Seeking Input from Bakersfield/Lancaster/Palmdale Area BP'ers

[Nick G.]

Hey fellow BP'ers, I've been spending more and more time trying to learn about the above-mentioned areas. I live in the wonderful-but-insanely-expensive Ventura County area (just bought a 3+2.5 1367sqft last year for $425,000,) and while I'm a big believer in the long-term investment value of my area (said place is now worth around $515,000,) I'm looking to explore other areas with a lower barrier to entry so where I could potentially buy more property that isn't as reliant on long-term appreciation to grow my portfolio.

My area is unparalleled for decade-over-decade appreciation, but accordingly is pretty lousy for cashflow. I'm trying to not go out-of-state at the moment since SoCal is an area I love and understand (and can drive around on short notice.) So while I know other states may have great cashflow, they tend to not have the decade-over-decade appreciation that I've grown up around and makes me feel safe and warm at night.

My hope is that there are outlying areas (perhaps like the ones I mentioned) that might be a nice compromise between cashflow and long-term appreciation. I'm really not that guy asking for someone to tell me where the hottest secret deals still are - I'm just looking to see if anyone might know if the greater Bakersfield/Lancaster/Palmdale areas might fit the type of market I'm trying to find, or if not, perhaps a lesser-known area/region that might.

Cheers, and thanks!