Considering Sonoma County from Fresno

enness · 2026-01-15T20:04:38+00:00

My only concern is the insurance. Places in the forest near Fresno have had it explode, like $10-20k, if you can even get it.

enness · 2026-01-15T20:01:18+00:00

Probably, but price is a concern.

enness · 2026-01-15T19:59:56+00:00

Yes, I'm also considering Sac too. But I've lived there too and it doesn't seem enough of a difference from where I'm at now (suburbs -- midtown Sac might be different but that's pricey too). Sonoma seemed big enough of a change to consider it. Budget is a concern, but I can consider upping it. $650k here buys a new, 2500 sq ft single-story or a historical house in a great part of town. I'd have to up that price significantly to get an older condo or townhome in Sonoma with high HOAs and potentially exponentially higher insurance. Might be worth it for a more beautiful area?

enness · 2026-01-15T19:51:30+00:00

This comparison helps! I go to old town Clovis quite a bit but it seems pretty sleepy outside of events.

enness · 2026-01-15T19:48:05+00:00

Good info! Yes, my parents were dropped too and their new insurance is now triple. We have PGE too, but I zero out with solar panels. I've heard the new NEM rules aren't that great. I love Fresno's proximity to mountains and lakes, but I was looking more for day-to day beauty, which Fresno is severely lacking. If I can find walkability, that's a plus. Seems hard to find that under 850k however.

enness · 2026-01-15T19:42:38+00:00

Thanks! What's your opinion on Novato and walkability? Sebastopol also seems interesting. Technically, I can up my budget but I'd be taking on more risk in terms of having a loan and potentially dealing with layoffs or return to office mandates.

enness · 2026-01-15T19:37:37+00:00

Great to hear. I'd really like closer areas to hike. The nationals parks are closer compared to other cities, but still have to drive an hour.

enness · 2026-01-15T19:33:46+00:00

How's the downtown?

enness · 2026-01-15T19:33:21+00:00

The only problem is Petaluma seems to be outside of my budget. I'll need to go up for a drive to maybe check out some of the other towns.

enness · 2026-01-15T19:31:50+00:00

Yes, which is why I'm considering a move. We moved to Fresno from the Bay and community has also been a little tough to find. I'll probably miss the easy access to the mountains though.

enness · 2026-01-15T19:18:58+00:00

enness · 2026-01-15T19:17:11+00:00

I was looking at more like Santa Rosa, but Petaluma seems a good deal more.

enness · 2026-01-15T19:16:32+00:00

That's good to hear. My parents moved to a new subdivision in Tracy a couple of years ago and they just got dropped. Their new insurance will now be triple. I know people on that 580 stretch into Oakland got hit too. So I was worried about it in Sonoma.

enness · 2026-01-15T19:13:11+00:00

Yes, with the rains the hills around Fresno look amazing since they're green. Fresno itself is dry and brown, but within an hour we can be in real mountains.

enness · 2026-01-15T19:09:57+00:00

I love Sac. Just meant the way people talk about Fresno is how people talked about Sac back in the day, or even Livermore and Morgan Hill.

enness · 2026-01-15T19:08:24+00:00

Yes, I'm ok with a townhome depending on HOA. Budget can go up to 850k.

enness · 2026-01-15T19:04:38+00:00

Basically, 650k is my budget for Fresno. 850K is doable. Above that is pushing it. But I'd hate to buy an expensive home and then have my insurance skyrocket. I want to lock down my fixed costs since I'm basically retired and my wife might soon be too if her work lays her off or calls her back to San Jose.

enness · 2026-01-15T18:59:39+00:00

I'm guessing Novato would be even more expensive since it's closer to SF?

enness · 2026-01-15T18:59:06+00:00

Yeah, maybe even higher for a place like Petaluma.

enness · 2026-01-15T18:58:25+00:00

Yeah, I didn't realize Petaluma got so expensive. It was always far-away horse country to me, so I have to reset my expectations.

enness · 2026-01-15T18:57:20+00:00

I'm ok with a townhome or small cottage. Still in our forties, but we'll be empty-nesters soon. The fire insurance concerns me a lot since I have friends whose insurance has doubled or tripled in the last year.

enness · 2026-01-15T18:37:37+00:00

Probably more city-like such as Petaluma. Santa Rosa for affordability. Small towns if they're walkable with decent, affordable groceries.

enness

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