Daly City: Gateway to Peninsula- and Homeownership?
Will people give up on San Francisco prices and head for the suburbs? Many of us who’ve lived in the city proper find the idea of suburban life hard to fathom. Where can I go on a Monday night to see a local band? Is there a diner I can eat at come 4am? Where will I go to see museums? Plays? My favorite tranny?
The thing urban-worshippers might want to remember is that if we lived in Daly City, we could still go to all those places aforementioned: in San Francisco. After all, DC is literally less than a second away from SF- the two border one another. Granted, you might have to drive or take BART to get to your preferred location, and that adds extra time to your commute. But when do you not have to do that anyway? How fast do you get anywhere in the city driving, or on MUNI? And consider that when you return after your night out in the city, parking in DC is a lot easier than SF. Hell, you might even be able to afford a house with a garage.
What does DC have to offer residents? Far from being the cliched zero-diversity suburb, this area is actually very mixed: Wikipedia states the population is made of white, Asian, Native American, Latino, African American and Pacific Islander and other ethnicities, and DC is well known for its large Filipino-American community. Thus if you fear losing diversity by leaving the city, you would not have to worry in DC.
DC is also home to the Cow Palace, a major concert/event/conference venue. DC offers golf courses, swimming pools, tennis, and beach access where you can hang glide, paraglide, walk your dog, or just enjoy the sea. You can also shop much more easily in DC: shopping centers offer acres of free parking and San Mateo County has lower sales tax than San Francisco County has.
DC is called the “Gateway to the Peninsula” because, frankly, it is. If you work in SF, you can commute easily (no bridges! BART! Easy access to freeways!), but if you work anywhere south you have an even easier commute. BART also takes you east, should you need to go there.
Neighborhoods of Daly City include Westlake, St. Francis, Serramonte, Top of the Hill, Hillside, Crocker, Southern Hills, and Bayshore. Wherever you chose to settle, you’d find prices falling. Burbed.com traces the decline of one single family home from $850k to $514,900!
What can you get for your money? Here are just a few listings, all 550k or less, all over 2 bedrooms. Such properties simply do not exist in SF. And since you’d still be close to all the things you love about the city- without the expense and hassle- suburban living, DC style, might just not suck at all.
93 Menlo Ave: 3/2 single-family for $550,000.
41 Carmel Ave: 3/2 single-family for $529,000.
205 Oak Ct.: 3/2 condo for $515,000.
353 Philip Dr. #301, 3/2 loft condo (my favorite on this list) for $518,888.
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photo credit: megascenery.com
