the bend, and, if you have kids, I hear the schools there are excellent.[/quote]

Right now South Bay isn’t an option as my GF is commuting to SF, otherwise Milpitas would be an option although I hear the trash smell can be bad in the summertime.

Personally East Bay is not really my taste. It’s tempting due to the price but too far from the places I frequent.

So far I’m mostly just window shopping to monitor prices. At the current levels I can’t really see myself jumping in as I feel like the market is pretty bubbly and due for a correction in the next few years.

[bearishgurl]

[quote=SmellsFeeshy][quote=bearishgurl]
Have you looked at townhomes in or close to SJ (Milpitas, Campbell, etc)??

And don’t lose sight of (cheaper) Fremont. It is just around the bend, and, if you have kids, I hear the schools there are excellent.[/quote]

Right now South Bay isn’t an option as my GF is commuting to SF, otherwise Milpitas would be an option although I hear the trash smell can be bad in the summertime.

Personally East Bay is not really my taste. It’s tempting due to the price but too far from the places I frequent.

So far I’m mostly just window shopping to monitor prices. At the current levels I can’t really see myself jumping in as I feel like the market is pretty bubbly and due for a correction in the next few years.[/quote]

Arrgh, one of my kids just told me this morning that it took them over five hours to drive from work (Sunnyvale) to their home (SF 94107) last Friday night, due to shoppermania, travelers and accidents on both the 101 and I-280. They had considered crossing bridges and then coming back across the SF/OAK Bay or GG bridges but the SM/Dumbarton eastbound bridge entrances were backed up as well :=0

A one-way trip is ~35 miles.

Where are you renting now, Smells Feeshy?

[an]

[quote=bearishgurl]Arrgh, one of my kids just told me this morning that it took them over five hours to drive from work (Sunnyvale) to their home (SF 94107) last Friday night, due to shoppermania, travelers and accidents on both the 101 and I-280. They had considered crossing bridges and then coming back across the SF/OAK Bay or GG bridges but the SM/Dumbarton eastbound bridge entrances were backed up as well :=0

A one-way trip is ~35 miles.

Where are you renting now, Smells Feeshy?[/quote]
That’s exactly why I would never want a long commute again. I used to commute 35-40 miles one way and I vow to never do that again. Regardless of traffic condition, I can be home in no more than 40 minutes if I walk.

[bearishgurl]

[quote=SmellsFeeshy] . . . Personally East Bay is not really my taste. It’s tempting due to the price but too far from the places I frequent. . . [/quote]

OAK (Montclair/Piedmont)) and Berkeley (Kensington) offer residents similar lifestyles to SF and the northern Peninsula.

Most new listings in these areas get snapped up within minutes/hours of hitting the MLS (if not before) however. You need a very diligent and credible local agent in your corner to successfully snag one, methinks.

[quote=SmellsFeeshy] . . . So far I’m mostly just window shopping to monitor prices. At the current levels I can’t really see myself jumping in as I feel like the market is pretty bubbly and due for a correction in the next few years.[/quote]

Not gonna happen, IMO. Good luck with that.

[bearishgurl]

[quote=AN][quote=bearishgurl]Arrgh, one of my kids just told me this morning that it took them over five hours to drive from work (Sunnyvale) to their home (SF 94107) last Friday night, due to shoppermania, travelers and accidents on both the 101 and I-280. They had considered crossing bridges and then coming back across the SF/OAK Bay or GG bridges but the SM/Dumbarton eastbound bridge entrances were backed up as well :=0

A one-way trip is ~35 miles.

Where are you renting now, Smells Feeshy?[/quote]
That’s exactly why I would never want a long commute again. I used to commute 35-40 miles one way and I vow to never do that again. Regardless of traffic condition, I can be home in no more than 40 minutes if I walk.[/quote]

They always take the Caltrain to work (right down the hill from their residence). It’s just that last Friday, they were *supposed* to go to a function in Daly City after work … but alas, never made it.

This kid WAS working in SF just ~1 mile from home. But early in 2012, they got an offer for $20K more annually (to start) and better benefits to work in Sunnyvale for a similar firm. Only out of college 1.5 yrs, they took it and have already gotten promoted once this year :=]

Yes, the SV commute can be grueling at times … even the “reverse commute” (as in this instance).

[an]

[quote=bearishgurl]This kid WAS working in SF just ~1 mile from home. But early in 2012, they got an offer for $20K more annually (to start) and better benefits to work in Sunnyvale for a similar firm. Only out of college 1.5 yrs, they took it and have already gotten promoted once this year :=][/quote]
That good that your kid is taking advantage of the high demand up there right now. With regards to the $20k after just 1.5 years out of college, without more info, there’s no real conclusion that can be drawn from that. Was your kid under paid before? Did your kid got hired into a higher demanding role? Just for point of reference, when I graduated many years ago, I got a $10k raise just 6 months out of college. A year and a half later, I got another $15k raise. All of this happened in SD and not during the .com bubble either. So, $20k in 1.5 years after graduation isn’t that far fetch today and being in the bay.

[bearishgurl]

[quote=AN][quote=bearishgurl]This kid WAS working in SF just ~1 mile from home. But early in 2012, they got an offer for $20K more annually (to start) and better benefits to work in Sunnyvale for a similar firm. Only out of college 1.5 yrs, they took it and have already gotten promoted once this year :=][/quote]
That good that your kid is taking advantage of the high demand up there right now. With regards to the $20k after just 1.5 years out of college, without more info, there’s no real conclusion that can be drawn from that. Was your kid under paid before? Did your kid got hired into a higher demanding role? Just for point of reference, when I graduated many years ago, I got a $10k raise just 6 months out of college. A year and a half later, I got another $15k raise. All of this happened in SD and not during the .com bubble either. So, $20k in 1.5 years after graduation isn’t that far fetch today and being in the bay.[/quote]

They got $20K just for defecting to the other company in January 2012 and then another ~$16K raise in July. PLUS a much more comprehensive benefit plan. And now they’re in line for ANOTHER raise/promo in July 2013.

Graduated May 2011 but finished all credits December 2010, so only out of college 3 weeks before starting first position in SF in January 2011 (without actual degree in hand).

This never, ever would have happened in my kid’s field in SD. Not in a million years.

[Author]

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