Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > California > Orange County
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 10-22-2010, 01:44 AM
 
22 posts, read 39,379 times
Reputation: 11

Advertisements

Any help is appreciated here. My wife and I are considering getting out of the South Bay in LA County and finding a place to buy in OC. I have lived in the South Bay since I moved here 3 years ago....besides a short 3 week "relocation" stint in Irvine when I first accepted my current job. I used to work off of Bake Pkwy in Irvine but my knowledge of the area was limited to a few of the major Pkwys down there and Foothill Ranch eateries...and the Spectrum.

Initially I was thinking Huntington Beach and any area near the 405 would be ideal...which would include Fountain Valley, Westminster, etc., that way we wouldn't be so far south and so far away from the major "artery" heading to the dreaded "north." I like the Irvine/Tustin as far as cleanliness and convenience, but I believe I would rather pull my fingernails out one by one than deal with the extra few miles of traffic. I am more than open to suggestions...otherwise I wouldn't be here asking!!

A few stipulations on what we are looking for:
-Prefer to be within 40-50 minute commute to LAX in good-moderate traffic...would prefer no further south than the 55 and no farther east than Orange
-Has to be safe and have newer development nearby...i.e. house can be older, but upgraded areas (shopping, stores, etc.) are a must.
-No hoods or areas directly adjacent to them. Meaning, I don't want to be in a neighborhood where, "this block is bad, but this block is great"...very subjective, but I think most people have a gauge on what is a bad neighborhood and what is good.

My wife and I are a younger couple (I'm 35, she's 29). As a gauge of price as well, we are looking at condos and townhomes in the $350-400k range, so I imagine that will be a huge factor in where we go as well.

I know this is a pretty broad area but I just don't know those areas at all, and time to get down and explore those areas is at a premium. We are hoping to find an agent, be able to focus on a few areas quickly, aggressively house-hunt and perhaps purchase in the next 3-5 months.

Thank you for any help!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 10-22-2010, 02:27 AM
 
Location: 'Murica
1,302 posts, read 2,933,145 times
Reputation: 833
well, the newer developments are definitely more south/east of HB...I like Huntington myself, but I've never been too impressed with the real estate compared to other cities in the same price points.

Have you considered somewhere off the 91? Anaheim Hills has some nice condos in that price range, but I'm not familiar with traffic towards LA from that area, but I was always under the impression that the worst parts of the 91 are east of the 261
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-22-2010, 06:30 AM
 
Location: Las Flores, Orange County, CA
964 posts, read 2,640,354 times
Reputation: 578
Quote:
Originally Posted by Flyer911 View Post
I would rather pull my fingernails out one by one than deal with the extra few miles of traffic.
within 40-50 minute commute to LAX in good-moderate traffic
no further south than the 55
no farther east than Orange


I'm 35, she's 29
condos and townhomes in the $350-400k range,
purchase in the next 3-5 months.!

What are your work hours? What can they be flexed to? Forty to 50 minutes for a 6AM start opens a much greater radius of housing opportunities that it does for an 8AM start.

Kids now or in the future?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-22-2010, 08:03 AM
 
22 posts, read 39,379 times
Reputation: 11
Quote:
Originally Posted by Vinsanity View Post
well, the newer developments are definitely more south/east of HB...I like Huntington myself, but I've never been too impressed with the real estate compared to other cities in the same price points.

Have you considered somewhere off the 91? Anaheim Hills has some nice condos in that price range, but I'm not familiar with traffic towards LA from that area, but I was always under the impression that the worst parts of the 91 are east of the 261
91 can be a mess depending on how far out, but I would consider it. I have heard that Anaheim Hills is good as well. I imagine Huntington would run into the same real estate issues just because it has "Beach" in the city name? If part of our focus was there, would we be able to find decent neighborhoods in that area? I'll admit, that I'm a sucker for beach cities...currently live in Redondo now but can't find anything in my price range + property taxes put us well above our budget.

Quote:
Originally Posted by proudmommy View Post
What are your work hours? What can they be flexed to? Forty to 50 minutes for a 6AM start opens a much greater radius of housing opportunities that it does for an 8AM start.

Kids now or in the future?

My work hours fluctuate and that is why I have chosen to sacrifice the commute and move closer to an area that we can afford plus my wife can be closer to work. She is currently searching in the Newport/Irvine areas for Ultrasound Tech jobs.

Basically on a "normal" work week for me, I would commute occasionally during peak hours and other times I would be driving shortly after peak hours, say, depart 8:30-9:00 am and return anywhere ranging from 2-6pm...can't really give a good example though because my schedule changes so much.

Kids are in the future but not for about 2-3 years
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-22-2010, 08:54 AM
 
Location: Las Flores, Orange County, CA
964 posts, read 2,640,354 times
Reputation: 578
Quote:
Originally Posted by Flyer911 View Post
would prefer no further south than the 55 and no farther east than Orange
Quote:
Originally Posted by Flyer911 View Post
Kids are in the future but not for about 2-3 years
Then schools will be something to consider.

(Traffic will be bad during rush hour)

Fountain Valley
Cypress
Los Alamitos
Rossmoor


Also, if you look at the Green Line (which runs essentially over the 105 freeway between Norwalk and El Segundo), then you could also consider Cerritos, and maybe even Fullerton.

California School Performance Maps
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-22-2010, 11:32 AM
 
4,536 posts, read 10,579,047 times
Reputation: 4068
Quote:
Originally Posted by Flyer911 View Post
A few stipulations on what we are looking for:
-Prefer to be within 40-50 minute commute to LAX in good-moderate traffic...would prefer no further south than the 55 and no farther east than Orange
FYI, depending on traffic its a one and a half hour drive at 8am on a weekday from Golden West/PCH to LAX. One hour or so if you use the carpool lane most days.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Flyer911 View Post
My wife and I are a younger couple (I'm 35, she's 29). As a gauge of price as well, we are looking at condos and townhomes in the $350-400k range, so I imagine that will be a huge factor in where we go as well.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Flyer911 View Post
We are hoping to find an agent, be able to focus on a few areas quickly, aggressively house-hunt and perhaps purchase in the next 3-5 months.
Enjoy catching knives, do ya?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-22-2010, 11:39 AM
 
Location: 'Murica
1,302 posts, read 2,933,145 times
Reputation: 833
Quote:
Originally Posted by Flyer911 View Post
91 can be a mess depending on how far out, but I would consider it. I have heard that Anaheim Hills is good as well. I imagine Huntington would run into the same real estate issues just because it has "Beach" in the city name? If part of our focus was there, would we be able to find decent neighborhoods in that area? I'll admit, that I'm a sucker for beach cities...currently live in Redondo now but can't find anything in my price range + property taxes put us well above our budget.
You should have no problem finding a decent neighborhood in Anaheim Hills, but the main issue I see is that the best ones are out toward the 261, and you know every mile counts when you're house hunting along the 91.

Regarding Huntington Beach, there's really only a fraction of the city that can be considered "near the beach", so to me it's almost misleading. And the 405 runs through the opposite part of town (about 15 minutes) from the beach, anyways. That said, it's probably the most convenient OC location to the 405-areas of L.A.

If you're willing to venture a few miles past the 55, then Costa Mesa is at least as nice as Huntington Beach, and very close to both Newport and Huntington Beach. Traffic will be bad between Harbor and the 73, though.

Fullerton has some very nice areas in the northern part of the city up in the hills, but I'm not familiar with home prices there. That's the only part of the city I would personally consider buying in, though.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-22-2010, 11:48 AM
 
Location: South Bay
7,226 posts, read 22,097,607 times
Reputation: 3626
during normal commuting hours, the absolute farthest you should be from LAX to keep your commute under an hour would be long beach. there are some nice areas near the 405/605 interchange on the east side of long beach without nearby bad 'hoods as you put it. $400k would probably get you a small house in that area, certainly a condo. irvine is about 45 minutes away during rush hour if your wife finds a job in that area. long beach and surrounding cities will have all the ammenities you could ever need.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-22-2010, 03:03 PM
 
Location: MO->MI->CA->TX->MA
7,017 posts, read 14,406,938 times
Reputation: 5568
Try Garden Grove. Generally speaking, the further west you go, the better the neighborhood gets (and the closer you are to LAX as a bonus.) Definitely stay west of Brookhurst, and if you can afford it, stay in zip code 92845. This area is very boring but the 22 freeway is convenient (and one of the relatively less congested roads) which is fine for someone who just wants to get to/from work without headache.

Fountain Valley is another choice, located along the 405. I'd avoid Westminster in between the two, although the other 2 are not significantly safer, Westminster is a bit more run down by appearance.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-22-2010, 03:20 PM
 
Location: Grosse Ile Michigan
30,701 posts, read 79,347,054 times
Reputation: 39409
Fullerton is probably your best bet. Or maybe Buena Park, La Palma, Brea. Frankly you may want ot look at one of the better parts of Long Beach. I would never try to make it to LAX in 40 minutes from Orange County. I leave 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours and sometimes I am late.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > California > Orange County

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top