Location recommendation for single women buying a property
I have been renting in Oakland (Temescal, Rockridge, Brooklyn Basin) / Emeryville since I moved to the bay area. I’m starting to look for my first home, but I don’t know the other bay area neighborhoods very well and would appreciate suggestions to help narrow my search.
My budget is roughly $300k–$500k for a two-bedroom condo, or a small house if that’s realistic.
preferences:
- I wfh fulltime so good natural light is important (but in case I get a new job in the future that requires RTO I don't want to move too far out to say walnut creek / dublin / santa cruz etc)
- neighborhood with a more urban, city-like feel; walkability is a major plus
- ideally first floor with a small deck / yard / patio so i can build a catio for my cats
- in-unit washer & dryer if possible
- no major repairs
Any suggestions, tradeoffs, or areas to search / avoid would be very helpful! thanks a lot in advance!
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edit: I think I am handy-ish, I have painted walls and mounted cat shelves. but i am not feeling like taking on projects like re-doing a deck or installing AC or stuff like that.
in terms of my budget, i did some calculation and it seems for 500k - down payment, mortgage at 6.5% interest rate + $1,000 HOA would equal to my current rent more or less so that's how I set my upper limit. I know there will be property tax and other fees but I also set aside some buffer and emergency fund so hopefully it's not too ambitious. if my budget needs adjusting please let me know as well 🙏🏻