Anyone live in Marin county?

[berbles]

Oct 21, 2014 16:03:00 GMT -5 Maud said:

H and I are looking into a possible move to the area in a few years.

We'd like a town within an hour's drive of San Fran, good schools and a decent, walkable downtown. Would San Rafael or Novato fit this criteria? What are these towns like?

Anywhere else we should look at?

We wouldn't be opposed to living in San Fran but our max budget is $800k so that seems unrealistic.

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.

Tagging sonrisa because I think you live in that area?

LOLzzzzz  Marin will NOT be better in terms of price.  You are going to want to look at the East Bay.

www.zillow.com/marin-county-ca/home-values/

The median home value in Marin County is $883,500. Marin County home values have gone up 9.9% over the past year and Zillow predicts they will rise 2.1% within the next year.

I live in the South Bay



ETA - if you're not opposed to the South Bay, check out Mountain View.  Adorable downtown area.  Not positive about the schools though.

[berbles]

Oct 21, 2014 16:09:13 GMT -5 Maud said:

Oct 21, 2014 16:06:37 GMT -5 berbles said:

LOLzzzzz  Marin will NOT be better in terms of price.  You are going to want to look at the East Bay.

www.zillow.com/marin-county-ca/home-values/
I live in the South Bay

Really? I see a lot of decent houses on Zillow in our price range in Marin but not in San Fran.

I was looking at Pacifica as well. Is that in the South Bay?

No, Pacifica is on the coast, south of SF.  

[berbles]

FYI

I guess technically you would call Pacifica Peninsula, but I think most locals would refer to Pacifica as, well, Pacifica because it's kind of its own area.  It's very different from the rest of the Bay Area (i.g., it is ALWAYS cold there because it is ALWAYS foggy).  On the map above, it would be right where the 280 symbol is under SF.

[orangello]

If you can get in the sunny area of Pacifica, it can be really nice. I have a girlfriend who has a house out there and I love it. However, I think Pacifica is a good area for people who are used to the fog, so if this will be a new thing for you, I'd focus up north.

Part of the issue with average Marin prices are that there are several towns with crazy high housing costs mixed in with some (somewhat) reasonably priced towns. I'm not sure what drives this (schools? commute into SF?), but it's a good starting point to discuss with your realtor.

[Deleted]

This map might help.

[berbles]

OMG @misoangry, you just sent me into a laugh/coughing fit.


ETA - that must be an old map.  FB is totes in S.SF now.  /hair flip

[y4m]

I grew up in Novato. It's kind of a sleepy town--very family oriented. Definitely cheaper than other parts of Marin, probably an hour commute to SF depending on where you're going and when.

Yes to good schools and a walkable downtown.