Hi Shawn,
Great question. The bottom line is that it depends on your personal feelings about an area/neighborhood. I agree with Christina about getting a crime report from the police department and review it. Once you decide that you like a specific neighborhood then go check it out at different times of the day to get a feel for the area (i.e. are there a lot of families with small children in the neighborhood, mostly a retirement community, or no families at all.) Finally, when you have narrowed it down to a specific community, email or call me and I would love to show you properties available in that are.

Hi Shawn,
Choosing a neighborhood for your family is so personal. If I told you what I thought was best you could think I was right on or crazy, either way, it is best to do your investigation. I have a few suggestions. Get a crime report from the police department. Be strategic & make it a point to take your family out for a walk on a Saturday or in the evening anyday & see what type of feel you get in each area. You could really get specific & pick out one neighborhood a week and just check it out. Third thing I would do, would be to talk to a realtor & ask for a sampling of the best homes in the neighborhoods you narrow it down to. Tracy is not that big. Hopefully you could start narrowing your search. I would also get real people's opinions that live in different areas & ask them what they honestly think of where they live. Enjoy your narrowing of areas. Call me or email me anonymously if you need some more help.

Centenial Estates is a nice area.....Madison Park also. Both are off Corral Hollow. There is a lot of inventory on the market right now, so it's a great time to buy. What specifically are you looking for? In addition to being a Realtor, I am also an active investor and Tracy is on my radar for investment. Let me know if I can help you.

I grew up in Tracy and since I moved there in 1992 there have been a lot of changes to the amount of family oriented neighborhoods. In general, south of Schulte Blvd holds an abundance of developments built from the 90's or sooner. At the southern most part of Tracy either to the far West (towards the Safeway Depot) or the far East (near the Defense Depot) has the nicest homes in Tracy hands down. If you can get into a place there or near there within the lower to middle price range you should enjoy a solid return on your investment. Happy House Hunting ~ Patrick