Just east of Berkeley, CA, lies a group of communities that is shielded from the San Francisco Bay Area fog, has top ranked schools, rolling oak studded hills and a small town feel.  I am referring to Lafayette, Moraga and Orinda otherwise known as it’s nickname, Lamorinda, CA.  

As a resident for almost six years, I have gotten a chance to experience this wonderful hamlet, a mere 20 minutes from downtown San Francisco.  Additionally, BART or Bay Area Rapid Transit, offers a short public transportation option to the “City by the Bay.”

You may have been perusing several Bay Area communities if you are relocating from out of the area and found pluses and minuses in the North Bay, SF proper and the South Bay.  As far as value goes, the East Bay can’t be beat.  Summer days are a little warmer than other Bay Area communities, but Real Estate has definitely more bang for the buck. 

When purchasing a home in the Lamorinda area, be aware of the clay-adobe soil in the valleys and mantling the hillsides.  This type of soil shrinks in the summer months and swells during the rainy season, potentially resulting in seasonal movement of patios, decks and even foundations that have not been designed to mitigate the movement.  Have a qualified home inspector thoroughly check the foundation, exterior stucco or siding, interior drywall and flooring for signs of previous movement, cracks or out of plumb windows and doors.  If possible, find out which type of foundation the home has, such as shallow footings or deeper drilled piers. 

Soil creep, hilly terrain, weak bedrock and soil, poor drainage around the foundation, and lack of rain gutters as original equipment can all be contributing factors to general instability in buildings and structures throughout the Lamorinda area.  In addition, check with city officials for any past geologic issues in the location in which you are purchasing.  If questions are raised, you may want to contact and engage the services of a registered geotechnical  engineer or certified engineering geologist to further evaluate the problem. 

According to John Dye, Principal Geotechnical Engineer with Cornerstone Earth Group in Walnut Creek, he says,

 “Generally there is no cause for alarm as thousands of residents have purchased and lived in Lamorinda for decades, but conduct due diligence by carefully reviewing all disclosures and noting any history of past soil movement or slides.  Most Buyers do not conduct a geo-tech inspection chiefly because of the cost involved…a due diligence evaluation can range from several hundred to several thousand dollars depending on the complexity of the property.”