Feb 12, 2004

Sweet Home Almaden
Finding out the hard way that grass is not greener outside Bay Area

By Shana McLean Moore
Special to the Times

Shh. Please don’t tell your neighbors what I’m about to share with you, particularly the ones who’ve recently mentioned putting their house up for sale.

You see, I know first hand that the grass really isn’t any greener outside our little corner of the world here in Almaden. So let me be the one to warn you that the price to correct a vision problem on a gal who could only see the vibrant shade of shamrock at a distance and, somehow, only the lackluster shade of sage in her own front yard, will set you back. It will set you back even further than the price of a complete cone transplant with the ocular surgeon.

Our family’s nearsightedness lured us away last summer to Granite Bay, Calif.—some 20 miles northeast of Sacramento and about $70,000 in realtor’s fees, roundtrip. Like so many other disenchanted Bay Area folks, we were enticed by the prospect of living larger for less. And we did. We thoroughly enjoyed all 2,500 square feet of our ranch-style home that, when seated on one-third of an acre, left plenty of space for a swimming pool, fruit trees and a sprawling, envy-colored lawn whose nickname was “10K,” which represents the amount of energy my husband expended to mow it.

And because the home was built in 1992, instead of 1972 like so many houses in Almaden, the ceilings were high, the windows were airtight and there wasn’t a square inch of walnut wood, acoustic ceiling or harvest gold linoleum to be found. I’m sure it goes without saying that, unlike the nuances in grass color, these dated decorating trends leave the green-eyed monster looking more like hazel from any given distance or vantage point.

Armed with two Bay Area natives’ expectations and a purchase that felt like a half-priced sale, we weren’t only leaving behind our beloved family and dear friends, but also a whole lot of “suckers.” We just couldn’t help but wonder why anyone would want to stay in a place that required you to work so hard just to keep the bullying mortgage at bay, leaving so little time, energy or cash for extras. Additionally, because the Silicon Valley economy was ailing, we were sure we were the early pioneers of what was destined to be a mass exodus.

While we were genuinely sad to leave our loved ones, we felt about as smug as Martha did when she sold her Imclone stock before any of the mere mortal investors knew the bottom was falling out. Thankfully, there’s no threat of our family having to serve time for our mistake, but the financial fallout has been just as monumental.

Unfortunately, our Granite Bay house never had the chance to stop feeling spacious and beautiful [sigh]. But like all things viewed with grown up eyes, it was more complicated than that. So complicated, in fact, that we’re sure our Irish luck was never loaded into the moving van with the rest of our belongings.

Within two months of our move, the job that allowed us to live there changed its mind. We were forced to spend months as a “weekend” family while my husband spent Monday-Friday working in San Jose as we weighed our employment options, paid outrageous PG&E bills, and genuinely missed the buzz and diversity of Silicon Valley.

We soon discovered that because the Sacramento area had so few jobs that would pay enough to sustain our mortgage, both my husband and I would need to work. And once it became clear that our quality of life wouldn’t improve, our minds went right back to where our hearts never really left.

Now that we’re back “home,” though still looking for a specific one to call our own, I can’t believe we ever walked away from Almaden’s evergreen foothills. They never cease to wow me as I hit the crest of Camden and look down at our cozy little valley. Even though many houses here are starting to show their age, and a lack of space keeps our streets littered with cars, it’s all part of the valley’s charm and character. Crowded streets lead us proudly to Blue Ribbon schools that are so much more than places of high-test scores. They are places to get involved with your children and feel a real sense of community.

Almaden is a place you want to give your time and energy to because it feels good to know you’re part of the reason this is such a great community—a place where people are down to earth and humble, perhaps in part, because of that bullying mortgage that will keep most from feeling too big for their designer britches.

But if you can help keep this a secret, our family might just be able to buy another house in Almaden. And if enough of your neighbors are lured away to those seemingly greener pastures, we might even avoid bidding against five other potential buyers the next time around.

Ah, home sweet home.