Many turning to Fontana for affordability while home prices across California increase

FONTANA, Calif. (KABC) -- California can be an expensive place to buy a home, but doable if buyers are willing to go outside popular metropolitan areas in the Los Angeles area and bypass coastal cities in Orange County.

It's no secret that the Inland Empire is such a destination for many homebuyers, particularly the city of Fontana, which was named one of the cheapest places to buy a home by real estate block Clever, with a median home price of $391,000.

"If you compare our prices to San Diego it is crazy, Orange County, L.A. We're still the place to go for affordability," said realtor Ted Jenkins with Windermere Real Estate Tower Properties in Riverside.

Jenkins, a long-time Inland Empire realtor, says his clients are looking for affordable homes with good schools and things to do close by. Fontana in San Bernardino County is one city that fits the bill.

"There's still plenty of homes out there in Fontana between $350 - $450,000 that are affordable with rates in the low threes. It's doable," Jenkins said.

Fontana resident Jason Phillips and his wife spent two years looking for a home and decided his hometown of Fontana met their family's growing needs. The couple is raising their two-year-old daughter and growing their hair salon business with one location at the Victoria Gardens mall in Rancho Cucamonga.

"Millennials and people my age are looking for homes that are more affordable and this is the area where it is at," Phillips said.

The easy and short commute to work is also a major draw, he added.

The city also boasts plenty of healthcare industry jobs and a low crime rate, according to Clever.

"It's affordable, its safe, its a good city, it's developed so much," said Adriana Rodriguez.

Fontana is not the only Inland Empire city to make the housing affordability cut. Jenkins notes that Murrieta in Riverside County also offers very similar price points and amenities as well.