Looking to possibly relocate to the Lake Forest area in a few years.

[payutenyodagimas]

Originally Posted by crabtrees

...the 5/405 freeways run through Lake Forest.....

405 starts or ends in Irvine

[saibot]

Originally Posted by payutenyodagimas

405 starts or ends in Irvine

Picky, picky. You get on the 5 in Lake Forest and in about two minutes you can choose between the 5 and 405.

[LIFELEADERSHIP]

Thinking of the Lake Forest Area, where would be a place you could rent a fairly nice apartment for $1,000 - $1,200.

Or is that just not possible ?

[recycled]

OP, you should at least glance at Craigslist before asking about rent prices.

I rent s 20+ year old 1 BR / 1 BA apartment in a large complex in Lake Forest and rent is well above $1850 per month. There are some apartments in Lake Forest in the $1600 to $1700 range but they will be older and often closer to a noisy street. Sometimes you might find a deal to get into a place for less, but after a year they will jack up the rent quick. I've been in the same apartment for 17 years.

$1000 - $1200 for a semi-decent 1 BR 1 BA apt anywhere in Orange County is not realistic. Welcome to California. At least my electric bill for heat and AC is very low.

[LIFELEADERSHIP]

What about other areas other than Lake Forest. I just like that area so I am keeping an open mind.

[saibot]

Yeah, not in South Orange County for that price. My husband and I rented a 700 sq ft, 1-bedroom apartment in Lake Forest for a year when we first got married. The rent was $775 in 1996. The same apartment is now $1670, so that tells you how COL has escalated in the last couple of decades.

To get a nice apartment at that price you would need to go inland. You could try Corona or one of the other Inland Empire cities.

[a333]

Originally Posted by crabtrees

I completely agree with another poster, if you like the Lake Forest area, check out Foothill Ranch or Portola Hills. They are communities within the Lake Forest area, up in the foothills of the mountains. I live in Portola Hills and love it. On clear days you can see all the way to the ocean and see the eastern side of Catalina Island. You can take El Toro pkwy (the 133) all the way from Portola Hills to the sand at Laguna Beach in 25 minutes. Your wife can get to the Irvine Spectrum mega shopping mall in 10 minutes just down the street. You can be parked and walking up to the check-in booth at John Wayne Airport in 30 minutes. Here is a rule of thumb to follow...the 5/405 freeways run through Lake Forest....the closer you live to the freeway the older and not-so-nice it is. The further 'up the hill' you live away from the freeway, the nicer and more pleasant it is. Foothill Ranch and Portola Hills are as far up the hill as you can get, so in my opinion, they are much nicer than down by the freeway. Although, houses will cost you $800,000 and more, and condos run $400-$500k.

Great summary. Lake Forest has somewhat of a bad vibe due to the meth problem and parolees released by prop 47 but foothill ranch rises above it. Donald Bren keeps the meth and parolees out of Irvine and Aliso Viejo is also cleaner. How does he do this?

[a333]

Originally Posted by LIFELEADERSHIP

Thinking of the Lake Forest Area, where would be a place you could rent a fairly nice apartment for $1,000 - $1,200.

Or is that just not possible ?

Try western national property management when they put units on special for about 1400, they manage at least four complexes in town.

[a333]

Originally Posted by LIFELEADERSHIP

What about other areas other than Lake Forest. I just like that area so I am keeping an open mind.

My favorites are the older classic areas of San Clemente, and also Aliso Viejo, Irvine, and Balboa island in Newport Beach. Lake Forest is unique so if you like it there's probably a vibe to the city that you like. The various south OC cities were all designed by famous master urban planners and each is unique and nice.