I had a client recently tell me she did this and I thought it was a great idea. She was moving up to Westlake Village for her job transfer in Thousand Oaks. She was coming from 60 miles south and knew little about the area other than what she had read online and seen driving through neighborhoods. She knew no one here and the only local info she got was anecdotally from people standing in line at Starbucks.
Her husband had to stay down south to finish up his job and to take care of their dogs. She decided there was no way she was going to make that commute 5 days a week through LA. traffic and she and her husband weren’t quite ready to buy knowing little about the area. Instead she decided to stay in short term rentals during the week in several different neighborhoods to get to know the area.
Why not just lease a house to get to know the area?
Many people in this same situation decide to rent for a year to get more acclimated to the area. While that may seem like an obvious and logical decision, it’s often very costly too.
Rents are expensive in the Conejo Valley. Single family homes start at about $4k a month and that will probably get you an average home in a mediocre neighborhood. After the lease is up, there’s a high probability that both home prices and interest rates have gone up too. By the time it’s all done, it can easily cost you over $100k to check out one neighborhood for a year prior to buying.
A better solution may be short term Airbnb rentals. In case you’re one of the few not yet familiar with Airbnb, it’s basically a website that allows private home owners the ability to list their home as a short term rental. Most people use Airbnb for vacation travel and I’ve certainly done my fair share of that, but this was the first time I had ever heard of someone using it as way to get to know a neighborhood prior to making a home buying decision.
Is Airbnb a good option for you?
When I meet a new relocation buyer for the first time, after our initial consultation, we go out and see several homes and neighborhoods that meet their criteria. The Conejo Valley isn’t geographically huge and typically by the end of the tour, most people are able to rule out many areas and hone in on several possibilities.
You may feel comfortable at that point based on both your own research and the insights I provide to make a decision when the right home comes up. However occasionally some people feel torn at that point and aren’t quite ready to make a permanent decision over the next couple of months.
If that sounds like you, I suggest the next meeting we have is to discuss potential short term Airbnb rentals. You’ll definitely need local knowledge. As much as I’m a fan of Airbnb, I know from experience that you can’t always trust the reviews. Often people feel bad writing a negative a review since they just stayed in someone’s private residence and had personal contact with the owner versus staying in a corporate hotel. You’ll want someone to help weed through the reviews and guide you to a few options that may make sense.
Take a few areas for a test drive
Decide on your time frame and budget and go experience a neighborhood in Westlake Village where you can take a walk around the lake and spend an afternoon at the Stonehaus Winery. Check out a neighborhood in Oak Park and go for a hike on one of the many trails and take your kids to the Oak Canyon splash park. Spend some time in Agoura Hills and have lunch at Ladyface Alehouse & Brasserie and take a drive through the canyon to Malibu.
After experiencing the Conejo Valley yourself, it won’t take long for you get familiar and feel comfortable making a more permanent home buying decision. You’ll realize that while the Conejo Valley may seem like a vast area with many options, we’re actually a series of small towns that are close to one another and share each other’s amenities. All 5 towns are within minutes of each other and traffic is rarely an issue.
No matter where you end up, you’ll be able to enjoy all the best the Conejo Valley has to offer. But if don’t want to take my word for it, rent an Airbnb and experience the area for yourself!
Need help? Contact me!
