What are some towns in California where you can still buy a house for less than 300,000 dollars?
I'm looking to move to California because I could really use the sunshine right now, but every house is far too expensive. My budget isn't small exactly, but I still can't justify buying a house over 300 grand the first time I move to west coast. I don't really care where I end up in California as long as the weather will still be nice. Are there any towns or places anyone can reccommend where I can find s reasonable selection of houses for under $300,000?
Answers ( 2 )
It's a sad fact of life that if you want to live there, so do a lot of other people; and property values are driven by demand. As much as I hate the Invisible Hand concept, I have to admit that, without it, everyone would live in California, Hawaii, Florida and Vancouver. Which would have the same effect, I suppose. If all you need is warmth and sunshine, you might consider SW Florida, where the real estate values are still reeling from the 2008 sub-prime loan crisis.
I'm not savvy to all the regional home prices, but in Southern California, there are just a few places with home prices under $400K, many of them may be fixer-uppers in the more desirable areas. But if you look at Fresno, Lancaster, Sacramento, San Bernardino, you'll find a median home price around $300K. That's not to say they are ideal areas, so I'd strongly suggest not considering a purchase until you can physically visit the areas. I'd advise that some of these areas might not be right for you except for them being affordable, so I give the city names, but I'd also look to surrounding areas, and do a little research on the areas themselves. But until you know any better, I'd look to renting or an extended stay residence for at least 3 to 6 months and go exploring, see what suits you.
California isn't the only state with sunshine, you might want to look at Arizona - Gilbert and areas outside of Phoenix; New Mexico - Albuquerque, or Texas as well - Austin's a pretty popular area, so are Dallas/Ft. Worth.
https://www.zillow.com/fresno-ca/home-values/
https://www.zillow.com/lancaster-ca/home-values/
https://www.zillow.com/sacramento-ca/home-values
/https://www.zillow.com/san-bernardino-ca/home-values/