Guides

Place · Neighborhood

Montclair: Living by the Village in the Oakland Hills

Median sale $1.4M against a $1.098M median list, about 28 days on market, and about one month of supply. The village core is genuinely walkable; above it, the hills take over, and no published source prices that boundary.

Open guide Place · Neighborhood

Shepherd Canyon: Redwood Seclusion and the Canyon Trade in the Oakland Hills

No clean canyon median, so the record instead: a $995,000 area listing, 2023 sales at $1.4M and $1.78M, and canyon land from $169,999. Fire, insurance, and the canyon road are the tradeoff.

Open guide Place · Neighborhood

Montclair vs. Upper Rockridge: The Honest Comparison

Medians within $10K of each other ($1.60M vs $1.61M), so price will not decide it. BART and an 86 Walk Score vs. hills, views, and top elementary schools.

Open guide Risks · Insurance

California's Insurance Commissioner Election: What the Allen vs. Kim Choice Means for Oakland Hills Homeowners

Ben Allen vs. Jane Kim on Nov 3. The FAIR Plan's 29.1% hike is already in effect, the hardening discount runs to 16.4%, and neither plan changes a 2026 renewal. The 94611 translation.

Open guide Place · Neighborhood

Glen Highlands: The Hills Pocket That Costs More Than Piedmont Pines, and Why Buyers Pay It

$1,475,000 median vs $1,287,500 for Piedmont Pines. Thornhill Elementary, Highway 13, and the $9,677-a-month math before insurance.

Open guide Place · Neighborhood

Piedmont Pines: What the Hills' Premium Address Actually Costs

$1,287,500 median vs $3.01M across the Piedmont border. OUSD schools, Walk Score 4, Very High fire zone, and the monthly math at 7.32%.

Open guide Buy · Ownership

Prop 13 and 94611: What Your Property Tax Bill Actually Looks Like

A $1.5M hills purchase resets to about $19,200 a year in property tax, not $15,000. The levy-by-levy math, the supplemental bill, and the $89 exemption.

Open guide Buy · Financing

7.32% and the ARM Comeback: How Oakland Hills Buyers Pay for Homes Now

A 5/1 ARM at 6.46% saves about $575 a month on a $1M loan for five years. The reset math, the worst case, and who an ARM actually fits.

Open guide Sell · Playbook

Selling Your Oakland Hills Home This Fall: Price to the Buyer's Payment, Not Just the Comps

At 7.28% rates, a $22k buydown cuts the buyer's payment more than a $100k price cut. The seller math, plus Zone 0.

Open guide Buy · Financing

Mortgage Rates October 2026: What 7.28% Costs an Oakland Hills Buyer

Mortgage rates hit 7.28% on Oct 1, 2026. On a $1M Oakland Hills loan: $169 more a month than last week, $626 more than a year ago. 94611 payment math inside.

Open guide Risks · Insurance

The FAIR Plan's 29.1% Rate Hike Starts October 15: What It Means for Oakland Hills Buyers and Owners

FAIR Plan rates rise 29.1% on Oct 15, 2026. In 94611, higher insurance shrinks the mortgage you qualify for. The PITI math, the DIC wrap, and the credits.

Open guide Buy · Financing

Jumbo Loans in 94611: Where the Line Actually Falls

The 2026 conforming limit ($1,249,125), current jumbo rates, down payment and reserve rules, and whether buydowns work.

Open guide FAQ

94611 buyer & seller FAQ

Affordability, speed, over-ask, inventory, timing, fire/commute — cited answers.

Open FAQ Buy · Offer terms

Non-contingent offers: what “clean” really costs

Inspection, insurance, appraisal, and loan waivers in East Bay custom — four different bets.

Open guide Buy · Offer terms

Appraisal gaps and offer dates in 94611

Teaser lists, offer dates, and capped-gap framing — why the appraisal can land below the bid you just won.

Open guide Macro · 2026-09-16

Fed hike today: what it means for 94611 buyers and sellers

Fed +25 bp, 10-year backdrop, and national mortgage averages translated for hills buyers and sellers.

Open brief Risks · Buy

What should 94611 buyers check for wildfire and insurance?

CAL FIRE maps and insurance as a process — no invented premiums or hazard scores.

Open guide Risks · Buy

Does home hardening help with insurance quotes?

First five feet, roof/vents packet, thin-budget priorities — not a promised discount.

Open guide Place · Lifestyle

Oakland Hills lifestyle in 94611: pick the day before you pick the house

In Montclair, Upper Rockridge, and 94611 hills pockets, views and trails come with winding streets, elevation, car time, microclimates, and fire-insurance homework. Choose the lifestyle day before the floor plan.

Open guide Buyer Brief · 2026-08

If you’re touring 94611 this month

Five actions mapped to the August Pulse metrics.

Open Buyer Brief Seller Brief · 2026-08

If you’re listing in 94611 this month

Thin shelf, DOM, price cuts, and reading sale-to-list carefully.

Open Seller Brief Listing metrics

How to read DOM and sale-to-list

What the metrics mean in a teaser market — and how to size an offer from comps, not list.

Open guide Process

First-time buyer in the Oakland Hills

A process map with links to county and HUD hubs for programs that change often.

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