Moving to OC, need suggestions please HB,NB, Costa Mesa, Irvine (Huntington Beach: foreclosed, hoa)

[mikelberry231]

Hey everyone,

I have read through many of the previous threads looking for information about HB, NB, Costa Mesa, Irvine and others areas that might be good or bad.

My situation:
We have to move their ASAP. I'm actually flying out in 2 days to find something.
We are tired of apartment living and would like to rent a condo/townhome, maybe from a private owner. We have 1 dog at most will be 75lbs.
We need a 2 bed/1.5 bath min. Price ranging 1,500-1,800 apprx.

The criteria that I would like suggestions on are the following:
We want a neighborhood that is safe, mostly affluent families (race does not matter, just people who like to keep the neighborhood clean and will pay HOA's for that).
We want to be able to walk/run/jog/bike around morning/day/night and feel comfortable.
I would love to be able to walk to Starbucks/protein shake places, some little retail plazas.- but not neccesary.
We do not want to be real far inland or East of I-5.
We'd much rather be closer to the ocean, but from what I read we may fit right in around/in Irvine - but it might be to far inland???


SO,
Can you please give me suggestions on what towns are best for the above? Also, are the parts of those towns that I SHOULD not be in???

Thanks so much,
Jennifer

[EscapeCalifornia]

You want to be surrounded by affluent families in a townhouse for $1800/mo? Good luck. That's the low end of prices for rentals that size in Costa Mesa or Huntington Beach. You wouldn't be in a slum, but I wouldn't call them affluent neighborhoods either. Search Craig's List or ocregister.com for townhouse rentals.

[WannaBNorCal]

Oh wow!
The price you posted won't get you all that much here, considering your criteria--I was looking at the part about "We do not want to be real far inland or East of I-5. We'd much rather be closer to the ocean, but from what I read we may fit right in around/in Irvine - but it might be to far inland???"
I would try Fountain Valley, Westminister, and if you are lucky---Costa Mesa, I can't think of any other cities that would fit your desires....
That price really is the low end.
Maybe Torrance or Redondo Beach, but that's not OC.....
Irvine is not that far inland.

[Humanoid]

Irvine is one of the more expensive areas, you can find cheaper areas South of Irvine that are safer than the areas north of Irvine that the others mentioned.

If you are lucky you may be able to find a nice 2/1.5 condo in the 1,800~2,000 south of Irvine. But be careful when renting a condo, Oranage County is filled with condo flips (now flops) that are being rented out, the owners aren't reliable and the condo will either be foreclosed or put on the market. Try to find someone that has owned the condo for a good 5+ years.

[missionhome]

Definitly check out San Clemente. In my opinion, this is the OC's best beach town. It is quiet, charming, and the beaches are not packed wall to wall in the summer. There is a nic downtown, but the draw back is it is on the southern border of the county. If you work in north Orange County, you will be way to far away and the drive will kill you. There are several photos of San Clemente in the thread titled "Pictures of Orange County." Looking around, your price range does not necessarily mean you will be in the affluent areas of Orange County. Most people renting are struggling to get by each day. A rent of 2,000 and up starts make one more comfortable. San Clemente is very nice though. It is extremly safe and friendly. The surfing is excellent also.

Here are some examples of what you can get in San Clemente:
Nice ocan views and only one wall shared. Shopping center, movie theater, hospital all right outside neighborhood entrance.
OCEAN VIEW ATTACHED HOME (broken link)

2 Beds San Clemente "Vista Pacifica" (broken link)

[mikelberry231]

Thanks everyone!!!

I appreciate you're responses and it's definitely going to be helpful for me to go back to my company to get our "living budget" raised. I'm flying to town this week to look around and can not leave until I find a place to live.

What's happening is we are moving to that area from Dallas to assist with rebuilding the communities. We actually JUST bought OUR FIRST home 3 days ago and now are told we need to move!

We think OC area would be a good spot as it's centrally located between all the fires.

As I found out more information about each town, I find myself even more confused.

So let's not look at pricing, would you suggest anywhere I go in Irvine will be good?

Thanks again!

[EscapeCalifornia]

Originally Posted by mikelberry231

anywhere I go in Irvine will be good?

Yes. There's no bad part of Irvine unless you hate beige houses.

[mikelberry231]

Also, if I find a rental thats 2bed/2bath in Irvine and under $1,800 does that mean it's not in a "great" area or something seems wrong??

[mikelberry231]

Originally Posted by EscapeCalifornia

Yes. There's no bad part of Irvine unless you hate beige houses.

Haha, ya I guess I can live with beige houses.

[EscapeCalifornia]

Originally Posted by mikelberry231

Also, if I find a rental thats 2bed/2bath in Irvine and under $1,800 does that mean it's not in a "great" area or something seems wrong??

Well there's really no bad area in Irvine. Irvine is very, very uniform.