Advice on best place to live (Oxnard, Santa Clarita: apartments, renting, insurance)

[Sunshine2000]

Hi and thank you for advice ahead of time

My family and I may move to the USA from Canada.. My husband has been looking at jobs around the LA area. We would like to know about the good places/areas to live, safe areas, family orientated. Our child is older so we would be looking at middle school and then high school. We don't mind driving but don't want to a ton of it. Not so much into busy places but can handle it in small doses. We love the beach. Safety is a big issue. We would be renting a home first before buying. Condos and Appts just don't work for us. Would like to spend $1500 or around that (even $2000 would be fine) on a home. Is this realistic? What do you recommend?[/font][/SIZE]

Thank you

[timelesschild]

Where are the jobs your husband is looking at?

The LA area is soooooo huge. If we know where the job is, we can find a place to live from there.

[Sunshine2000]

Sorry ..I am not quite sure as of yet. He has been sending out resumes and seeing what happens from there. He had applied around the LA area.. will ask him for what areas. He is an engineer so we had found that there are many listings for jobs.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by Sunshine2000

He is an engineer...

US Citizen? Does he have a clearance?

What type of engineering experience does he have?

What type of work is he looking for?

Will both parents be working?

[sav858]

Finding a HOUSE for under $2,000 in a safe neighborhood not too far from jobs will be pretty damn difficult. You should look in outlying areas like Santa Clarita or the Inland Empire. LA is huge so you want to try to live close to work and w/o knowing where you will be working it's hard to tell you where to live. But you're going to have to look farther out if you want housing that cheap, but even then finding a HOUSE in a good, safe neighborhood for that price is going to very hard. You might want to post this in the LA forum to get more answers and better insight.

[timelesschild]

There are houses in Whittier and Hacienda Heights renting for $1700 and thereabouts. Some even have pools. But. BUT. Those locations can be very, VERY long commutes from job centers.

Wherever the job is, there is bound to be something affordable, at least tolerably nearby. Let's wait and see where the job is. The real trick is finding something affordable WITH good middle- and high schools. That would be a real score, if it were also near your husband's job.

Will you be working also?

Meanwhile, check out http://lalife.com for ratings of safety, affordability, and schools. Very cool tool for finding a good niche for your family's needs.

[killer2021]

Originally Posted by sav858

Finding a HOUSE for under $2,000 in a safe neighborhood not too far from jobs will be pretty damn difficult. You should look in outlying areas like Santa Clarita or the Inland Empire. LA is huge so you want to try to live close to work and w/o knowing where you will be working it's hard to tell you where to live. But you're going to have to look farther out if you want housing that cheap, but even then finding a HOUSE in a good, safe neighborhood for that price is going to very hard. You might want to post this in the LA forum to get more answers and better insight.

lol yea. Out here in Orange County, the 1bed/1bath apartments START at 1k/month IN THE BAD AREAS. For something in a more decent area, 1,300.

[indigo2]

I like the South Bay area of LA and would recommend it. Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach, Torrance, El Segundo are a few of the South Bay cities. I moved from MN 23 years ago and have stayed in the South Bay area. It will be somewhat of a shock to you if you have not been here before. It is expensive. If you own a home in BC, renting it out would be a good idea in case you decide to move back. I am currently trying to leave and will head to WA or CO prolly next year. Sure we have plenty of sunshine and great weather but I miss the real weather. If i were to raise kids, I 'd move out of LA and head out of state. You may like it though. I am tired of it. I stay here now because of my job. You will pay about $1500 a month and up for a two bedroom apartment. I think the ones in my complex are $1400 for a two bedroom and 4 blocks from the beach. They go up the closer you get. You don't get much bang for your buck out here. The bang is the weather and you pay the bucks for it.

[MtnSurfer]

I grew up in the South Bay and have many friends still living there. I agree with indigo's assessment for the most part. It is one of nicest part of LA. But yes it is expensive. You will be renting for $2000/mo. Pay is higher but so is the cost of living. Most couples who want to buy a home end up both working. Even on two incomes it can be tight.

It was a nice place to grow up. But it was time for a change for us with the birth of our third child. We moved to CO for several years then to Monterey more recently. It had gotten too crowded and expensive for us. LA is an economic hub of the world for many industries. So ppl flock to it like flies to sugar.

LA is a huge city with everything from the worst ghettos to the nicest wealthy neighborhoods. I guess it really depends on what you are looking for. What qualities are you looking for in your next place to live? Do you mind crowds? How about weather and seasons? Have you considered other parts of CA as well?

The reason I ask is that sometimes the road less traveled can be a better way to go especially in CA. We really prefer the central and northern parts of the state. And there are jobs up here. You just have to look a little more selectively.

Derek

[SOON2BNSURPRISE]

If you could swing the down payment you could find a home to buy in Oxnard and with the right home you may be looking at a house payment of $1,600 a month including property tax impound account, insurance and P&I on the loan. I am dealing with a realtor now that has several properties in the area. You may want to contact realtors within the area if you are interested.