Silicon Valley?

[Anonymous]

OP, you should ask Berkely Parents instead of DCUM -

http://parents.berkeley.edu/

[Anonymous]

Thank you! I was looking for something like that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, you should ask Berkely Parents instead of DCUM -

http://parents.berkeley.edu/

I love Berkely Parent Net, but they are far too nice to be truly honest

[Anonymous]

The neighborhoods comparable to Oakton / Vienna and with great schools might be Lafayette, Moraga, and Orinda. However. That would be the most nightmarish commute to Mountain View. There are people who do it (and I know people who do), but it works best if you only have to go to the office 1-2 days per week. I mean, you have to go through a tunnel and over a bridge. Horrible!

[Anonymous]

I'll add that there are fault lines all over the area. The Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989 was a surprise - the faults that get the most attention are San Andreas and Hayward. You will experience earthquakes if you live there; you just hope they're smaller than 5.0.

OP, ask about earthquake insurance. I'm pretty sure you can't get it in the Bay Area, or it's prohibitively expensive.

[Anonymous]

I left the area awhile ago (over 10 years now!), but my friends still there live mostly in Redwood City, San Carlos and San Mateo. And they send their kids to Catholic schools, which may be an option for you to look into as well.

Having moved a lot, I strongly recommend renting for a year to get a handle on the area. It sucks to move twice, but its much easier to figure out the best neighborhood for you once you're out there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The neighborhoods comparable to Oakton / Vienna and with great schools might be Lafayette, Moraga, and Orinda. However. That would be the most nightmarish commute to Mountain View. There are people who do it (and I know people who do), but it works best if you only have to go to the office 1-2 days per week. I mean, you have to go through a tunnel and over a bridge. Horrible!

Hmm, I guess my point is that there aren't any Vienna-style neighborhoods near the Valley, which is why living there is so hard. DC has the advantage of a spectrum of housing options and prices with a range of good schools (like Alexandria part of Fairfax; schools aren't the best but still OK and wide range of housing prices and stock). Bay Area seems almost bipolar by comparison; good/decent schools CRAZY expensive, cheaper homes have very poor quality schools with most folks going private. Or really long across the bay commutes or east bay exurbs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'll add that there are fault lines all over the area. The Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989 was a surprise - the faults that get the most attention are San Andreas and Hayward. You will experience earthquakes if you live there; you just hope they're smaller than 5.0.

OP, ask about earthquake insurance. I'm pretty sure you can't get it in the Bay Area, or it's prohibitively expensive.

Eh, take your gamble on which will hit first, another attack on DC or earthquake in Bay Area. Every place has its long tail risk.

[Anonymous]

BFF sold their 3200 sq ft SFH home outside Seattle, WA for a 2200 sq ft condo in Dublin. Condo costs $150,000 MORE THAN her SFH! Schools are really good, but families (many Asians) are super competitive and materialistic. Commute to Mountain View is awful, though! The weather makes it ALL worth it to her.

We had the opportunity to go to Mountain View about 10 years ago. When we realized we would sell our 4 bedroom home on 1/4 acre in a good area of Falls Church and buy a trailer home or a 1200 sq ft 1960 run-down home with bars on the windows, we passed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:BFF sold their 3200 sq ft SFH home outside Seattle, WA for a 2200 sq ft condo in Dublin. Condo costs $150,000 MORE THAN her SFH! Schools are really good, but families (many Asians) are super competitive and materialistic. Commute to Mountain View is awful, though! The weather makes it ALL worth it to her.

We had the opportunity to go to Mountain View about 10 years ago. When we realized we would sell our 4 bedroom home on 1/4 acre in a good area of Falls Church and buy a trailer home or a 1200 sq ft 1960 run-down home with bars on the windows, we passed.

I'll clarify - they moved to the Dublin Ranch community. It seems similar to South Riding and such.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:BFF sold their 3200 sq ft SFH home outside Seattle, WA for a 2200 sq ft condo in Dublin. Condo costs $150,000 MORE THAN her SFH! Schools are really good, but families (many Asians) are super competitive and materialistic. Commute to Mountain View is awful, though! The weather makes it ALL worth it to her.

We had the opportunity to go to Mountain View about 10 years ago. When we realized we would sell our 4 bedroom home on 1/4 acre in a good area of Falls Church and buy a trailer home or a 1200 sq ft 1960 run-down home with bars on the windows, we passed.

You hate Asians, they are here too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:BFF sold their 3200 sq ft SFH home outside Seattle, WA for a 2200 sq ft condo in Dublin. Condo costs $150,000 MORE THAN her SFH! Schools are really good, but families (many Asians) are super competitive and materialistic. Commute to Mountain View is awful, though! The weather makes it ALL worth it to her.

We had the opportunity to go to Mountain View about 10 years ago. When we realized we would sell our 4 bedroom home on 1/4 acre in a good area of Falls Church and buy a trailer home or a 1200 sq ft 1960 run-down home with bars on the windows, we passed.

This is how people trying to get into the DC market feel. But seems like it is 10X worse for Silicon Valley. It's crazy to think how much certain groups are driving up prices. I can't believe I'm saying DC feels more equitable. wow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The neighborhoods comparable to Oakton / Vienna and with great schools might be Lafayette, Moraga, and Orinda. However. That would be the most nightmarish commute to Mountain View. There are people who do it (and I know people who do), but it works best if you only have to go to the office 1-2 days per week. I mean, you have to go through a tunnel and over a bridge. Horrible!

Hmm, I guess my point is that there aren't any Vienna-style neighborhoods near the Valley, which is why living there is so hard. DC has the advantage of a spectrum of housing options and prices with a range of good schools (like Alexandria part of Fairfax; schools aren't the best but still OK and wide range of housing prices and stock). Bay Area seems almost bipolar by comparison; good/decent schools CRAZY expensive, cheaper homes have very poor quality schools with most folks going private. Or really long across the bay commutes or east bay exurbs.

this is the reason, we are never going to move back there, unless we somehow come into major money. DC area is much smaller and geographically not as comlpex (not as many bottleneck roads like bridges, tunnels and canyon roads) and you can have a much more decent commute and more moderate prices. I have a friend, who has been forever looking for a home, and forever getting outpriced. They are renting and renting and putting up with crazy commutes. No thanks.

[Anonymous]

http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/news/2014/02/04/smart-growth-can-silicon-valley-build.html?page=all

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^ housing there is terrible. It makes the DC area look cheap and wonderful.

That's why I happily live in a large condo in the dc metro area without complaining. For all who thinks dc prices are on crack should be glad they still have options here and stop waiting on the sideline for prices to drop.