Relo to Irvine area

[woodrough]

You should be able to easily find a 3k sf house in a nice neighborhood for 800k-1M. We spent a lot of time looking in roughly that price range, and found lots of options (though not in the beach communities; we looked at a few places in Newport, just a bit above $1M, very nice, but they were smaller and on tiny, tiny lots). Laguna Niguel isn't too far from the beach and should have some decent options, though it's getting pretty far south which could be a problem depending on where your husband commutes to. If he can use the 73 toll road, it's not bad.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by FLSkater

Been checking out these forums for a while, and my head is spinning!

My husband has to move to the Irvine area for his job. He wants to be around 20-30 minutes away from the office in Irvine. I've been asking him for suggestions from people in his office and he has yet to come up with any specific area. Wondering if you all could recommend some areas? He probably doesn't have to commute during "normal" commuting times (boss likes to be in at 7am), so that may be a factor.

For some background - we are in our mid 40's, no kids (at least not yet, that may be subject to change ;-) ) two cats. Right now we live in Wellington, FL, and before that lived in Weston, FL. Looking for gated community, homes 3000 sq ft and up, although we have no kids I think good schools are better for resale value. I love areas like Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, but know that unless we hit the lottery that's out of the question. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

It might be a good idea for you to rent for a year. You don't have kids so changing schools wouldn't be a problem. You could take your time figuring out where the best place for you would be.

School Performance Maps will give you an idea of school performance at a glance. Notice a huge difference in school performance between Santa Ana and Irvine - almost extreme opposites for Orange County.

Inland is a little warmer in summer
Irvine is a little more Asian than Mission Viejo, Laguna Niguel, RSM and communities south of Irvine.
RSM is cheaper than Irvine
Beach side is usually more expensive than inland.
North inland OC (like Santa Ana) is a little bit more Hispanic than other parts of OC
There aren't a lot of Blacks in OC. (We used to joke around that we'd see more Blacks at a Kings hockey game than we would see at an Angels baseball game.)
Westminster and other communities around it have vibrant Asian including Vietnamese communities.
Relying on driving the toll roads every day could add $7-$10 per day to your commute.
Most homes built in the 1990s and later have a special "tax" called Mello Roos. MR does expire after 20 or so years so many MR must be expired by now.
Always consider his commute, his next (future jobs) commute and your commute. You can't assume he'll be working in Irvine forever. What happens if his next job is in San Diego or Long Beach or Pasadena?

[woodrough]

Originally Posted by Charles

You can't assume he'll be working in Irvine forever. What happens if his next job is in San Diego or Long Beach or Pasadena?

This is of course true, but I'm not really sure how it's useful advice. There is no place you can choose to live that would be an acceptable commute to all of Irvine, San Diego, Long Beach and Pasadena. Unless you're planning a job change in the near future, you just have to choose to live some place convenient to your current place of work. It's silly to avoid living near Irvine just because some day you might decide to take a job in Pasadena.

[FLSkater]

Ok, I should probably update..

We went out with our realtor the beginning of June.. got a lay of the land, around Irvine, Aliso Viejo, Mission Viejo, Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel, Ladera Ranch, Coto de Caza, and Dove Canyon in RSM. Both my husband and I got a huge culture shock about the sizes of the lots, especially some in the Irvine and Aliso areas! Considering we live on a corner lot with almost a half an acre here, we were stunned. We also overall really didn't care for Irvine - and he is ok with not being around the corner from his job.

We are now trying to concentrate in the Coto and Dove Canyon areas. As much as I love the beach, I also love warmer weather, and I was shivering when we were in some of the areas around Laguna Niguel and even AV. Plus we've discovered the lots are bigger and the Mello Roos are (sometimes) smaller in the Coto/Dove areas. It may be a bit further out of the way from a lot of the dining/shopping areas, but it's still close enough for him to work.. and he's ok with toll roads. In fact we were surprised how empty they were!

I really liked Ladera Ranch, especially with all the newer homes, but we are concerned about the foreclosure situation there and just the home values in general... plus it seems that wherever you go you have a lovely view of those ugly power lines. Plus insane Mello Roos.

We definitely want to buy a house, and he is practically living out there now, so he's had some time to meet with the realtor again and drive around on his own to get a better feel of the areas. It never even crossed my mind about any future jobs, but then again I don't think it ever has, in regards to renting vs/owning.. the only time I ever rented was when our home in Weston, FL wasn't ready yet. I just prefer being able to do whatever I want with our place without having the restriction of it not being our own. Plus my job is at whatever spare bedroom I decide to call my "office" as I work from home, and will work for the same company while we live in CA, so I have no commute issues.

Now I just keep checking my email for any new properties that become available through Redfin.. which by the way is a fantastic site.. my realtor is amazed when she starts telling me about a property and I already know about it.

Thank you all again for your advice, this board has helped so much!!

[bhcompy]

If you want bigger lots, maybe try the Silverado and Santiago Canyon areas? Very quick commute to Irvine

[nurserosie]

Bigger lots maybe. But older homes. Not what she wants

I would wonder if coto or dove can be had. ESP gated. For a million bucks.

Plus coto is a long drive. To freeway. Then up tp irvine

Why does anyone need two guest rooms?

[Charles]

Originally Posted by woodrough

This is of course true, but I'm not really sure how it's useful advice. There is no place you can choose to live that would be an acceptable commute to all of Irvine, San Diego, Long Beach and Pasadena. Unless you're planning a job change in the near future, you just have to choose to live some place convenient to your current place of work. It's silly to avoid living near Irvine just because some day you might decide to take a job in Pasadena.

Well it depends. If your industry is primarily based in the Los Angeles metro for example then given the choice between a place south of Irvine and north of Irvine, it might make more sense to choose the northern side of Irvine. Say Huntington Beach and San Juan Capistrano were two strong candidates for all other requirements.

It's just something to think about. I thought about this a lot when I worked at Point Mugu. Ventura was nice but so was the Conejo Valley. If we buy in Ventura and I change jobs, I might be stuck commuting east to the valley or something. However, commuting from TO was a lot easier. Turns out I changed jobs and worked in the valley. So, it is something to keep in mind.