Laguna Beach... (Oceanside, Dana Point, Laguna Hills: sales, loans, how much)

[msoler29]

My wife is driving me crazy about moving to Laguna Beach, I think the show the "Hills" in deteriorating her brain.... Have any of you been there? I hear the economy is in really bad shape in California... I have some friends up in Los-Angeles...
Any help would be fantastic! thanks.

[ferretkona]

Originally Posted by msoler29

My wife is driving me crazy about moving to Laguna Beach, I think the show the "Hills" in deteriorating her brain.... Have any of you been there? I hear the economy is in really bad shape in California... I have some friends up in Los-Angeles...
Any help would be fantastic! thanks.

Well, the whole state is bad off right now with high unemployment. Laguna Beach and Laguna Hills are kind of isolated from it. With a large amount of upper middle class working folk, many are not affected. Home prices are down and home loans are great at a fixed 4.25% for 15 yr loans, so I think it is a great time to buy if you qualify. Laguna is beautiful, I scuba dive there frequently. Sales tax is 0.5% less than LA county. Laguna is great with plenty of art galleries and events.
Very close to Laguna is Capistrano and Dana Point. Down the coast a bit is Solano and Oceanside.

You should really visit before you move, there is always Malibu in LA county.

[AKgirlinCA]

How much can you afford housing wise?

[BRinSM]

laguna beach is probably the most expensive city in orange county with regards to $/sf, putting it up there as one of the most expensive places in the whole country!!!! if you can afford it, good on you, it is a really nice place. however, it isn't exactly close to the local job centers, so be prepared for that unless of course you work from home.

[OC Investor2]

Laguna Beach is very nice but VERY expensive. It's got a rep as OC's own little Bohemian beach town. Gay friendly, artsy, botiques and small business almost no chain stores, Lots of artists,liberals and MONEY.

I don't know your circumstances, but if you are a trustafarian or otherwise independently wealthy and can afford it, its a pretty cool place to live. For someone who works for a living, it is somewhat isolated from the major job centers in the county so you'd need to find work nearby and the job market out here right now stinks. Bad. Real bad.

So if you & your wife can land jobs to generate $200-$250k a year in HH income in the worst economy in So Cal since the depression or can somehow otherwise have that kind of money, I'd say go for it. Otherwise not such a good idea.