As much as I love the SF Bay Area, I don't think much of the Silicon Valley as a place to live/work. Of course it's the world's most important tech center. Still, it's insanely expensive to live there, and it's not that interesting culturally. It's all developed in just the last few decades. Living in the more interesting parts of the region would mean a long commute, even if it is on a Google Bus or the like.

I'd take a job in the Silicon Valley only if it were a big career opportunity, and I'd aim to leave within a few years. Try to move to a startup in SF, Oakland, Berkeley or Marin. These places are also very expensive, but I think they're so much more interesting than the Silicon Valley.

The City itself is too expensive. Oakland is a bit cheaper but not particularly safe. I'd go through the tunnel into Contra Costa County. Depending on your income you can look at Moraga or Lafayette (if well off), Walnut Creek, Danville, etc. (if upper middle) or Concord, Pleasant Hill (if middle class). Go a bit more east to Brentwood or Oakley for a little less congestion.

Plenty of Oakland is plenty safe. In fact, much safer than some of Antioch and Oakley. Besides, you're looking at 5 hours a day RT commute from Oakley/Brentwood to Silicon Valley. And, it is boring as el diablo, and I don't mean the Mt. Diablo.

There are 2 Oaklands, above and below 580. Being above is the preferred option for safety (above 13 is even better) but many formerly downtrodden areas are coming to life in west Oakland and around the lake which are safer and have a very interesting cultural mix. For my money, Oakland is the best city to live in the Bay Area.

Yes, if you can find a relatively safe neighborhood within walking distance to the 12th Street or Lake Merritt BART stations, that's pretty compelling. There's lots do nearby, and you have very quick access to S.F. and Berkeley. Indeed, you might even have easier access to downtown S.F. than those who live in the outer S.F. avenues. Downtown Berkeley is also worth considering.

Unfortunately, there are no cheap options in the mix. It's just varying degrees of expensive.

We just sold my father's house in San Jose. It was an insane process. The real estate agent warned us that inventory was slim. It sure is. People were fighting to buy that house. It ended up selling for nearly $50,000 over our asking price (which we thought was on the high side in the first place) with an all-cash offer. We had multiple all cash offers. A buyer with 3.5% down is laughable in this market. Even 20% down is dubious.

It's crazy all over the Bay Area, but particularly so in/near the Silicon Valley. So much stock option money chasing a fixed supply of homes.

It is just as crazy "over here." Homes have been going for $100K to $500K over asking. 1100' homes have been going for $900K+, with a 2500' home on a tiny lot going for $1.7M last month ($500K over asking). Of course, fresh daily Acme bread is just a 2 minute walk from that house, which is worth a $500K premium, if amortized over a 10 year period.

For what it is worth, my wife and I bought a two bedroom condo in Soma last year and already have real estate agents offering to sell it for 20% more than we paid as an ask.

If I was buying today, I would look at West Oakland and a 30 year fixed loan. Much less frothy.

I think its more Mainland Chinese money than stock option money at this point. It's hard to believe just how many rich, cashed up Chinese there are looking to buy in the bay area.

As a cyclist, the mid-Peninsula (San Mateo to maybe Sunnyvale) has to be one of the greatest places to live in the world. Access to the Santa Cruz Mountains is priceless; in 10 minutes I can ride from a fairly-dense urban area and be away from most of the traffic and stop signs. Culturally you're correct, more going on to the north, but some of us ain't got no culture anyways, we just love to get outside and hike or run or bike.
Gentrification is reaching to areas nobody would touch a decade ago. Used to be that people living in East Palo Alto would leave out the "East" part, but now it's a very different place.

But with gentrification comes a very dark side; the gap between the haves and the have-nots is becoming wider all the time, forcing people into very unusual living situations if they're not making massive $$$ and driving those in service industries completely out of the market, sometimes onto the street. It's a hugely distorted reality we live in here.

I live and own a house in South SF. In the past year, only 2 houses came up for sale in my neighborhood. They sold in less than a week, all cash deals. Went for way over the asking price. ~1.2m. Crazy.

Current rents in my building for a 1 bedroom are now $3,800 (if you can get one) because it's near a Google bus stop. Thank god for rent control or I would no longer be able to live in my own city.....

Will be interesting to see if the recent stock market correction there has any impact on these "all cash" deals ...

Is that the new name for Oakland, Hayward? Sort of like Cal State East Bay?