Cant decide Victorville or Apple Valley. Need Advice. (Bakersfield, Hesperia: apartment, rent)

[SirVaysa]

Unkllars......our limit would be somewhere in the 'neighborhood' of $220k, assuming we could go in with an offer of 10-15% under. So, realistically, I'll say into the mid to high 190's.

[booz30]

Originally Posted by SirVaysa

Unkllars......our limit would be somewhere in the 'neighborhood' of $220k, assuming we could go in with an offer of 10-15% under. So, realistically, I'll say into the mid to high 190's.

I HAVE A PREFECT SPOT FOR YOU TRY HWY 395 ON SYCAMORE THATS BETWEEN BEAR VALLEY AND MAIN STREET IN VICTORVILLE STANDARD PACIFIC HOMES BUILDERS ARE OFFERING 60000 OFF THE PRICE SO YOU CAN GET A 2700 SQUARE FT HOUSE FOR AROUND 240K MUST SIGN A CONTACT STATING YOU WILL NOT RENT YOUR HOME FOR AT LEAST 2 YEARS THATS GREAT SO YOU WILL NOT SEE ANY RENTERS IN THIS AREA NO SECTION 8 CRAP DO NOT GO TO ADELANTO NOTHING BUT RENTERS ALL AROUND THERE

[SirVaysa]

Thanks Booz. I'll research that contractor's reputation and try to find a website.
Bob

[Unkllars]

100K to put down is awesome, but you might want to hold onto some of that for cash reserves. Talk to Bank of America, but know that builders have their own lenders too and will offer more incentives to you if you use them. Just meet with them and then say you're uncomfortable with that one. They should comply as it is not in your interest to have a bad home buying experience. That's what I'm dealing with on a brand new condo, we met with their lender and we were all very uncomfortable. We do want you to get as many incentives as possible though.

As for the water, the city of Victorville is funny. They will send out quality water reports to you so you know how the water ranks. Keep in mind that VV is desert, so water conservation is big. The city will actually pay you to have water friendly landscaping put in if you didn't already, but new homes know that and build accordingly. Wind is NW of SE (that could be WNW or SEE, but I don't know my 3 unit wind directions that well :-)

[MOD CUT] Also, be sure to look at my thread on the forum about increased loan limits. It shouldn't affect you since you'll be under the old limit with such a large down payment anyway, but just to keep informed.

[Unkllars]

Saw some homes under $200K in VV this weekend. The builders want them sold!!!

[Desertrose34]

Yeah there are alot of nice homes to choose from. My advice is to check realtor.com. See what is in your range, then go check out the areas. For some reason some of these bad areas with newer homes are selling for just as much as the better areas with newer homes. Go figure.

New Home Site

[SirVaysa]

[SIZE=2]Thank you all for your input. I appreciate it. I understand the need to conserve water out there. We even do it now here in Florida too. I constructed a rain barrel collection system and can store ~100 gallons of water. I love landscaping and just need to study what grows there. My favorite dry-clime plant/bush is Bougainvillea so I'll definitely use that, along with cacti and ????? ! Donn..........very reassuring about 'lurking crime' !!! I like your candor. Unkllars.........good info on the water situation. Does your irrigation water run through a separate meter ? MOD........thank you for the scoop on your link on loan limits. We probably will hold back and put ~70-80k down. We'll be in town on the 8th of April........it's exciting and daunting at the same time. But I feel like I'm coming 'home'. I was born in Monterey and our son was born in Redding.[/SIZE]
Til next time.................

[Unkllars]

Water should all me on one meter. I could ask if they have special circumstances, but water used is water used most of the time. You were born in Monterey? I was born and raised in Hollister if you remember the area. About 45 min. Northeast of Monterey. I still have a place in my heart for the Central Coast of California.

[SirVaysa]

Yes, Monterey, in '46, but moved to Ohio when I was very young. Spent a year and a half in Redding and 3 years in San Diego. I did visit Monterey while in the Navy (San Diego). I plan to go back more frequently now that we'll be in relative close proximity (compared to FLORIDA, that is !!) I want to play one round of golf at Pebble Beach !
BTW, how many golf courses are there in the Victor Valley area ?
Regarding the water meter..........some homes here are equipped with a 2nd meter for irrigating with city/county water (a bit less expensive) but many places, like ours, have a well and pump for irrigating. I realize that that is not a possibility in the high desert !
P.S. Compass points: WNW means the westerly side of NW (versus the northerly side, which would be NNW) and ESE means the easterly side of SE (versus the southern side, which would be SSE). You were close ! LOL So, in other words, the wind comes at you from either of the two, extreme, 180 degree directions ? So is it better to have your house face the north or northeast then ?

[Unkllars]

I think there are about 6-7 country clubs, but I'm not an avid golfer. I can slice a golf ball better than I can slice bread. If you wanna play Pebble Beach, you might as well take I-15 South to the 56, then warm up your game on a handful of courses within miles of eachother before arriving at Torrey Pines La Jolla. That'll prepare you for Pebble Beach.
As for house coordinates, I think your home should point toward the NWNE (Northwesternly side of Northeast). I would say having your home face North would be nice, but it depends on where your master bedroom is. If you're a morning person, then have your bedroom on the East. That seems more pertinent to me than just the wind, though the wind is significant. Who's taking you around to your places? Make sure you get a great deal ok?!