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Leaving the Bay Area ...

Leaving the Bay Area ...

Old Jul 26th 2017, 6:36 pm
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Default Re: Leaving the Bay Area ...

Originally Posted by Steerpike
I have. Sacramento is actually a booming city at the moment, and I have a client there so have been making a few trips up there. The 'downtown' area is buzzing with life. The city itself is a bit flat, and I like to be close to hills for hiking, but that then opens the possibility of the foothills area - perhaps Folsom, and other cities up there towards Tahoe. I don't know if I can get the g/f to consider it, though. I will need to take her up there to see it.
I can recommend Folsom as that is where we moved to a year ago and have just recently bought a house If you have any questions, just ask!
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Old Jul 26th 2017, 6:59 pm
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Default Re: Leaving the Bay Area ...

Originally Posted by Wibblypig
I can recommend Folsom as that is where we moved to a year ago and have just recently bought a house If you have any questions, just ask!
Folsom seems a come down from the Beautiful City of York. I spent my time in the RAF just outside of Beverley, in fact I met my wife there.
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Old Jul 26th 2017, 7:53 pm
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Default Re: Leaving the Bay Area ...

Originally Posted by Wibblypig
I can recommend Folsom as that is where we moved to a year ago and have just recently bought a house If you have any questions, just ask!
A very quick review on Zillow suggests plenty of homes in the range we want to spend. We are looking to down-size to about 1,800 sq ft, and want 3 decent sized bedrooms (or 2+ office), no living/dining room - just a family room or 'great room' - which tends to mean, a newer build because the formal living / dining room concept was big in the 80s/90s. We also want a view, but don't want/need much outdoor space ... so small yard but not looking into someone else's space would be good. Is there a street / intersection you could throw my way as a starting point to get an idea of where to start looking? Are there other towns around Folsom worth searching? How long does it take to get into downtownSacramento?

A quick review of weather suggests no freezing temps, and moderate summer temps. In fact, it's remarkably close to Walnut Creek, using this site: Climate Folsom - California and Weather averages Folsom .

Definitely seems like it's worth a look!
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Old Jul 26th 2017, 11:36 pm
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Default Re: Leaving the Bay Area ...

Originally Posted by johnwoo
Folsom seems a come down from the Beautiful City of York. I spent my time in the RAF just outside of Beverley, in fact I met my wife there.
It's certainly different I wouldn't necessarily class it as a come down. They both love their cycling, both have a river and both have their beautiful parts, but thats about it for similarities
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Old Jul 26th 2017, 11:46 pm
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Default Re: Leaving the Bay Area ...

Originally Posted by Wibblypig
It's certainly different I wouldn't necessarily class it as a come down. They both love their cycling, both have a river and both have their beautiful parts, but thats about it for similarities
How do they compare in home prices? York has to be one of the most expensive places in the North of England.
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Old Jul 27th 2017, 12:06 am
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Default Re: Leaving the Bay Area ...

Originally Posted by Steerpike
A very quick review on Zillow suggests plenty of homes in the range we want to spend. We are looking to down-size to about 1,800 sq ft, and want 3 decent sized bedrooms (or 2+ office), no living/dining room - just a family room or 'great room' - which tends to mean, a newer build because the formal living / dining room concept was big in the 80s/90s. We also want a view, but don't want/need much outdoor space ... so small yard but not looking into someone else's space would be good. Is there a street / intersection you could throw my way as a starting point to get an idea of where to start looking? Are there other towns around Folsom worth searching? How long does it take to get into downtownSacramento?

A quick review of weather suggests no freezing temps, and moderate summer temps. In fact, it's remarkably close to Walnut Creek, using this site: Climate Folsom - California and Weather averages Folsom .

Definitely seems like it's worth a look!
Your requirements were similar to ours, other than we needed 4 bedrooms. I would definitely avoid the current new builds as they are so close together you can actually hear your neighbours talking in their houses! They have just started the groundwork on the south of the 50 for a HUGE development, it has a mix of homes, i am just not sure what. Our budget was at the bottom end for a 4 bedroom ~2000sqft house, in the school catchment areas we wanted. It took several months to find the house we wanted, but we weren't exactly in a hurry as we were renting until the end of this month (July). The first house we put an offer in fell through, but it actually turned out for the best as we found a better house in our ideal location. Most of the houses we looked at were open plan with a kitchen and great room. We wanted an additional living room to that, mainly so we could have peace from the kids . The rental house didn't and we REALLY missed it. We don't have a view as such. The street behind is lower so we see over the top of the house behind and get lovely sunsets, through the trees that is. Most of the back yard can't be seen by the neighbours, other than the strip down one side, but we are contemplating putting up trees to block the worst of it. No one overlooking was a huge factor for us too. There aren't really any bad areas of Folsom, but I would stick to close to the 50 if you are commuting to Sac. My husband works for UCDMC in Sac and it takes him about 25-30 minutes each way from our house in the Willow Springs area of Folsom. The next junction (50/East Bidwell) up from ours is always busy, so try to avoid that one, but there are ways around it if needed.

El Dorado Hills is another nice area, we preferred the north side of the 50 which joins on to Folsom. Just bare in mind that it will take longer to get to Sac from there. If you don't mind a longer commute there are some smaller towns such I have come across which have some lovely areas and homes, Shingle Springs being one of them. But that's about 30 minutes from my house in the opposite direction of Sac.

We found a great realtor if you need one. She knows the area really well and will tell you straight and honestly about homes/areas. She was quite refreshing after the first one who we sacked

Did i read that you worked in IT? if so, there are a few tech companies here such as Intel and Micron. There has been lots of talk of more setting up in the area too.

Let me know if you come up to the area and we can get together for a drink
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Old Jul 27th 2017, 3:05 am
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Default Re: Leaving the Bay Area ...

Originally Posted by Wibblypig
I can recommend Folsom as that is where we moved to a year ago and have just recently bought a house If you have any questions, just ask!
I too have considered the Sacramento region. I don't like Sacramento itself but Davis seems quite nice. University towns have a little life. And it sits on 80 with easy access to Sacramento, Tahoe and Bay Area.

But then I figure I might as well head a little further north-east to Reno and leave behind all of the CA taxes :-)

Deciding where to go is really, really hard!
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Old Jul 27th 2017, 11:41 am
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Default Re: Leaving the Bay Area ...

Originally Posted by Steerpike
I have. Sacramento is actually a booming city at the moment, and I have a client there so have been making a few trips up there. The 'downtown' area is buzzing with life. The city itself is a bit flat, and I like to be close to hills for hiking, but that then opens the possibility of the foothills area - perhaps Folsom, and other cities up there towards Tahoe. I don't know if I can get the g/f to consider it, though. I will need to take her up there to see it.
Have a look at the "fabulous forties" area of Sac.
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Old Jul 27th 2017, 3:46 pm
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Default Re: Leaving the Bay Area ...

Originally Posted by Wibblypig
Your requirements were similar to ours, other than we needed 4 bedrooms. I would definitely avoid the current new builds as they are so close together you can actually hear your neighbours talking in their houses! They have just started the groundwork on the south of the 50 for a HUGE development, it has a mix of homes, i am just not sure what. Our budget was at the bottom end for a 4 bedroom ~2000sqft house, in the school catchment areas we wanted. It took several months to find the house we wanted, but we weren't exactly in a hurry as we were renting until the end of this month (July). The first house we put an offer in fell through, but it actually turned out for the best as we found a better house in our ideal location. Most of the houses we looked at were open plan with a kitchen and great room. We wanted an additional living room to that, mainly so we could have peace from the kids . The rental house didn't and we REALLY missed it. We don't have a view as such. The street behind is lower so we see over the top of the house behind and get lovely sunsets, through the trees that is. Most of the back yard can't be seen by the neighbours, other than the strip down one side, but we are contemplating putting up trees to block the worst of it. No one overlooking was a huge factor for us too. There aren't really any bad areas of Folsom, but I would stick to close to the 50 if you are commuting to Sac. My husband works for UCDMC in Sac and it takes him about 25-30 minutes each way from our house in the Willow Springs area of Folsom. The next junction (50/East Bidwell) up from ours is always busy, so try to avoid that one, but there are ways around it if needed.

El Dorado Hills is another nice area, we preferred the north side of the 50 which joins on to Folsom. Just bare in mind that it will take longer to get to Sac from there. If you don't mind a longer commute there are some smaller towns such I have come across which have some lovely areas and homes, Shingle Springs being one of them. But that's about 30 minutes from my house in the opposite direction of Sac.

We found a great realtor if you need one. She knows the area really well and will tell you straight and honestly about homes/areas. She was quite refreshing after the first one who we sacked

Did i read that you worked in IT? if so, there are a few tech companies here such as Intel and Micron. There has been lots of talk of more setting up in the area too.

Let me know if you come up to the area and we can get together for a drink
GREAT info - thanks! So you needed 4 BR and a separate living room in addition to the family room; our desire for 3 BR and no separate LR should be relatively cheaper; but we really must have a view, so that will narrow our options. It seems hilly around there so shouldn't be too difficult!

We are hoping to stay in the $400-500k range. We can go higher but would rather not. The realtor referral sounds great! You could PM it to me perhaps.

I'm no longer working full time. I sometimes refer to myself as retired, and I hope to never have to work full-time for a company again; but I do have my own company now and do consulting; my sweet spot seems to be around 40-60 hours a month. I have enough contacts from former employment to maintain that, it seems. Proximity to a decent airport is also somewhat important; I hear Sacramento airport isn't bad.

Is there a 'downtown', or an area with a concentration of decent stores and restaurants where I could take the g/f to give her a good first impression? I see there's a whole foods market at 'Broadstone Plaza' ... is that a decent destination to start from? I see that 'Willow Creek' is just up the road from that area (on Iron Point Rd), so it sounds like that is a good general area to head for? With my g/f, I only get one chance to make a good impression!

Originally Posted by malch
I too have considered the Sacramento region. I don't like Sacramento itself but Davis seems quite nice. University towns have a little life. And it sits on 80 with easy access to Sacramento, Tahoe and Bay Area.

But then I figure I might as well head a little further north-east to Reno and leave behind all of the CA taxes :-)

Deciding where to go is really, really hard!
I had a very negative opinion of Sacramento until my niece got an assignment there, and I ended up visiting her on many weekends. She took me out 'downtown' and the place was buzzing in the evenings - very cool atmosphere. I remember eating at both 'Zocalo' and 'Paesanos' on Capitol Ave at 18th St (I guess this is technically 'midtown'). I had the most amazing 'polenta fries' at Paesanos! She was working in Sacramento but living in Davis, so I got to explore Davis also; a very 'decent' looking town with its own busy downtown area - fun to walk around in the evening, plenty of dining options.

Someone else recommended Reno to me; I'm no fan of casinos, but I imagine you can ignore them, and I'm typically wary of states that have no state tax; either they get the money through other means (property taxes), or, they have lousy infrastructure. But for me, the biggest negative for Reno is going to be weather; I want mild winters, and Reno has 4 months with averages lows below freezing. Now, if Reno was cheap enough, I could do the two-home thing and keep a place in Scottsdale for winter, and spend summers in Reno - but looks like the highs are pretty high in summer too (Climate Reno - Nevada and Weather averages Reno) .
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Old Jul 27th 2017, 4:15 pm
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Default Re: Leaving the Bay Area ...

Originally Posted by Steerpike
She was working in Sacramento but living in Davis, so I got to explore Davis also; a very 'decent' looking town with its own busy downtown area - fun to walk around in the evening, plenty of dining options.

Someone else recommended Reno to me; I'm no fan of casinos, but I imagine you can ignore them, and I'm typically wary of states that have no state tax; either they get the money through other means (property taxes), or, they have lousy infrastructure. But for me, the biggest negative for Reno is going to be weather; I want mild winters, and Reno has 4 months with averages lows below freezing.
Yeah, not a lot of hiking in Davis. Stand on a beer can and you can see Sacramento :-)

As for the NV infrastructure, I am always gobsmacked by the dramatic improvement in the roads as soon as I cross the border from CA to NV. The other means through which NV raises money is those casinos. I would basically ignore them too but celebrate the fact they were reducing my tax bill :-)
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Old Jul 27th 2017, 8:16 pm
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Default Re: Leaving the Bay Area ...

17 years in Folsom so a couple of comments. Folsom is in Sac County and uses SMUD for electricity and out lake for water. El Dorado Hills is in El Dorado County and uses PG&E and El Dorado Water district and your bills are likely to huge, unless you have solar.
Wholefoods is in the Palladio shopping centre which was started during the recession by one of the larger developers in Folsom. It is a bit of a vanity project for the patriarch of the family and, although we are fortunate to have it, it is slow to take off. We do very much have a heart of the town though in Sutter Street which is in the middle of a major upgrade and is full of bars and restaurants. I understand that those that like to shop go to Roseville to indulge their passions, I am afraid I hate shopping so Folsom and Amazon serve me well!

The city has grown hugely in the past 20 years and is expanding south over the freeway as we speak. The growth has been largely driven by Bay area transplants. Property prices are surging again due to high demand. Folsom is a great place to live but beware of the Folsom Bubble - there seems to be an awful lot of entitled people here now.
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Old Jul 27th 2017, 10:45 pm
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Default Re: Leaving the Bay Area ...

Originally Posted by wisygreen
17 years in Folsom so a couple of comments. Folsom is in Sac County and uses SMUD for electricity and out lake for water. El Dorado Hills is in El Dorado County and uses PG&E and El Dorado Water district and your bills are likely to huge, unless you have solar.
Wholefoods is in the Palladio shopping centre which was started during the recession by one of the larger developers in Folsom. It is a bit of a vanity project for the patriarch of the family and, although we are fortunate to have it, it is slow to take off. We do very much have a heart of the town though in Sutter Street which is in the middle of a major upgrade and is full of bars and restaurants. I understand that those that like to shop go to Roseville to indulge their passions, I am afraid I hate shopping so Folsom and Amazon serve me well!

The city has grown hugely in the past 20 years and is expanding south over the freeway as we speak. The growth has been largely driven by Bay area transplants. Property prices are surging again due to high demand. Folsom is a great place to live but beware of the Folsom Bubble - there seems to be an awful lot of entitled people here now.
I feel a visit coming on ...!

So the Palladio is nice but with vacant stores, perhaps? Looks a bit 'sad'?

I see Sutter St; looks like the action is between Scott St and Decatur, or perhaps Reading? We like 'walkable downtowns' so this looks like it hits the spot.

Looks like taking Hwy-50 to Bidwell, checking out the Palladio, then the neighborhood of Willow Springs, then up to Sutter St might be a reasonable way to get an introduction to the town. Looks like under 2 hours from Walnut Creek on a weekend, traffic permitting.
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Old Jul 28th 2017, 12:06 am
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Default Re: Leaving the Bay Area ...

Sounds like a plan but I would look at more neighborhoods. A view will be difficult in your desired price range. Actually Palladio looks good, it is just empty! 2 hours is definitely doable if the traffic is OK - we go through the Walnut Creek parking lot often!
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Old Jul 28th 2017, 7:36 pm
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Default Re: Leaving the Bay Area ...

Originally Posted by wisygreen
Sounds like a plan but I would look at more neighborhoods. A view will be difficult in your desired price range. Actually Palladio looks good, it is just empty! 2 hours is definitely doable if the traffic is OK - we go through the Walnut Creek parking lot often!
Could you give me any intersections to shoot for (for neighborhoods to try out)?

I do appreciate that views add a price, but we are hopefully not asking for too much in other departments; only 3 b/r (or 2+office), no lr, dr - just big family room / great room. We also don't want a pool and don't want a big yard. An upscale Townhouse or Condo might hit the spot; I'm paranoid about neighbor noise, but my condo in Scottsdale has proven to be very quiet. Thanks!
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Old Jul 28th 2017, 9:19 pm
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Default Re: Leaving the Bay Area ...

Not specifically. Folsom is literally at the bottom of the foothills so there are pockets of the odd home with views all over town. There are also new homes being built at the top end of Iron Point Rd I think. You need a good realtor - try Steve Heard 916 718 9577 http://www.kw.com/kw/GetAgent.action?personId=313201. A great guy who is very involved in the community and moved up from the Bay area about 17 - 20 years ago. Give him a call and he will give you some pointers.(I know Steve through involvement with the city and he comes across as the most generous and knowledgeable in the RE world here). Just we warned - it is very hot here right now!

Last edited by wisygreen; Jul 28th 2017 at 9:24 pm.
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