Wanting to move to CA: Thousand Oaks, Westlake Village, Newbury Park. Reviews? (Los Angeles: real estate, to rent)

[maccupiccu9]

Hi, I'm from Chicago and we cannot stand the winters here anymore. The more we look at CA after visiting a firend, the more we realize we want to live the second half of our lives somewhere warmer and more outdoors things to do.

I've been looking on various real estate sites and was suprised that the Thousand Oaks, Westlake Village, Newbury Park not only had the most jobs for me, but was also pretty affordable. Am I seeing crazy things? We were seeing modest sized, 3-4 bedroom homes for $400-500k. The taxes I'm a little lost on since most of them had improvements done meaning they got a tax break and are paying anywhere from $3-6k. Is that true or are they really paying $10k on those homes?

Also, what is the difference between Thousand Oaks, Westlake Village, and Newbury Park? It seems that Newbury is the cheapest (I found some homes in the upper $300k that seemed ok). We have a 2 year old and are looking for good schools/safe neighborhood.

Currently we are in Palos Hills, IL. It's not great but it's pretty safe/decent schools. It's no Orland Park/Palos Park but it's affordable ($230k home, $6k taxes (yes they are assessed wrong/high), 40 min from downtown.

We're hoping I can find a job in the high $70s-90ks out in CA, Thousand Oaks area. We are thinking perhaps combined income would be $100-120k. Could we do it in CA? We've never lived anywhere but SW burbs of Chicago.

Thanks. Any insight would help. Oh for jobs, I'm a web content manager/copywriter specifically in financial services and healthcare but can/will do corporate, advertising, b2b, etc.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by maccupiccu9

Hi, I'm from Chicago and we cannot stand the winters here anymore. The more we look at CA after visiting a firend, the more we realize we want to live the second half of our lives somewhere warmer and more outdoors things to do.

I've been looking on various real estate sites and was suprised that the Thousand Oaks, Westlake Village, Newbury Park not only had the most jobs for me, but was also pretty affordable. Am I seeing crazy things? We were seeing modest sized, 3-4 bedroom homes for $400-500k. The taxes I'm a little lost on since most of them had improvements done meaning they got a tax break and are paying anywhere from $3-6k. Is that true or are they really paying $10k on those homes?

Also, what is the difference between Thousand Oaks, Westlake Village, and Newbury Park? It seems that Newbury is the cheapest (I found some homes in the upper $300k that seemed ok). We have a 2 year old and are looking for good schools/safe neighborhood.

Currently we are in Palos Hills, IL. It's not great but it's pretty safe/decent schools. It's no Orland Park/Palos Park but it's affordable ($230k home, $6k taxes (yes they are assessed wrong/high), 40 min from downtown.

We're hoping I can find a job in the high $70s-90ks out in CA, Thousand Oaks area. We are thinking perhaps combined income would be $100-120k. Could we do it in CA? We've never lived anywhere but SW burbs of Chicago.

Thanks. Any insight would help. Oh for jobs, I'm a web content manager/copywriter specifically in financial services and healthcare but can/will do corporate, advertising, b2b, etc.

Why would you want to leave Chicago? You have the bulls, bears, cubs, etc and best of all you have real, not fake people and you have four seasons. Why would anyone want to move to somewhere that it is alwasy 65-85 degrees year round and sunny? Besides, everyone knows every person in Southern California is fake.

Property taxes are around 1.2% - 1.5% after you factor in all the bonds and mello roos and things like that. So a $500K home will probably have property taxes around $6K-$7K.

Westlake Village is in Los Angeles County and it is that part of the community around Westlake Lake that is in LA County. That part of Westlake Lake community that is in Ventura County is Thousand Oaks. In that sense there is not much difference between those two parts of the that community though the schools and services will be different - the quality is the same (Las Virgenes School District or Conejo School District).

Newbury Park is a part of Thousand Oaks with a mix of newer and older homes. Conejo Schools. TO is pretty big so there are all sorts of different neighborhoods: Dos Vientoes, Lang Ranch, Wildwood, the area around Westlake, Sunset Hills, older Newbury Park to name a few.

Everything depends on if you find a job.

Bottom line: Thousand Oaks (and the surrounding Conejo Valley) are outstanding places to live for people with kids.

[DowntownVentura]

Your numbers seem about right. have you considered renting the first 6 months or so to see what neighborhoods work best for you? There are no horrible areas of Thousand Oaks but there are some that are better than others, naturally.

Many years ago, there was an unincorporated area that straddled the LA and Ventura county line called "Westlake Village". The Ventura County side was merged into Thousand Oaks. The LA County side became its own city. The LA County side is the official Westlake Village but the Ventura part is generally called Westlake Village as well.

Newbury Park is the western side of Thousand Oaks.

The Newbury Park side is generally a little cooler in the summer due to some ocean breezes than the Westlake Village side of Thousand Oaks. (user_id already has argued with me on this point and I expect he will again, I won't respond to that argument) The commute on toward Los Angeles is much easier from the Westlake Village side. Coincidentally, it is about 40 miles to downtown LA.

However, if commuting to downtown Los Angeles, Simi Valley and Moorpark may offer better options as there is a commuter train that runs to downtown. both these cites offer good commuting distance to Thousand Oaks too. Moorpark, particularly the southwest end, are a bit cooler than Simi due to the ocean breezes.

The schools in all these areas are going to be good.

[maccupiccu9]

Thanks?

Why do I want to move from Chicago?
1. racism/sexism (go to the SW side--you'll see)
2. 4 seasons? No we have 2--summer--winter. Nov-early June SUCKS here
3. sports--don't care. DH loves an out of state team. I could care less
4. $500k home = $6/7k taxes? I'm living in a $230k home in P.H. and paying over $6k. WTH?
5. I have no family left here after parents die (and that's coming soon)
6. DH LOVES the ocean.
7. 40 years here
8. 16 years of applying to the same companies over and over. Kind of tapped out.

I would be very open to renting the first 6 months. DH hates renting but I think we should do it to be sure. TO is just a guess for jobs since we have a sister company out there so that would be my first choice. I saw BOA was out there, that is a possiblitiy as well as pharma copywriting (although not my first love) and there is Amgen and Baxter. However, for web, I know I need to be also close to L.A. since one never can expect to stay at a job forever so I want to live somewhere close between TO and L.A. Big city living is definately not for me so I'm fine with a burb. Kids change your priority and expectations.

The average home we are looking for based on price, is similar to what we have. Three bedroom, about $1,600 sqft (no less than 1,200) and a decent sized yard since we LOVE the outdoors. Currently we have one child and may add another but one never knows so 3 bed is just fine. All I want is safe/good schools. I'm not looking to live in a burb that is like Justice out there. More like P.H. but prefer something more similar to Orland/Palos Park. I've seen/heard that TO can be mega expensive but it also seems that's for people who want the really big, $750k home and quite frankly, I don't want a mega big home. I can barely keep up with what I have.

Does CA expect the market to stay pretty much the same in the next 5 years? I know that is a lifetime in real estate. I just worry about moving out there in 5 years and the market prices jump. We can't move right now but in less than 5 years we hope to (can't leave with my parents really sick). But if the prices go back up over $500k, then we can't afford the homes.

Thanks for the insight. Here's hoping. I'm sick of 30 degrees in April.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by maccupiccu9

Thanks?

Why do I want to move from Chicago?
1. racism/sexism (go to the SW side--you'll see)
2. 4 seasons? No we have 2--summer--winter. Nov-early June SUCKS here
3. sports--don't care. DH loves an out of state team. I could care less
4. $500k home = $6/7k taxes? I'm living in a $230k home in P.H. and paying over $6k. WTH?
5. I have no family left here after parents die (and that's coming soon)
6. DH LOVES the ocean.
7. 40 years here
8. 16 years of applying to the same companies over and over. Kind of tapped out.

I would be very open to renting the first 6 months. DH hates renting but I think we should do it to be sure. TO is just a guess for jobs since we have a sister company out there so that would be my first choice. I saw BOA was out there, that is a possiblitiy as well as pharma copywriting (although not my first love) and there is Amgen and Baxter. However, for web, I know I need to be also close to L.A. since one never can expect to stay at a job forever so I want to live somewhere close between TO and L.A. Big city living is definately not for me so I'm fine with a burb. Kids change your priority and expectations.

The average home we are looking for based on price, is similar to what we have. Three bedroom, about $1,600 sqft (no less than 1,200) and a decent sized yard since we LOVE the outdoors. Currently we have one child and may add another but one never knows so 3 bed is just fine. All I want is safe/good schools. I'm not looking to live in a burb that is like Justice out there. More like P.H. but prefer something more similar to Orland/Palos Park. I've seen/heard that TO can be mega expensive but it also seems that's for people who want the really big, $750k home and quite frankly, I don't want a mega big home. I can barely keep up with what I have.

Does CA expect the market to stay pretty much the same in the next 5 years? I know that is a lifetime in real estate. I just worry about moving out there in 5 years and the market prices jump. We can't move right now but in less than 5 years we hope to (can't leave with my parents really sick). But if the prices go back up over $500k, then we can't afford the homes.

Thanks for the insight. Here's hoping. I'm sick of 30 degrees in April.

http://www.city-data.com/forum/chica...e-chicago.html
http://www.city-data.com/forum/chica...t-chicago.html
http://www.city-data.com/forum/chica...e-chicago.html
http://www.city-data.com/forum/chica...e-chicago.html
http://www.city-data.com/forum/chica...s-chicago.html
http://www.city-data.com/forum/chica...t-chicago.html

[maccupiccu9]

Yea I'm sure some love it here. 40 years for me, I'm just done. I'm more of a summer/outdoors baby. If Chicago had summer weather all year around, I would stay. But I'm just done, done, done.

For fake, yea I heard about that. Not to thrilled about that idea but hopefully I can stick to the San Fran thinking web/environment crowd instead of the L.A. Hollywood crowd.

Charles are you from Chicago?

[DowntownVentura]

Charles was being facetious with his comment

Why would you want to leave Chicago? You have the bulls, bears, cubs, etc and best of all you have real, not fake people and you have four seasons. Why would anyone want to move to somewhere that it is alwasy 65-85 degrees year round and sunny? Besides, everyone knows every person in Southern California is fake.

The "fake people" is something we hear a lot from people that have not been to Los Angeles.

[user_id]

You are seeing things correct, you can get modest homes around here in the $400k~$500k range. Personally, I find them overpriced, and they are still coming down in price. Another reason why renting for a bit is preferable.

In terms of Newbury Park, Thousand Oaks and Westlake Village. Generally speaking the Conejo Valley gets more wealthy as you move away from Newbury Park. Although safe, Newbury Park is home to most businesses and lower-income housing in Thousand Oaks. In that sense, you're likely to find the cheapest homes in Newbury Park and the more expensive homes in Westlake Village.

Don't forget to look in Oak Park, Agoura Hills and the Conejo Valley part of Calabasas.

[VLWH]

Originally Posted by maccupiccu9

Thanks?

6. DH LOVES the ocean.

Then whatcha waiting for? Pack up and get down here.

[LadyKLO]

Come on down....like he said, you will love it here. I think you'll be able to get those incomes easily I would imagine. House prices are steadily declining which is a good thing for some. Renting would be good until you all can find what you like!