Alameda County spans the East Bay from the bayfront flats of Berkeley, Oakland, Hayward and Fremont up into the hills and over them to the Tri-Valley and the Livermore Valley. Along the base of those hills runs the Hayward Fault, passing through Berkeley, Hayward and Fremont.
- Coverage
- Desktop appraisals countywide
- Single-family & condo
- Basic Desktop $299 · Desktop $449
- 2–4 units
- Desktop from $549
- Effective dates
- Current or retrospective
The Alameda County housing landscape
Berkeley's housing is mostly pre-war, with brown-shingle, Craftsman and period revival homes, many of them divided into units near the university and rented to students and faculty. Hayward combines older flatland bungalows, postwar tracts and view homes in the Hayward Hills. Fremont was assembled from five older towns (Centerville, Irvington, Mission San Jose, Niles and Warm Springs) and consists largely of postwar and later tracts, with newer townhomes rising near its BART stations. East of the hills, Pleasanton, Dublin and Livermore add master-planned subdivisions and, in the Livermore Valley, vineyard and ranch parcels.
Cities we frequently appraise
- Berkeley
- Fremont
- Hayward
Property elsewhere in Alameda County? Desktop appraisals cover the entire county — include the address in your request.
Property types
- brown-shingle and Craftsman homes
- flatland bungalows and postwar tracts
- hillside view homes
- student-oriented duplexes and small multifamily buildings
- townhomes near BART stations
- vineyard and ranch parcels
Valuation considerations
Parcels along the Hayward Fault may fall within Alquist-Priolo earthquake fault zones, and hillside homes in Berkeley and Hayward also carry landslide and wildfire exposure that shows up in insurance cost and buyer reaction. Berkeley's rent stabilization ordinance and Hayward's rent stabilization law apply to many older rentals, so a tenant-occupied building may sell differently from a comparable vacant one. Livermore Valley vineyard and ranch land should be analyzed for agricultural zoning and any Williamson Act contract.
Is a desktop appraisal the right fit?
A Fremont or Hayward tract home with plentiful same-model sales is a good candidate for a desktop appraisal in a trust, estate or divorce matter. An inspection makes more sense for a Berkeley brown-shingle divided into units, or for a hillside house near the fault with retaining walls and drainage questions.
Read more about how desktop appraisals work, or compare report types on the pricing page.
Purposes we handle in Alameda County
- Date-of-Death Appraisals
- Estate & Trust Appraisals
- Divorce Appraisals
- Bankruptcy Appraisals
- Proposition 19 Appraisals
- Property Tax & Gift Tax Appraisals
- Pre-Purchase Appraisals
- Pre-Sale Appraisals
- Family Transfer Appraisals
- Insurance Dispute Appraisals
- Bail Bond Appraisals
- Expert Witness & Litigation Support
- Appraisal Review & Second Opinions