Hi Tasha - I'd suggest Dublin Ranch or Dublin Ranch Golf Club community, at least pick a weekend look around some open houses in the area. John Green and Fallon both schools have excellent API scores, top 10! Dublin ranch golf club home price has dropped about 34% from 2005, read here, http://myrealinsight.com/2009/10/price-drops-at-dublin-ranch… and recently there are some homes with golf view with listed price around 700k, so you have more options in Dublin than Pleasanton. Good luck! Feel free to contact me if you need more info. Also for Dublin take a glance of here, http://myrealinsight.com/wp284/local/dublin/ca/ ...
-Kent
Proud of resident of dublin ranch golf club

The agent who wrote about Castro Valley mentioned the Five Canyons area as a place to look into. I would check up there in that hilly section of Castro Valley rather than anywhere down in the "flatlands" of Castro Valley. I lived for many years in Castro Valley and in many parts of Castro Valley. Check out the crime scene however from the local papers like the "Castro Valley Forum" . I was uncomfortable with the increasing crime levels that are plaguing Castro VAlley (and all cities), but last Wednesday's piece on the two sexual assalts on two high school girls made me glad I moved. In fact, a check of the last two years of the local Police Blotter and the local newspapers reporting of higher levels of crime had me concerned about my safety. I moved to Dublin which I like much better. Castro Valley is old and the infrastructure has not -- and cannot -- be improved to accomodate the crowded living conditions and clogged streets.
--Kim 11-10-2009

For information on Dublin Ranch and the neighborhoods check out this video we created. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pugUvsiwfnA
We have also created some other videos about the developments within Dublin Ranch where you can get more information on the area. http://www.youtube.com/user/MoxleyTeam
Regarding the schools in Dublin Ranch, they are some of the most advanced in the area because they are new. As far as housing and new developments within Dublin here is a link to what the city has planned for developments. http://www.ci.dublin.ca.us/DepartmentSubLevel2.cfm?PL=exp&am…

We specialize in Dublin Ranch so if you want to know about more specific information on new developments, please let us know. You can also visit our site for more detailed information on some Pleasanton neighborhoods. http://www.moxleyteam.com/pleasanton-neighborhoods/

Moxley Team
925.600.0990
Homes@MoxleyTeam.com

I work a lot in both areas, and have helped many families making the same changes you are - from out of state, to our pleasant area of the Bay Area. People are often attracted to Pleasanton because it is reminiscent of the midwest (I'm from the Chicago area) has a cute, vibrant downtown, and good schools. But the homes in your price range are older and many need fixing up. The homes in Dublin Ranch are newer, the taxes are lower, and the Dublin Ranch schools are just as good or better than those in Pleasanton or San Ramon (you can check it out at http://www.greatschools.net) (The Dublin Ranch schools are Fallon Middle, John Green or Dougherty Elemetary, ) The problem with Dublin right now remains the high school, with scores just under 900, while the San Ramon and Pleasanton scores are just over 900 - about a 25 point spread.
Most Dubliners believe that the influence of the higher incomes from the ranch area will positively affect the high school. The incomes generally required to buy a home up there mean that the parents attended college, and therefore will pass that emphasis on to their kids. The Dublin Ranch kids are doing well upon graduating, going to Stanford, Cal, Davis, Yale, etc. The high school has just implemented a program too to not just have a set of classes to take to graduate, but to publicize and promote the classes kids need to take to get into the University of California. There was on the boards a plan for a high school in the Dublin Ranch area, but those plans are on hold right now. A move has also been started by some Dublin Ranch residents to begin the process for a charter school, but that could take awhile. The people who live in Dublin Ranch, love it - good commute area, less expensive taxes, 5 minutes from downtown Pleasanton, and a clean, pleasant environment with lots of parks and recreational opportunities.

If you continue to have doubts about Dublin, you may also want to consider San Ramon or Danville, depending of course upon where you are commuting. San Ramon has a mix of older more established homes on larger lots, as well as newer homes (on smaller lots), and Danville has a similar mix and another cute, vibrant downtown. The Windemere area of San Ramon however has property taxes that are approximately 40-50% higher than the rest of San Ramon and the neighboring towns, so in your range, it's equivalent to about $50,000 in purchasing power. (If you want your monthly out-go of taxes and payment to be X, then in Windemere your purchase limit would be about $750,000, not $800,000.)

I know it is a lot of information, so feel free to ask more questions!

Hi Tasha,

In addition to all the areas the agents have mentioned, I also think you should consider Castro Valley for the schools and the neighborhoods like Five Canyons and Palomares Hills. You will find newer homes and in the $800K range you can get a decent home. At this time I see 4 properties currently on the market you could consider.

Meena Gujral
Help-U-Sell Achievers Realty
510-279-9580

Tasha,

I think all information provided by the realtors are very valuable to you as a new comer. As a parent of 2 young children who attend Dublin Fallon Elementary, I can say that the schools are improving at a steady pace and very competitive. There are other factors that you might want to consider such as proximity to work, how long you and your family are going to live in this area,etc...

The amount of new developments that will be coming on the market in the next few years may pose some concerns as far as investment decision. With Tolls Brothers, Discovery Homes Builders and Braddock and Logan building more new homes in the area, pricing might be a challenge to keep up with the changing market. If you are open to discussing how the areas are like or the current DR market, feel free to send me an email at farida@fchapman.com or give me a call at 925-784-2524.

Regards
Farida Chapman
Keller Williams Tri Valley, Pleasanton

If schools are a primary consideration, take a look at these links to academic performance index

Contra Costa county http://api.cde.ca.gov/AcntRpt2009/2009GrthAPICo.aspx?cSelect=07… (See San Ramon)

Alameda county http://api.cde.ca.gov/AcntRpt2009/2009GrthAPICo.aspx?cSelect=01… (See Dublin, Pleasanton, Piedmont, Alameda, Fremont)

You may find other cities you haven't even considered yet.

If your requirement is to live where the schools associated with the home have API scores greater than a 900 you'll most likely choose to live in Fremont's Mission San Jose District. It’s considered to have the best schools in the state. The students here continue to win national awards in math, science, & spelling.
Unfortunately, $800,000 may not buy you a home you’re willing to accept. So, many families often buy in a community like Ardenwood or Parkmont in Fremont and attend those high performing elementary schools, and once the kids are ready to start junior high, they move to Pleasanton, San Ramon or Dublin.
All three of these cities have great schools, and are more affordable than Fremont's Mission San Jose District. For those interested primarily in a newer home with more longer track record or high performing schools end up choosing to San Ramon (Windermere or Gale Ranch to two large new communities). San Ramon schools have higher API scores than Dublin but if commute and or cost is more of a concern. Then Dublin looks attractive.
Dublin, also has created a lot of new housing and it’s generally cheaper than San Ramon. Just beware of the commute factor. If you choose east Dublin you get a newer home, but potentially find yourself trapped on the 580 corridor more often than you like. Staying on the west you’ll get older homes but easier commute.
Pleasanton is still my favorite of the 3 and most people because it’s the most central. Offers established neighborhoods, easy access to many restaurants and shopping.
Good luck on your hunt.
-sunil

SMA REALTY

Sunil Sethi / Broker, Preisent, REALTOR, MBA, CPA / SMA Realty
Office 510 793 8600 / Mobile 510 388 2436 / Fax 510 431 9046
My Bio: http://sunilsethi.com/about_me.htm
My blog: http://fremontrealestate.blogspot.com/
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/fremontrealtor
CA DRE#: 01173766

I have lived in Dublin Ranch for 6 years and also work the Pleasanton market so am very in tune with what's going on in the 2 markets. Dublin is generally much more affordable than Pleasanton, due in large part to the quality difference in the schools. Pleasanton is much more established in terms of residents and schools. However, there are some signs Dublin is catching up. John Green Elementary for example in Dublin Ranch has an API rating of 925. James Dougherty Elementary has an API of 943. Dublin High grew from an API of 798 in 2008 to 842 in 2009. In addition, it is very likely a new high school, Tassajara Prep will open in 2012, which will be a state of the art high school. For $800k you can purchase a very nice newer home, highly upgraded and well ver 3000 sq. ft. in Dublin Ranch. You can buy a nice house in Pleasanton for $800k but not nearly as nice or big. Prices in Dublin have come down over 15% from last year but there are some signs prices are creeping back up a bit. Dublin is between Pleasanton and San Ramon and its average prices are quite a bit lower than both cities, as both have great schools but once Dublin catches up academically more people may focus their attention on Dublin. Another factor to consider though is Dublin will have much more construction going on in the future, adding mid to high density housing which may end up increasing inventories and thus affecting prices. All in all Dublin doesn't have the "name" value of Pleasanton yet but seems to be improving.

If you have any further questions feel free to ask

Hi Tasha. My first thought would be for you to throw San Ramon into the mix as well. The school system is top-notch. That's where I live. I know people who have kids that go to the Dublin schools and they are perfectly happy with it. It's just that the API scores for the San Ramon school district and Pleasanton are higher. . In my opinion there is nothing wrong with Dublin. Dublin Blvd has undergone a nice makeover in the past few years. The new library on Dublin Blvd is amazing. You money will buy you the most in Dublin, then San Ramon, Then Pleasanton in that order. The bad news is that inventory very low so finding the right place may take awhile. The most important thing is to find a Realtor that you connect with and who can be your eyes and ears during your search. I'd be happy to talk with you about it if you do not already have someone you are working with.