Regularly named one of the country’s most expensive areas, the Bay Area is notorious for its high real estate prices. It’s also well-known as an economic and entertainment hub, rife with job opportunities, a diverse population, and a thriving arts, food, and entertainment scene. These qualities make it a highly desirable area, along with other features such as a pleasant, mild climate and a wonderful location near the ocean, foothills, national parks, and beautiful lakes.
The Bay Area may be expensive as a whole, but active adults can still find some reasonably priced 55+ communities that are selling homes for $350k or under.
Rancho de Napa - Yountville, CA
High $100s - High $400s
While not technically located in the Bay Area, Rancho de Napa is situated just about an hour north of San Francisco in the highly desirable wine country city of Yountville. This 55+ manufactured home community provides a lot of bang for your buck, and it offers residents all the entertainment and luxury of wine country without the usual steep price tag. This well-established 55+ community offers lush, mature landscaping, stunning views of vineyards and mountains, and a prime Yountville location near dozens of acclaimed wineries and restaurants.
Rancho de Napa was built between 1971 and 2004 and offers single-family manufactured homes that range between 1,180 and 1,600 square feet with two to three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and covered parking for one to two vehicles.
Amenities at this charming community include a private clubhouse, a number of meeting spaces, a sparkling outdoor pool and spa, bocce ball courts, and walking trails and greenspaces ideal for enjoying Northern California’s many sun-filled days.
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Sunny Glen - San Ramon, CA
Low $200s - Low $700s
With 237 condo, attached, and single-family homes situated in the Bay Area suburb of San Ramon, Sunny Glen offers prospective homebuyers lots of attractive housing options. This close-knit 55+ community boasts a prime Bay Area location—near plenty of shopping, dining, and entertainment—only 45 minutes east of San Francisco.
Although the median home price in San Ramon is upwards of $1 million, there are still resale homes in Sunny Glen listed for around $350k. Built in 1963, these homes come in a wide variety of sizes and floorplans, with townhomes offering 612 to 780 square feet, one to two bedrooms, and one bathroom. The single-family homes range between 960 and 1,520 square feet with two to three bedrooms and two bathrooms. Finally, the detached villas offer 1,255 square feet, two bedrooms, and two bathrooms.
A few of the sterling amenities offered at Sunny Glen include a sewing room, a ceramics room, a game and card table room, and a billiards room. Outdoor amenities include a swimming pool, deck shuffleboard, and bocce ball courts, to name a few.
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Rossmoor - Walnut Creek, CA
Low $300s - Mid $1Ms
Nestled in a peaceful location among rolling hills in the thriving Bay Area city of Walnut Creek, the nationally recognized 55+ community Rossmoor offers its residents an award-winning active adult community at a bargain price.
With a whopping 6,678 attached, condo, and single-family homes, the well-established Rossmoor offers an abundance of home styles to its residents. Potential homebuyers can choose from resale homes ranging from 600 to 2,535 square feet with one to three bedrooms and one to three bathrooms. Many homes have a garage, while others include a carport or street parking.
With proximity to vibrant shopping and dining centers, Rossmoor offers plenty of diversions nearby. On-site, the amenities are plentiful as well, with multiple swimming pools, tennis courts, and clubhouses as well as 27 holes of NCGA-rated golf, a 150-seat theater, over 200 social clubs, and a weekly newspaper.
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Trilogy at Rio Vista - Rio Vista, CA
Low $300s - Mid $600s
Settled in the East Bay Area delta city of Rio Vista, Trilogy at Rio Vista attracts active adults looking for bargain prices and resort-like amenities, both of which this gated 55+ community delivers.
Construction began at Trilogy at Rio Vista in 1996, and builders are still improving the community today. Many of the 3,000 single-family homes here are updated and modern with high-end finishes and desirable floor plans. Square footage ranges from 976 to 2,507 square feet with two or three bedrooms, two to three-and-a-half baths, and two- or three-car garages.
Including a nationally recognized 18-hole golf course and a 27,000-square-foot clubhouse, the amenities at this lovely community do not disappoint. There’s also a cafe, multiple restaurants, a fitness center, game rooms, a library, and an arts and crafts area, along with an Olympic-size indoor pool. Outdoors, residents enjoy an outdoor pool, spa, and patio with barbecue areas as well as numerous paved walking and biking paths.