Aussies coming with no idea!!! Lake Forest (Santa Ana, Anaheim: real estate, apartment complexes)

[bkhanz12]

Hi....

Husband has been asked to consider relocating to Lake Forest for work from Australia... so we are completely blind with anything over there.

We are a growing family (dad,mum,6yo, 3yo and one on the way) so need to know

1. What areas are decent commute to get to Lake Forest to work.? ie. how long would it take..saw really affordable houses in places like Riverside/Perris that say it is like 1hr? but I am assuming that is without traffic, also read on one forum those areas are no good?

2. What areas are (more) affordable for rent?, looking like everything is a bit high lol

3. What areas are family friendly and have good schooling?

4. I have heard rent is dear there but everything else is cheaper than Australia.... so what are average monthly costs on electricity/gas/ internet etc.?? Also are we up for any surprises? like in Aus TV is free to air but when we lived in the UK we had to have a TV license which would only get you 4 channels otherwise you had to pay for cable.... in Aus you only pay for water if you are a homeowner, do you pay as a renter there?

any little things like that?

5. Have seen lots of places in Irvine advertised cheap rent on Craigslist saying they are foreclosures..... no idea what this means in relation to renting them so cheap? anyone shed light on this or is it some scam to get ppl to call the real estates?

ahhh any information you have to give I would really appreciate. All my kids care about is that Disney will be near lol

Other info on us... age mid 30's, i think the job should offer mid $90k and we have $0 debt, Husband is Pakistani origin so if a suburb is more south asian immigrants well any nationalities really etc that wouldn't bother us, providing they are safe communities for kids.


THANKS for reading and hopefully replying

[dexter14]

Yes, rent is a bit high in OC. This is one of the most expensive areas in the entire country. Commuting from Riverside or especially Perris to Lake Forest would be hell on earth. A solid 2 hours each way, don't do it. Hard to answer your questions without knowing your budget.

[bkhanz12]

Thanks... I was looking cheaper end if possible but more about the ares that are in a reasonable distance, then I guess we'll determine budget from the areas we can afford???

I am seeing some apartment complexes that have 3bed for $1700-2500 in places like irvine, golden grove and santa ana -would that be the lower end or rent and decent areas?

[Electrician4you]

Perris is a run down place. You're looking at taking Ortega hwy which is a mountainous two lane road and one accident and you're stuck.
If you're gonna work in Lake Forrest then rent there too. Thee extra money spent will actually be cheaper than fuel, wear tear in vehicle AND your sanity and time away from family. If he has normal 8-5 working hours he will absolutely hate it. 6-3:30 he will be better but I still suggest living close to where you are working.

[Coldjensens]

It is not only a long commute, Ortega highway is very dangerous (when there is a let up in traffic that allows you get get up over 30 MPH. It is also a very draining commute. I am not sure why, but long S.C. commutes completely wear you out. You will arrive at work or home completely drained and frustrated. THe other problem is because you never know when it will take an extra hour, you really need to leave an hour or more extra time, it you arrive early, then you just wait or start early. Absolutely do not do that commute.


A nice thing about southern California is you can spend most of your time outside. Thus, you do not need as big a place because you simply are not inside that much. You can regularly eat outside 85% of the time. We had a house with limited space and set up a table and chairs outside and ate out there almost all the time for several years.

Between the multitudes of things to do and a huge amount of time you spend witting in your car or waiting in lines, you are just not going to be home all that much anyway.

Also, if you are from a colder climate, you will find you do not need as much room to store clothing.

The best thing you can do is to stay as close to work as possible. That will improve your quality of life much more than a larger apartment or house will.

Santa Ana has a bad reputation so the rent is lower. However there are some areas that are pretty nice. Schools are not very good in general, but there are some exceptions. . But even that commute is more than I would care for in rush hours,,unless maybe you take the train to Irvine and go from there. Try to stick with Lake Forrest and immediately adjoining areas. You are best to be within five to ten minutes form work if possible.


I do not know what traffic is like in Australia, but Orange County is about as bad as it gets in the US.

One thing you could do is live in a cheaper city near a train station and leave a beater car in Irvine to drive from the train station to Lake Forrest. That is still a little bit of a commute, but at least on the train part, you can relax, work, read, chat, make friends etc. It takes longer but drains you less. Santa Ana, Orange, Anaheim, Fulletron, San Juan Capistrano and San Clemente all have train stations I believe. I am not sure how expensive San Celemente is, but if it is more affordable, you could live in a beach community and take the train from there.

[cgk2013]

I would consider Lake Forest if your husband will be working here. While rents have gone up quite a bit throughout OC, you can find apartments here within your budget, possibly a condo or small single family home if you luck out. Check sites such as Craigslist, Hotpads.com and Realtor.com. As far as scams, if it looks to good to be true, it probably is. I've seen some homes listed for crazy low prices like $1000.00 p/m, so obviously its a scam.

I live in Lake Forest and the schools are really good, minus a couple that score a bit lower (so check before you leap on Greatschools.com). The area is very family friendly and the city offers many free and low cost events throughout the year for families. Obviously, the beach is fairly close, you can do a day trip to the mountains, and Knotts Berry Farm and Disneyland, so there is never a shortage of things to do.

In my experience, your husband's ethnicity will not make any difference. My neighbors are from India, UK and Mexico and everyone gets along fine and people are friendly. Our kids all play together. My husband and I are both of mixed races and we've never had any issues whatsoever. Smile and say hello, and people will smile and say hello back.

Other places to consider, would be Rancho Santa Margarita which has great schools, newer housing stock, but a bit longer commute. Also check Laguna Hills, Mission Viejo and Aliso Viejo. While Irvine is a nice city, the rents are just too high for what you get IMO. I'm not too familiar with Northern OC cities, maybe someone can chime in on that.

My advice, echoed by many on this forum, is to live as close to where you work as possible. While lower rents may look tempting in places like the Inland Empire, the stress from daily commuting, time away from family, and the wear and tear on your vehicle takes its toll mentally and financially.

If you have questions about Lake Forest feel free to PM, I'd be happy to answer any questions you may have. Best wishes with your decision!

[DinsdalePirahna]

Nothing wrong with Lake Forest.
As everyone else here as said, Find a place that is close to where you work (within 5 miles would be great).
OC is very diverse and although we do have our fair share of racist arseholes, you should have no problem fitting in.

[SHABAZZ310]

Originally Posted by bkhanz12

Thanks... I was looking cheaper end if possible but more about the ares that are in a reasonable distance, then I guess we'll determine budget from the areas we can afford???

I am seeing some apartment complexes that have 3bed for $1700-2500 in places like irvine, golden grove and santa ana -would that be the lower end or rent and decent areas?

If you want a little cheaper but a good area, your best bet would be Corona. It about 30 minutes (no traffic), 1 hour (with traffic) and it has good schools and suburban living. Corona is closer than Riverside and Perris and it's safer. And if you get a Fastpass you can take the 241 toll highway instead of the 91 to 55 bottleneck.

I believe decent 3 bedroom apartments are running 1400 to 2100. You can find cheaper as well...

[bkhanz12]

Thanks all- lots of extra info for me to research

[recycled]

There are good places to live in Lake Forest at semi-reasonable rent prices, if you take some time and look around. I have lived here 15 years and I like the place very much. There is next to no crime here, almost everything you need is in Lake Forest or within a short distance in a neighboring city. The weather is near perfect year round. I almost never turn on air conditioning in summer. We have not had a real winter the past few years, so I have used the heating system less than 20 times in 2 years. Here we are in mid winter and the temp this afternoon is about 75F/24C under hazy sunshine.

Use Google Map on satellite view when you find an area to look in. Use common sense and avoid living in a place that is next to a source of noise like a busy main street or highway, RR tracks, shopping center, etc.

Plenty of my neighbors are south Asian, so your hubby won't be any different from a lot of other people around here. Doesn't matter at all, Lake Forest has a big cross section of ppl from Asia & Latin America. Welcome and good luck!