There is no commute and I earn money and work from home.

The thing is that i spend A LOT of time at home, pretty much all my time.. so I feel like a house is better for my mental health. I would have room for a home gym... space to walk around and outdoors space so I can sit on the patio on my laptop and work outside while getting fresh air all day long.

I also like the beach A LOT though however. I found a condo in the south bay area, its 5 miles from the peach, its 645k, but the HOA is $560.... the total payment is $4600. I just find that very high for 1200 sq feet with just 1 br and 1 office... its cute and does have a patio but the patio has no privacy as there are neighbors on both sides.

If i lived in SC I would never go to the beach tbh because I don't enjoy driving, driving freeways etc.... but I would have more space. If I got the condo I would go to the beach often because I don't have to drive freeways, its just one road down to the beach but I would feel like I am getting rinsed paying $4600 and only getting a condo.

Which one would you chose? Another factor is weather. I know Santa Clarita gets very, very hot during the summer and that scares me. I know SC is suburban and that's ok because I do not enjoy nightlife at all... and they have paseos which is good for walking etc.

I can't decide what is better for my mental health. I feel like the ocean is calming ... and going on walks on the ocean trails in Rancho Palos Verdes would be amazing but the condo itself is a bit dark tbh without enough natural lighting... The condo is not even in RPV btw but in a neighboring city but like a min away. In SC the house would have more windows, more space etc but no ocean.

****** PEOPLE KEEP ASKING ME WHY I PICKED THESE 2 AREAS

SC BECAUSE ITS THE ONLY PLACE WHERE I CAN AFFORD A SFH!!!! THERE ARE NO OTHER AREAS WHERE I CAN GET A SFH FOR MAYBE 720K IN A SUPER SAFE NEIGHBORHOOD.

The houses in SFV in that price range are sketchy. I want to be as safe as humanly possible, That's why. I don't need fun or exciting. Boring is ok, safety is #1!!!!!

There are zero houses in South Bay for 700k. Also, I sort of started reading about the cancer risks of living near oil refineries... studies show that you have an increased risk if you live within 10 miles of one and there's a bunch in the SB. I don't feel thats safe either.

Its either SC or something like Chino Hills or Corona. EVERYTHING ELSE IS UNAFFORDABLE IN TERMS OF A SFH OR IN A SKETCHY NEIGHBORHOOD WHERE I DONT FEEL SAFE!

I would feel safer in SC vs Van Nuys etc... Many of the affordable SFV areas are sketchy to me as someone living alone. What appeals to me about SC is that its very safe and family oriented. I don't want a family but I want to feel safe and its a very low crime city.

SUBURBS - Many people are asking if I have lived in a suburb... for DECADES in Orange County. I would LOVE to live in a SAFE suburb lik Irvine but its too expensive. I feel SAFER in suburbs with families and don't necessarily want to be around other singles. I don't enjoy going out. i care about SAFETY and suburbs like Irvine, SC are very safe and are closed at 9PM... and i like that. My energy is not compatible with people who want to go out/party/ etc

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