CA’s Worst, Best Cities For First-Time Homebuyers

CALIFORNIA — So how likely are first-time homebuyers to buy their first house in California? Well, it all comes down to location, according to a new report from WalletHub.

In California, 81 total towns were considered the most and least out-of-reach for first-timers, WalletHub reports.

The study compared 300 cities of different sizes across the U.S. and evaluated 22 indicators, including market attractiveness, affordability and quality of life. Data from these cities range from the cost of living to real-estate taxes to property-crime rate.

See where CA ranked:

• No. 56: Roseville
• No. 78: Elk Grove
• No. 87: Visalia
• No. 101: Clovia
• No. 106: Temecula
• No. 112: Vacaville
• No. 120: Victorville
• No. 151: Murrieta
• No. 159: Modesto
• No. 162: Moreno Valley
• No. 163: Sacramento
• No. 164: Fontana
• No. 168: Corona
• No. 169: Antioch
• No. 170: Palmdale
• No. 174: Lancaster
• No. 175: Fairfield
• No. 176: Irvine
• No. 177: Ontario
• No. 180: Bakersfield
• No. 183: Santa Clarita
• No. 185: Rialto
• No. 186: Rancho Cucamonga
• No. 189: Santa Maria
• No. 194: Mission Viejo
• No. 195: Riverside
• No. 197: Simi Valley
• No. 200: Fresno
• No. 203: Chico
• No. 212: Carson
• No. 217: Pomona
• No. 219: Norwalk
• No. 220: Vallejo
• No. 221: West Covina
• No. 224: Santa Rosa
• No. 226: Orange
• No. 227: Oxnard
• No. 231: Chula Vista
• No. 236: Hayward
• No. 237: Concord
• No. 239: Downey
• No. 240: San Bernardino
• No. 242: Carlsbad
• No. 243: Thousand Oaks
• No. 248: Oceanside
• No. 250: Fullerton
• No. 251: Escondido
• No. 256: Fremont
• No. 257: Ventura
• No. 258: Santa Ana
• No. 259: Vista
• No. 261: Anaheim
• No. 263: Stockton
• No. 265: Garden Grove
• No. 266: Huntington Beach
• No. 267: San Diego
• No. 270: South Gate
• No. 271: Compton
• No. 272: El Cajon
• No. 273: Torrance
• No. 274: Richmond
• No. 275: Costa Mesa
• No. 276: San Jose
• No. 277: Salinas
• No. 278: Sunnyvale
• No. 280: El Monte
• No. 281: Westminster
• No. 283: Inglewood
• No. 285: Long Beach
• No. 287: Pasadena
• No. 289: Santa Clara
• No. 290: Daly City
• No. 292: Burbank
• No. 293: Glendale
• No. 294: Santa Barbara,
• No. 295: San Mateo
• No. 296: Los Angeles
• No. 297: Santa Monica
• No. 298: San Francisco
• No. 299: Oakland
• No. 300: Berkeley

Santa Monica is the fourth-worst affordable place for first-time homebuyers, ranking just below Los Angeles. But that's not the only California city where the real estate market might not favor a buyer on a budget. The overall least affordable cities for first-time buyers in the U.S. were Berkeley, followed by Oakland, San Francisco and Santa Monica.

Roseville was ranked No. 56 — the only California city in the top 60 cities dubbed best towns for first-time home buyers. It's followed by Elk Grove, which ranked at No. 78, then Visalia at No. 87 and Clovis at No. 101. Temecula ranked at No. 106, followed by Vacaville at No. 112 and Victorville at No. 120.

So, what are the most favorable housing markets?

First-time buyers might want to consider looking to Arizona or Virginia. Here are some of the most affordable places for new homeowners:

1. Chesapeake, VA
2. Gilbert, AZ
3. Lincoln, NE
4. Cape Coral, FL
5. Boise, ID
6. Hampton, VA
7. Peoria, AZ
8. Virginia Beach, VA
9. Norfolk, VA
10. Surprise, AZ

In 2020, first-time, single-family home buyers made up about 40% of the market in the U.S. And, 14% more people became first-time buyers in 2020.

A variety of factors could influence people's decisions to buy, but one notable reason could be due to interest rates decreasing in the pandemic.

See the WalletHub report.

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