Thanks for the video, I am planing to restart my search again this summer for a home in Oakland. I currently own my house and would like to buy first before I sell. I am only budgeting for $850k. I would appreciate it if you have more videos about condos/apartments in some of the unknown Oakland neighborhoods. Thanks to you, I am looking now around the upper laurel district.
Hi Asma! Sorry for the late reply. The condos/townhomes in the Laurel District (at least the ones on market in the past year) tend to be converted units in a large Victorian and the ones in larger buildings directly on MacArthur Blvd. In the lesser-known neighborhoods, where there is less room for development, there tend to also be converted condos (from larger Victorians). I would love to do a video with a condo tour in various neighborhoods in Oakland, so I'll keep you posted!
Hi @gigi! Where specifically along Coolidge? Coolidge Ave runs north-south through MANY neighborhoods and crosses under the I-580. As a fast comparison for neighborhoods along Coolidge Ave (not saying median price is correlated to safety), the median price of a 2 bedroom/1 bath home in Lincoln Highlands (neighborhood furthest north along Coolidge) was ~1.2 million in last 90 days. The median price of a 2 bed 1 bath home in Harrington/Sausal Creek (neighborhood furthest South along Coolidge) was ~$720,000. The neighborhoods closer to I-880 tend to be more dense than those far above I-580 and closer to HWY 13. Fruitvale Ave (below 580) is more of a main throroughfare, connecting folks from Foothill or International to the I-580.
The amount of crime offsets the room for two or three fold increase. Oakland's violent crime rate is 3 to 4 times the national average. Your chances of being a crime victim in Oakland are 1 in 13. And that's only for reported crimes. Oakland's murder rate is double that of last year. Oakland has one of the largest homeless populations in the country. Oakland schools are some of the worst in the country. Just last month Oakland had six homicides in six days. Anyone notice the recent surge in the number of suspicious fires in Oakland over the past few months. If you can deal with all of crime, terrible schools, drug trafficking, roads needing repair, more crime and homelessness Oakland can be a value. Property taxes and transfer taxes are much higher in Oakland compared to adjoining cities.
Doug, that may be true at the moment, but you’re under-estimating the desire for that strip of land between Lake Merritt and San Leandro by investors. Covid lockdowns and the resulting evictions will be used to speed up the gentrification process. Ten years from now, all those thugs and gangbangers in East Oakland will be living in Antioch, Stockton, and Sacramento. They just don’t know it yet.
@@Lonnie32120031 How long have you lived in Oakland? The line you telling me is EXACTLY what I heard in the 1970s/early 80s and again in the 1990s and again around 2008 and now I'm hearing it again. purchased gentrification
@@Lonnie32120031 How long have you lived in Oakland? The line you telling me is EXACTLY what I heard in the 1970s/early 80s and again in the 1990s and again around 2008 and now I'm hearing it again. I'm not saying you are wrong, but that line about Oakland has been told so many times it's not a joke. There's no doubt Oakland has incredible real estate values. There are hundreds of homes which can be purchased for less that $100k in the area you are taking about. But tell me one thing.... What makes you think the gangbangers in East Oakland will leave and move to Antioch, Stockton or Sacramento? With gentrification comes money and more victims. OPD's rate on solving crimes in the lowest in the Bay Area if not Northern California. Why would a gangbanger want to leave a city where there are more victims with more money and the chances of being caught are very slim?
There have been six mass shootings in Oakland so far this year and shootings throughout the city are up 77% this year. Read the Editorial: It’s a shooting gallery in Oakland; more cops are needed.
Hi Doug, always appreciate updates with links to data sources (depending on the legitimacy of the source, of course). Yes, I took a look at this report from Mercury News (which was published about two+ weeks ago) about the unfortunate shootings that have taken place recently in Oakland. When I filmed this video summer/early fall 2020 - and when investigating crime rates, including violent crimes, in other cities - used city-data.com to evaluate crime rates in Oakland over the last decade +. During the height of the last recession (2011-2012), there was a peak in certain types of crime, and I also wonder what role certain types of movements and demographic changes shifted the reporting of certain types of crimes after the recession. There are many criminologists/sociologists/public policy institutions that argue AGAINST an economic theory of crime, but I do wonder what role the increasing lack of affordability/growing income inequality/etc plays in increasing violent crime. I have not looked at gun violence in other cities in the Bay Area or other parts of the US in 2020-2021, & I am curious if there are similar trends. One reason Oakland's police budget is so high - according to Transparent California, Oakland pays QUITE a bit in overtime. Yes, they are understaffed according to the Mercury News Article, AND they need to improve their systems, training, oversight, etc. All of this said, EVERYONE, when moving to a new city, should do their own due diligence when it comes to investigating crime rates/safety/etc.
@@livinginthebayarea Appreciate a well stated reply. The story with OPD is one that's been repeated over and over and never gets solved. I do have a couple of questions for you about Oakland real estate. NPR's Marketplace stated one reason for the increase in real estate prices are the Wall Street/Corporate investors. Are you seeing this in Oakland? Something like 20-25% of the first time home buyer houses are being purchased by investment companies. Molly Wood who lives in Oakland was saying how this is devastating for home buyers because it's driving up prices. (Which is good for you.) Then they are doing illegal comimetic construction and flipping the house or they are holding on to the house renting it which is driving up rental prices. Looking at homes for sale in Oakland I've seen the illegal construction where basements/garages have been converted into illegal "living spaces". The visual of the remodel looks good, until you find they didn't do the required earthquake retrofit, update the electrical or replace the plumbing. All something the new homeowner will have to do which requires tearing out the nice remodel. Are you seeing the same with the properties you are showing? I'm also wondering if what Molly Wood is saying is correct? The cooperate buyers are artificially inflating prices with the number of properties they are buying. After making their money they will they pull out and housing prices will plummet. (As has happened in other cities.) If this happens it will hurt all of the people who are trying to make Oakland a better place even more. What are your thoughts?
@@livinginthebayarea Crud did you read about the women in Montclair who was knocked unconscious during a carjacking on Ascot. (That's up the hill from Montera and Joaquin Miller) OPD has had issues going back almost 100 years. Since I was a kid I've always heard Oakland is getting much better. Oakland should be a wonderful place to live. When I drive around Oakland there are some tiny improvements, but overall things are still on the decline. Murder and violent crime in Oakland hasn't been as high since Felix Mitchel was running Oakland. His presence still lingers on. That guy was making some serious money. All of the problems troubling Oakland are the same ones going back 50 years. I'll tell you I sure don't feel safe in the parts of Oakland I once considered safe.
@livingproof hahaha WELL, sellers who purchased more than 6 years ago are the ones who are #winning. Many buyers (and buyer agents) are working VERY hard to get into a home, but the competition is very high while inventory continues to be stagnant. Buyer agents are compensated when an offer is accepted and the contract CLOSES. Listing agents are more likely to be guaranteed compensation because everything that goes on market sells.
You've got to love Oakland. The problems Oakland had 30 years ago are nearly the same as the ones Oakland has today, except much worse. Yes Oakland real estate has the potential in increase in value, but over the past 50 years it hasn't. Oakland's violent crime rate is 3 to 4 times the national average. Your chances of being a crime victim in Oakland are 1 in 13. And that's only for reported crimes. Oakland's murder rate is double that of last year. Oakland has one of the largest homeless populations in the country. Oakland schools are some of the worst in the country. Just last month Oakland had six homicides in six days. Anyone notice the recent surge in the number of suspicious fires in Oakland over the past few months. If you can deal with all of crime, terrible schools, drug trafficking, roads needing repair, more crime and homelessness Oakland can be a value. Property taxes and transfer taxes are much higher in Oakland compared to adjoining cities. Just last week I wanted to go to a store and restaurant a block off Broadway. The entire street was cordoned off by police due to a shooting that occurred less than a an hour before. And this was late morning. It's really troubling that people of color are violently attacking the elderly in China town. Oakland hasn't changed much over the past 50 years. Crime rates are increasing faster than housing prices.
Thank you for watching my video. If you have any questions about this video you can comment down below.
Katie thanks for the very Informative video !
Considering moving out there soon . Sidewalk and sewer lateral expenses are new information to me .
thanks @lpz vic! Let me know if you have any other questions.
Thanks for the video, I am planing to restart my search again this summer for a home in Oakland. I currently own my house and would like to buy first before I sell. I am only budgeting for $850k. I would appreciate it if you have more videos about condos/apartments in some of the unknown Oakland neighborhoods. Thanks to you, I am looking now around the upper laurel district.
Hi Asma! Sorry for the late reply. The condos/townhomes in the Laurel District (at least the ones on market in the past year) tend to be converted units in a large Victorian and the ones in larger buildings directly on MacArthur Blvd. In the lesser-known neighborhoods, where there is less room for development, there tend to also be converted condos (from larger Victorians). I would love to do a video with a condo tour in various neighborhoods in Oakland, so I'll keep you posted!
Is Coolidge Ave in Oakland a safe place to live?
Hi @gigi! Where specifically along Coolidge? Coolidge Ave runs north-south through MANY neighborhoods and crosses under the I-580. As a fast comparison for neighborhoods along Coolidge Ave (not saying median price is correlated to safety), the median price of a 2 bedroom/1 bath home in Lincoln Highlands (neighborhood furthest north along Coolidge) was ~1.2 million in last 90 days. The median price of a 2 bed 1 bath home in Harrington/Sausal Creek (neighborhood furthest South along Coolidge) was ~$720,000. The neighborhoods closer to I-880 tend to be more dense than those far above I-580 and closer to HWY 13. Fruitvale Ave (below 580) is more of a main throroughfare, connecting folks from Foothill or International to the I-580.
Oakland is still extremely under-valued. It still has a lot of room for two or three-fold increases.
The amount of crime offsets the room for two or three fold increase. Oakland's violent crime rate is 3 to 4 times the national average. Your chances of being a crime victim in Oakland are 1 in 13. And that's only for reported crimes. Oakland's murder rate is double that of last year. Oakland has one of the largest homeless populations in the country. Oakland schools are some of the worst in the country. Just last month Oakland had six homicides in six days. Anyone notice the recent surge in the number of suspicious fires in Oakland over the past few months. If you can deal with all of crime, terrible schools, drug trafficking, roads needing repair, more crime and homelessness Oakland can be a value. Property taxes and transfer taxes are much higher in Oakland compared to adjoining cities.
Doug, that may be true at the moment, but you’re under-estimating the desire for that strip of land between Lake Merritt and San Leandro by investors. Covid lockdowns and the resulting evictions will be used to speed up the gentrification process. Ten years from now, all those thugs and gangbangers in East Oakland will be living in Antioch, Stockton, and Sacramento. They just don’t know it yet.
@@Lonnie32120031 How long have you lived in Oakland? The line you telling me is EXACTLY what I heard in the 1970s/early 80s and again in the 1990s and again around 2008 and now I'm hearing it again.
purchased
gentrification
@@Lonnie32120031 How long have you lived in Oakland? The line you telling me is EXACTLY what I heard in the 1970s/early 80s and again in the 1990s and again around 2008 and now I'm hearing it again.
I'm not saying you are wrong, but that line about Oakland has been told so many times it's not a joke. There's no doubt Oakland has incredible real estate values. There are hundreds of homes which can be purchased for less that $100k in the area you are taking about.
But tell me one thing.... What makes you think the gangbangers in East Oakland will leave and move to Antioch, Stockton or Sacramento? With gentrification comes money and more victims. OPD's rate on solving crimes in the lowest in the Bay Area if not Northern California. Why would a gangbanger want to leave a city where there are more victims with more money and the chances of being caught are very slim?
There have been six mass shootings in Oakland so far this year and shootings throughout the city are up 77% this year. Read the Editorial: It’s a shooting gallery in Oakland; more cops are needed.
Hi Doug, always appreciate updates with links to data sources (depending on the legitimacy of the source, of course). Yes, I took a look at this report from Mercury News (which was published about two+ weeks ago) about the unfortunate shootings that have taken place recently in Oakland. When I filmed this video summer/early fall 2020 - and when investigating crime rates, including violent crimes, in other cities - used city-data.com to evaluate crime rates in Oakland over the last decade +. During the height of the last recession (2011-2012), there was a peak in certain types of crime, and I also wonder what role certain types of movements and demographic changes shifted the reporting of certain types of crimes after the recession. There are many criminologists/sociologists/public policy institutions that argue AGAINST an economic theory of crime, but I do wonder what role the increasing lack of affordability/growing income inequality/etc plays in increasing violent crime. I have not looked at gun violence in other cities in the Bay Area or other parts of the US in 2020-2021, & I am curious if there are similar trends. One reason Oakland's police budget is so high - according to Transparent California, Oakland pays QUITE a bit in overtime. Yes, they are understaffed according to the Mercury News Article, AND they need to improve their systems, training, oversight, etc. All of this said, EVERYONE, when moving to a new city, should do their own due diligence when it comes to investigating crime rates/safety/etc.
@@livinginthebayarea Appreciate a well stated reply. The story with OPD is one that's been repeated over and over and never gets solved.
I do have a couple of questions for you about Oakland real estate. NPR's Marketplace stated one reason for the increase in real estate prices are the Wall Street/Corporate investors. Are you seeing this in Oakland? Something like 20-25% of the first time home buyer houses are being purchased by investment companies. Molly Wood who lives in Oakland was saying how this is devastating for home buyers because it's driving up prices. (Which is good for you.) Then they are doing illegal comimetic construction and flipping the house or they are holding on to the house renting it which is driving up rental prices. Looking at homes for sale in Oakland I've seen the illegal construction where basements/garages have been converted into illegal "living spaces". The visual of the remodel looks good, until you find they didn't do the required earthquake retrofit, update the electrical or replace the plumbing. All something the new homeowner will have to do which requires tearing out the nice remodel. Are you seeing the same with the properties you are showing? I'm also wondering if what Molly Wood is saying is correct? The cooperate buyers are artificially inflating prices with the number of properties they are buying. After making their money they will they pull out and housing prices will plummet. (As has happened in other cities.) If this happens it will hurt all of the people who are trying to make Oakland a better place even more. What are your thoughts?
Interesting following…
@@livinginthebayarea Crud did you read about the women in Montclair who was knocked unconscious during a carjacking on Ascot. (That's up the hill from Montera and Joaquin Miller) OPD has had issues going back almost 100 years. Since I was a kid I've always heard Oakland is getting much better. Oakland should be a wonderful place to live. When I drive around Oakland there are some tiny improvements, but overall things are still on the decline. Murder and violent crime in Oakland hasn't been as high since Felix Mitchel was running Oakland. His presence still lingers on. That guy was making some serious money. All of the problems troubling Oakland are the same ones going back 50 years. I'll tell you I sure don't feel safe in the parts of Oakland I once considered safe.
So real estate agents winning
@livingproof hahaha WELL, sellers who purchased more than 6 years ago are the ones who are #winning. Many buyers (and buyer agents) are working VERY hard to get into a home, but the competition is very high while inventory continues to be stagnant. Buyer agents are compensated when an offer is accepted and the contract CLOSES. Listing agents are more likely to be guaranteed compensation because everything that goes on market sells.
No, who is winning are the criminals. Oakland's crime rate is higher than it ever has been before.
Real talk - Is Oakland still ghetto?
Yes don't Come
You've got to love Oakland. The problems Oakland had 30 years ago are nearly the same as the ones Oakland has today, except much worse. Yes Oakland real estate has the potential in increase in value, but over the past 50 years it hasn't. Oakland's violent crime rate is 3 to 4 times the national average. Your chances of being a crime victim in Oakland are 1 in 13. And that's only for reported crimes. Oakland's murder rate is double that of last year. Oakland has one of the largest homeless populations in the country. Oakland schools are some of the worst in the country. Just last month Oakland had six homicides in six days. Anyone notice the recent surge in the number of suspicious fires in Oakland over the past few months. If you can deal with all of crime, terrible schools, drug trafficking, roads needing repair, more crime and homelessness Oakland can be a value. Property taxes and transfer taxes are much higher in Oakland compared to adjoining cities. Just last week I wanted to go to a store and restaurant a block off Broadway. The entire street was cordoned off by police due to a shooting that occurred less than a an hour before. And this was late morning. It's really troubling that people of color are violently attacking the elderly in China town. Oakland hasn't changed much over the past 50 years. Crime rates are increasing faster than housing prices.