I just accepted a position in the desert and am looking at moving to the Santa Clarita area. We have two kids - 5 & 8, so schools are pretty important. Does anyone have any recommendations? Things to look for/avoid? I'm not entirely sure of our budget right now housing wise, but I would guess somewhere around $700k (as a Texas kid, I never thought I would say that).

I don't live there (I'm in Texas) but I know people in that area. Saugus schools are pretty decent but you do have to factor in that it is still a California public school system. You should easily be able to get into something comfortably around the $550k-$600k range.

Prices are going up and getting close to pre 2008 levels. I'm not sure 700K is going to get you there for much longer. Depending on how far you are eilling to commute, I would choose Valencia over SC.