Northern California Beach Home -- best time to buy?

[Anonymous]

I live in this area and half moon bay and pacifica used to be reasonable (santa cruz hasn't been reasonable for decades) but now they are crazy high because they are commuting distance and on the peninsula (just coast side).
Everything on the peninsula is crazy. I would either buy a cabin like in Arnold or something (everybody here loooooves Arnold) or go north to like Santa Rosa.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op.

Instead of going to San Jose for Xmas, we'd fly into SJC and go to big sur. I think the mudslides may make now the time to buy.

Then I'll have our families come to us instead of us running around to them every 2 days in misery. We're in the bay area 4-10 times per year.

Thanks.

Well, you know your family best but if I lived in San Jose I would not be visiting you in Monterey 4 to 10 times a year just so you didn't have to stay in a hotel. What about getting a smaller place in SJ and renting it to Silicon Valley business travelers when you're not there?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op.

Instead of going to San Jose for Xmas, we'd fly into SJC and go to big sur. I think the mudslides may make now the time to buy.

Then I'll have our families come to us instead of us running around to them every 2 days in misery. We're in the bay area 4-10 times per year.

Thanks.

Well, you know your family best but if I lived in San Jose I would not be visiting you in Monterey 4 to 10 times a year just so you didn't have to stay in a hotel. What about getting a smaller place in SJ and renting it to Silicon Valley business travelers when you're not there?

How wealthy is OP? SJ is crazy crazy crazy expensive now.

[Anonymous]

OP you missed out on this bargain: http://www.ktvu.com/news/burned-out-property-in-willow-glen-sells-for-over-900k

[Anonymous]

OP you missed out on this bargain: http://www.ktvu.com/news/burned-out-property-in-willow-glen-sells-for-over-900k

Oh that was a complete steal. The lot must be on a street that has restricted builds for no second story or no more than a certain amount of square ft. A condemned house in Fremont (north of San Jose -less desirable) just sold for 1.4 M.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op.

Instead of going to San Jose for Xmas, we'd fly into SJC and go to big sur. I think the mudslides may make now the time to buy.

Then I'll have our families come to us instead of us running around to them every 2 days in misery. We're in the bay area 4-10 times per year.

Thanks.

Well, you know your family best but if I lived in San Jose I would not be visiting you in Monterey 4 to 10 times a year just so you didn't have to stay in a hotel. What about getting a smaller place in SJ and renting it to Silicon Valley business travelers when you're not there?

How wealthy is OP? SJ is crazy crazy crazy expensive now.

Yea, it's a pretty odd idea unless you are a gazillionaire.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I live in this area and half moon bay and pacifica used to be reasonable (santa cruz hasn't been reasonable for decades) but now they are crazy high because they are commuting distance and on the peninsula (just coast side).
Everything on the peninsula is crazy. I would either buy a cabin like in Arnold or something (everybody here loooooves Arnold) or go north to like Santa Rosa.

NP with similar issue. Tell me about Arnold?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

OP you missed out on this bargain: http://www.ktvu.com/news/burned-out-property-in-willow-glen-sells-for-over-900k

Oh that was a complete steal. The lot must be on a street that has restricted builds for no second story or no more than a certain amount of square ft. A condemned house in Fremont (north of San Jose -less desirable) just sold for 1.4 M.

Yes, it is possible. I agree, Willow Glen is much, much nicer than most of Fremont but I didn't look at where in Fremont that condemned house was. I would live in Willow Glen. Fremont, no.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I live in this area and half moon bay and pacifica used to be reasonable (santa cruz hasn't been reasonable for decades) but now they are crazy high because they are commuting distance and on the peninsula (just coast side).
Everything on the peninsula is crazy. I would either buy a cabin like in Arnold or something (everybody here loooooves Arnold) or go north to like Santa Rosa.

NP with similar issue. Tell me about Arnold?

Arnold is very family friendly. I would look at Arnold and at Murphys. They are right near each other. It is close enough for bay area people to go for a weekend. Very family friendly areas. My friends have cabins in communities (like HOAs) that have giant pools, giant ponds/tanks for swimming, and the towns have a ton of events. You could get a cabin with enough space to have guests and there are a lot of outdoorsy things to do.

[Anonymous]

https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sale/pmf,pf_pt/52452060_zpid/globalrelevanceex_sort/38.576621,-120.029068,37.888402,-121.259537_rect/9_zm/ this house is in Murphys. It doesn't sound like it is part of a neighborhood community though. But I love that it has an original miners cabin!

[Anonymous]

My family had a place in Twain Hart for a number of decades. I spent many summers there in my grandmother's A-frame cabin. Lots of Bay Area families head there for the summer, too.

[Anonymous]

Whoa - Murphy's is a long drive from SF, the peninsula or even South Bay. Traffic to and through East Bay has become insane in the past few years. Especially around holidays - this drive could easily be doubled or tripled in time around holidays which is when I'm assuming OP wants people to come stay with her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op.

Instead of going to San Jose for Xmas, we'd fly into SJC and go to big sur. I think the mudslides may make now the time to buy.

Then I'll have our families come to us instead of us running around to them every 2 days in misery. We're in the bay area 4-10 times per year.

Thanks.

Well, you know your family best but if I lived in San Jose I would not be visiting you in Monterey 4 to 10 times a year just so you didn't have to stay in a hotel. What about getting a smaller place in SJ and renting it to Silicon Valley business travelers when you're not there?

How wealthy is OP? SJ is crazy crazy crazy expensive now.

A beach house in Monterey is expensive too, and potentially harder to rent out: your SJ flat would be occupied constantly.

[Anonymous]

No, no, no. SJ is beyond crazy. South Bay is more competitive than SF, East Bay and the peninsula now. Average time on market to close is now 9 days and appreciation has been 17% in less than one year. This is after several years of double digit appreciation.

I just don't see how a tiny 1100 square foot 1.5M house in SJ will work for a family get together. To "rent" it out and then have it available 10 times a year means that OP

[Anonymous]

..sorry clicked to fast. It means that OP would need to AIRBNB it. This means that she needs a property manager nearby to get guests the keys, cleaning service, and needs to be near transit or the main tech companies to facilitate guests without cars. This would not be a 1.5M, this would be a 2M 1200 sq ft house.