Sound Off: Which Bay Area community will emerge next?

With a median price of $751,000, it is considered one of the more affordable towns in Marin, and that, combined with its high-quality schools, low crime and unemployment rates and access to shopping and entertainment, rank it at the top.

Despite its large size, Novato has the genuine feel and simplicity of a small Americana town.

The seven open-space preserves and 27 parks help give Novato a definite rural feel as well.

The real estate there provides some of the best home values in Marin, although the trade-off is a longer commute to San Francisco.

Summer temperatures are the highest in Marin, but generally a cool coastal influence penetrates inland in the evenings.

At MEDA’s free first-time homebuyer workshops, we help Bay Area residents prepare to enter the region’s tough real estate market.

Outside the city limits, hot spots include neighboring South San Francisco and Daly City.

There is also much movement toward the East Bay, with a trend of many priced-out San Franciscans heading to neighborhoods in Oakland, such as the vibrant community surrounding Lake Merritt, just a 20-minute BART ride away.

With an idyllic climate, an artistic soul and a booming economy, Oakland is definitely a great option for those who cannot afford San Francisco prices.

Mission Economic Development Agency,

San Francisco as a whole has exploded with demand, so it is hard to pinpoint just one neighborhood.

Great schools, low crime, a cute little strip of shops, restaurants and easy access to Muni are big draws.

After recently helping a client find something in the area, we saw homes that had 80 disclosures out and homes that went almost 100 percent above the asking price, with cash being king.

Great schools and a strip of shops and restaurants went a long way in these areas.

Hill & Co. Real Estate,