Looking for a Vacation House/Condo

[James Rhino]

I am looking for a vacation home in N.Cal as a semi-investment.
I do not know much about the real estate market in Norcal other than the fact that it's very expensive.

I would like to find a city/town that is close to SF (1-2 hour drive). Napa or Sonoma looked nice based on what I saw from movies, but I have no idea.

I want a place that is peaceful for the family, safe and has nice roads (you know why) and will hold the value in the next 10 years.

Any suggestion, please?

 

[litoG]

where are you from? will this be driving distance to where you live? as for expensive, yes, but the market is very slow right now. Homes are running much longer to sell then the last 4 years. IT is a buyers market they say, depending on the sellers situations.

are you looking for convenience? play? golf? water? city? mountains? snow or lake? you name it, we have it.

if you look at where values will hold, in most case, not all, if market starts to slow down, it starts in towns further away from a major city, where there are less jobs.

market goes up and down. If investments on property is what you are looking for, perhaps I might be correct that you are looking for long term? if you are looking for short term investments then I wouldn't buy a home in any market or town.

I have a second home in South Lake Tahoe, I don't rent, but look at it for my family and friends to use for vacation, home away from home.

there, you have the lake, snow, casinos and mountains.

 

[James Rhino]

Thanks, LitoG.

Yes, I am looking for a long-term weekend home that I can drive from SF (to get away from the city life) over the weekend or long-weekend for my family. Or have my other family members to stay over whenever I do not use it.

I have been to Lake Tahoe - what a beautiful place.

 

[flaminio]

Everywhere within 2 hours of SF is going to be dramatically expensive, but if you're prepared for that, the areas up in Sonoma are quite nice. Anywhere around Santa Rosa should meet your needs. Plus, there are a lot of nice roads up there, too .

 

[racer-ex]

I am looking for a vacation home in N.Cal as a semi-investment.
I do not know much about the real estate market in Norcal other than the fact that it's very expensive.

I would like to find a city/town that is close to SF (1-2 hour drive). Napa or Sonoma looked nice based on what I saw from movies, but I have no idea.

I want a place that is peaceful for the family, safe and has nice roads (you know why) and will hold the value in the next 10 years.

Any suggestion, please?

The only two is Belvedere or Tiburon that's in marin co,.................bill:smile:

 

[otto_joe]

Kensington would be my pick. It's a small quiet area near Albany and Berkeley. I'd love to pick up a place near that area once the kids get out of school.

The thing about the East Bay side is that you get the nice Berkeley hills to drive or if you prefer, ride your bicycle. :smile:

Otto

 

[Litespeeds]

Did you want to be within the Bay Area or on the outskirts? If you want privacy from the busy life, then Napa area is nice or even along the coast North of S.F.. My friend has a second home in Sea Ranch which is near Medocino. Haven't been there but he loves it up there.

I guess the first thing you have to do is figure out what you like to do most. Tahoe is great for year round activities. Summer for hiking, biking, swimming, boating, golfing. Winter for skiing, snowmobiling. Year round gambling. Only about 3.5 hours from S.F..

Monterey Peninsula is beautiful and is only about 2 hours from the Bay Area.

 

[rwdforlife]

I am looking for a vacation home in N.Cal as a semi-investment.
I do not know much about the real estate market in Norcal other than the fact that it's very expensive.

I would like to find a city/town that is close to SF (1-2 hour drive). Napa or Sonoma looked nice based on what I saw from movies, but I have no idea.

I want a place that is peaceful for the family, safe and has nice roads (you know why) and will hold the value in the next 10 years.

Any suggestion, please?

You can try and look into Moraga/Orinda. Its peace full, and you'll love the back roads:biggrin: