THE COPLAND TEAM

Kathy,

San Diego is great and I have family in Carlsbad and La Jolla. They loved growing up there.

As a local agent in your current area I would recommend you start talking to an agent in San Diego. Much like the East Bay San Diego changes from mile to mile. Carlsbad and Oceanside are the suburbs to San Diego much like San Ramon is to Oakland and S.F. And just like here schools change dramatically area by area.

I do have two agents who I trust in the area. One north towards Carlsbad and Oceanside and one closer to San Diego and La Jolla.

I would be more than happy to have them give you a call or email and help you in focusing your search. You can also look up information on San Diego County schools at http://www.sdcoe.net/schools.asp or a http://www.greatschools.net

Hope this helps a little and know if you need any help locally please feel free to ask.

Tiffany Copland
The Copland Team
Alain Pinel Realtors - Earlier today

Each street and condo location effects the issue with safety. The areas with more condos and where there area multiple buildings makes a difference. The area is changing and has been improving. I thinkg that it would really depend on which one. However, the Old Town area is improving rapidly as the night life increase with more and more restaurants and other shops. In the past that was the biggest issue. The area was great during the day with the hustle and bustle from office workers. However, when night hit the area was dead and left room for more crime. This has changed dramatically.

Regarding buying a condo... there are many great options and it will depend more on the price range you are thinking of. There are great spots all over Oakland that are in walking distance to BART. The downtown is great for the new restaurants as well.

Levende is a great one.

If you are further curious into which condos and where please feel free to contact me. I am currently working with a few condo buyers in the area and would be more than happy to help you as well.

Tiffany Copland
Alain Pinel Realtors
tiffany@CoplandTeam.com - Wed Nov 12 2008, 19:02

Delia,

Observation Place is a great street in the hills and at the price listed is a pretty great buy. There are many homes in the high $900k plus range that are really million plus homes. The current market is a great time to purchase if you are in the market to upgrade or buy and are in this price range. We have many properties much like the quality of Observation Place.

Also, the site you are using to search may be a little old. I would recommend using a MLS linked site. You are welcome to search for free off of our site at http://www.CoplandTeam.com You may also view some of our listings such at

7887 Shepherd Canyon
Montclair - Oakland
4bd 4.5 ba 3,000+ sq ft.
$1,050,000
http://www.7887ShepherdCanyonRd.com

3719 Brunell Drive
Joaquin Miller - Oakland 4+ bd 4+ba 4000+sq ft
$1,149,000
http://www.3719BrunellDrive.com

13506 Campus Drive
Ridgemont - Oakland
3+ bd 2.5 ba 3300+sq ft.
$1,095,000
http://www.13506CampusDr.com

680 Via Rialto
Redwood Height - Oakland
5bd 3.5 ba 3000+ sq ft
$1,199,000
http://www.680ViaRialto.com

Good Luck and please let us know if you need any further help in your home search.

Tiffany Copland
Alain Pinel Realtors
tiffany@CoplandTeam.com - Wed Nov 12 2008, 18:33

Old Town Oakland has been improving over the past few years. Mainly due to the revamping of the night life and restaurant scene. The benefit to Old Town is the convenience of being able to walk or take BART from home which is becoming more and more popular.

I am a third generation Oaklander and second generation Oakland Realtor and have watched many neighborhoods change and one of the greatest changes is in areas near transit. i.e.. Rockridge and Adam's Point / Lake Merritt. Rockridge was a lower valued neighborhood that didn't transition until the late 80's. Lake Merritt became popular the last 10 years.

As for the condo. It would depend on which condo complex. Some, lack charm or have poor location which have huge effects on the current and re-sale values. If you are curious about a particular property I am more than happy to give you a more specific answer.

On a more fun note. Old Town has some awesome spots to check out which is also why the popularity will increase.

Levende East, The Trappist, Pacific Coast Brewery, Luka's Tap Room , Cafe' van Kleefs and some other great restaurants.

Hope this gives you a little better of an idea.

Tiffany Copland
tiffany@coplandteam.com - Wed Nov 12 2008, 18:18

The best way to research about schools is to look at their test scores as well as ask parents. Here is a site that can allow you to research different schools in many areas.
http://www.greatschools.net - Fri Feb 15 2008, 12:57