Ed

Hi Sara :-)
I grew up in former President Richard Nixon's hometown of Whittier during the 1960s and 1970s, at the height of the Beach Boys, Cream, etc., and I have now been living for nearly 20 years in the Four Seasons development off of Magnolia and McKinley, just south of the 91 Freeway, and of Corona Hills. We have a large, 4 bedroom home on a quarter acre lot, 2 community parks, a pool, a jacuzzi, a basketball court, and 2 tennis courts. We paid 167k for our house in 1989, and it's currently worth about 400k. Four Seasons is a beautiful, planned community :-) Thanks to our inexpensive homeowners association, it's as if it was still brand new, and I wouldn't trade it for the world! We've looked for a new home in Corona Hills, and in the upper scale areas of Corona and Riverside, and, for the money and value, we haven't found anything better than Four Seasons :-)
As far as crime goes, we haven't seen much, a little tagging here and there, but only once in a while. To give you an idea of how safe Corona seems to be, there was recently a car accident at Magnolia and McKinley, and 4 patrol cars showed up within about 5 minutes :-) Guess the police must be really busy out here, huh!
I'm now in my 50s, and I love the weather out here :-) July and August are a bit too hot, but the rest of the year is warm, and I can usually run about in shorts and a t-shirt, which is, of course, very comfortable, and not at all stuffy :-)
A house is not an "investment," it's a place to live, to enjoy your life, and to enjoy your family. It is a kind of savings program because, at least, you get to keep your rent money for your future retirement. Over the long term you will make money, but don't pay too much now because then it will only take longer for you to come out ahead financially. Best wishes! Ed :-) - Sat Jul 19 2008, 00:33