Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > California > Los Angeles
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 04-03-2014, 10:21 PM
 
10 posts, read 13,381 times
Reputation: 12

Advertisements

I've been offered a job in the LA area, and my company will also find my wife a job within the company. Combined income will be about 235K. It is a typical company move, and the company pays for all relocation costs, closing costs, inspection, and two points (can choose how to use it).

Of course, home size and costs are on opposite ends between Texas and California. How much home would we be able to afford in say, Agoura Hills, Thousand Oaks, Tarzana, etc. The office is relatively close to the areas I mention. We are okay with downsizing, we don't need something huge, but we'd like a modern, open floor plan.

We've no debt, we have three children, so would prefer a 4 bedroom home, but can do with 3. Our kids are still in elementary school and we want good schools of course. I've heard of many people who went the opposite way (LA to HOUSTON) and many had their children in private schools, we'd like to avoid that.

Also, are the any places in, or around the hills where one can still get a home built? We'd like some kind of view as well, but then again, who doesn't?

Thank you in advance.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 04-04-2014, 12:41 AM
 
Location: LA/OC
1,083 posts, read 2,164,153 times
Reputation: 605
Do you know what kind of down payment you will be working with? Debt is also a factor in affordability. You can give this calculator a shot: Affordable Home Calculator from CNNMoney
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-04-2014, 07:05 AM
 
10 posts, read 13,381 times
Reputation: 12
Default Commute?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Joe Van Fossen View Post
Do you know what kind of down payment you will be working with? Debt is also a factor in affordability. You can give this calculator a shot: Affordable Home Calculator from CNNMoney
Perhaps not so close after all... the office is in Santa Clarita... would the commute from those areas be too much? I used to do 32 miles each way in Houston, but no traffic problems like you have in LA, I'm wondering how that same 32 mile commute would be like in the LA area?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-04-2014, 09:27 AM
 
Location: Southern California
4,453 posts, read 6,778,756 times
Reputation: 2238
For the most part you'd be commuting against traffic so it won't be a bad drive. What kind of home you can afford is based on what you want to spend. Income alone you'd qualify for a loans of about $1,3M but what would be your down payment and how much do you really want to spend on housing, do you really want to spend $8,100 a month on a mortgage and property taxes?

If you did want to max out at the 1.3 with 20% down, you can buy a nice house with probably some land and a view, by some, I'm not talking acrage, in some of those areas.

People might debate the subject but the way I see people talk about "Good" public schools here, you're going to pay and at least $200,000 MORE for a house and and 100-200k for a view.

If you want a house on a hill be caution of cheap land and understand which areas are at risk for brush fires, You also have at least 3 other airports north of LAX to consider.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-04-2014, 09:56 AM
 
Location: South Bay
7,226 posts, read 22,142,100 times
Reputation: 3626
Traffic into Santa Clarita is actually not that good,. it's not as bad as the other direction, but no walk in the park. Homes are better priced up there as well and the schools are mostly good to great.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-04-2014, 10:06 AM
 
1,319 posts, read 2,190,220 times
Reputation: 651
If you work in Santa Clarita. Live in Santa Clarita. You can easily afford a nice, big home there with your income.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-04-2014, 10:32 AM
 
Location: LA/OC
1,083 posts, read 2,164,153 times
Reputation: 605
Quote:
Originally Posted by HOU2LAX View Post
Perhaps not so close after all... the office is in Santa Clarita... would the commute from those areas be too much? I used to do 32 miles each way in Houston, but no traffic problems like you have in LA, I'm wondering how that same 32 mile commute would be like in the LA area?
A 32 mile one-way commute can be pretty rough in LA. As others have suggested, Santa Clarita real estate is worth looking into.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-04-2014, 10:43 AM
 
96 posts, read 169,928 times
Reputation: 75
There is no point in commuting from one suburb from to another. If you have a good job in Santa Clarita you should live there. Stevenson Ranch and Valencia are both very nice and have new construction that is affordable by California standards.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-04-2014, 11:01 AM
 
Location: Los Angeles
2,436 posts, read 2,784,260 times
Reputation: 2284
I agree with others, live in Santa Clarita. Santa Clarita is nice. The homes are quaint and nice.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-04-2014, 11:01 AM
 
231 posts, read 380,498 times
Reputation: 350
Even in those areas with what you are looking for in a house, plan on spending at least $400k. Check out zillow. Just a quick 4 bedroom search in Valencia was showing nothing less than $419 and in Agoura Hills, nothing less than $500k.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > California > Los Angeles

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top