Camarillo, T.O., Agoura Hills, or Calabasas? (Los Angeles, Thousand Oaks: real estate, low crime)

[jason_k_ca]

We (me, my wife, and my 3-month-old daughter) are looking to relocate from the SF Bay Area (Milpitas) to southern CA in 2012 to be closer to family, my in-laws live in Van Nuys. We are looking to buy a 2000 sf+ SFR in the $450-550K range (we could probably stretch to $600K).

I'm an IT analyst who works from home and my wife is a SAHM so commuting is not really an issue, although we would like to be within a reasonable distance of Van Nuys. We are looking at Camarillo, T.O., Agoura Hills, and Calabasas. What are your opinions of these communities, and is the price premium for Calabasas worth it? Any ideas for other communities to look at?

Thanks in advance!

-Jason

[HSP1161]

They each have their strengths and weaknesses.

For one, they are listed from mild weather to extreme, particularly in the Summer. Does that matter? Your daughter is 3 months, but you're talking about buying which is a long term decision. Do schools matter? What type of neighborhood are you after? Is being close to the beach a priority for you?

Van Nuys can be tough to access from the Conejo valley - when would you be commuting there? How often? Is family closer to the 101 or the 118?

[jason_k_ca]

Schools are important to us, we're looking at public or magnet schools as options (my wife and I both went to magnet schools). Being close to the beach is not a big priority, nor is nightlife. We enjoy hiking, but from what we've seen online it looks like all the communities mentioned have easy access to hiking trails.

We would like to live in a walking-friendly community. We also like live theater, not sure how the theater scene is in Conejo Valley (it's pretty sparse in downtown LA based on what we've seen).

We're thinking that we would visit family (or they would visit us) several times a week, since we have flexible schedules we/they could travel outside of rush hour traffic. They live about 2 miles north of the 101. Google Maps says it's a 45 minute trip from Camarillo down to a 20 minute trip from Calabasas (non rush hour of course), not sure how realistic that is.

[Charles]

Here's a useful thread I started with all sorts of tools.

Useful Househunting tools

I would start here

California School Performance Maps

and here

Real Estate Search | Redfin

Biggest difference is Camarillo won't be really hot in summer like Calabasas (east) can be. Calabasas west (around Las Virgenes), Agoura Hills, and TO aren't as hot but they're hotter than Camarillo. Camarillo might have the best weather in the world - no AC needed.

TO has a lot of housing variety and it probably costs a bit more than Camarillo per square foot, probably because it is closer to jobs.

Demographics aren't too different between AH, Calabasas and TO.

It will probably come down to the right house on the right street vs what city you prefer.

Other places that are in that group are Oak Park and Westlake Village. And while we're throwing out other options, there is Moorpark and Simi Valley.

We used to live in Lang Ranch near Arboles and Westlake and we loved it. You can not go wrong in TO. My parents live in Calabasas and they love it and my wife's parents live in Agoura Hills and they love it.

[jason_k_ca]

Thanks for the links and the info!

Any opinions on Simi Valley? Prices are lower there, I'm guessing because it is further away from downtown.

We've also been looking at Northridge since it has a similar price profile and would be closer (mileage-wise) to family, but with traffic in the San Fernando Valley it would still be a good 20-25 minute drive, and I like the sound of the milder climate in the western Conejo Valley since it gets pretty hot in SFV.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by jason_k_ca

Thanks for the links and the info!

Any opinions on Simi Valley? Prices are lower there, I'm guessing because it is further away from downtown.

We've also been looking at Northridge since it has a similar price profile and would be closer (mileage-wise) to family, but with traffic in the San Fernando Valley it would still be a good 20-25 minute drive, and I like the sound of the milder climate in the western Conejo Valley since it gets pretty hot in SFV.

The 118 is a little bit better than the 101 for heading east - but I don't think that should be much of a factor in buying a home unless you plan on driving to Van Nuys many times per week. The 118 also has a carpool lane.

Simi has some nice parts and some OK parts. No bad parts. Most but not all of the schools are good to very good. Low crime. East access to the 118 and the 23. Probably about the same temperature as the Conejo Valley and a little cooler than the west San Fernando Valley. Can grab the metrolink to downtown if anyone ever would be working there (or in Burbank or through the SFV). If you're considering Simi also check out Moorpark which is very similar to Simi demographically. Moorpark is a little cooler than Simi. I lived in Moorpark from 1988 to 1997.

The northern side of Northridge is more desirable than the south side (south of Nordoff). Probably not cheap though.

[user_id]

From your description somewhere in the middle of the Conejo Valley would likely be ideal (Westlake Village, Agoura Hills, Oak Park). The schools are all good in this area, the community is safe, etc. In terms of plays, there is the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts center:

Thousand Oaks - About the Civic Arts Plaza

It doesn't have everything you're going to find in Los Angeles, but a lot goes on there considering the relatively small size of the community. Northridge has some great communities, but some of the adjacent areas aren't so great.

I wouldn't really recommend Simi Valley and though Camarillo is reasonable its going to be further from the San Fernando Valley and not much happens there.

[24hr7]

Agoura would be best bang for your bucks in terms of distance and quality of life. Thousand Oaks would be my second choice if you find the right house.

[jason_k_ca]

The T.O. Civic Arts Center looks pretty good, definitely not Broadway (we lived in NJ for a while so we were spoiled) but a decent live theater theater.

@user_id: Are there specific reasons you wouldn't recommend Simi Valley? It looks like both SV and Camarillo would be within a short driving distance of T.O. if we wanted some culture.

But generally it does look like it will come down to finding the right house, whether it's in SV, TO, Camarillo, or AH.

[laysayfair]

Originally Posted by user_id

From your description somewhere in the middle of the Conejo Valley would likely be ideal (Westlake Village, Agoura Hills, Oak Park). The schools are all good in this area, the community is safe, etc. In terms of plays, there is the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts center:

Thousand Oaks - About the Civic Arts Plaza

It doesn't have everything you're going to find in Los Angeles, but a lot goes on there considering the relatively small size of the community. Northridge has some great communities, but some of the adjacent areas aren't so great.

I wouldn't really recommend Simi Valley and though Camarillo is reasonable its going to be further from the San Fernando Valley and not much happens there.

I agree. TO, Westlake Village, Oak Park or Agoura are lovely, beautiful, safe and friendly. Trees and parks abound and involved parents are everywhere. Also, very dog-friendly.
The schools are very good to great. I like Westlake Village because of the lake and the ocean breezes that come through the mountains and keep it from being as warm as Calabasas and the Valley. Can't speak for Camarillo except to say it's farther and I associate it with being more cloudy and cool. Simi is very hot and less upscale but the parts near TO, like Lang Ranch, are definitely nice.