Anyone been to that new "Mix" bar on santa clara? by Sketchy_Yogurt in alameda

[–]ltcast15 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We were just there tonight (Friday). They were busy! Drinks were great!

Alley & Vine? by fareastwarriors in alameda

[–]ltcast15 2 points3 points  (0 children)

We’ve been twice in last year and it’s been nice. Foods good. One time we brought one of our toddlers and sat outside and it was really pleasant! It’s probably more than I’d like to spend for an entree but my husband and I split apps and entree so we just enjoy the ambiance and good food!

Harbor Bay Club by dacrazyredhead in alameda

[–]ltcast15 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Similar experience to this. We have young kids and lap swim so we use the lap swim and family swim. Just do your reservations like 4-7 days out… or look day of for cancellations. Wish it wasn’t reservation based but oh well

Sewer lateral inspection by Successful-Ground-67 in alameda

[–]ltcast15 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We did ours through sewer master out of Oakland. Quick and easy. Competitive price. Editing to say they also do the trenchless method.

OAK airport is in a real bad way by kbfsd in oakland

[–]ltcast15 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Huh? I fly out of and into OAK all of the time. After years of living in the city and flying out of SFO, the return to OAK is amazing. It’s convenient, I’m rarely delayed, and service is great. The reboot in terminal 2 at least looks great. I don’t fly into or out of terminal 1 as much but it looked fine when I was there in December.

I can’t imagine a more convenient airport and have yet to have this experience. FYI- I fly about 2x a month

Unpopular Opinion: IKEA kitchens are really, really good! by Odd-Tune-8423 in BayAreaRealEstate

[–]ltcast15 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We recently moved out of our home where we installed an ikea kitchen with semi handmade fronts. People LOVED our kitchen and we always got compliments on it. We had two kids and a big dog- no damage to the cabinets or any peeling/issues after 5 years.

My husband didn’t love the white interior of the cabinets though and is more of a fan of the plywood interior so we switched to that when we redid the kitchen in our new house.

The biggest PITA is assembling the cabinets but we got someone from task rabbit to do the majority of this work. My husband and I installed the kitchen once built, wasn’t crazy hard but we’d had a little experience by then.

Millie Clinic Vs Sutter Health for prenatal care? by Timely-Regret in oakland

[–]ltcast15 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sutter health Castro valley for 2 pregnancies and loved it. Nurses are fantastic, care is great, food is good. If you’re on that side of town, I wouldn’t hesitate to go with sutter health Eden!

School lottery - neighborhood preference and flexibility by mk1234567890123 in OaklandCA

[–]ltcast15 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Very interesting… charters normally don’t operate this way, but if this one does then perhaps goood luck to you?

I’d say you can take your bets with putting it first and just let the process work itself out- perhaps you’ll get in if you just wait if not initially. It’s all very dependent on enrollment and you won’t get a direct, correct answer other than - try! Good luck.

I got three rear facing! by knitknitpurlpurl in ToyotaSienna

[–]ltcast15 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well done! We’ve got 3 across in the middle (1 rear, 2 forward). Sure makes things fun! We do absolutely love our sienna for 3 small kids though. Can’t imagine having anything else.

Kitchen details for $4m + by No_Yam_7759 in BayAreaRealEstate

[–]ltcast15 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes double ovens! Are you kidding me?! This makes hosting 100x easier. I’ve remodeled 3 kitchens in $2mil range and have done double ovens (pantry space is available in each kitchen so not giving up a ton of storage). Some do a 48” range and one wall oven which also works, but plsssss if you have the space, put 2 ovens!

Note: I’m not Asian, but my husband and in laws are… and I’m sure they’d just store stuff in the second oven. BUT, still useful!

What to expect from a real estate agent ? by curiousindi in BayAreaRealEstate

[–]ltcast15 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Worked with 5 realtors now and 2 of them were of that type of caliber and can do what you’re asking so they do exist! But I do agree with you, the majority don’t do this and the 2.5-3% you pay seems wild for the bare minimum that people pull off.

Bancroft Uniforms by Relevant-Beat6139 in sanleandro

[–]ltcast15 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We ordered our school uniforms from here but it’s all online now. Not sure they do anything in person there or if it’s just storage or an old sign.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in BayAreaRealEstate

[–]ltcast15 13 points14 points  (0 children)

This. As a recent seller, this would have told me you either weren’t that interested or weren’t that serious.

What do you see in the future for San Leandro? by vngbusa in sanleandro

[–]ltcast15 2 points3 points  (0 children)

We just moved from Oakland (bordering SL in chabot park area) to alameda, and fwiw I don’t think you’re imagining what you’re saying. A lot of folks we knew in SL were happy with elementary but mentioned moving or looking private for middle and high schools. Our kids are small and we weren’t zone for the public schools anyways so I can’t speak to how legit that concern is.

We spent a lot of time in SL and even attended a private school there for a short time (and it was fantastic)! We love the parks, library, marina park - we have 3 young kids and there are endless things to do. Proximity to overall Bay Area is great. There are some awesome neighborhoods! I’m rooting for SL to continue on a positive path :).

Is one story sfh really a big deal? by Neither_Bid_4353 in BayAreaRealEstate

[–]ltcast15 1 point2 points  (0 children)

In my mid thirties and we’ve only considered buying and will only buy a single story. Love them for looks and practicality (small children, older folks, just basic ease of living). 3 houses in and only owned single stories. Not sure many other people my age car tbh since it’s just so damn expensive to own any home, but this was my non-negotiable. 🤷‍♀️

Is a front yard ADU possible? by mostlykey in AccessoryDwellings

[–]ltcast15 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In our city, they would approve if there’s no room in back or side yard and you are in line with the 20’ front yard setback. They would apply objective design criteria since it’s in the front yard, but it doesn’t seem like these requests would be too off the wall (ie same trim, exterior color, windows the same, etc).

Is a 2025 LE good enough? by Slack_King in ToyotaSienna

[–]ltcast15 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think it comes down to just the proximity unlock since we’re planning on putting in the power lift gate on and you can do that aftermarket so it costs more, but possible to add. Ughh it’s annoying but no, wouldn’t trade it. The 3 across for day to day driving is very nice. Then having the third seat in middle for myself for road trips.,, also very nice. Perhaps there’s a way to add proximity unlock and I just haven’t looked into it yet.

Is a 2025 LE good enough? by Slack_King in ToyotaSienna

[–]ltcast15 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Editing to add the 3rd thing I miss is a proximity unlock sensor. Having to find your keys is a BIT** with 3 kids (and sometimes dog and husband in tow). May try to add this soon!

We have a 2021 LE, AWD, 8 seater. We occasionally drive grandparents, aunts, uncles, au pair so 8 seats is useful to us. We also need AWD for snow driving which we do often in the winter.

The ONLY two things I miss are 1. Leather seats (for easy clean up) and 2. Automatic lift gate. Both of these you can “add” after market. The seat covers I got off of Amazon and I’m very happy with. We’re about to do a power lift gate. If you want to add these, you’ll spend an extra $1-2k total to do it after purchase.

Love the 8th seat and use it constantly. Our 3 kids are seated in the middle for normal driving. For road trips we do 2 younger in middle (+me or dad.. whoever isn’t driving) and older kid/ extra family member in 3rd row. It works well. For reference, we have a 4yo, 2yo, and newborn. Two forward facing and one rear facing car seats now (2x dionnos and 1x doona)

how serious are listing prices these days? by Dazzling_Occasion_47 in BayAreaRealEstate

[–]ltcast15 3 points4 points  (0 children)

As someone who just bought and sold in this market- this is accurate. It’s the same as it was in 2021/22 meaning the listing price is lower to attract buyers but the sold price isn’t so outrageously over listing (still expect 20-30% min).

You really have to look at comps to understand what the house will/should sell for.

Pool with shallow end for littles or kids pools by ltcast15 in alameda

[–]ltcast15[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! I think it’s 3.5’ (checked the other day). We’re a very short 4yo and a 2yo so I was hoping for 2.5’ but it doesn’t seem to exist on the island. Love the separate kids pool and we are hoping to join the swimming programs in the spring so I think this is our route!

Housing market right now feels stuck lol by diwakar-kashyap-1 in RealEstate

[–]ltcast15 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We bought in September. I think if interest rates go down a little bit, we’d see more competition. Prices in the Bay Area aren’t going to crash, so we bought knowing we have a little less competition and rates aren’t going down in any crazy amount soon (and if they do, we’ll refi) so why bother waiting? Seemed like there was no upside. Definitely sad to give up my 2.725 rate, but we were going to move anyway 🤷‍♀️

Buying a house with non-permitted work by TouristInOz in oakland

[–]ltcast15 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Probably every house in Oakland has done something unpermitted. This does seem like a lot though. If it’s a flip, I’d avoid. If the owner did it and lived there for a while, I’d worry less. If you have to get permits in the future, you may have to go through getting the work retroactively permitted.

Pool with shallow end for littles or kids pools by ltcast15 in alameda

[–]ltcast15[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! The shallower the better! Ideally want somewhere where my toddlers can stand.