Why Everyone Loves Alameda

Alameda is the Bay Area’s coastal living town that’s close to San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, and Silicon Valley. 

Alameda may be the most coveted East Bay city. Most of my San Francisco clients mention Alameda as their #1 place to buy a home. Many of these home buyers weren’t sure where they wanted to live when they started shopping in the East Bay.

One family who had been S.F. renters landed on a beautiful Spanish-style Alameda house, after having looked all over the East Bay. 

What struck them is something simple: Living is easy in Alameda! It’s easy to get around: There are several cross-town roads with bus lines, and several downtown streets like Park and Webster jam-packed with restaurants and shops.

They appreciated the great, highly-rated schools in Alameda which they researched. And they also take advantage of plenty of kid-friendly activities, parks. Christmas spirit, museums…and so much more to discover. (In fact, after they moved there I heard about the bucket list-worthy Dragon Boat Racing!)

In between the beach and downtown is the Alameda South Shore Center, an outdoor shopping mall lined with palm trees. This Alameda mall features two of my favorites — Trader Joe’s, TJ Maxx and See’s Candies — along with a family hardware store and shops for everyone, from children to boaters.

When you’re done shopping, the beach is a block away. You’ll feel like you’re in Santa Monica or Florida, with mid-century apartment and condo buildings just lining the road across the street from the beach.

Our Bay Area water is cold. Yet my friend, and many others, swim every morning at the beach in Alameda. With a view of San Francisco as you swim, I can see the attraction!

Alameda boasts an array of beautiful architectural styles and options.

Alameda is serious about its architecture. Every Fall the Alameda Architectural Preservation Society hosts a home tour where you can get peeks into historic homes of all vintages.

The town has a remarkable diversity in real estate in terms of buildings and ages. Single-family “painted lady” homes from the Victorian era sit alongside more recent 1920s homes and even apartment buildings built to create new housing through the years. 

Plentiful multi-family properties give first-time buyers a chance to “house hack” and offset a mortgage with rental units. Or friends and family can join forces to get more for your money with a duplex or triplex.

Just a few Alameda home styles

• New condo and townhouse developments line the Bay and make commuting by ferry a breeze.
• A cool hippy-vibe floating home community where you are literally 5 minutes from Oakland and have that Sausalito house boat lifestyle but right there in Alameda.
• Grand Craftsman houses and painted lady Victorians, with lots of inventory of single-family, multi-family, and several homes on one lot. 
• Water view duet homes (where two houses are attached on one side) and condos are available to those who want to live the California dream…many have patios where you sit and watch the sunset.
• Tiny cottage communities dotted around the island offer simple living near shops. These are the perfect size of houses for downsizing to age in place, where you’re near neighbors.
• Older housing stock, often Victorian, that needs serious fixing and adorable cottages from the multi-generations of families who have lived and worked in Alameda since it had a Naval base.
• Bay Farm island, over a little bridge from the main Alameda island, features many townhouse developments some brown-shingled by the sea, some that live like single-family houses, and some that provided affordable living in the 70s. There are some incredible Bay view properties, from condos to beautiful large homes with unobstructed views.
  
  Bay Farm Island is home to Abbott Labs and Peet’s Coffee as employers, among various tech companies, distilleries, Almanac Brewing, Firebrand Baking, and various manufacturers. It’s about a 10 minute drive to the Oakland Airport on surface streets.
  
  Bay Farm is known for its peaceful ambiance, outdoor activities and schools. It also has the Harbor Bay Club which is such a popular fitness club that some of my friends from Oakland are members. With a pool overlooking the Bay, who can resist? Outside the club is a lovely curved trail that snakes along the Bay, for beautiful outdoor enjoyment.

Alameda is Central for Commuting to San Francisco, Berkeley and Silicon Valley.

Alameda has become increasingly popular as commuters discover that, despite being an island, it is incredibly convenient for commuting to many parts of the Bay Area.

The College of Alameda has a world-class fashion design and merchandising program as well as other learning tracks. Waking up to a Bay sunrise, taking lifelong learning classes, lunch on Park Street, then swimming by the Bay sounds pretty good to me!

Most of the tech companies have corporate bus stops, in addition to several ferries and the nearby freeway.

Compass is the #1 brokerage in Alameda, with lots of connections in the community. We not only have access to Alameda houses for sale but off-market listings that sellers want to sell quietly.

Curious? Let’s explore and see if Alameda is your place.