Insight into Calabasas Highlands (Los Angeles, Bell: 2014, city hall, custom home)

[elliearroway]

Hi there,

I'm hoping to get more insight into Calabasas Highlands... Noticed that price per square footage is a lot lower than the rest of the Calabasas, and neighboring communities of Agoura, Westlake, etc.

The community is quaint, with views, lots trees, custom homes - basically feels sort of like Big Sur. But is there something very wrong with it that's why it's much cheaper (for instance like Bell Canyon, radiation caused by Rocketdyne)?

What issues are there living in Calabasas Highlands that we should be aware of?

I would appreciate PROS & CONS about this particular community of Calabasas.

Thank you for all your help and info!

Regards,
EA

P.S. Our hope is to get into a property with great public schools, custom home (not cookie cutter), with access to some shopping and restaurants. Community with good vibes and close to nature.

[BRinSM]

i have family that lives not far from this area and i am unaware of any issues with this neighborhood. it is a bit removed from more urban parts of the valley, but there are plenty of other desirable areas that are even more removed.

[nightlysparrow]

Originally Posted by elliearroway

Hi there,

I'm hoping to get more insight into Calabasas Highlands...But is there something very wrong with it that's why it's much cheaper (for instance like Bell Canyon, radiation caused by Rocketdyne)?

There is high fire risk there. Also, completely unwalkable to anywhere. Calabasas Highlands is in an unicorporated area of LA County.
Los Angeles County-Residents-Unincorporated Areas

And BTW, Bell Cyn residents and homebuyers couldn't care less about Rocketdyne:

Per Zillow:
"The median home value in Bell Canyon is $1,290,500. Bell Canyon home values have gone up 4.1% over the past year and Zillow predicts they will rise 1.6% within the next year. The median price of homes currently listed in Bell Canyon is $1,699,000."

[elliearroway]

Thank you!

Is there anything I need to be aware of if a city/town is "unincorporated"?

[genjy]

Originally Posted by elliearroway

Is there anything I need to be aware of if a city/town is "unincorporated"?

Unincorporated means that the area does not have a local municipal government--i.e. no mayor, city council, city hall, city manager, etc.

It also means that the area relies on county services like county sheriff, county fire, county library, county public works, etc.

You are likely to pay less taxes than those who live within city proper, but county services in general may not be as reliable and fast as city or contract services.

There have been some recent news about how LA County Sheriff has slower response times in unincorporated areas compared to incorporated cities that contract the sheriff:

Slow response times for L.A. County sheriff deputies in unincorporated areas, report finds