Living in Contra Costa County

History of Oakley

Oakley was first settled in 1897 by R.C. Marsh in the area east of Antioch, CA and north of Brentwood CA.  In 1898 March was named the first Post Master. 

Settler's came to the area, but many people ridiculed the area as "Sand Lappers" due to the sandy soil.  It was felt nothing could grow in the area.  The critics were proved wrong as the area developed a strong agricultural reputation with abundant growth of fruits and vegetables.  In the 1950's Oakley was the leading grower of almonds in California and still has an annual Almond Festival.

With the growth of East Contra Costa County Oakley gradually became a bedroom community; but still having a strong agricultural core.  Oakley was incorporated as a city on July 1, 1999 and is one of East Contra Costa Counties finest communities.

Living in Oakley

Living in Oakley provides people with many exciting community events, parks, fine dining, golf and social opportunities. Oakley homes are some of the most affordable in the county while offering a nice community.

Right now there are a number of Oakley Bank Owned Homes, but they are not dominating the market. Oakley still has rural properties available and many Luxury Homes in planned communities.

Homes in Oakley provide homeowners with easy access to our classic and charming downtown featuring many fine eating establishments, a farmers market, unique stores and shops, fine parks, library and community services.

Homes in Oakley

Oakley is a bedroom community in Contra Costa County and offers a combination affordable housing with a fine community.

Located in East Contra Costa County it is next to upscale Brentwood, but Homes in Oakley are sold for about 15% less in price. If you are looking at Homes in Oakley you may click here to Search Oakley Homes.

Homes for sale in Oakley include nice starter ranch style homes up to 4000 SF plus Luxury Homes. When looking at Homes in Oakley you will want to make sure to see all of our exciting neighborhoods to find our where you fit best. Oakley is an Excellent Community for First Time Home Buyers.

Oakley Housing Market. This report on home sales in Oakley California is based Single Family Homes reported on the MLS as of August 13th 2009. Due to late reporting the numbers in this months Oakley Market Report might vary slightly from Last Months Oakley Market Report.

I have taken a hard look at Short Sales this month since they are dominating the local market. The number of Bank Owned Homes on the market continues to shrink. Last month it stood at 56 and is now down to 44, the slide continues.

Compared to the total number of sales there is a lot of pending homes. I suspected this might be because of the long wait it sometimes takes to get a short sale cleared through the bank. However, the numbers are unclear on this point. The number of Pending that are Short Sales is about the same percentage of amount of Active Listings that are also Short Sales.

The high number of Pending compared to active and overall sales can also be tied to new lending restrictions and appraisal issues. I think getting a loan processed in 30 days is getting harder and harder to do, especially with FHA financing and minimal down payments. The new appraisal procedures have also hung up a lot of loans.

The Average Price Per SF for Homes in Oakley California, which is a key indicator I watch continues to climb steadily from $111.00 per SF to $112.00 per SF. Homes for Sale in Oakley California represent a great buying opportunity for Investors and First Time Home Buyers.

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Living in Oakley - Diners, Drive Ins & Dives - Uncle Wong’s Great Chinese Food. Uncle Wong’s is a small Chinese restaurant you would not know about unless someone told you where it was. So I am going to tell you where Uncle Wong’s Chinese Restaurant is and why it is some of the best Chinese Food in East Contra Costa County, or all of Contra Costa County for that matter.

Uncle Wong’s Chinese Restaurant is buried in the back of a strip mall in Oakley on Main Street. (2005 Main Street, Suite B in Oakley). Go to the Raley’s Shopping Center in Oakley and head past the Taco Bell on the northwest cornet. Uncle Wong’s Chinese Restaurant is in the small separate building at the end of the strip mall. Look fast or you will miss it; it is next to the Subway shop. I had some clients take me to dinner here after a long day of house hunting; that is the only reason I found Uncle Wong’s.

Uncle Wong’s Chinese Restaurant is small with only about 6 tables, but I have always been able to find a seat. To this end Uncle Wong’s really focuses on the take out menu and offer a discount on take out. The food is excellent. We have never gone to Uncle Wong’s and been disappointed. A specialty we like is the Honey Glazed Walnut Shrimp. I also find the Fried Rice at Uncle Wong’s to be top notch.

Now I am more used to the Americanized Chinese food, but I understand the more traditional dishes are very good and authentic at Uncle Wong’s Chinese Restaurant. I found some good reviews on more details on Uncle Wong’s Chinese Restaurant Here.

So call me up, buy a house and maybe I can take you to Uncle Wong’s Chinese Restaurant for Dinner. For the next two weeks I am going to be writing on some local businesses. Drop me a line if you have a suggestion.

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Here is this months Oakley Market Report. These figures were pulled from the MLS on July 13th & 14th and are for Single Family Homes only. There are some slight differences in the Sold properties for May in this months report and Last Months Report Due to late reporting.

The upward pricing trend has accelerated to almost 2% per month. The number of bank owned homes on the market dropped slightly and now stands at 56, down from 62 last month. The price of active homes is moving closer to the sales point of the sold homes. The housing supply is almost 3 months, but this is still a tight market, and this is part of the reason for the price increases and the downward trend in total sales numbers.

I have stated before that when we get through the Bank Owned Home sales there will be a sharp increase in prices. However, there are different rumors about and we may have another glut of Bank Owned Properties coming onto the market.

This is a wise time to invest in housing and I have recently started a series of blog post on investing. You may wish to read it.

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If you are Living in Oakley, Ca your home price is starting upward. If you want to Buy a Home in Oakley Ca, now may be the time to do so. This month’s market report is based on Single Family Homes pulled from the MLS on June 12, 2009.

As I have noted in past reports the market has been firming up and now it has turned. The sold priced have gone up almost 1% in one month. This is based on the figure I think is most important; price per Square Foot (SF). This may be a temporary trend. The housing supply on the market is a little over 2 months.

ome of the Oakley housing numbers, especially for active listings are skewed upwards by some very high end homes with land that continue to set on the market. For the best numbers look at the sold numbers.

If you have any other questions about the market or need a more detailed market report for any area please let me know.

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One of the things we like about living in east Contra Costa County is the many family oriented activities. Although we live in Brentwood my boys play Little League in East County Little League. Most cities have at least one organized youth baseball league. Brentwood is primarily a Pony League town.

We choose the ECLL, centered in Oakley, as I played Little League as a child and I liked the flexible age groupings that allows kids placement to be based on a mixture of age and skill. I have 5 boys and my oldest plays in the Majors, the next one plays in AAA, and Weston (Pictured Below) plays T-Ball.

Don’t let the name “T-Ball” confuse you. About half way through the season they start having the coaches pitch to the kids, only going back to the T if the kid cannot get a hit. T-ball is coed, but when Weston moves up to farm next year the split the girls off into fast pitch softball (although girls can opt to play in the boys divisions). It does not get easier for me, Weston’s little bother Janson start T-Ball. That means 4 games for me on a Saturday. There are some days I actually get them all in.

If you watch the video I want you to note. I do not normally yell at my son to run over a first basemen (and the remark was not actually directed at him.) My wife was involved in a collision at first base in a softball game the Monday before putting both players in the Hospital. I was teasing her.

I love baseball. I think it is the most American of sports. It involves individual skill and team skill.  I don’t follow the Major Leagues much, I just watch my kids. This is one of the things we like about Living in East Contra Costa County.

Each home is unique and if you want an evaluation of your home please let me know.

If you are interested in Buying a Home or Selling a Home in Brentwood or anywhere in East Contra Costa County, Antioch, Oakley, Discovery Bay, Pittsburg and others please contact me. I specialize in helping buyers of Bank Owned Homes. For regular updates please subscribe to this blog.

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