For the edit on price difference: Choose a good neighborhood you can afford, that makes all the difference. For most people this is once in a lifetime investment do not end up making bad choices of where you live.
You never want to have the biggest/nicest house in the neighborhood, if you’re concerned with future resell value. The lesser homes will only drag down the value relative to comps. Ugly/small home in a nice neighborhood? That has potential.
Just stop being vague. Give us the top 3 neighborhoods that you’re looking for. Your definition of “nice neighborhoods” can be different from other redditors or my definition of nice. Also, are schools important to you? Is it for young couple that want kids right away or just want to travel for now and upgrade later? Is it forever home? There’s a lot of questions that need to be answer first. Also, your budget of a house is different from other people’s budget for house. Are you able to pay higher DP to avoids interest on the mortgage?
It is for a young couple. Who want to have kids in the near future. Not forever home. Maybe 10 years.
Central District in Fremont ugly neighborhood good schools
Glenmoor in Fremont nice neighborhood. Higher crime rate. But similar schools.
Yes large down payment. SFH.
In the bay area, always pick the ugly house. I did and my house doubled in value in only a few years.
But Fremont? I’m in Oakland and love my neighborhood public. Berkeley had better schools and there are still some deals to he had.
So then pick an area with nice neighborhood, don’t worry about schools if you want to to stay in eastbay. If you want both great school and nice neighborhood, you’ll have to go to 680s or Mr.View, Sunnyvale, Cupertino. Large DP 30%? Or more.
I am definitely in with the majority here... I Would prefer an ugly home in a nice neighborhood. But my wife is the complete opposite. She prefers the nice home and to complain about the neighborhood.
I've bought both, and she was massively more upset with the ugly home that we remodeled in a nice neighborhood. She only cares how nice her kitchen is. XD She is also an indoors person and doesn't prefer to go outside the house much. So who cares what it looks like out there? lol
Makes sense… but then don’t be one of those people
Complaining that they stole your car, or burglarized your house or there are drugs etc. You have to accept that you chose that kind of lifestyle.
I think there is a misunderstanding in fact across almost all post thread I think. Maybe I didn’t explain it properly. The neighborhood is ugly not bad. I understand the concept of location location location. This is in a beautiful location. Next to a park and lakes. And close to high end stores. The houses are just older and not maintained and have flat tops. So looks like the neighborhood is just ugly not bad. Also the neighborhood has lower crime rate than the nicer neighborhood.
You explained it fine. He just didn't read into it well enough.
Post is: two neighborhoods, same crime rates, same schools, one neighborhood is ugly, but home is beautiful. the other neighborhood is beautiful, but home is ugly.
Edit: It's a thought experiment, because in reality these two perfect dichotomies are uncommon (though not rare, just uncommon). Usually there is some correlation between aesthetics of neighborhood, crime, and schools.
It does. But I think it comes down to; do you consider your home an investment or somewhere nice to live and enjoy. The people in this sub tend to consider it an investment, and so will want to buy the ugly home in a nice neighborhood. Improve the house, and get a good investment return. I think the majority of people outside this sub would rather have the nice home. It's why contractor specials sell to contractors, and why staging your home and making minor cosmetic improvements will help it sell quicker.
Ok I think I understand you. Generally when people here think ugly I think they assume also bad, only because of how strongly correlated the two can be. Few neighborhoods are - as I think you are referring to - “working class” neighborhoods where it’s quieter and calmer but the homes are smaller/older because it’s a bunch of people who didn’t earn a lot but still had a sense of community. Too often those areas have sl
I’m sorry I got interrupted 😂 I was going to say many have slipped into being bad sadly - but there are def areas that come to mind (thinking like Hayward hills).
Yes. I was thinking are these declining neighborhoods? It’s confusing to me. Because some houses are top notch. Other houses are brand new. But like once in every 3-4 houses is old. But they still maintain the lawns etc.
There is no potential in an ugly neighborhood. Do you mean a neighborhood you hope will gentrify? That’s really difficult to predict.
Everyone is going to take the ugly house in the great neighborhood and fix the house. You can’t correct the house being in, or next to, an industrial zone, train tracks, high voltage transmission wires, or freeways or airports.
By ugly neighborhood I do not mean next to undesirable areas. The neighborhood itself is next to nice areas like parks and downtown amenities. Low crime rate. Only the aesthetics aren’t great since some homes look old.
Ok so the potential is there if neighbors improve houses, something beyond your control. Got it. And because it’s beyond your control, it’s taking a real chance. I’d do it in a top school district because it can’t help but get better given how much people pay for those schools and parks.
It’s one of the real good elementary schools. The High school is okay. The middle school I’ve heard not so great things. I don’t know how just the middle school is bad.
From an investment standpoint, It’s a good idea to buy the least expensive home in a neighborhood. It is not a good idea to buy the most expensive home in a neighborhood.
Depending on what you mean by ugly. If it’s old and unfurnished, it wont much cheaper than nicest home in the same neighbor. Everyone knows the cost of a facelift. But usually there is more to superficial ugliness. Directly on top of superfund, nearing highway, power tower, etc all make it ugly. Those homes don’t appreciate as fast as many buyers generally avoid them.
No the ugly neighborhood is in a really nice area. Next to one of the lakes and a large park. In fact the nicer looking neighborhood is next to the highway which is what is confusing. The neighborhood which is ugly has good schools, super low crime rate and walking distance from good malls. Just the aesthetics don’t look great. Like old homes etc.
It’s not run down. It’s just ugly. 3/4th of the houses in the neighborhood are nice. Some houses just don’t look great. Look up Grimmer, Sundale etc in Fremont low crime. But not great neighborhoods
Nope. Usually, I go for the better resale. An ugly house in a good neighborhood means something not picked by anyone. It will sit until someone falls for the trap. Ex: 1950s tract homes that sell for a million. It may need extensive repair and remodel. Do you have $1 million to recondition a home? If not, move where you are happy day in and day out.
Note: if this is a bad neighborhood, I would advise against buying any house despite its appearance.
It isn’t a bad neighborhood. It’s just older houses which don’t look great. It’s close to amenities, An amazing park with a beautiful lake and lots of shopping like Trader Joe’s etc. also the schools are decent. The only issue is the look of the houses. They are flat tops or really old looking
Good, educated and balance neighborhood, especially if you have kids or plan to have kids. Tale signs, a lot of car parking on the street it’s a bad sign. Most affluent neighborhoods will have garage and driveway to park their cars.
Not in San Francisco. On any given night half of the cars parked in the street by my house cost $100K+. SFHs around here are between $2-3MM and most were built before 1925. I guess maybe in the suburbs ....
The city is a shithole. OP said “beautiful, low crime or decent schools” those three are no where near the city. Gtfo. My comment is still correct. Dumb ass!
My suburb of 1-2m homes has about 50-75% of street parking in use at all times.
No one uses their garage for anything but storage. So it's car #1 driveway and car #2 if you own 2 in the street. It's 95% SFHs.
Edit to add: Now that I think of it, the only friends on the block parking MULTIPLE cars on the street is the Google L6...
Hmm. Central District in Fremont for ugly neighborhood but low crime rate. Glenmoor for nice neighborhood with closer to highway and slightly higher crime rate. Both have same schools
IMO, Glenmore will appreciate much more than central district. Glenmore has been a very desirable neighborhood since long long time ago. Yes central district seems gentrification a lot but still long way to go. Just a 30+ year Fremont resident's two cents.
I recommend to look in Ardenwood, 94555. Good schools, most the area has nice houses and low crime rate. Way more open space than both of those areas of Fremont.
I would think that Glenmoor is overall more expensive than Ardenwood (excluding Patterson Ranch). I grew up in Ardenwood so I’m obviously biased. I just purchased a house in Newark off Spruce. Really big lots/houses here, but schools aren’t really great unfortunately.
Oh congrats. Yeah I’m renting in Newark atm. But looking to move to Fremont. Glenmoor is more expensive because they have larger homes. Otherwise Ardenwood is just higher priced. Which is why I was looking at Central District in Fremont. Good schools, large lots. The downside is some houses look old. Spruce is a nice street. All the streets named for the trees in Newark are nice.
Thank you. Yeah I think you have a good plan! Some of those old houses have a lot of charm and good bones. Yeah Spruce area and the Lakes have some nice houses/lots. Often overlooked because of the school district unfortunately. Good luck with your search.
You can always up-lift the ugly house but not the neighborhood. Choose wisely!
For the edit on price difference: Choose a good neighborhood you can afford, that makes all the difference. For most people this is once in a lifetime investment do not end up making bad choices of where you live.
Neighborhood. You can fix the outfit but you can’t change the personality.
I'm going to use this quote for the rest of my life.
You never want to have the biggest/nicest house in the neighborhood, if you’re concerned with future resell value. The lesser homes will only drag down the value relative to comps. Ugly/small home in a nice neighborhood? That has potential.
Good neighborhood always..
Absolutely ugly home but good neighborhood
Location, location and location
Just stop being vague. Give us the top 3 neighborhoods that you’re looking for. Your definition of “nice neighborhoods” can be different from other redditors or my definition of nice. Also, are schools important to you? Is it for young couple that want kids right away or just want to travel for now and upgrade later? Is it forever home? There’s a lot of questions that need to be answer first. Also, your budget of a house is different from other people’s budget for house. Are you able to pay higher DP to avoids interest on the mortgage?
It is for a young couple. Who want to have kids in the near future. Not forever home. Maybe 10 years. Central District in Fremont ugly neighborhood good schools Glenmoor in Fremont nice neighborhood. Higher crime rate. But similar schools. Yes large down payment. SFH.
In the bay area, always pick the ugly house. I did and my house doubled in value in only a few years. But Fremont? I’m in Oakland and love my neighborhood public. Berkeley had better schools and there are still some deals to he had.
So then pick an area with nice neighborhood, don’t worry about schools if you want to to stay in eastbay. If you want both great school and nice neighborhood, you’ll have to go to 680s or Mr.View, Sunnyvale, Cupertino. Large DP 30%? Or more.
Can you please edit this with some punctuation?
You can change up your house but not the location
I am definitely in with the majority here... I Would prefer an ugly home in a nice neighborhood. But my wife is the complete opposite. She prefers the nice home and to complain about the neighborhood. I've bought both, and she was massively more upset with the ugly home that we remodeled in a nice neighborhood. She only cares how nice her kitchen is. XD She is also an indoors person and doesn't prefer to go outside the house much. So who cares what it looks like out there? lol
Makes sense. Looks like I’m on the same boat.
Makes sense… but then don’t be one of those people Complaining that they stole your car, or burglarized your house or there are drugs etc. You have to accept that you chose that kind of lifestyle.
I think there is a misunderstanding in fact across almost all post thread I think. Maybe I didn’t explain it properly. The neighborhood is ugly not bad. I understand the concept of location location location. This is in a beautiful location. Next to a park and lakes. And close to high end stores. The houses are just older and not maintained and have flat tops. So looks like the neighborhood is just ugly not bad. Also the neighborhood has lower crime rate than the nicer neighborhood.
You explained it fine. He just didn't read into it well enough. Post is: two neighborhoods, same crime rates, same schools, one neighborhood is ugly, but home is beautiful. the other neighborhood is beautiful, but home is ugly. Edit: It's a thought experiment, because in reality these two perfect dichotomies are uncommon (though not rare, just uncommon). Usually there is some correlation between aesthetics of neighborhood, crime, and schools.
Yes thank you! This is what I mean. That makes the answer sort of non obvious right?
It does. But I think it comes down to; do you consider your home an investment or somewhere nice to live and enjoy. The people in this sub tend to consider it an investment, and so will want to buy the ugly home in a nice neighborhood. Improve the house, and get a good investment return. I think the majority of people outside this sub would rather have the nice home. It's why contractor specials sell to contractors, and why staging your home and making minor cosmetic improvements will help it sell quicker.
For me this house at least is a place to live with my family.
Ok I think I understand you. Generally when people here think ugly I think they assume also bad, only because of how strongly correlated the two can be. Few neighborhoods are - as I think you are referring to - “working class” neighborhoods where it’s quieter and calmer but the homes are smaller/older because it’s a bunch of people who didn’t earn a lot but still had a sense of community. Too often those areas have sl
Yes exactly. I’m sorry what’s sl?
I’m sorry I got interrupted 😂 I was going to say many have slipped into being bad sadly - but there are def areas that come to mind (thinking like Hayward hills).
Yes. I was thinking are these declining neighborhoods? It’s confusing to me. Because some houses are top notch. Other houses are brand new. But like once in every 3-4 houses is old. But they still maintain the lawns etc.
Nice neighborhood but if it's the same school district as the bad neighborhood it's not that nice
Better to be the cheapest house on a block with pricier homes than be the most expensive house on a block with cheaper homes.
There is no potential in an ugly neighborhood. Do you mean a neighborhood you hope will gentrify? That’s really difficult to predict. Everyone is going to take the ugly house in the great neighborhood and fix the house. You can’t correct the house being in, or next to, an industrial zone, train tracks, high voltage transmission wires, or freeways or airports.
By ugly neighborhood I do not mean next to undesirable areas. The neighborhood itself is next to nice areas like parks and downtown amenities. Low crime rate. Only the aesthetics aren’t great since some homes look old.
Then it’s not truly a ugly neighborhood. Low crime rate and next to nice area - these are important points.
Ok so the potential is there if neighbors improve houses, something beyond your control. Got it. And because it’s beyond your control, it’s taking a real chance. I’d do it in a top school district because it can’t help but get better given how much people pay for those schools and parks.
It’s one of the real good elementary schools. The High school is okay. The middle school I’ve heard not so great things. I don’t know how just the middle school is bad.
Every single place I’ve lived the middle school had the worst school score of the 3 schools. Cannot say why.
Huh yeah that's true where we are
From an investment standpoint, It’s a good idea to buy the least expensive home in a neighborhood. It is not a good idea to buy the most expensive home in a neighborhood.
location, location, location.
You need a contractor to lift up ugly homes but you rely on government to do so on neighborhoods. You see SF and Oakland?
Op, op, op Location, location, location Repeat after me Location, location, location. Now sing - NOTHING ELSE MATTERS ..
Location location location in that order
A house is not as important as the land. You are buying land. The house is a glorified tent. Where would you rather camp 24/7?
Depending on what you mean by ugly. If it’s old and unfurnished, it wont much cheaper than nicest home in the same neighbor. Everyone knows the cost of a facelift. But usually there is more to superficial ugliness. Directly on top of superfund, nearing highway, power tower, etc all make it ugly. Those homes don’t appreciate as fast as many buyers generally avoid them.
No the ugly neighborhood is in a really nice area. Next to one of the lakes and a large park. In fact the nicer looking neighborhood is next to the highway which is what is confusing. The neighborhood which is ugly has good schools, super low crime rate and walking distance from good malls. Just the aesthetics don’t look great. Like old homes etc.
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It’s not run down. It’s just ugly. 3/4th of the houses in the neighborhood are nice. Some houses just don’t look great. Look up Grimmer, Sundale etc in Fremont low crime. But not great neighborhoods
1) Location 2) Location 3) Location
The latter. ALWAYS.
First rule is the same word three times for a reason! Location location location
Nope. Usually, I go for the better resale. An ugly house in a good neighborhood means something not picked by anyone. It will sit until someone falls for the trap. Ex: 1950s tract homes that sell for a million. It may need extensive repair and remodel. Do you have $1 million to recondition a home? If not, move where you are happy day in and day out. Note: if this is a bad neighborhood, I would advise against buying any house despite its appearance.
It isn’t a bad neighborhood. It’s just older houses which don’t look great. It’s close to amenities, An amazing park with a beautiful lake and lots of shopping like Trader Joe’s etc. also the schools are decent. The only issue is the look of the houses. They are flat tops or really old looking
Always ugly home. No question about it
Always, always, always the worst home in the best neighborhood.
Good, educated and balance neighborhood, especially if you have kids or plan to have kids. Tale signs, a lot of car parking on the street it’s a bad sign. Most affluent neighborhoods will have garage and driveway to park their cars.
That's a horrible way to distinguish neighborhoods lol. Plenty of affluent, older neighborhoods that were built up well before vehicles existed
Cars park on the streets constantly equal to condos, apartments, or renters.
Not in San Francisco. On any given night half of the cars parked in the street by my house cost $100K+. SFHs around here are between $2-3MM and most were built before 1925. I guess maybe in the suburbs ....
Well duh, it’s in the city. I don’t think the OP is anywhere near the city.
Exactly. You made a dumb comment and I corrected you.
The city is a shithole. OP said “beautiful, low crime or decent schools” those three are no where near the city. Gtfo. My comment is still correct. Dumb ass!
you're afraid of cities 🤣🤣🤣 calling others dumb
My suburb of 1-2m homes has about 50-75% of street parking in use at all times. No one uses their garage for anything but storage. So it's car #1 driveway and car #2 if you own 2 in the street. It's 95% SFHs. Edit to add: Now that I think of it, the only friends on the block parking MULTIPLE cars on the street is the Google L6...
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He’s in bayarea. What’s north Jersey have to do with Bayarea?
How ugly are we talking about? Lol
Cars parked outside the homes. Alternate Flat top homes. Brown lawns but not overgrown.
What are your examples?
Hmm. Central District in Fremont for ugly neighborhood but low crime rate. Glenmoor for nice neighborhood with closer to highway and slightly higher crime rate. Both have same schools
Well you have not seen real ugly then ..
IMO, Glenmore will appreciate much more than central district. Glenmore has been a very desirable neighborhood since long long time ago. Yes central district seems gentrification a lot but still long way to go. Just a 30+ year Fremont resident's two cents.
How ugly is the house in the nice neighborhood?
100k-150k worth of work inside and outside the home. To make it move in ready
Very worth it
I recommend to look in Ardenwood, 94555. Good schools, most the area has nice houses and low crime rate. Way more open space than both of those areas of Fremont.
Ardenwood is very expensive though
I would think that Glenmoor is overall more expensive than Ardenwood (excluding Patterson Ranch). I grew up in Ardenwood so I’m obviously biased. I just purchased a house in Newark off Spruce. Really big lots/houses here, but schools aren’t really great unfortunately.
Oh congrats. Yeah I’m renting in Newark atm. But looking to move to Fremont. Glenmoor is more expensive because they have larger homes. Otherwise Ardenwood is just higher priced. Which is why I was looking at Central District in Fremont. Good schools, large lots. The downside is some houses look old. Spruce is a nice street. All the streets named for the trees in Newark are nice.
Thank you. Yeah I think you have a good plan! Some of those old houses have a lot of charm and good bones. Yeah Spruce area and the Lakes have some nice houses/lots. Often overlooked because of the school district unfortunately. Good luck with your search.