Maybe Moving to Mission Viejo Area (San Diego, Oxnard: for sale, real estate market, apartment)

[ldonati7]

We are considering moving to Southern California from the New Haven area CT and could use some helpful input. My husband will have a sales area that ranges from Oxnard down to San Diego - with most concentration in LA and SD. He will also need to fly to Arizona and New Mexico on occasion. We are a family of five and would be looking to buy a house in the (hopefully) $450-500K range. Will this get us a decent 3-bedroom house that's not a fixer? Youngest will be starting school so good schools and safety are a MUST. Prefer a mid-sized town. We enjoy doing outdoorsy activities (definitely not the mall going family). From my initial research it seems the Mission Viejo/San Juan area would be ideal. Any other towns to suggest? Within those two are there specific areas to be avoided? Thanks for any advice

[EscapeCalifornia]

Anywhere in south Orange County is good. Very safe and clean with good schools. That's at the low end of house prices for that area though unless you want a condo.

[ListenForWisdom]

I grew up in MV. I live in my old neighborhood and could'nt be happier. The schools here are awesome. I have two kids in the local elementary. The town is pretty safe compared to North OC. I have also lived in Dana point, San Juan, San Clemente, and Oceanside. All great cities as long as you live on the right side of town. Be careful. Make sure you go to the nearest grocery store to actually see who your future neighbors will be. Mission Viejo seems to be more family oriented. Good luck.

Oh Yeah, I lived in Mass. and worked in RI for three years back in 2000. Be prepared for less elbow room and never having to look at the weather channel again.

[Parrotpaul]

Originally Posted by ldonati7

We are considering moving to Southern California from the New Haven area CT and could use some helpful input. My husband will have a sales area that ranges from Oxnard down to San Diego - with most concentration in LA and SD. He will also need to fly to Arizona and New Mexico on occasion. We are a family of five and would be looking to buy a house in the (hopefully) $450-500K range. Will this get us a decent 3-bedroom house that's not a fixer? Youngest will be starting school so good schools and safety are a MUST. Prefer a mid-sized town. We enjoy doing outdoorsy activities (definitely not the mall going family). From my initial research it seems the Mission Viejo/San Juan area would be ideal. Any other towns to suggest? Within those two are there specific areas to be avoided? Thanks for any advice

You will be in pretty good shape in MV. I sub teach in the area high schools, and they have some of the best schools and programs in the area. OC has some of the best HS sports in the country. You will probably be able to find something for 500K...prices are dropping fairly quickly around here.

I am from New England, and I wouldn't go back....I think you will like this area over New Haven. I spent some time in New Haven....there are places in that area that are really scary. I used to hang around Chapel St. about 35 years ago.

[missionhome]

Mission Viejo is a great family oriented community for everything you are looking for in a city. There isn't really anything bad you could say about Mission Viejo, just because it is such a great city. The schools are award winning and the city has been on the FBI list for safest cities in the USA for several years. I would note that Mission Viejo and San Juan Capistrano are very different cities in demographics and culture. The price range you want for a home does put you at the bottom of the single family home market. Still, you can get some great deals right now due to the weak market and get in for 500k now when about a year ago that was impossible. Do note that when you search for homes under 500k, be sure it is not in the neighborhood of Casta del Sol, which is for people 55 and up only.
Browse through this entire thread, there are several photos of Mission Viejo throughout:
http://www.city-data.com/forum/orang...ge-county.html

This thread had a recent discussion about MV also.
http://www.city-data.com/forum/orang...moving-ca.html

Some homes available in your price range (please let me know if these links don't work!)

This home is nicely priced in a great neighborhood that is really close to the lake. The interior is redone very well.
23291 Via Ronda, Mission Viejo, CA | California Real Estate | Listing Information

Charming Barcelona Hills home that has a nice view from the back.
22601 Via Santa Maria, Mission Viejo, CA | California Real Estate | Listing Information

A small, but nice home with a decent size backyard and a good price.
27243 Las Nieves, Mission Viejo, CA | California Real Estate | Listing Information

A great redone interior in this home.
23366 Via Bahia, Mission Viejo, CA | California Real Estate | Listing Information

May need a little work, but a really good price for a home in this neighborhood and this size.
26302 Verdura Cir, Mission Viejo, CA | California Real Estate | Listing Information

Newer homes labeled as condos for tax purposes. These are detached homes, they just have some of the smallest yards you'll ever see. Gated neighborhood.
8 Melrose Dr, Mission Viejo, CA | California Real Estate | Listing Information

One of the lowest priced single families in the city currently.
27146 Ayamonte, Mission Viejo, CA | California Real Estate | Listing Information

Another unique neighborhood of detached homes that are classified as condos for tax purposes. Small backyards though.
21561 Hiddenbrook UNIT 181, Mission Viejo, CA | California Real Estate | Listing Information


Sorry if you didn't want a big list like this, but I almost surprised myself with how many homes are for sale right now for under 500k. Prices really are falling!

[ldonati7]

Thanks for the replie and all of the links - I will definitely take a look. MY husband would be starting his job around the first of the year, but we probably wouldn't be buying until summer 2008 as I will be staying in CT with the kids while the school year finishes up. I'm anticipating most likely that prices will fall a little more in that time frame.

I do see that a lot of the housing under $550 is for condos and townhomes. I know we definitely do not want a condo, but what exactly is a townhome - a detached condo? So no yard, right? Are pets generally not permitted - as we do have 2 40lb dogs. I'm not sure if I need to limit the looking to single family only or if I should include townhomes.

[EscapeCalifornia]

Originally Posted by ldonati7

I do see that a lot of the housing under $550 is for condos and townhomes. I know we definitely do not want a condo, but what exactly is a townhome - a detached condo? So no yard, right? Are pets generally not permitted - as we do have 2 40lb dogs. I'm not sure if I need to limit the looking to single family only or if I should include townhomes.

Condo and townhhome are often used interchangeably. Either term describes a type of home that's attached to others and has monthly association dues to pay. In my mind, a condo is more apartment like, has neighbors above and/or below, has no garage (probably a carport), and only a small deck or patio, if that. A townhouse is often two story, has attached neighbors to the side, may have an attached garage, and may have a small back yard the width of the unit and 10-15' deep.

I think you'd have a tough time finding a condo/townhouse with enough yard for your dogs. Even single family houses around here often don't have much yard but they'd still be bigger than the typical townhouse yard.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by ldonati7

My husband will have a sales area that ranges from Oxnard down to San Diego - with most concentration in LA and SD.

I hope he has good nerves. That region will be killer for driving.

Killer.

[missionhome]

Will he be driving every day around all of Southern California or is it like a once a month type of thing? Will he work from home or have to commute to an office? Driving really far can be a pain around here. San Diego is not hard to get to from MV, almost easier than LA since traffic tends to move north not south.
For flying to Arizona and New Mexico, John Wayne Airport in Irvine/Newport Beach has service direct to Phoenix on US Airways and Southwest. Otherwise you can connect through airlines major hubs from John Wayne or drive up to LAX for international flights and direct service to Albuquerque or Santa Fe in New Mexico on Southwest or United Express.

[JakeDog]

MV was listed on yahoo as the safest city in the entire country. Think about that- it is pretty amazing. The real estate market is a buyer's market. Underbid and I bet you can get a decent home. It will likely drop some more so don't overpay.