While Barb cites an article that states that the housing crisis is over, this is very much a minority viewpoint. There are numerous websites that one can visit which state that the housing crash is NOT over. A good one is patrick.net.

Yes, the pro-Barb people may say that such "doom and gloom" websites don't account for the fact that real estate is local, but Barb's cited article is not a local article either.

John, who is looking in Moraga, and others should read the article from the Wall Street Journal, in the opinion section, called "The Housing Crisis is Over." John's "analysis" about the price of housing relative to income is faulty, because the data he is using is from a time when interest rates were much higher. It isn't a multiplier of your income that should determine an appropriate price range, it should be calculated on the percentage of income that the payment requires, because that reflects the current interest rate. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121003604494869449.html?mod=…

you should be able to pick up an exceptional home for mid 500's in the next 2-3 yrs. wait. prices are ready to come down to 1990s level. (despite what realtors may say) average income in SR is around 100K. average home should be around 200-300K historically speaking. good luck

How about the area west of 680. That area is also old but looks better than east of Highway.

Hi Andy,
I understand your need and am willing to help you find what you need it will just take some time and being on top of what comes on the market. Probably your best bet would be a foreclosure and I would be happy to activated a search for you if you send me an email at ajcohen@apr.com, if not I wish you the best of luck in your house hunting.
Thanks,
AJ Cohen

Thanks AJ. I am free to buy but I want the price to drop some more. I can only afford homes in the mid 500s (and this is a stretch for me) so I looked at west san ramon and it seemed affordable. if the new home communities drop the price probably i will get one of those instead of getting an older house and fixing it myself :-)

No problem. Now all you need is a good agent to help you find the perfect home. I'm free, how about you?

thanks AJ. that really helps.

I would tend to agree with your friend, a little more blue collar doing a lot of their own work on their homes or keeping them original, multiple cars in front of some homes but as your friend pointed out, it is all give and take. The price per sq ft tends to be lower in that area for all of the reasons that most people are giving and will not change anytime soon.
Thanks,
AJ Cohen

Barb / AJ, thanks for your response! My friend told me that the neighborhood closer to alcosta blvd in san ramon is more of a blue collar area and not a very friendly neighborhood. i am not sure how far this is true. the are parts of every good city which is good and parts that no one really likes. any comments on this?

The homes are older, but many have been completely remodeled. I would suggest that you go see them, and see for yourself. There were several different builders there, and offered many different floor plans, so each group of streets offers different groups of homes. Remember too, that the homes in Windemere have a property tax rate of approx. 1.5% - 1.7% of the selling price (purchase price X .017 divided by 12 to get the monthly amount of tax) and the homes in the rest of San Ramon have a tax rate of approx. 1.2%.

I found in our home search that the neighborhoods were older, not as well kept and just more sketchy the closer you got to the Dublin border. Obviously Windemere is newer, more likely to have HOA's that take care of the neighborhood and the overall look. I think you will find that while you can get a less expensive SFH in the area of San Ramon closest to Dublin, the overall value in the newer areas of San Ramon is worth the extra money.

what are the most desirable zip codes to least desirable zip codes in san ramon?

Not as busy and definately not as bad, Pine Valley is better and near Montevideo is even better than that, a nicely laid out community where many families have come in and updated the homes.

thanks for your response AJ & KyuuKetsuKi. how good is the neighborhood near the pine valley school? are those areas busy as well?

Good morning Andy,
You are looking at a much older community that is up along the dublin border. It is easier to find some great value in there but not as much consistency, there may be gorgeous homes butted up against 2 and 3 bedroom homes that are rather run down and it is right up against a very large condo rental community. Typically the value increases go up as you get further from Alcosta. I hope that helps.
If you need any more help please contact me directly at ajcohen@apr.com or 925.819.2747.
Thanks,
AJ Cohen

Because windemere is overpriced and rich people like overpiced stuff, like iPod or BMW. Alcosta is a busy street, beaware of traffic noise.