Please help! Moving and need advice! (Los Angeles, Long Beach: apartment, rentals, lenders)

[nxd4b]

Hello!

my husband myself and our three children are getting ready to move out to Southern California from Vegas next month and have pretty much no idea where we want to live. He is working out of LAX but we dont mind being in orange county. I am trying to find a safe family oriented area with great schools (who isnt?). Any advice would be very much appreciated! We have looked as south as Laguna Hills/woods but dont really want to look any lower than that. Our max rent per month is $2000/3br.

Thank you thank you thank you!!

Brittany

[1200RT]

You (he) will mind living in Laguna Hills/Woods if your husband (he) is working at LAX.

[daddy_warbucks]

Are you finding it hard to find affordable housing? I live in Irvine and I don't think you can get a 3 bedroom for $2,000. That budget may limit your choices to places such as Anaheim and Garden Grove.

[nxd4b]

no not TOO hard of a time, I have found some places in Huntington Beach, Fountain Valley, and 1 in Irvine. They arent houses but thats ok because most are townhouses. I dont want an apartment because I dont like living below people and dont want anyone below me to hear my kids running around all day! I lived in Buena Park when I was younger and wouldnt return, at least not the part I lived in. Anaheim I thought was good but people are telling me there is a lot of gang activity now? And I am not very fond of Garden Grove at all

[Joe Van Fossen]

There are also some places in Fullerton and Yorba Linda in that price range, but they aren't the most inviting drives to LAX.

[POLAINTERNATIONAL]

Southern California is bit expensive as compared to other parts of California. But I am sure you will get some nice place on your budget.

Before coming down, just do a little research with some local home lenders or brokers. Map your requirements with what they are providing.

You will really enjoy the Southern California.

[Coldjensens]

The commute from OC to LAX is long and miserable. It leaves you completely drained. From Laguna Hills it can easily take 1.5 - 2 hours each way in traffic. The golden rule about life in Southern California, or at least the LA basin, is, the closer you are to work, the more pleasant your life will be. The further you are from work, the more miserable you will be. Of course if you and your husband dislike each other and he does not want to be around your kids, then Laguna Hills is a great choice. He will never be home and when he is he will be asleep or tired and grumpy.

There are some decent cities closer in. Some parts of Long Beach are quite nice. Good schools can be hard to find there. PArts of long beach would still be an inolerable commute though. Some of the cities that end in beach (Manhattan Beach , Redonodo Beach), are good family places, but I cannot remember which ones. I have a friend who grew up in Hawthorne and claims the part where he lived was good place for families. Rancho Palos Verdes is really nice, but probably way too expensive. Not many rentals there anyway.

It is difficult to find anything affordable and family oriented that is reasonably close to LAX. I do not know that area very well. What I do know is there is pretty much nowhere in Orange County that I would consider as a reasonable regular commute to LAX.

If you do remain set on living in Orange County Huntington Beach and seal Beach (much nicer) are probably your best bet.

Good luck.

Probably you will have to sacrifice size and go with a small place in a decent city closer to LAX unless you find something in Long Beach.

[Leonard64]

Originally Posted by nxd4b

Hello!

my husband myself and our three children are getting ready to move out to Southern California from Vegas next month and have pretty much no idea where we want to live. He is working out of LAX but we dont mind being in orange county. I am trying to find a safe family oriented area with great schools (who isnt?). Any advice would be very much appreciated! We have looked as south as Laguna Hills/woods but dont really want to look any lower than that. Our max rent per month is $2000/3br.

Thank you thank you thank you!!

Brittany

As much as I hate to say it, you might want to look at the San Fernando valley, close to the freeway to LAX

[daddy_warbucks]

Originally Posted by Coldjensens

The commute from OC to LAX is long and miserable. It leaves you completely drained. From Laguna Hills it can easily take 1.5 - 2 hours each way in traffic. The golden rule about life in Southern California, or at least the LA basin, is, the closer you are to work, the more pleasant your life will be. The further you are from work, the more miserable you will be.

I second this notion. I live in Irvine and commute to Laguna Hills. It takes about 10 minutes normally, 20 in bad traffic. But when I have to go to Los Angeles for a meeting, you are committing at least a half of a day to get there, meet for an hour, and get back to Orange County. The drive is stressful, and there are no scenic vistas or anything to distract you. Just an endless sea of cars as far as you can see in front or behind. Plus the cost of commuting... Ouch! A round trip to LA from Irvine puts a very noticeable dent in my fuel gauge, even when I drive my subcompact car. But a lot of people do it... I know a guy who lives in Escondido and dives to north Irvine every day. He's a nice guy and seems happy too. I guess the pain of the commute is all relative. (It is a "first world problem," to so speak. There are a lot of people in this world that would switch places in an INSTANT.

[mrsltd]

Originally Posted by nxd4b

Hello!

my husband myself and our three children are getting ready to move out to Southern California from Vegas next month and have pretty much no idea where we want to live. He is working out of LAX but we dont mind being in orange county. I am trying to find a safe family oriented area with great schools (who isnt?). Any advice would be very much appreciated! We have looked as south as Laguna Hills/woods but dont really want to look any lower than that. Our max rent per month is $2000/3br.

Thank you thank you thank you!!

Brittany

Hi, Brittany:

I would nix Orange County off my list if your husband is working out of the LAX area.

Look into El Segundo or Torrance. El Segundo is right there and, from what I've heard, fairly desirable for its being right near the airport. Torrance is a decent-sized city (over 100,000) and you will have a variety of options there. Other South Bay cities (Lomita, Redondo Beach, some of Gardena and Hawthorne) as well as the Harbor City and San Pedro sections of Los Angeles may be for you as well.