San Francisco Bay Area

[Kit G.]

we are thinking of retiring to Half Moon Bay from SF Peninsula... anyone have any thoughts on quality of life, weather, boredom or not, housing values going up, down, stabilizing, etc....

thanks!

[Betsy Ballenger]

Hello,

Half Moon Bay is a lovely coastside town.  I live in Pacifica but would love to live in HMB myself.  The beaches are gorgeous, the people friendly.  There is local theatre troupe, lots of cafes with music of all kinds, the beaches and trails.  Easy drive to SF or "over the hill" or down to Santa Cruz if you need a change of scenery.  Weekly newspaper "Half Moon Bay Review" and monthly free magazine Coastviews give you a good idea of the flavor of the area.

It can be foggy, especially during the summer.  But most people who live there like it as an escape from the heat inland.  El Granada is generall thought to be the sunniest part of the coast.

Values have held better here on the Coast and are probably about as low as they're going to get.  Not that many options for condo living.  There are some near the Ritz Carlton, 2 nice ones in Half Moon Bay (Amesport Landing and Cypress downtown).  Don't forget the other coastal towns, closer to SF:  Montara, Moss Beach and El Granada.  Further south and more rural are Pescadero and La Honda which are less expensive in general.

Good luck!

Betsy Ballenger

[Mr. or Ms. C.]

stay away, a hangout for a lot of bad weather, fog/cold-----very poor local shopping you need to drive to the Palo Alto area--a rough drive in the fog at night on very curvy dangerous roads-------HMB also seems to have a "druggy" culture everywhere you turn--except for the gated area of HMB/overall a very bad place to retire to unless you want a cold-foggy climate and utility bills of about $800/month for a 2000 sq. ft. house---you can do much better

[Betsy Ballenger]

Definitely disagree with this!  The shopping is fine!  For food you have New Leaf and Safeway plus a great farmer's market every week.  There are lots of nice shops and cafes.  Yes, it can be foggy--it's the coast!  As for drug culture, this is California, it's everywhere.  Route 92 is not a dangerous road if you drive sensibly.

Also, forgot to mention that when the tunnel opens next year, it will be easier to get here from SF, which should drive values us.  And as for heating bills, I pay less than $100 per month for 1400 sq feet.  Get a woodstove or solar panels, do some insulating.  You don't have to pay for air conditioning!

[Daniel Oster]

I live in Santa Cruz County and have been selling real estate in the area for just shy of 10 years. Many of my clients buy with plans to retire in the near or not so near future in Santa Cruz. Most considered HMB before ruling it out in favor of the Santa Cruz area. One thing to keep in mind is who your insurance carrier is. Santa Cruz doesn't have a Kaiser facility, and switching later in life is prohibitively expensive.

After comparing the climate and local amenities, most people prefer Santa Cruz County. HMB is beautiful and has a sleepy beach town charm. However, the cold/fog and smaller infrastructure are the most  common reasons that some people prefer Santa Cruz County.

There are great beach communities along the entire coast in Santa Cruz County, and there is a lot to enjoy from almost any style of restaurant, there are museums, a variety of shops including  large retailers and small boutique stores, sailing, surfing, hiking, biking, yoga, and miles of gorgeous beaches surrounded by the Santa Cruz Mountains which are filled with world class wineries and amazing vistas.

Please feel free to contact me anytime for more information or to schedule a home tour. My cell phone number is 831.227.5700 and my email address is Daniel.Oster@ZipRealty.com

[John M.]

send me some info i love sf area