Looking to buy our first property in Los Angeles County

[Matt Hall]

Hope this is ok to ask a general lifestyle as well as investment questions.  My wife and are looking to buy a single family home hopefully in the next couple of months.  We're currently looking in Granada Hills, Pasadena, and Burbank with a budget of $500,000.  Any thoughts on the appreciation aspect of these 3 areas?  I would love to hear what you think about these areas for a couple in our demographic as well, in terms of quality of life (both 30, newly married, looking for a good neighborhood to start a family).  Finally, I'll ask a very broad question:  How do you feel about buying right now, in terms of the market? Do you feel like prices in general have plenty of room to grow?

Thanks in advance!