Looking For a House - LA or OC (Los Angeles, Long Beach: renting, employment)

[JZW_Pinay]

Hello, this is my first time here in this kind of forum. My husband and I have a 3-year-old and a 5-month-old sons. We are currently looking for a house (for purchase). We need help for really nice, safe and affordable neighborhoods. My job is very flexible, can always relocate.

Below is the list of our criteria:

1. SAFE and SECURE (for our growing children)
2. Within 350,000$ to 380,000$ SINGLE-FAMILY Home with decent-sized yard (3-4 bedrooms 2 baths)
3. Good elementary school districts and private middle schools/high schools
4. Close to parks
5. Very minimal or, if possible, no gang activity...

***Our children are our priority.**

Please also feedback on Lake Balboa, Encino, Valley Glen, Cypress, Buena Park, Fullerton, Artesia. Thank you so much!

[Charles]

Originally Posted by JZW_Pinay

My job is very flexible, can always relocate.

What exactly does this mean? If you don't like the place you pick on this (first) time, you can sell and move again (realizing it costs 8%-10% of the home price to move to due realtor costs another moving expenses)? Or, does it mean the location of your job is irrelevant (as if you work from home)? It is very important that we know more about job location.

A lot of people think home prices in Southern California still have a ways to fall, especially in the more expensive areas. Is renting for a year suitable for you? (This idea may really fit with your employment scenario too.)

I created a thread with many useful house hunting tools (check out the school performance maps):

Useful Househunting tools

Interesting you wrote good public elementary and good private middle and high school. Why is that? Would you still pick private over public if the public middle and high schools were really good?

Lake Balboa and Encino are zoned to Los Angeles Unified Schools. Some are good and some are not good. Housing will be in your price range in parts of Lake Balboa; less likely in Encino but perhaps it will. Use the tool referenced above and Great Schools - Public and Private School Ratings, Reviews and Parent Community to get more detailed information including other parents' comments.

[JZW_Pinay]

Charles, Thank you so much for your reply. I'm an occupational therapist by profession and my employer has various facilities all over SoCAL. But I would like to live in or close to LA County. My employer has facilities in SF Valley, Metro LA, Cerritos, Norwalk, Long Beach, Artesia, Whittier, San Gabriel Valley area. I would send my kids to GOOD public schools. Private school is our second choice.