The Las Virgenes school district is one of the top districts. You can move further west or northwest to get less expensive housing. Are you considering taking the job but driving that far (120 miles).

A lot of people commute into the valley daily from the Antelope Valley (Lancaster/Palmdale). Not sure the distance, but the commute is roughly 1 hour 15 minutes. Traffic may be worse now then back when I knew the commute better.

Being affordable for Southern California means that a lot of lower income people have been pushed out that way by economic factors. The schools aren't great, but certain areas/neighborhoods are nice. If you have religious convictions, there are probably private schools that would suit you. Being up over the hill from the greater LA area, it's not as temperate. It's hot in the summer, cool in the winter. Being the most affordable housing market in LA County, you can get a 2200 sq ft home for around $400K. Prices have been going down recently. It's not the best place to live, but parts are rather nice, you may have to cough up a couple 10 thousand more for the priviledge of living in one of the better areas.

Santa Clarita/Valencia is a bit more expensive, but a nicer area, though I find the traffic horrendous around town out there. Your standard 2200 sq ft house will run you about $600K there. Weather seems to be nice year round- like much of So. CA. Couldn't tell you much about the schools there- but then again CA isn't known for its stellar school systems.

Good luck deciding. I fantasize about moving from So. CA a lot of the time, but like DH says, "Where would we go?" Besides all our family is here.

Q

Looks like the homes in the Las Virgenes SD are too expensive for us. Lancaster/Palmdale look much more affordable, but do you know quality of schools (middle/high) in that area? If I accept a position in Calabasas, I would be staying at hotel two nights and commuting back mid-week. That's why I extended my search to 120 miles.

We used to live in the Santa Clarita/Valencia area, bought a house in 2000, when it was still affordable. It's a booming area, but is family-oriented - at least when we were there. The commute going to LA is not as bad as from Lancaster/Palmdale. I had co-workers who had to leave at a certain time to get to work, and if they missed that window, good luck. I guess it's the same if you leave later if you're coming from Valencia, you'll get stuck in the 405 parking lot. It is a parking lot in the morning and around 4-7 pm, everyday, slightly better on week-ends.
I guess you have to go to 405 then 101 to get to Calabasas? 101 is the same as 405:)

I have a friend who lives in Calabasas, and she said the school district there is really good, esp. high school. I think El Camino Real HS is in that area, and they always win the academic decathlon or something. Like me, she bought her house in 2000, when her 1800 sq. ft house was only $325K.

Palmdale/Lancaster area school is not desirable, from what I heard. Since it was (still is?) one of the cheapest area in LA county, people move there, including the "bad elements," according to some co-workers. But I'm sure there are areas in there that are really nice.

Best of luck to you.

If you are looking for good schools, the desirable areas are going to be expensive. Calabasas is very expensive. There are a lot of show biz industry types there.

Look a little north - Agoura Hills, Thousand Oaks, Moorpark. Still pretty expensive, but not as much as Calabasas and you wouldn't have to stay in a hotel during the week.

Standardized test scores are high, and several schools are blue ribbon schools. There is a web site that outlines schools in CA. The link is below.

I feel your pain. We moved from MA to Thousand Oaks in 2003. Prices were high then, but even higher now. We decided on the Conejo Valley because of the schools. We know people who live in the LA Unified School district, and send their kids to private school. We considered that, but for the cost of private school tuition for 2 kids for several years, we bit the bullet and bought in Thousand Oaks.

The area has a lot to offer. Best of luck!

Here is a link that might be useful: CA School Profiles

Look in the Ventura County area, that will be less than Calabasas, as said above, Moorpark area may be more affordable.

Lancaster/Palmdale schools- not the greatest, probably not the worst. You hear a lot of rather good stuff about their westside school district. I knew people out there who took their kids to private schools further into LA on their way to work. Guess you have to balance the cost of housing in a good school district, versus housing in a not so good and private tuition.

Most of Lancaster/Palmdale is fairly nice, but like any populated area there are areas (neighborhoods and shops) that you would probably avoid. Everything [storewise] around the freeway seems to be fairly good. If you do consider moving to the Antelope Valley, my advice would be this: Buy only in a WESTSIDE COUNTY UNINCORPORATED area- that would get you into a "better" school district, and away from most of the scuz- there aren't many apartments and almost no section 8 housing in county areas.

Also in that area are the Leona Valley and Lake Elizabeth. More expensive than in the antelope valley, but nicer, more rural areas.

Another option is about 10 miles further up the freeway in Rosamond. At that point you cross out of LA County and into Kern County. Taxes and other fees are lower there, though housing price is comparable to Lancaster/Palmdale. It's a nice area, I wanted to live there at one point and have a number of friends in the area. It's also a friendlier place to live if you are a pet person- much fewer restrictions. Lancaster has a 3 pet limit, Palmdale 2- and all pets, cats included, have to be licensed in P/L/surrounding areas.

Someone else mentioned the "magic commuting window" for leaving the antelope valley. About 8 years ago my husband commuted from Lancaster to Burbank daily. If he left at 6:30 he would get there a little after 7:30. If he left at 6:45, he'd get there at 8:15.

Anywho, I do have a bit of knowledge about the antelope valley, and though I'm not sure I'd feel great about telling someone to move there, if you have any questions feel free to email me directly if you like- you should be able to do it through my profile. I do have a 6 month old so it might take me a short while to get back to you, but I'll do so ASAP.

Q

We lived in the Lancaster area for many many years and there is NO reason in HeXX I would go back again. If you want to know more about the area, go to the Anelope Valley Press on search. The High School has almost lost it accrediation. The area is primarlly black and hispanic. The Antelope Valley crime rate is one of the highest in Calif. The AV hospital is one of the worst and in the red for several year. There is lot of gang activity etc. Do you have to consider the Calabasa area or would you consider No. Calif. Schools are much better and less crime, except Central Cal. Leona Valley and Lake Elizabeth. are too far. There is a lot of problems just now showing up there, and there is NO high schools. The kids either drive or take a bus and it is about a hour++ each way. The weather is over 100 in the summer and the area does get some snow, but no one there knows how to drive in it, so they usually close the schools and roads when they get around a inch. Figure a 2 hour drive from Antelope Valley (Lancaster/Palmdale)++ each way. I would consider Ventura County.

Thanks to all of you for your replies. Looks like we strike out the Lancaster area. Much more affordable, but I now know the reason why. Did a bit of research on Thousand Oaks and could barely buy a 1500 square foot townhome (we have 3000 sq foot home in Northern Virginia) for $500M. I assume schools are good in that area and Thousand Oaks is a reasonable commute to/from Calabasas? What about property taxes -- do you have any estimates on yearly taxes on $500M TH? Any other areas you would recommend? Again, don't mind looking at anything within 120 mile radius, as long as schools are excellent. Thanks again. Mugs.

A blanket guestimate on property taxes would be 1.1-1.3% of the purchase price. The property is re-assessed at the time of purchase, It does take the assessor a while to catch up; hence, a supplemental tax bill in year one. Tax increases are limited to 2% a year by law. I am not sure on which side of the LA/Ventura county border TO sits, but it's right there.

Hi Mugs -
Calabasas is about 12 miles south on 101. It would be an easy commute.

Thousand Oaks is located in the southern part of Ventura County. The taxes on the property that you buy are based on the selling price. I believe the taxes would be 1.15% of the price. There is no further reassessment until the property sells again, but as the poster above mentions, the taxes can go up annually an additional 2% of what you are paying annually.

Feel free to email me if you have questions.

I work in Calabasas, any sort of cheaper housing will be found going out towards Oxnard, Ventura, Camarillo. For cheap cheaper housing I would guess possibly Lompoc area, things like that. The traffic would simply kill you though (and Lancaster would be worse). For the next couple of years I would rent rather than buy, California is just starting the down cycle and renting is so much cheaper than buying.

You could rent a home in Simi Valley off of Craigslist for 2k, a townhome a couple hundred cheaper. In the Ventura/Oxnard area rents are even cheaper (though housing prices dont drop off that much).

Oxnard schools aren't very brilliant. My PIL live there for years and SIL had to move to Moorpark for better school.

Moorpark & Simi is best deal in Ventura county. Certain part of Simi has excellent school and other parts are less so. Same with moorpark (again, it's all relative but I used to live in Arlington & Fairfax so I know the standard of public school in Nova is high). Moorpark is really beautiful & quiet town. Simi is not as picturesque w/ all the new developments. Pay attention to HOA & mello-roos, they can be expensive in certain community.

Personally I think the best deal is in Santa clarita valley (valencia, stevenson ranch and vicinity)if you don't mind a little traveling. Schools there mostly are excellent and the whole community is extremely family friendly. When we were looking for homes 5 years ago and Ventura was too expensive, we bought in castaic, Santa Clarita instead and that was the best decision. Our son's elementary school (castaic elem) ranked 9/10 on api and truly it's a great school. Son started out kindergarten not knowing abc and by the end of kindergarten he can read level 2 & level 3 books !! My neighbor traveled to thousand oaks everyday and it wasn't a bad commute because there's virtually no traffic on 126.

check out valencia & santa clarita - you won't be disappointed.

Here is a link that might be useful: valencia

Mugnaini,

I'd opt for a nice class A RV and a towed hybrid (ala Toyota Prius). Park at the Walmart in Simi Valley. The commute to Calabasas is around 30 minutes or so. The plus side is that you can "relocate" your residence on the weekends to the beach, mountains (Big Bear), desert (Palm Springs), Vegas (4.5hrs away), Santa Barbara etc... very felixble!

Seriously, I really enjoyed Simi Valley when I was out there in late 2001/2002. The initial commute to Calabasas was not bad and eventually my office moved to a new complex in Simi (can you guess who I worked for?). I'd second the recommendation to rent for awhile as the market is really starting to soften and it will also provide you and your family on-site time to investigate all of the location suggestions you've already received. Keep most of your belongings in storage (either in Nova or Socal) until you've settled on your desired location/housing. You'll be surprised that the cost of living is very similar to Nova.

Good luck!

Bob

I agree with bellaflora, stay with TO, or go north to Moorpark, or further north to SC Valley.

Uh Lancaster/Palmdale schools "not the worst?"

Mmmmkay...I suppose South/Central LA's gangbanger riddles schools might be a tad worse...but not by much.

Lancaster/Palmdale: the meth lab capital of the world.

'Nuff said.

aiki

Hello, Everyone. Well the job has been offered and I have a little time to decide. I could live within 135 miles of Calabasas and would be allowed to work at home one-two days per week, and stay at hotel other days. So, one final question, please. Given the 135 radius, what areas would you recommend that I confine my search? Again, the top criteria would be good elementary and high schools. Thanks so much for all your help. I really appreciate it. Mugs.

Are you sure you want that 135 mile radius? That would equate to 3 hrs. commute, if you're in LA freeway:(

That said, if you really want to, I suggest Riverside County, particularly Temecula and Murrieta. We have really good public school system here. Lots of schools are repeat CA distinguished school awardees. 3 or 4 elem. schools here have 10/10 API scores this year, the rest are 9/10. (Sorry, bellaflora, I used to live in Castaic, and I thought we had a very good school district there, but when we moved back here from WI, did a little research, and Castaic's scores are not that high compare to Temecula and Murrieta, but then again, Castaic/SC is smaller.)

Temecula is about 45 minutes north of San Diego. It really gets hot here, being almost in the desert. The houses are mostly new. You can get a nice house for $500K- over 2000 sq. ft., sometimes 2500 sq. ft. Most have HOA fees.

Don't you wanna rent for a while until you get the feel of the neighborhood? That way you won't be stuck if you don't like it. Remember, houses are sitting longer.

I would rent close to work. Your quality of life will be so much better without a commute and without the burden of a huge mortgage and property tax payment (=just as wasted money as rent). The insane run up of real estate is over in CA simply because there are hardly any people making enough money to sustain those prices so buying a house there NOW isn't even a good investment. Invest any money you have conservatively and securely and just pay rent.

I agree with jrldh (more than words can say) about renting close to work. Tim and I moved from Hawaii to California two months ago. He works in Calabasas off Lost Hills Rd and we live in Agoura Hills right off the freeway - our apartment is 3.75 miles from his job. We knew before we moved that commuting can be a nightmare and we were fortunate to be able to visit several months in advance and scope things out and find an apartment close to work. Now that we live here, it's completely true that you could spend hours in a car both morning and afternoon depending on where you live. From what we can tell, anywhere in Agoura Hills, Thousand Oaks, Westlake Village, Newbury Park, maybe even as far out as Camarillo would work for us when our lease is up next year if we wanted to move. Traffic is completely a non-factor for us - it takes five minutes to get to work, ten if you catch the lights at both ends. So much to be said for quality of life and not spending hours in a car if you can avoid it.

As far as schools go, can't comment but I see others have above.. .

Thanks. Longer commute may not be avoidable. Actually Temecula and Murrieta look like good possibilities. Map Quest claims I should be able to get to Calabasas in under two hours???
Would you be able to give me an idea on rental costs for a 3 br home? Thanks and have a good week-end.

Hi! I'm new to the forums but thought I'd put my two cents in as well. I'm not sure about Temecula and Murrieta, but I second others input to not buy in Palmdale/Lancaster area... especially if you're looking for good schools. I live in Simi, and the Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley area & pretty much most of the Ventura County is good for schooling. House prices have just begun to slump with only 1 out of every 5 homes on the market finding a buyer. I've heard major incentives are being given and prices dropping so you might try bidding low to see how much you can really get into a house for.

Your commute would be about the norm for everyone in the area and can be actually pretty quick if you drive at off-times. Staying in hotels would get old really fast. The other upside to being in Ventura Co. vs. LA County is the drive to the courthouse in Ventura is alot easier and prettier than the nightmare of traveling into downtown LA for jury duty and the police force isn't stretched as thin. Thousand Oaks and Simi have consistently gotten in the top 10 as the safest cities of their size across the US. If you really can't afford the area then Santa Clarita/Valencia area is nice as well. If I couldn't afford Ventura Co. then that's where I'd move to next.

Good luck!

We're renting right now but has looked around for a house to buy. I think you'll get more for your money in Murrieta. Our rent is $1690 for 1320 sq. ft home, 2 stories, 3br/2.5 bath, 2 car garage. It includes the gardener (mowing only) for the front yard.

If you look around, you can get more sq. footage for a little bit more. We lost out on a 2300 sq. ft for $1725. Our fault, we were slow and looking for a better deal. Try www.pe.com, look at the classified section, then real estate rental. It was a lot of help for us.

That under 2 hour commute by mapquest is without traffic, and there's always traffic here, week-end or weekdays:(

rich69: I was giving suggestions based on daily commute distance, not 135 miles away *g* Ofcourse when you are willing to travel THAT far there will be more choices.

BTW, we sold the house in Castaic and moved to San diego. A lot of DH's coworker actually live in Temeculla / Murieta area.

Correct me I'm wrong, but didn't OP say they would stay in a hotel 3 days a week and work at home for 2? That means the 135 mile commute isn't every day, but only 2X a week. So you could work from home (for example) Mon and Tues, drive to the office Tues night, and then head home Fri evening?
That doesn't seem very bad at all to me. I know several families who did that in PA (driving into NYC). Does the company pay for the hotel and commuting costs?

Yes. Hotel and commuting costs would be paid for. So, while not the optimal quality of life, staying out a couple of nights per week (in worse case) should not be too bad. So, I will look at Temecula and Murrieta. Please share any other thoughts and ideas. Thanks. Mugs

I recently left the Santa Clarita area (for a job, not anything negative). It was somewhat expensive, but in comparison to other areas, it was reasonable. (My rent for a really nice one-bedroom apartment in Stevenson Ranch was close to $1200.) Your best bet for the lowest price is to shoot for the Castaic area or Valencia or Santa Clarita itself. Stevenson Ranch is the most expensive in the area, but if I remember correctly the elementary school there was one of the best in the area. The Santa Clarita area in general is a good place to live, there are lots of things to do, you're close enough to LA to go there easily, but you're also far enough away to lose some of the problems. The commute sucks, but again, if you find your window, it's not so bad. My husband commuted to Simi Valley every day and I think his drive was only about 45 minutes each way. Someone earlier mentioned the traffic around town, and while sometimes in some areas it can be rough, most of my usual paths were pretty clear. Traffic gets annoying around the mall of course, and the lights are timed just as badly as the rest of LA County, but it wasn't nearly as bad as further down into LA. The residential areas are usually pretty clear.

I definitely concur with those who dislike the Antelope Valley. I had a friend who lived up there and he absolutely despised it. The crime alone should make you want to stay away.

Congratulations on the new job by the way!

Haven't followed the whole thread, but a thought: When I moved cross-country for a job at a medium-size company in the Valley, my new company offered to put me up in a furnished apartment at "the Oakwood" in Woodland Hills. Oakwood's all about shorter-term renting. There are many "Oakwood" apartment complexes around, and they had a gym and a pool. (Has anyone mentioned how HOT the valley gets starting in March, April?) My co. put us up for a month or six weeks (can't recall) then we chose to stay another two weeks while we still looked around but it's expensive. Know you have kids--if you can pick a general area near work and settle in an Oakwood (and negotiate with company to pay for it as part of your accepting their offer), you can get your bearings before settling someplace in more fully. Worked out well for us.

Here is a link that might be useful: Oakwood Apartments

One more thing: of course by above meant you could try this temporary apt for awhile till you find a home for your family to rent for awhile--buys you little time to try out the commute, feel out the areas suggested above and learn little more about the schools--before taking your kids out of their current school and moving everyone with you. Woodland Hills Oakwood easy commute to Calabasas. Congrats on the job!

Probably too late to ring in here, but we just moved from Corona, California and that was a great area with VERY good schools. Crime is low, the area is growing and beautiful and it's just about 40 miles north of Temecula on interstate 5, so Corona is not quite as far to Calabasas. You could get a beautiful 3,000 sq. ft. home in Corona for about $600K. Maybe a little less since the market is slow right now.

As for the two-hour estimate on Mapquest, throw that away. NOTHING in the L.A. area takes the amount of time that Mapquest estimates. Mapquest doesn't account for the crazy traffic. You're probably looking at 3-4 hours, on average, to get from Temecula to Calabasas during the oh-so-busy 7 a.m.-10 a.m. window or the 2:30 p.m. - 7 p.m. window. (those are rush hours in the L.A. area.) If you left smack in the middle of the day, between 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m., you could probably make it in 2-1/2 hours if there were no accidents on the freeways.

Another area I wanted to suggest, in addition to Corona, is Pasadena and the surrounding cities. I also lived in Covina, which is about 20 miles east of Pasadena, and I always adored Pasadena. A slighly less expensive city would be Monrovia, which has beautiful Craftsman style homes and sits at the base of the mountains so it's just gorgeous. Schools in Monrovia are excellent and you can find great schools in Pasadena, too. One more option, if you want to go a little east, is Glendora. Another beautiful community at the base of the same mountain range, just about 20 miles east of Pasadena. Alta Loma is the next city over and they have fabulous schools there as well.

I'd say that, in traffic, Pasadena is about 90 minutes from Calabasas and Monrovia, which is just a few miles to the east of Pasadena, is about the same. Glendora would be about 45 minutes further, in traffic. (and it's always good to assess distance in traffic times because that's when you're going to find yourself doing the bulk of your driving. I've gotten out of the airport at LAX at 11 p.m. on a Sunday night before and found myself stuck in traffic in a taxi on the 405 freeway.)

Good luck on your move!!!