That's awesome Robert, congratulations! Looks like a nice area if Google Earth is to be believed. Good luck with your move.
Robert Scoble
· 3 years ago
It's an awesome area! A block from a golf course. Three from the beach. Stunning scenery. And we get to use the Ritz' Olympic pool.
Aarjav
· 3 years ago
Good luck Scoble. The SO and I went to the beach at half moon bay in March. It was beautiful though a bit on the colder side even in March.
Niels Berglund
· 3 years ago
Congrats Robert! Both to the new job, but even more so to the house. Half Moon Bay huh, well you better take up surfing and do Mavericks!!!!
Niels
Robert Scoble
· 3 years ago
Niels: I don't think I'll be doing Mavericks anytime soon (for those who don't know they get some of the biggest waves in the world there and at least one professional surfer has died there).
Blake
· 3 years ago
Congrats on getting the house! That's such a beautiful area.
razib
· 3 years ago
Best of luck to your in new life and new work. I know that first few days are very tough and naturally you will not get any time to blog here. However, please do not take too much time. Almost everyday, we come to your blog to read your writing and there are many of us who even put comments and take part in the discussion. So, for our sake, please keep blogging and write wonderful and magical entries always. Good wishes and best luck for you.
Zoli Erdos
· 3 years ago
Robert, I hope you get to work from home, otherwise you need a helicopter :-)
Robert Scoble
· 3 years ago
Zoli: we've already been stuck in the traffic. It is bad, yeah, but not THAT bad. Even with it going stop and go it took only 30 minutes to go from our new house to Fwy 280. Plus Maryam and I will travel together and she'll drive me in the BMW. Whheeee.
But a helicopter? Now THAT would be cool!
Robert Scoble
· 3 years ago
razib: I'll definitely keep blogging. In fact blogging is in both Maryam and my job descriptions.
Marc Orchant
· 3 years ago
Robert - get an ultralight for your commute ;^)
Seriously - congrats! HMB is a beautiful spot. I used to spend a good amount of time there and always found it wonderfully refreshing. And you're close (traffic permitting) to some great places.
Good luck with the closing, selling, moving, and getting settled. I'm dealing with a lot of the same changes (as you know) but blessedly do not have a physical move in the mix.
Adam
· 3 years ago
I love half moon bay - it's a beautiful location. I'm sure you'll it there. Good luck at the new endeavors - I'll keep reading!
Mark
· 3 years ago
Karma? :-)
Christopher Carfi
· 3 years ago
Congrats again, neighbor!
friendly word
· 3 years ago
I'd check your assumptions. I've known several people who worked in Silicon Valley and tried living at Half Moon Bay, but never anyone who liked it. The commute is worse than long--in winter storms it is often nearly impossible. There is nothing of the complex texture of San Francisco or Palo Alto out on the beach. You leave the glorious weather, the restaurants, the cultural diversity of the populated areas, and drive into perpetual fog for a long time. Virtually no one will ever make the drive out to visit you. There is a good reason why the peninsula south of San Francisco developed inside the range of protecting coastal hills. (From Menlo Park, you could drive to San Francisco directly up highway 280 in about the same time, and live in a truly wonderful environment. There's a reason why the Google buses with WiFi come down from San Francisco every day, rather than from Half Moon Bay.)
Larry
· 3 years ago
Robert,
I live in Bellevue, and grew up in Burlingame, just over the hill from where you will be living.
One of my favorite memories of Half Moon Bay is going on Sundays to listen to Jazz at at a place called the Bach Dynamite and Dancing Society.
I miss it terribly and tho' I don't know what type of music you like, I guarantee you there is nothing like hanging our with freinds on the patio of this house while the waves come in and the music is playing.
If you ever go, think of this reader that gave you grief once in a while, and has stuck around since you had "like 17 readers" and told you the true story of the Medina house built by the "guy who invented the contact lens" after you first moved up here and went on a boat tour.
Best of luck to you, Maryam and Patrick.
Mark Kelso
· 3 years ago
I am happy good things are happening to you and look forward to hearing more of your thoughts at podtech.net. Best wishes to a safe move and change of scenery. Many people blog, few do so with as much class as you have. Thanks for teaching, Peace.
Christopher Coulter
· 3 years ago
California's real estate market is showing signs of slowing down.
Well, in Bay Areaisms yeah, but look up North to like Elk Grove, growing like gangbusters. The craziness of the Valley and San Fran, is bubbleish, and some of the steam is outletting in Sacramento. I know this as you brought all your freaking traffic up here. ;)
But the smart money is moving out of California, look around, happening all over. Valley will always be techy, and LA will always be moviey, Napaisms will always be Winey, and California plains will always be Aggy, but still lots (tons) heading for greener pastures. Ahnuld needs to firehose up things more.
$35K under asking price? Maybe the asking price was so outta wack, that 35K under is barely acceptable. But I dunno, heard that line from so many Real Estate agents (heck was a Marketing Director for them), it's a feel good lie to ease your mortgage hits. When you are dealing with Appraisers, Mortagage guys and Real Estate agents, nothing is EVER what it seems, fraud as policy. My advice? Rent.
MC Burnsy
· 3 years ago
Robert,
If your house sells in a day or two, you lost money and your real estate agent is ripping you off.
Read Freakonomics about how when RE agents sell their own house, they take on average 10 days longer to sell and get ~4% more.
Is your agent really going to get 6% for 1-2 days of work?
Dmad
· 3 years ago
@19 I agree wiht MC. Push your RE to get the maximum price possible. Your RE likely has a number of houses he/she is selling, so the faster she sells yours the faster she can move on to the next deal. The difference to her is minimal, the difference to you is considerable. Don't let her rush you.
Michael Kenward
· 3 years ago
Avoid the road in and out of Half Moon Bay on the weekends leading up to Halloween. Over on a visit from the UK, after a few days in SF we picked up a car at the airport and headed out to Big Sur. not long after hitting the cross country road to Half Moon Bay, we crawled to walking pace.
Expecting to see an accident, after half an hour or so we discovered that the cause of the delay was the traffic at the pumpkin farms a few miles out of Half Moon Bay.
Nice country, though. But the commute look horrible to me.
Jeffrey
· 3 years ago
What you're experiencing isn't true of California real estate in general (which is basically holding steady) -- I suspect it's particular to Half Moon Bay. That area is somewhat economically depressed at the moment because of the Devil's Slide closure (the road from HMB to San Francisco is going to be closed for like the next six months which I'm sure you knew). So it's bad for the people who live there, but good for people like you who are moving in there, if that makes any sense.
Would love to have you guys up at our place for brunch or whatever the next time you're in the city!
Christopher Carfi
· 3 years ago
Speaking of Devil's Slide, Barry Parr has been doing an *incredible* job reporting on what's going on with his Coastsider project. The key link:
Travel times and maps are linked from the right side of that page as well.
If travel times are > 30min from Hwy280 and you're coming from Woodside or points south, bail out at Woodside Road (Hwy 84) and come over the top. It'll drop you onto Hwy 1 at San Gregorio, and is a great drive in a sports car. It's 45min (consistent) from Buck's. And you can stop off at the San Gregorio Store ( http://www.sangregoriostore.com/ ) for a cool refreshing beverage on the way as you hit the coast.
Christopher Coulter
· 3 years ago
You saved $35K, yeah yeah, just like you earned $2,800 when you traded-in that car. Overnight the price of that used car went up by $2,800 (they don't do trade-ins for new cars usually).
Car Dealerships, Real Estate Agents, Mortgagers, Appraisers, not an honest atom in the lot. And even if, if you find one by some random Act of God, you are still getting killed on the mortgage itself. Real Estate is only a good investment when you purchase outright (or own before a bubbleish boom).
I am gonna turn you into a cynical skeptic yet. Still hope. ;)
polizeros
· 3 years ago
Real estate prices here in Los Angeles are slipping a bit. A house two doors away has been on the market for three months+, and they've dropped the price, something that's not unusual of late.
Three months used to be an eternity for a house to sell. 18 months ago my condo sold in 6 weeks and my real estate agent (and friend) thought that was a long time.
He also thinks real estate is slowing down here.
Good luck on the move and in getting re-established.
Hey, via the blog, you already have a zillion friends and contacts where you're moving to!
Andy Ruff
· 3 years ago
Congrats on making the move. Be sure to try out a good cup of coffee at the Half Moon Bay Coffee Company, right off Main St. Their breakfast is only bested by the pies. I used to love rising early on Saturdays and escaping the bustle of the Valley for an early breakfast on their patio.
paul
· 3 years ago
I have had great views of Half Moon Bay from the air!
A friend of mine loves to visit the Ritz Carlton there, let me know when the housewarming party is...
Joe Kennedy
· 3 years ago
Good luck to you both Robert. I hope the change turns our exactly as you want it to.
I'm not sure about the Bay area, but the real estate market in southern California has been slowing down for most of the past year. It's also slowed greatly in Seattle, but is still a good time to sell.
Your agent Stan may be a great friend, but if you sell your house too quick, you have priced it too low and left money on the table.
Simon Phipps
· 3 years ago
Congrats, Robert, I look forward to dropping in when I'm visiting the three wonderful bookstores that town somehow sustains.
Paul Roberts
· 3 years ago
Hey Robert, Congrats on the move and the new adventure. Can't wait to see your new perspectives now that you're in a completely fresh and upredictable environment and out of MS.
I've lived in the Bay Area all my life. Grew up in Menlo Park/Palo Alto, worked and lived in the South Bay, and my last place was Moss Beach (just a few miles North of HMB), and I also lived in Pacifica a while back. Forgive all the naysayers. The summer is a bit foggy, but the winter is absolutely georgous, and the fact that the fog scares people away is only a blessing. A solitary walk on the beach can be very rewarding, and you're just 30 minutes from the Pennisula, and 45-60 from SF and SJ. Great hikes in the hills, also good for biking, and def try out the fish shack at the intersection of Highways 1 and 92. The whole area (besides being very ag-oriented) is formerly gangster/bootlegging stomping grounds (and apparently to this day these guys still hide out in the hills on massive etates), but be sure to check out the Moss Beach Distillery for an old haunted bootlegger headquarters. Now a restaurant--the food has gone down hill lately, but the drinks are still great, the view is the best, and it over looks a marine sanctuary with great tide pool exploration.
The commute is not that bad, especially if you consider all those poor souls who come in from way out east of the bay. My company's headquarter's are in SJ almost in Milpitas, and it was never a deal breaker. With a liberal work schedule and telecommuting capabilities like I had when I lived there, and no doubt you will have, you can work around the horrid traffic during the normal commute hours. Don't commute between 7-9am over 92. If you're headed to SF, it's faster sometimes to go all the way up Highway 1 through Pacifica to 280. Evenings, beware of the 4:30-6:30 PM time.
I'm sure with all the time you spend in the Bay Area, you know all the great attractions--besides the hills and coast, my favorite is the restaurant scene. There are a few really good ones in downtown HMB, but most of them are over the hill, and it's a 30-40 minute drive to get into downtown Palo Alto for some of the best.
So anyway, unless you hate fog (and you could come to that, because some do, but not me--my wife did though), you will probably love HMB--it's the best of both worlds, because you're within striking distance of the South Bay, the Pennisula and SF, but also secluded from all that madness at the same time.
Oh, yeah, about that Halloween thing. After you've done a Pumpkin Festival this year, make plans to leave down from then on. It's when they invite the rest of the world to HMB and it is a bit out of control.
OH, and I had lots of visitors, who loved a good weekend getaway at our place, or just a dinner out on the coast. Whoever brought that up, but hang out in bars to find their real friends:) No offense who ever you were.
Paul Roberts
· 3 years ago
Woops. Didn't realize that Devil's Slide was closed AGAIN. Guess the coastal route into SF is a no go for a while.
However, I do second the Woodside Road (Highway 84) route over Skyline and down into San Gregario and north on 1. I don't think you can actually do that from Buck's in 45 minutes unless you're driving a very fast Porshe and have nerves of steel, but the drive is one of the greatest none the less.
Christopher Carfi
· 3 years ago
>I don’t think you can actually do that from Buck’s in 45 minutes
heh.
paul, anytime you wanna strap into the right seat, let me know. :-)
Miles Archer
· 3 years ago
So, when are you having a geek housewarming party? You should be settled in by October and the weather's great then.
markr
· 3 years ago
Half Moon Bay. You will feel like you are up in Washington thrre alot, but what a nice place. And they get great music concerts there too.
Your commute will be crazy thought. Since the Big SLIDE at Devels SLIDE, I guess one will be closed this summer, so you will be forced to get broadband and work looking at the ocean. I wish that I had that problem.
Have fun, and enjoy life. See you down here very soon.
John Troyer
· 3 years ago
Congrats and welcome. I just moved 7 mi up the coast in Montara. I'm smiling every day, even when I'm trapped behind a big truck going over the hill. Hope we run into each other.
stan markey
· 3 years ago
As someone who just sold a place in Palo Alto by JLS (East Meadow) I can tell you the market is NOT slowing. My house (3 bedroom recently renovated) was on the market a grand total of 2 days (1 if you count that we had an offer even before it was listed on MLS) We had 7 offers by the end of day 2, and all of them were for more than asking price.
The Peninsula (Atherton/Menlo Park to Sunnyvale/Santa Clara) RE market is still very much in demand.
As someone who grew up in Palo Alto (but am NOT an RE expert by any means) I have had quite a few coworkers and friends who have all tried the Half Moon Bay or Los Gatos Mtns commute to Palo Alto, and it ALWAYS sucked for them. Either the road had black ice and full of accidents, or the weather was too good and the traffic was horrific with everyone who wanted to go to the beach for the one non 70 degrees non foggy (or less) day in Half Moon Bay.
Good luck to you Robert in that commute as #34 said, the commute SUX even more due to the slide.
jalabi
· 3 years ago
Good luck to you, sir. Changing jobs after being so associated with one of the world's most famous companies for so long is never easy, but I'm sure you will do just fine. I have enjoyed your insights into the inner workings of MSFT for a while now, and I hope most sincerely that you will keep up your blog, even in your new place of work.
Enjoy California.
Evelyn Rodriguez
· 3 years ago
Welcome back Robert & Maryam! Good luck with the move, etc.
I can see why the Seattle market is red-hot, I was there recently (certainly not my first time or anything) and I realized just how much I loved its vibe - very artistic/creative, very down-to-earth, very nature-inspired - compared to the bit more 'masculine' energy of Silicon Valley. But then again you're in Half Moon Bay which is altogether different than San Jose!
freakmonkey
· 3 years ago
Wow. It is posts like this that caused me to unsub from your site to begin with. I checked back and here is another one. Your dentist said goodbye?! Im all for transparency but th is is not transparent. It is vapid. Stick to technology. PLEASE!
Michael Grant
· 3 years ago
Robert,
Disregard the skeptics about your move to HMB. We've (my wife and I) lived in HMB for over 14 years (including the slide closure in '95) and we've loved it. I've worked in SF, Cupertino, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, and the commute is not a problem. Things are a little tough early A.M. due to the slide closure, but if you can stagger your departure, it's no big deal. Also, whoever said is was going to be close for six months is wrong. It reopens in Sept.
The lifestyle here is awesome. Great biking on road and off, terrific hiking in Purissima Redwords and south, and of course, surfing if you're into that. The people are great and the contract with the 'Valley' makes it perfect. I'd rather raise my kids where they can connect with the natural world right outside our door.
Best of luck in your new venture. If you want to have a 'local' show you the ropes of HMB area, please feel free to make contact.
Regards, Michael
Dennis T Cheung
· 3 years ago
So I'm guessing that you didn't move into this fine property:
All Comments
Niels
Good wishes and best luck for you.
But a helicopter? Now THAT would be cool!
Seriously - congrats! HMB is a beautiful spot. I used to spend a good amount of time there and always found it wonderfully refreshing. And you're close (traffic permitting) to some great places.
Good luck with the closing, selling, moving, and getting settled. I'm dealing with a lot of the same changes (as you know) but blessedly do not have a physical move in the mix.
I live in Bellevue, and grew up in Burlingame, just over the hill from where you will be living.
One of my favorite memories of Half Moon Bay is going on Sundays to listen to Jazz at at a place called the Bach Dynamite and Dancing Society.
http://www.bachddsoc.org/
I miss it terribly and tho' I don't know what type of music you like, I guarantee you there is nothing like hanging our with freinds on the patio of this house while the waves come in and the music is playing.
If you ever go, think of this reader that gave you grief once in a while, and has stuck around since you had "like 17 readers" and told you the true story of the Medina house built by the "guy who invented the contact lens" after you first moved up here and went on a boat tour.
Best of luck to you, Maryam and Patrick.
Well, in Bay Areaisms yeah, but look up North to like Elk Grove, growing like gangbusters. The craziness of the Valley and San Fran, is bubbleish, and some of the steam is outletting in Sacramento. I know this as you brought all your freaking traffic up here. ;)
But the smart money is moving out of California, look around, happening all over. Valley will always be techy, and LA will always be moviey, Napaisms will always be Winey, and California plains will always be Aggy, but still lots (tons) heading for greener pastures. Ahnuld needs to firehose up things more.
$35K under asking price? Maybe the asking price was so outta wack, that 35K under is barely acceptable. But I dunno, heard that line from so many Real Estate agents (heck was a Marketing Director for them), it's a feel good lie to ease your mortgage hits. When you are dealing with Appraisers, Mortagage guys and Real Estate agents, nothing is EVER what it seems, fraud as policy. My advice? Rent.
If your house sells in a day or two, you lost money and your real estate agent is ripping you off.
Read Freakonomics about how when RE agents sell their own house, they take on average 10 days longer to sell and get ~4% more.
Is your agent really going to get 6% for 1-2 days of work?
Expecting to see an accident, after half an hour or so we discovered that the cause of the delay was the traffic at the pumpkin farms a few miles out of Half Moon Bay.
Nice country, though. But the commute look horrible to me.
Would love to have you guys up at our place for brunch or whatever the next time you're in the city!
Devil's Slide reporting:
http://coastsider.com/comments/1283_0_1_0_C/
Travel times and maps are linked from the right side of that page as well.
If travel times are > 30min from Hwy280 and you're coming from Woodside or points south, bail out at Woodside Road (Hwy 84) and come over the top. It'll drop you onto Hwy 1 at San Gregorio, and is a great drive in a sports car. It's 45min (consistent) from Buck's. And you can stop off at the San Gregorio Store ( http://www.sangregoriostore.com/ ) for a cool refreshing beverage on the way as you hit the coast.
Car Dealerships, Real Estate Agents, Mortgagers, Appraisers, not an honest atom in the lot. And even if, if you find one by some random Act of God, you are still getting killed on the mortgage itself. Real Estate is only a good investment when you purchase outright (or own before a bubbleish boom).
I am gonna turn you into a cynical skeptic yet. Still hope. ;)
Three months used to be an eternity for a house to sell. 18 months ago my condo sold in 6 weeks and my real estate agent (and friend) thought that was a long time.
He also thinks real estate is slowing down here.
Good luck on the move and in getting re-established.
Hey, via the blog, you already have a zillion friends and contacts where you're moving to!
A friend of mine loves to visit the Ritz Carlton there, let me know when the housewarming party is...
I'm not sure about the Bay area, but the real estate market in southern California has been slowing down for most of the past year. It's also slowed greatly in Seattle, but is still a good time to sell.
Your agent Stan may be a great friend, but if you sell your house too quick, you have priced it too low and left money on the table.
I've lived in the Bay Area all my life. Grew up in Menlo Park/Palo Alto, worked and lived in the South Bay, and my last place was Moss Beach (just a few miles North of HMB), and I also lived in Pacifica a while back. Forgive all the naysayers. The summer is a bit foggy, but the winter is absolutely georgous, and the fact that the fog scares people away is only a blessing. A solitary walk on the beach can be very rewarding, and you're just 30 minutes from the Pennisula, and 45-60 from SF and SJ. Great hikes in the hills, also good for biking, and def try out the fish shack at the intersection of Highways 1 and 92. The whole area (besides being very ag-oriented) is formerly gangster/bootlegging stomping grounds (and apparently to this day these guys still hide out in the hills on massive etates), but be sure to check out the Moss Beach Distillery for an old haunted bootlegger headquarters. Now a restaurant--the food has gone down hill lately, but the drinks are still great, the view is the best, and it over looks a marine sanctuary with great tide pool exploration.
The commute is not that bad, especially if you consider all those poor souls who come in from way out east of the bay. My company's headquarter's are in SJ almost in Milpitas, and it was never a deal breaker. With a liberal work schedule and telecommuting capabilities like I had when I lived there, and no doubt you will have, you can work around the horrid traffic during the normal commute hours. Don't commute between 7-9am over 92. If you're headed to SF, it's faster sometimes to go all the way up Highway 1 through Pacifica to 280. Evenings, beware of the 4:30-6:30 PM time.
I'm sure with all the time you spend in the Bay Area, you know all the great attractions--besides the hills and coast, my favorite is the restaurant scene. There are a few really good ones in downtown HMB, but most of them are over the hill, and it's a 30-40 minute drive to get into downtown Palo Alto for some of the best.
So anyway, unless you hate fog (and you could come to that, because some do, but not me--my wife did though), you will probably love HMB--it's the best of both worlds, because you're within striking distance of the South Bay, the Pennisula and SF, but also secluded from all that madness at the same time.
Oh, yeah, about that Halloween thing. After you've done a Pumpkin Festival this year, make plans to leave down from then on. It's when they invite the rest of the world to HMB and it is a bit out of control.
OH, and I had lots of visitors, who loved a good weekend getaway at our place, or just a dinner out on the coast. Whoever brought that up, but hang out in bars to find their real friends:) No offense who ever you were.
However, I do second the Woodside Road (Highway 84) route over Skyline and down into San Gregario and north on 1. I don't think you can actually do that from Buck's in 45 minutes unless you're driving a very fast Porshe and have nerves of steel, but the drive is one of the greatest none the less.
heh.
paul, anytime you wanna strap into the right seat, let me know. :-)
Your commute will be crazy thought. Since the Big SLIDE at Devels SLIDE, I guess one will be closed this summer, so you will be forced to get broadband and work looking at the ocean. I wish that I had that problem.
Have fun, and enjoy life. See you down here very soon.
The Peninsula (Atherton/Menlo Park to Sunnyvale/Santa Clara) RE market is still very much in demand.
As someone who grew up in Palo Alto (but am NOT an RE expert by any means) I have had quite a few coworkers and friends who have all tried the Half Moon Bay or Los Gatos Mtns commute to Palo Alto, and it ALWAYS sucked for them. Either the road had black ice and full of accidents, or the weather was too good and the traffic was horrific with everyone who wanted to go to the beach for the one non 70 degrees non foggy (or less) day in Half Moon Bay.
Good luck to you Robert in that commute as #34 said, the commute SUX even more due to the slide.
Enjoy California.
I can see why the Seattle market is red-hot, I was there recently (certainly not my first time or anything) and I realized just how much I loved its vibe - very artistic/creative, very down-to-earth, very nature-inspired - compared to the bit more 'masculine' energy of Silicon Valley. But then again you're in Half Moon Bay which is altogether different than San Jose!
Disregard the skeptics about your move to HMB. We've (my wife and I) lived in HMB for over 14 years (including the slide closure in '95) and we've loved it. I've worked in SF, Cupertino, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, and the commute is not a problem. Things are a little tough early A.M. due to the slide closure, but if you can stagger your departure, it's no big deal. Also, whoever said is was going to be close for six months is wrong. It reopens in Sept.
The lifestyle here is awesome. Great biking on road and off, terrific hiking in Purissima Redwords and south, and of course, surfing if you're into that. The people are great and the contract with the 'Valley' makes it perfect. I'd rather raise my kids where they can connect with the natural world right outside our door.
Best of luck in your new venture. If you want to have a 'local' show you the ropes of HMB area, please feel free to make contact.
Regards,
Michael
http://www.burbed.com/2006/04/14/265000-for-bea...
Thanks,
The Donahues
Mountain View