Here is some info for you investors looking to buy in up and coming areas of the East Bay.
http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/news/2016/07/25/east-bay-up-and-coming-neighborhoods.html
Although I am not yet ready to be an investor (trying to save cash again after purchasing primary residence), I really appreciate valuable information like this. It motivates me to save more as well. 
The map lists 95603 as one of the zips. It should be 94603.
I have been paying more attention to that part of Oakland. Personally I would go even more south, below 98th and near San Leandro border, or even in SL. It seems there is less crime as one moves away from the central flatland.
Hayward has been “up and coming” for decades though. It has never fully come. What gives?
Did not know much about Richmond and Concord. One thing that all these locales have in common: they are all reachable by BART. That’s very important as our freeways become ever more congested and people look for alternatives to driving.
Again, let’s be honest, by the time these news stories hit the airwaves the really good investors have already come in and gotten the good, yet cheap stuff. It’s like anything else, the early bird gets the worm. You just hope there are still some crumbs for the rest of us. A lot of time, one needs to literally do the leg work and find these pockets of undervalued spots themselves. I am sure they are out there, it is just a matter of how much you can stomach before the areas turn hopefully(crime, blight, etc…)
I feel like good investors are million steps ahead of me.
No, I just have to be realistic and be fair that real estate can be sweat equity not pie in the sky stuff. Obviously, people have made money in a short time but that is not everyone on every deal. You’ve obviously done well enough to buy your first place and let’s be honest I am sure it has gone up in value, right? Not only do you have a shelter for you and your family that you own and control, you have some tax breaks and you didn’t waste a heck of a lot of money on rent that otherwise would have gone into someone else’s pocket. You gotta start somewhere, is my point, and again it is not where you start, it is where you end up.
Here,
Some more data points to consider in Bay Area mid sized cities with excellent walkability scores…