Reliez Valley, Lafayette

Reliez Valley was ranch and farm country for a long time. One early settler, Samuel Hodges, set up his homestead on acreage at Reliez Creek and Old Tunnel Road, with a house on what is now Reliez Station Road, just east of today's freeway interchange. That road name is a reminder of the railroad: the Sacramento Northern, an electric line that ran through Lafayette from the 1910s, had a stop here called Reliez.

The best-known farm belonged to Serafino Rossi, who came from Italy as a teenager in the early 1900s and built up a farm in Reliez Valley of about 150 acres, bought piece by piece from neighboring ranchers. He grew vegetables that needed little water, like corn, tomatoes, and potatoes, along with pears, peaches, plums, apricots, figs, and grapes, and he took his produce to market in Oakland. Before the tunnel opened, that meant climbing over the hills on Fish Ranch Road, a trip of about five hours.

Reliez Valley's homes are a real mix: some older farmhouses, several of them restored, alongside mid-century homes and newer contemporary homes and estates. Lots tend to be generous, and many homes sit among oaks on rolling ground.

What should you look for in a Reliez Valley home? With homes from so many eras, the basics matter. Checking the foundation and the drainage around the home is always worthwhile, and on a sloped lot, look at any retaining walls and how water moves across the yard. An older farmhouse, even a beautifully restored one, deserves a careful read of the inspection reports and a look at what was updated and when. There's no ordinance requiring a sewer lateral certificate in Lafayette, however a sewer lateral inspection is recommended.

Briones Regional Park's grassy ridgelines and trails are in the hills to the north and west. Downtown Lafayette is a short drive southwest, and downtown Walnut Creek is a few minutes east. The Lafayette Reservoir is a short drive across town.

Summer in Lafayette centers on member-owned swim clubs, and Springbrook Pool, on Stanley Boulevard along Reliez Creek, is one of them. Youth leagues like the Lafayette Moraga Youth Association (since 1954), Lafayette Little League, and Lamorinda Soccer serve the whole city. Swim club membership is optional and has its own fee.

Lafayette has no extra city transfer tax, only Contra Costa County's. There's no ordinance requiring a sewer lateral certificate in Lafayette, however a sewer lateral inspection is recommended. If a home is in a High or Very High fire hazard severity zone on the state's map, the sale also includes a routine defensible space inspection, which looks at how plants and brush are kept around the house. My Lafayette home selling page explains the steps.

Homeowners move on for all kinds of reasons including (but not limited to): upsizing to a second or third home, divorce, relocating for work, or the passing of a family member.

Tanja Odzak is a Top East Bay Realtor with eXp Realty, helping buyers and sellers in Lafayette and across the East Bay. Reliez Valley is a residential area in the northeast of Lafayette, along Reliez Creek and Reliez Valley Road, with green, rolling hills and large oak trees. More than any other part of the city, it keeps a sense of Lafayette's farming past, with some restored farmhouses standing among mid-century and newer homes. When we refer to Reliez Valley, we are including Reliez Highlands in that term.