Bay Farm Island, Alameda

Overview

Harbor Bay Isle is built on engineered fill: 1980s and 1990s detached houses of roughly 1,700 to 2,000 sq ft, three or four bedrooms, two-car garages and small lots, plus lagoon townhomes. The broker's recent comps show $800 to $900 per square foot for detached and the high $600s for townhomes. Below $1M, options narrow to townhomes or the older tracts west of Island Drive.

True Cost

Assume $1.6M, 20% down, a 30-year fixed at 6.5%, insurance at $2,400 per year and HOA left at zero. Principal and interest then run $8,090.47 monthly, tax $1,626.67 and insurance $200, totaling $9,917.14. Tax uses the compute model's 1.22% effective rate sourced to Alameda County Tax Rates by TRA FY 2025-26, with TRA-level verification pending. Real HOA dues are not zero here: the broker's notes cite $150 to $200 a month by village, extra lagoon maintenance, a few hundred dollars of parcel taxes, and no Mello-Roos.

Commute Reality

The ferry is the headline: 35 minutes door to door to FiDi, versus 40 by car and 45 on BART. City Center takes 20 minutes driving or 35 by transit; Sunnyvale is a 55-minute drive. These are broker estimates for the morning peak. Per the notes, boats run weekday peaks only, the terminal is five minutes by car, Coliseum BART is 12 minutes away, and the Posey Tube backs up from 7:30 to 9:00.

Hazard/Insurance

Flood and liquefaction dominate, according to the broker's notes: fill ground, parts of the island in FEMA AE zones, and lender-required NFIP policies at $600 to $1,500 a year. Confirm the parcel through the FEMA Flood Map Service Center and the California Geological Survey Seismic Hazard Zones. The notes state the island is not WUI and fire carriers are still writing; the CAL FIRE Fire Hazard Severity Zone map is the check.

Who This Fits

Suited to a buyer needing a detached house with a garage near a ferry terminal, or townhome pricing with a flat bike route, who can carry monthly HOA dues and a separate flood premium.

Broker Field Notes

What the money buys

$1.4M on Bay Farm Island buys a 1980s–90s detached home in Harbor Bay Isle, roughly 1,700–2,000 sq ft, three or four bedrooms, a small lot and a two-car garage. My recent comps run $800–$900 per square foot for detached and the high $600s for the lagoon townhomes. Under $1M you are in a townhome or the older tracts west of Island Drive.

The commute I actually drive

The Harbor Bay ferry to the San Francisco Ferry Building is a 20–25 minute crossing, weekday peaks only, and the terminal is a five-minute drive or a ten-minute bike from most of Harbor Bay. Driving, I take Doolittle to I-880 or the Posey Tube: Oakland City Center in 15 minutes off-peak, the tube backs up 7:30–9:00 a.m. Bay Bridge to FiDi is 35–60 minutes. No BART on the island; Coliseum station is a 12-minute drive.

Tax, HOA, Mello-Roos reality

Alameda's effective rate lands around 1.2 percent with city and school parcel taxes adding a few hundred dollars a year. Harbor Bay Isle HOA dues run roughly $150–$200 a month depending on the village, and the lagoon villages carry extra lagoon maintenance. No Mello-Roos anywhere on Bay Farm.

Insurance and hazard reality

This is not wildland-urban interface. The disclosure items are flood and liquefaction: most of Bay Farm is engineered fill, parts sit in FEMA AE zones, and lenders there require flood insurance, typically $600–$1,500 a year through NFIP. Standard fire carriers are still writing here without the non-renewal wave the hills are seeing.

Who this fits (by housing need only)

Buyers who need a detached home with a garage inside the ferry catchment, or who want townhome pricing with a flat, short bike commute and lagoon access.