Lancaster, CA area (Los Angeles, Santa Clarita, Fontana: rental, insurance, crime rate)

[Blockheadofaknew]

Originally Posted by Guerilla

It is funny, because just a few miles south is Santa Clarita...a suburban heaven.

aaAA,, people crawling all over each other there as well for two ta three times the cost of living.

[Blockheadofaknew]

God! listen to myself defending this place, 10-15 years ago I would have burnt the whole lot of it down had I the resources. I guess a decent steady job can help a persons outlook on things.

[Blockheadofaknew]

"SCARDY CATS" jump in both feet at once, haven't you ever learned, things are tough all over. I'm raising my kids here, 4.0 students. Maybe it's just in the boodline, (you can't walk in fear), whaddaya gonna give the world over to the wrong-doers? (look the other way and YOU are the wrong-doer) Lancaster/Palmdale is ok.....

[ibarrio]

How murders this week in the AV? Three at least...

[VickyVicky]

Somebody has asked about recent murders, this story happened at the end of my block but it sites recent murders in the Lancaster area...


Apparent shouting match turns deadly
This story appeared in the Antelope Valley Press on Wednesday, November 14, 2007.

By VERONICA ROCHA
Valley Press Staff Writer
LANCASTER - Sheriff's homicide detectives were investigating the slaying of a 17-year-old boy who was shot Tuesday afternoon outside a house in the 600 block of East Lancaster Boulevard.

Moderator cut: copyrights

AV Press: Apparent shouting match turns deadly (broken link)

[bluecashbear]

the antelope valley is only know for two things: walmart's and meth labs. you don't want to bring your kids here.

[elanzillotta]

The Palmdale/Lancaster area is defintely not the place to raise a famly. I have a couple of houses out there and they're all rented out through section-8. Sorry, but there is no other way to get those places rented at this point. One of my friends moved out before selling and has been trying to rent it w/o Sec-8 and the house has been sitting there on the rental market for over 4 months. Not to long ago, one of my houses was vacant for a week and a bum broke in by breaking the door frame! There are over 3,000 homes on the market right because everyone wants to leave. Most of my tenants move in from South LA looking for more bang for their buck with their section 8 vouchers. They can't rent a 3bed 2 bath house for $1,400 in other areas. Unfortunately, the crime is worse. The old timers are leaving and the lower income folk are moving in like there's no tomorrow. If I had to, I'd move there if I were single with no kids---but I would not raise my family there.

[VickyVicky]

Yep,
I put my home up for sale and ended up pulling it off the market, didnt even get anyone to even come look, agent said I had to lower it down to $199,000 to even get any lookers, due to all the new houses on the eastside going down in price its hurting all the older home prices.

My fiance works in the mortgage industry and threats of layoffs, so we are in a really tough spot right now. We really want to move. But what can you do? If we sell what can we really buy right now? Prices here still arent as low as one would hope, the low price homes are crap a majority of the time, in poor neighborhoods with loads of remodeling needing to be done. The better areas are still to pricey for us.....

Im torn as to what to with us on shaky career footing, my income is considered "Low" right now but we have an affordable mortgage since I bought in the late 90s when the market was super duper low....

Some days I wonder if I should just rent my home out and go rent another home in town for awhile,,, sounds silly I know,, but well, with my Section 8 problems next door, the other rental across the street the guy hit and run our vehicle and he wasnt insured and fled when the cops came. And then this past week we had a murder just at the end of the block(Yes and Im raising two Jr High boys) I feel very trapped.


That is one people need to remember if they move here! As some say, ITS A PIT.

Because even if you sell the market here isnt like other markets elsewhere, so its hard to pick up and move with what you get in return.

[sue-z]

Vicky,
It's an awful feeling to be "trapped" isn't it!
I'm on the eastside too and been trying to get out but had to wait for an inflexible reason and missed the seller's market. All the houses in our neighborhood have been pulled off the market, only one sold and that one went for 100k below what it should have even 6 months ago. It's scary! Sometimes I get really depressed I'll never make it out of here. We have to get enough to buy something else, but even out of state where we are looking is higher than what we can get now as ours is an older lower end house...2008 isn't looking any better... sue-z

[jessemh431]

I know you guys can't sell your homes for much, but if you ever do sell, can I suggest Pittsburgh, PA as a place to move. It's constantly rated as one of the most livable cities in America due to its extremely low cost of living, even though the jobs do not pay considerably less than most other places. You can spend only about 200k on a home and be in an okay area. If I don't have enough money to return to LA when I graduate college, Pittsburgh is one of my choices to move to, as well as Sacramento and either Portland or Eugene, OR.