Moving to Santa Clarita (for sale, real estate market, foreclosures)

[dirivera]

Hi!

I'm planning to move to California within the next year because my little son was diagnosed with autism, and we are looking for better services for him in Santa Clarita. Right now we are exploring the cost of living in California, and the home prices. My husband is a Computer (software) Engineer and I'm a Social Worker. I think we can survive in California, but we need to determine if we will be able to buy our own house there. Some people told me about the really high costs of properties in CA, and we are a little bit worried abou that. We are not looking for a big house; we are ok with a nice 2-3 bedroom home or condo in a secure neighborhood. Our budget is $150k - $250K. We will aprecciate any info. you can provide about our purchasing power and possibilities with this budget. Also, info. about safe neighborhoods in Santa Clarita will be helpful. We already heard about the traffic issues in the area... It's a subway, train, bus or any kind of massive transportation available???

[Charles]

It's interesting you've concluded California offers medical services you need but you don't have much of an idea of housing prices and traffic. How did you conclude Santa Clarita was better suited for you?

From where are you moving?

A lot will depend where you (two) will get jobs.
Some people would recommend not buying a two bedroom home (resale reasons).
There is some sort of train service in Southern California (Google Metrolink)

Use one of the many internet real estate databases (your husband is a computer engineer, I'm sure he can help you out) to get a feel of what costs what.

Check out this for an idea of school performance:

California School Performance Maps

[elousv]

I think in that price range you are talking condo. There are some that come up in Plum Canyon which are pretty new in that price range when I just checked on realtor. I have never felt unsafe in this whole area. That website Charles pointed out is very good at showing school scores and IMO, the general overall quality of life issues surrounding those schools. There are a couple of Metrolink train stations and plenty of bus routes. Traffic can be a PITA for sure.

[dirivera]

I live in Puerto Rico, so this will be the biggest adventure of my life, but I will do it for my baby. Here in PR services are really bad. Recently I met a woman that is an autism specialist and educational advocate, plus is mother of an adult autistic. She lives in Santa Clarita, and she told me about the great services system in California. I googled and found that it's true and Santa Clarita schools are great. I was looking for real estate websites and I found very nice homes but all no less than 500k !!! I'm really worried about that because we can afford just a $1500-$2000 monthly rent or mortgage payment. We both speak english, not perfectly but we understand it very well so I think that it's not going to be an obstacle. Well, thanks for your response.

[Drowningintherain2]

Originally Posted by dirivera

I live in Puerto Rico, so this will be the biggest adventure of my life, but I will do it for my baby. Here in PR services are really bad. Recently I met a woman that is an autism specialist and educational advocate, plus is mother of an adult autistic. She lives in Santa Clarita, and she told me about the great services system in California. I googled and found that it's true and Santa Clarita schools are great. I was looking for real estate websites and I found very nice homes but all no less than 500k !!! I'm really worried about that because we can afford just a $1500-$2000 monthly rent or mortgage payment. We both speak english, not perfectly but we understand it very well so I think that it's not going to be an obstacle. Well, thanks for your response.

I have a child with autism as well and I have done a lot of research and found that Santa Clarita does have a good reputation in regards to services for autism. It is one of the areas we are considering when we move to Southern California. I'm not sure if we'll end up there though, as where we live will depend on where we work. We'll both be nurses so we'll have some choice over where we get jobs. I think you and your husband should get jobs first. Santa Clarita is alright but if you work somewhere far away I'd look somewhere else. From what I've seen you could rent a townhouse with that rental budget.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by dirivera

Recently I met a woman that is an autism specialist and educational advocate, plus is mother of an adult autistic. She lives in Santa Clarita, and she told me about the great services system in California. I googled and found that it's true and Santa Clarita schools are great. I was looking for real estate websites and I found very nice homes but all no less than 500k !!! I'm really worried about that because we can afford just a $1500-$2000 monthly rent or mortgage payment.

There have got to be other places in the US (the world?) which have this excellent medical care and schools and jobs and don't cost $300/sqft.

Autism Message Boards: Viewing forum: Best and Worst States for Autism Services

Which state has the best care for autism? - Yahoo! Answers

Autism Information -Best places to live

Best US States for Insurance/State benefits? - Autism Speaks, Community, Message Boards

[stephenslave]

Santa Clarita is a nice area, but be ready for the long hot summer, kids. Get a place with a swimming pool if you can afford it.

[Drowningintherain2]

Originally Posted by Charles

There have got to be other places in the US (the world?) which have this excellent medical care and schools and jobs and don't cost $300/sqft.

Autism Message Boards: Viewing forum: Best and Worst States for Autism Services

Which state has the best care for autism? - Yahoo! Answers

Autism Information -Best places to live

Best US States for Insurance/State benefits? - Autism Speaks, Community, Message Boards

This is true. I have known people that have moved to Minnesota and New Jersey because of the services that they provide for children on the autism spectrum. I don't think New Jersey is any cheaper than California but Minnesota is

[ebuch]

Originally Posted by Drowningintherain2

This is true. I have known people that have moved to Minnesota and New Jersey because of the services that they provide for children on the autism spectrum. I don't think New Jersey is any cheaper than California but Minnesota is

Real estate definitely is cheaper, property taxes are definitely higher though.

[marimari123]

Hi,

At your price range, you'll likely be able to find a 2-3 bedroom condo or townhouse in Canyon Country or Saugus. Both Canyon Country and Saugus are established and older neighborhoods. The newer homes in your price range would likely be in the Plum Canyon area of Saugus (as mentioned by a previous poster). My cousin lives in a townhome there and he really loves it. It's very new and clean, gated, and with a little clubhouse for entertaining. Lots of young families in the area.

Try looking on Homes for Sale, MLS Listings Search, Real Estate Agents -- ZipRealty and you'll see that there are quite a few homes in your price range. The neighborhoods of Santa Clarita are called Canyon Country (includes Sand Canyon), Saugus, Valencia, Castaic, Stevenson Ranch, Newhall, and of course Santa Clarita.

Another option would be renting a place. That might actually work out better for you since you'll be new to the area. It'll give you a good chance to figure out which neighborhoods suit you. We rented our first house in Santa Clarita from SCREM (Southern California Real Estate). It's a local property management company and it was definitely a good experience. We never dealt with the homeowner and the screm folks were pretty good about repairs and things like that.

With the real estate market the way it is, there are quite a few short sales, foreclosures, and rentals available. Shouldn't be too hard to find a place. There is a local subway called metrolink which links Santa Clarita to the rest of LA. There are also buses that run local within santa clarita and buses that connect to other parts of LA.

Good luck to you.

mari