Lancaster project attracts first-time buyers to region. (Real Estate Special Report -- L.A. Turns Inward).

IT may be considered too far away for the majority of Angelenos looking to buy a home, but the Antelope Valley is looking good to an increasing number of first-time househunters who are being priced out of the L.A. market.

Case in point: Shuler Homes Inc.'s Western Pacific Housing

"It's no longer the backwoods," said Dave Harding, a vice-president of sales at Western Pacific. "It's less expensive, and maybe there aren't four seasons, but there are two and a half or three. We had snow on the ground the other day."

The company's Lancaster development has 302 houses either built or under construction; of those, 290 have been sold. With two to five bedrooms, the homes sell for between $120,000 and $190,000, with the average sale price about $159,000. Most are two-story buildings, ranging from between 1,300 square feet to 2,800 square feet. "It's not monochromatic," Harding said. "We don't want it to look like Levittown."

Realtors agree that many new homeowners in the Antelope Valley are willing to make the 60-mile drive from Los Angeles.

The main attraction, however, is the price of the developments and the availability of the housing. The Palmdale-Lancaster area is one of the few in L.A. County that still has land on which to build.

"Housing is affordable and we've developed Antelope Valley into a place where you can actually do all your shopping," said Jo Savoie, a realtor with Roth Realtors/GMAC Real Estate.

But availability is waning due to the popularity of the homes. "We're almost sold out," Harding said. "Sales are even stronger this year than last."

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Project: Western Pacific Housing, Lancaster

Player: Shuler Homes Inc.

The Deal: Building 302 one- and two-story homes largely for first-time buyers, starting around $120,000, in an area that is flourishing due to price of homes and availability of land. The company sold 179 units in the project in 2001.