When clients are looking to buy a home on the Peninsula, Redwood City is coming up more and more as a possible location. Naturally, a lot of questions come up about what it’s like to live here, or buy or sell a home here. I thought it might be helpful to put together a series of FAQs with some of my thoughts on the different neighborhoods, the schools, the community, and the local market. The first part of the series addressed questions about living in Redwood City and the Peninsula. Today we’re going to answer a few questions about different neighborhoods in Redwood City.

 

What is the best part of Redwood City?

This answer will vary for everyone depending on what’s important to you and the neighborhood you like. Personally, my favorite neighborhood of Redwood City is the Mount Carmel area.  There are a lot of really cool historic homes, Stafford Park is great for families, and you can walk to downtown in 20 minutes or less from almost any part.  

 

Which neighborhoods are the most family friendly?

The majority of Redwood City is family friendly, but there are a few neighborhoods that are definitely attractive. For an entry-level price point, check out the ABC Streets in Lenolt. Woodside Plaza is also popular with young families. The neighborhood is very walkable and the schools are fairly good. Speaking of schools, you can’t go wrong being in a neighborhood with a highly ranked school. Farm Hill Estates and Cordilleras Heights are both part of Roy Cloud, which is the highest ranked school in Redwood City.

 

What’s going on in downtown Redwood City?

Well, the short answer is, a lot! There is a lot of development in the works and there’s talk of downtown expanding down Broadway towards Woodside Road.  There is so much going on, in fact, that it could easily take up several blog posts. If you’re interested in staying up to date on city planning and development, I would recommend signing up for the city’s newsletters here. 

 

Which neighborhoods are up and coming?

Fair Oaks in Dumbarton is definitely changing and there is development on horizon. Nearly 20% of sales in the area have been over $1M within the last 12 months. That price point was unheard of for this area until very recently (with the exception of multi residential property and large parcel sales). 

I think this is due in large part to some major developments happening in the area, like the Middlefield Road project, the addition of the new Stanford Campus, and Broadway Plaza. The Middlefield Road project will move utility telephone poles and wires underground, which will create more sidewalk space, and bike lanes will be added on the stretch from downtown to 5th Avenue. The Stanford Campus will provide office space for more than 2,300 employees near the intersection of Woodside Road and Broadway.  The old 35 acre acre site is the former Mid Point Technology Park and is about 5 miles from the main campus. Broadway Plaza proposes 400 new apartments, 420,000 of office space, and 19,000 square feet of retail, also at the intersection of Woodside Road and Broadway.  

 

Where are the best neighborhoods to buy investment property?

The best places to invest right now are anywhere near downtown (or within walking distance to downtown) and the Fair Oaks area.  You can still find some properties at a good value in Lenolt and Central Park. There is also potential to invest in and around Mount Carmel, but these properties tend to be at a higher price point and are better for long term investment. 

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Cliff Whearley has been a resident of Redwood City for 23 years. He is a Realtor at Dwell Realtors, Inc. and has been practicing real estate since 2007. If you have any real estate questions, he would love to help!