You will get used to it. Or you will go deaf. Problem solved.
Honestly, yes, I am going to cut some slack on SSF. I have gone to a few open houses there in SSF and not too shabby actually. We like this one place that we are considering putting an offer on next week if I can just get over the occasional plane overheadâŚ
Hey, Apple, you want to really do something great??? Make all planes quiet!!! I would burn incense on your founding day every freaking yearâŚ
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Based on nearby comps, this one seems to be underpriced. This area is not bad in terms of airplane noise.
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Does that mean it still gets some plane noise?
Still some but it is not in the SFO plane noise impact area. Noise map is in one of the posts above.
No way. It was pretty bad last time I went to an open house on Galway Dr (years ago) which is near that Erin Pl property. Ever since then SSF has been on my blacklist.
Good luck and fingers crossed for you!
Here in the San Bruno hills, itâs actually really quiet. I donât hear a thing. Much better than my old Millbrae condo, where I can hear the airplane engine spooling up as they are about to take off.
Do you have kids? If so whatâs your plan for schools?
It is all relative. If you compare that area with SSF neighborhood between Golden Gate Cemetery and Golf Club, and the area near El Camino Real and San Bruno Bart, noise is not too bad. If you compare with west side of San Bruno or Millbrae, of course the noise is worse. Everyone has different level of tolerance on plane noise, they have to experience it themselves to decide.
San Bruno seems to be a little more desirable than SSF. Why didnât Genetech help SSFâs housing price? Are biotech people working not as hard as tech and they donât mind living a little further?
San Bruno vs SSF, it depends on specific area. On average I agree that west side of SB is more expensive than most SSF, but east side of SB is similar to many SSF neighborhoods in terms of pricing.
Compared to SSF, SB has better high school, which makes it more desirable. SSF plane noise is also worse than SB.
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Hi @manch
I have toddlers, and as such education is a very important consideration for me. I am fine with San Bruno elementary schools (the ones on the hills). The middle school is the only issue that I can foresee, assuming it doesnât get better in 8 years time. Iâll worry about the middle school when that time comes. Surprisingly, San Brunoâs Capuchino high school has a respected International Baccalaureate (IB) program, which is the same program that I completed when I studied abroad.
For me, even as an ethnic Chinese and with Chinese as my primary language, I worry about the Chinese dominance of Millbrae, both the community and the schools. Millbrae schools are similar to Foster City and Cupertino schools. High APIs, but very homogeneous. Not just ethnically homogeneous, but I also donât appreciate its singular-focus on grades. Case in point: look at all those cram schools on El Camino, next to Millbrae Caltrain station. I am fairly confident that my kids will grow up doing well academically, but I also hope theyâll grow up leading an interesting life, having self-confidence and self-esteem (thatâs not derived solely from good grades), finding their passion for life (other than just materialism), and capable of striking up conversations with people from all walks of life and different socio-economic backgrounds.
I am not saying that San Bruno schools are better than Millbrae schools. San Bruno schools may have an opposite problem - itâs culturally more diverse and interesting, but its APIs (as a whole) are less impressive. Itâs just that I donât place much premium on Millbrae schools over San Bruno schools, given that they both have flaws.
Burlingame is another story. Itâs a definite step up from San Bruno on many aspects while still within easy commuting distance to SSF biotech cluster. If I still stay in the SF Bay Area in the next few years and not move to Cambridge/Boston area with their own increasingly dominant biotech cluster, my aspiration would be to upgrade to a home in the Burlingame area and gladly pay the price premium.
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I also like Burlingame more than Millbrae, but itâs not within reach for now⌠
I cannot afford a decent Burlingame home right now too⌠hence itâs an âaspirationâ for now! 
Can you confirm that? I heard from a RE agent the other way around (not incl those lucky folks in SB who can go to Millbrae schools, or maybe it was just a specific neighborhood)
SB is slightly better, but only on the most superficial level. If you go by Redfinâs GreatSchools.org ratings, SBâs Capuchino High is a 8, whereas SSFâs two high schools, El Camino High and SSF High, are both 7s. Practically, though, I would consider SB and SSF to be mostly comparable. The thing going for SBâs Capuchino High, as I described in my response to @manch above, is that it has a reputable IB program â akin to an AP program on steroids and is globally recognized if the student ever wants to apply to colleges in Canada, Europe, Australia, etc.
From my perspective, the three high schools on the SF peninsula that would be meaningfully better than SBâs Capuchino would be Burlingame High, Carlmont High (Belmont), Aragon High (San Mateo).
Kinda amazing to see that Carlmont even has a âbiotech clubâ where they organize field trips to biotech companies and have CEOs and senior executives of notable local biotechs come explain to these high school student what biotechs are all about. See here: http://www.carlmonths.org/Departments/Biotechnology-Institute/index.html
Itâs these type of enrichment activities that make these high schools stand out and make homes in these high school attendance zones aspirational for me and tempting me to upgrade a few years down the road (if I am still living in the SF Bay Area).
The other high schools in the peninsula, e.g. San Mateo High, Hillsdale High (San Mateo), Mills High (Millbrae), are just a bit better on test scores (more students with white-collar parents), but arenât really that much differentiated from Capuchino (SB), SSF High, and El Camino High (SSF).
Just my two cents.
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I used Greatschool.org rating and most recent API score (2013) as benchmark:
SSF:
Great shool rating: 7 for both. El Camino High 782, South San Francisco High 769
SB:
Great school rating: 8 Capuchino High 791
I agree SB high school is only slightly higher.
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Ok, shame on me for believing a RE agent selling a SSF home!!!
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SSF isnât bad! I have two colleagues that both graduated from El Camino High in SSF, both went to UC Berkeley, and are both doing well professionally.