Working in Thousand Oaks - where to live? (Reseda, Canoga Park, Woodland Hills) (Long Beach: apartment)

[dmoo83]

Hi Everyone! I am moving back to So Cal (I used to live in Long Beach). My job is located in Thousand Oaks and I am trying to figure out where to live. I am 32, recently married and looking to start a family in the next 2-3 years. My Wifes family lives in West LA so we would like to live closer to LA than Thousand Oaks so we be closer to them. We are looking in the Woodland Hills, Canoga Park, Reseda area. We want to buy a house and our budget is about 500k. We really love mid-century modern architecture and we have seem some really nice homes in Reseda (with pools!) in our budget - but we are not at all familiar with the neighborhoods. Any suggestions on areas to focus on or avoid? Will my commute be too horrible (I am fine with 45-60 minutes?

[hyuk17]

Generally the closer you get to the hills the safer and nicer. I'd live in Thousand Oaks. Really safe, clean and newer everything.

I used to have a house with a pool. Never again! Spent about 100 hours maintaining for every hour of use. Constantly checking PH, adding muriatic acid, adding chlorine, algeacide, keeping the water level up, cleaning debris, cleaning strainer, scraping the pool floor, taking apart and cleaning the filter once every few months. Then you have to drain the water every several years because too many dissolved solids get into the water. By that time you probably have to refinish the pool because the concrete has stains. Maintaining a pool NEVER ENDS! And you're worried about an extra 20 minutes of commute to her parents once a week maybe??? Pools are also dangerous. Sometimes people drown. Someone drowned at Demi Moore's house recently.
Just take the kids to a public pool.

[brrabbit]

Thousand oaks, or western of it - less heat, get some breeze from the ocean.
Calabasas, Agoura Hills - good schools.
West hills/Woodland Hills - cheaper than previous destinations, closer to Proper LA, still some good schools can be found

[dmoo83]

We definitely want to be closer to LA than Thousand Oaks. We also have friends who live in LA proper and the South Bay, and we like to go out to dinner sometimes during the week, trips to the beach/museums/etc on the weekends.

Thanks for the lecture on the pools, hyuk17. Sounds like you didn't use yours very much, so I can see why you would be frustrated with maintaining it.

Thanks for the tip on west hills, brrabbit. I will check that area out! Woodland Hills and West Hills have some homes at the top of our price range but it sounds like it may be worth it to get into some better neighborhoods and better schools.

[hyuk17]

Originally Posted by dmoo83

Thanks for the lecture on the pools, hyuk17. Sounds like you didn't use yours very much, so I can see why you would be frustrated with maintaining it.

Maintaining a pool is a chore that never ends. Also think about how much BETTER of a home you could afford if you got one without a pool.
Woodland Hills is nice. I'd still spend an afternoon in Thousand Oaks. Maybe even do some house hunting just for the hell of it. You could always try to split the difference. Check out Calabasas maybe.

[Kaphawoman]

Encino and Tarzana are about halfway between TO and LA distance-wise. Sherman Oaks is another option, being slightly close to LA.

[Cream1]

Originally Posted by Kaphawoman

Encino and Tarzana are about halfway between TO and LA distance-wise. Sherman Oaks is another option, being slightly close to LA.

Pro tip: Sherman Oaks, Encino, and Tarzana are neighborhoods of the city of LA.

[BRinSM]

the commute to TO from the valley can be pretty rough. your budget is pretty low for a single family house in a nice neighborhood like woodland hills. you may be able to find something in west hills that needs some TLC. as for reseda and canoga park, you have to be careful there. those areas have become lower income, especially where there are a lot of apartment buildings. there are some nice single family home areas though, just make sure to check crime reports if you find something you like (la times has a good crime mapping tool). and if you plan on raising a family at this house, you'll need to be mindful of schools. public schools in much of the valley are rated poorly. at 500k, you'll be limited to condos in areas with good public schools.