Relocating from Chicago to CA w/a family?? Where is a great place to live? (Los Angeles: equity)

[movin2cali?]

We just found out we will likely be relocating to California within a few months and are starting to research where the best places to live are.

Some things to know to help
We have a young family so schools are important
Low crime rates are VERY important
We would like to be in a budget of 250-400k for a 3-4 bdrm
We can live anywhere near (within 60 miles) an airport - ideally on the coastal side, not the valley - but would consider both and we enjoy mountains/lakes/etc (Bay Area, LA, OC, San Diego, etc)

We had heard that Lake Elisnore was getting updated with new planned communities and reasonable priced homes....

[MachineKnownAsLosAngeles]

your not gonna find a 3-4 bedroom in anywhere close to desirable

california is much more expensive than illinois and for good reason

[Charles]

Originally Posted by movin2cali?

We just found out we will likely be relocating to California within a few months and are starting to research where the best places to live are.

Some things to know to help
We have a young family so schools are important
Low crime rates are VERY important
We would like to be in a budget of 250-400k for a 3-4 bdrm
We can live anywhere near (within 60 miles) an airport - ideally on the coastal side, not the valley - but would consider both and we enjoy mountains/lakes/etc (Bay Area, LA, OC, San Diego, etc)

We had heard that Lake Elisnore was getting updated with new planned communities and reasonable priced homes....

Any airport? Like a general aviation airport with grass fields and no airline service?

How about Arcata? I think I flew a Cessna 172 in there about 25 years ago. Pretty country up there. Probably in your price range too.

[missionhome]

Temecula and Murrietta in Riverside County, just north of San Diego and southeast of Los Angeles, have homes in your price range. It gets hot in the summer (the trade off to the Illinois cold you are escaping), but otherwise is a fairly family friendly area. It is closest to Ontario Airport with nonstop service to places like Denver and Dallas. See the full destination list here: LA/Ontario International Airport - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For international and more extensive nonstop service you would have to drive to LAX which is the mega-airport of the entire So Cal region. Otherwise, you can connect nicely to most airport hubs from Ontario.

[MtnSurfer]

Hey, if you want to check out the Bay area homes prices have really been dropping. Take a look at some of the smaller towns north of the Bay such as Petaluma or Sonoma.

Also believe it or not Monterey County prices have dropped 47% and continue to drop. So although Monterey itself is out of your range check out some of the outlying communities such as Seaside, Del Rey Oaks, Marina, Oak Hills, and Prundale. There are a lot of foreclosures on the market right now and some good deals to be had. Not to mention it has much nicer weather than many of the inland areas mentioned.

Since you prefer the coast I would check these out. It is really a buyers market in CA right now as the RE bubble finally burst. Each market varies and there are sub markets even within a city. But if you are patient, do your research and choose wisely you might be able to get into an area that you couldn't even dream about a few years ago.

It might be worth pushing the top of your range to get into a lot nicer location for the long run and as an investment.

My 2c,

Derek

[CA central coast]

San Luis Obispo city or county. yeah, it can be expensive, but a great place to live

[MtnSurfer]

One of the nicest parts in southern Cal. not too far form the coast is Mission Viejo and San Juan Capistrano. Prices have dropped quite a bit there as well. So again if you look carefully you might be able to get into these very desirable areas for a lot less than a few years ago. Take a look at the MLS. There are homes there at the top of your range.

In Calif. remember that a little smaller, older home in a much more desirable location has some 'Big Advantages.' This can include better schools, weather, lower crime, closer proximity to the coast with the potential to update the home and really increase equity. Location, location, location is still fundamental to RE and quality of living in CA.

Derek

[movin2cali?]

I wanted to answer a few questions posed and really appreciate the outpouring of support.....

1. The airport we need to be by will have commercial flights, but primarily inside of california (To/From Sacramento, San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco)

2. We would open up to look at the inland valley IF we can find a good school district and safe location



Thanks and keep them coming......

[Idunn]

The difficulty is that California can be expensive, particularly near the coast. The budget you specified automatically precludes many areas that might otherwise meet your criteria.

Lake Elsinore, CA might be okay, although the region seems kind of sketchy by most accounts I've heard. You might want to look very closely at this option.

With a lot of looking you might find something, but at this price point you may not find anything suitable in the greater Los Angeles or Bay Area regions.

However there are still good options close to regional airports. One might be Arcata, CA. On the coast and real estate within your budget. With the nearby town of Eureka, CA, you might find this area large and diverse enough to suite your needs. But of course remote, and a long flight from anywhere else. There is a college there, otherwise I'm not sure about the schools. A maritime climate, but distinctly different from the much warmer and sunnier coastal towns of southern California.

If a bit inland, you might try Ukiah, CA. It seems a pleasant enough place. Real estate would fall within your budget. Possibly large enough to offer the airport access you need. The climate would fall between that of the coast and interior cities such as Sacramento, CA, although closer to that of Sacramento.

If considering the mountains you would have a variety of options within your budget. The difficulty is many would not offer ready access to an airport. Many commercial pilots favor Incline Village, NV for its location on Lake Tahoe and proximity to the airport at Reno, NV. While prices there are probably too high, and also in such places as Trukee, CA or South Lake Tahoe, CA, you might find something to your liking in this area. Not at all sure about the schools.

Carson City, NV has real estate within your budget. Indeed some of the towns in Nevada with good access to airports, or that of Reno's, might offer you the most house for the money. Of course climatically different from the coast of California. So maybe, maybe not, but an option in price and airport access.

Sacramento, CA offers very good airport service. Some of its neighborhoods are quite nice. Quality of schools probably depends on the exact one. Cost of housing can be expensive or modest. About halfway between the coast and mountains, with a relatively short drive to either via I-80. But at home you'll have temperate winters and hot summers.

One thing you'll probably discover is that California is a very large and diverse state.

[missionhome]

Originally Posted by MtnSurfer

One of the nicest parts in southern Cal. not too far form the coast is Mission Viejo and San Juan Capistrano. Prices have dropped quite a bit there as well. So again if you look carefully you might be able to get into these very desirable areas for a lot less than a few years ago. Take a look at the MLS. There are homes there at the top of your range.

In Calif. remember that a little smaller, older home in a much more desirable location has some 'Big Advantages.' This can include better schools, weather, lower crime, closer proximity to the coast with the potential to update the home and really increase equity. Location, location, location is still fundamental to RE and quality of living in CA.

Derek

I agree with this. We have several homes under 400k in Mission Viejo now. They are small starter homes though, only about 1,200 square feet. The schools are great, it is ranked the safest city in the country, the beach is 20 minutes away, we have a lake, and tons of parks. Check out photos in the "Pictures of Orange County" sticky in the Orange County subforum.
Orange County/John Wayne Airport is only 15-25 minutes away from Mission Viejo with nonstop service to major cities like Chicago, Seattle, or Atlanta and interCalifornia service to Sacramento, San Jose, San Francisco, etc... For long haul flights, Los Angeles International is anywhere from an hour to two hours away.