Santa Clarita or Palmdale? (Lancaster, Adelanto: short sales, apartments, renting)

[ironjello]

My new civilian job is on Edwards AFB.

Now, i live in pasadena right now.....so I have 4 options

A. 200 mile RT commute / day (from LA)
B. 120 mile RT commute / day (from Santa Clarita)
C. 60 mile RT commute / day (from Palmdale)

What are some good choices/locations in Palmdale and Santa Clarita? Valencia area? East or West Palmdale?

About me:
age: 20s
salary (before taxes): 70K 's
single, no family, kids (none i know of)
basically looking for a rental, 1 bedroom in a nice, safe area with lots of walking space and near shops, restaurants, etc.

unless you suggest i go buy a home now....which maybe i could but i'm afraid!!

[Charles]

While Santa Clarita is a real city with real amenities it has the reputation of being very suburban, soccer moms, minivans, etc. It isn't a swinging hotspot for singles - but it's probably better than Palmdale in just about every regard. But, that commute on the 14 everyday will suck (even though you are heading opposite of traffic).

Palmdale will probably have lower rents.

Palmdale will save you a lot of time commuting.

If you buy a home in Palmdale and the Edwards job fizzles up (and we're all watching Gates and Obama right now), then you might be stuck commuting south - that's a killer.

Tough call, I'd probably stay in Palmdale as the commute to Edwards would be too much (plus, once you get to Edwards you have to drive in and on to the base and get to your building - could be a pretty long drive right there.)

You can venture out on weekends to SC or even LA.

[CamaroGuy]

Don't buy anything though. House prices there are continuing to fall.

[NickelDime]

Originally Posted by CamaroGuy

Don't buy anything though. House prices there are continuing to fall.

Price isn't the only dimension.

I'm not a RE agent, just a 31 y/o buyer of a new home in Valencia.

I agree that values will continue to fall ... but at this point, you will get up to a $18k tax credit if you qualify as a first time buyer ($8k fed credit) and buy a new home ($10k CA state credit). If it's under $417k, you can do an FHA loan with 3.5% down. The fed credit can be used as a part of your down payment.

Plus, the builders offer 3-4% to brokers (if you know one, use him/her and have them rebate that to you tax free).

Plus, they are buying down interest rates to 4-5%, fixed for 30 years.

Plus, the builders are providing up to 6% of the purchase price in incentives for flooring and window coverings.

Plus, the builders are often landscaping the yard.

At this point, home values in areas like SCV and Lancaster/Palmdale have corrected more so than LA proper. Not saying they're not going to drop more, but you aren't buying "at the top."

And, in this market, you get SELECTION - perhaps a premium lot/location at the elevation you like.

Sure, values will fall. But if you're in for the long haul, the incentives and opportunity are truly compelling. The builders and taxpayers are PAYING YOU to buy homes (albeit at a 10-15% inflated value).

[BRinSM]

although it is certainly a long drive from santa clarita to edwards afb, the time it would take to make the drive is probably on par with the average commute in socal since you'll have a reverse commute (there may even be vanpools for you to join so you don't have to put all that wear and tear on your car). i'm sure you could make the drive in an under an hour each as long as there are no accidents on the freeway. palmdale is out in bfe and has all the negatives of suburban life in santa clarita compounded with a desert environment (hot and windy) and the much lower income bracket that tends to live up in the high desert. you couldn't pay me to live in lancaster/palmdale.

[desertdawgx]

Actually the RE market is on an upswing here in the Antelope Valley,there is only 3 months of home inventory at current sales pace exluding short sales which rarely sell anyway.The REOs are selling fast as prices are down at least 60% from the peak.We will see rising prices by summer .

[maja]

I would recommend renting in Valencia. Much, much, much nicer than Palmdale. There are some pretty nice apartments near the Town Center, where I see quite a bit of young, single activity. Why not come on the week-end and check it out?

[the city]

Santa Clarita. It's a better valley then the Antelope Valley. Although Antelope Valley has less traffic, it has more crime than Santa Clarita Valley. Antelope Valley is more diverse than Santa Clarita too.

[Flashbaak]

I live in the Antelope Valley. Santa Clarita is nicer, but more expensive, while the AV is a much easier commute. From here, EAFB is 45 minutes to one hour, depending on where in the AV you are. From the time you get on the freeway in Santa Clarita until you reach the Antelope Valley is about 30 minutes. It can take a loooong time to get to the freeway from certain places in Santa Clarita, so take that into account too.

Me, I'd rather have some time at home even if that home isn't in the most fabulous place than be driving all my life. It's all in what you value.

[vdy1985]

Why don't you consider Tehapaci, Mojave, California City, or Adelanto as well?