It seems as though the suggestion of issuing a ticket per lottery has been taken up. Unfortunately, they are not applying it to people who attended lotteries before phase 18, but at least they have acknowledged that the original scheme was unfair. Here’s the new text from the sales procedures that describes this new rule:
Commencing with phase 18 any prospective purchaser who participates in multiple sales selection events will be given an extra ticket for each event (after phase 18) in which they have participated and not had their name drawn. Once you have had an opportunity to be selected for a home at Bayport Alameda you will not be given multiple tickets for future sales selection events if your name is drawn and you pass or select a home and later cancel.
Thanks to “passing through” for mentioning that they had changed the rules.
Wow … John did you (and this blog) have anything to do with this? 😉 Glad to see that Bayport has finally revised their procedures.
– Yet Another PasserBy
Hmmm … note that you will not get an additional entry if you were picked and decided to pass. Regardless, this is a good move on their part.
Does anyone have informaion about the nieghborhood around Bayport, such as crime statitics, racial and economical makeup, school ranking…? What I have is for the whole city of Alameda.
http://alameda.areaconnect.com/crime1.htm
I heard that the part of town that Bayport is in is not as good as the rest of Alameda. I am interested in hearing about other people’s opinions.
Thanks you.
The Harbor Apartments and The Naval Base were two of the factors which made the West End undesirable. However the base has since moved and the Harbor Apts. are under renovation so there is definite growth potential.
The west end is undergoing gentrification.. homes are still afforable, Webster St. is getting a face lift, etc.
HC:
The area around Bayport is rapidly becoming gentrified. The folks in the housing projects across Atlantic Ave are being evicted as the current developer wants to refurbish and go upscale (no doubt to keep up with the new image being projected by Bayport).
Webster St is undergoing a major renovation and is starting to look a lot nicer with independent coffee shops and stores.
Alameda is a little gem unlike anything in the bay area. We now have our very own theater. Check out centralcinema.net
Alameda has big plans for the redevelopment of the naval airbase and although it is moving slowly through the bureaucratic loop, it augurs well for the long term.
If you have the time, I suggest stopping by the city planning office and looking through their design plans for the area around Bayport.
Cheers!
John, great site! Thanks for maintaining this.
Anybody know what the procedure is for Yahoo and the other online listings to include new developments such as Bayport in their maps/directions? We have to resort to mailing folks written directions to our place … how very 1990ish 🙂
Based on the available Star2004 test results http://star.cde.ca.gov/star2004/viewreport.asp, the Woodstock elementary school reported that of the 162 students enrolled there, ~83% was classified as “economically disadvantage.” Chipman middle school reported that ~65% out of 699 students tested belong to the same group. There is also data on students racial breakdown. Another good site for school ranking is http://api.cde.ca.gov/
Hi Directionless in Bayport and other settled Bayporters:
If you’ve settled into your new homes, how about giving us your thoughts and feedback about the homes?
I know this may be asking a lot so no problem if you don’t want to say. Just wondering if in general the workmanship is good, if any big problems, sloppy finishing, leaks, or great work. Are the garages easy to get into, etc, etc.
Good or bad feedback would be much appreciated.
Thanks “Waiting to close” for explaining some of the process after winning the lottery. I am wondering if must sign off on EVERYTHING in the two large books of disclosures and maintenance information? Are any of the terms or release of liability negotiable?
I am a first time home buyer. I am wondering if these documents are standard or if Warmington is just trying to transfer liability and costs to the buyer. One item in there that I think is a little unfair the transfer tax. The CA transfer tax of $1.10 per $1,000 is usually paid by the seller, but Warmington wants to split this tax.
I would appreciate any additional comment about the documentaion and the process after winning the lottery.
Thanks.
We’re pleased to hear that Warmington finally took to heart the suggestions of prospective Bayporters who were frustrated by the unfair lottery system. For us, it comes too late, as we just purchased a brand-new home in Oakland.
But good luck to all lottery participants!
J&C
J&C:
Congratulations … didn’t realise that there are new homes being built in Oakland. Do you have a website for this development?
This is a very good news — implementing a new lottery system. Now I feel slightly better about trying again (been trying since July 04).
-another “bayporter wanna-be”
Does anyone know if Mello Roos applies to any of the houses at Bayport? If so, what might the rate be?
http://kron4.com/Global/story.asp?S=3011238
Anybody see this?
Hey I found the article on building inspections interesting, and it is probably true which is amazing but I have no doubt it is not only happening in Alameda but just about everywhere else. With the economy being what it is and all the government cutbacks in the last few years what do you expect, especially with interest rate being cut and everyone buying, remodeling and building. If I had my choice if they are going to cut back, let it be building inspectors and not teachers or education. I think as a buyer or homeowner having some work done, it might be more on your responsibility to hire a private inspector or research the builder, or contractor you choose to use. This is just my opinion.
As far as Warmington, I know they have a good reputation. I went on the Frame Walk of my house which the guy pointed out the different aspects of how they did things. I was impressed and educated about a few things. He pointed out the tie downs to the foundation. Talked about the slab, showed me the wiring, the process of checking the plumbing, and various other thing they do. I don’t know a lot about the process but I left feeling good about the process and he answered the questions I had.
During a meeting with other people who purchase a house at Bayport, one guy mentioned the house he currently lives was built by Warmington. They came in and fixed something that was wrong in his house even after the warranty was expired.
I was quite impressed with the frame tour as well. For a layperson like me, they took pains to explain the process and I came away with a feeling that my house would be built well. Warmington has a good reputation.
I’d like to hear any opinions about the natural light within your houses based on model and location. It seems to me that a lot of the homes are so close together that there is almost no natural light entering from the sides when there is an adjacent house.
We were lucky enough to get chosen for a house after a few disappointing lottery attempts. We are still waiting for our house to close, we had a delay of about two months from our quoted close date the day we “won” the lottery.
There is a sort of Mello Roos tax, it’s about $150, don’t quote me on the actual amount, but that is to pay for the additional city services the development will require and that is on top of the homeowners dues. So although they are great deals, don’t forget to calculate all the additional fees into your budgeting.
Good luck!
Kristof: It’s not a new development per se — we bought the home from a builder who has been buying empty lots in Grand-Lake Shore area and building new homes on them.
We’ve lived in Bayport for about 7 months & love the house! There were little items that needed repair but nothing major. Warmington Customer Service is very efficient — better than I expected. For those of you purchasing, I suggest you spend a lot of time on your electrical preferences (& especially think about placement of cable outlets). Whoever set the placement on some of the outlets didn’t put enough thought into it!
At first we were concerned about the risk of the surrounding neighborhood but I feel very optimistic when you see all the Point development plans. A realtor also reminded me that a brand new elementary school in a development never hurts the prices of the surrounding homes. Our previous house in Harbor Bay (Alameda) sold for $382/sq ft. Do the math — you’ll see that if the Bayport property values continue to appreciate there’s still a lot of prospective growth in Bayport, especially the larger homes.