OC advice (Santa Ana, Irvine, Orange: transplants, hoa, insurance)

[Bety10]

We are considering moving to Orange County and would like some advice please, we are currently living in Australia. We are a family of two adults and two young children. Job will be based in Costa Mesa, but we are thinking of living in Laguna Niguel or Dana Point because we hear it is more family friendly. What is the commute like between Costa Mesa and these areas? Any better suggestions to cut down on commute time? Also, expected rents to pay for something decent with a backyard. We are also hoping to have another baby very soon, any idea on maternity charges at private hospitals for a caesarian section? Hopefully medical will be covered in our package, but we may not qualify within waiting periods. Any help is greatly appreciated.

[flo2900]

dana point, laguna niguel....decent with backyard $3500-$4500/month...costa mesa has nice areas too and more affordable...as far as insurance this country is very primitive in that respect...expect lots of copays and God forbid any complications with the baby...this country IS THE WORSE COUNTRY TO GET SICK IN!!...have the baby in australia, then move...Please, please take my advice ...Good Luck to you and your family!

[Coldjensens]

Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach is very nice. St. Josephs in Orange is not bad. Irvine has a nice hopspital as well. I think that a C-section without insurance costs about $15,000 if there are no complications, and natural birth is about $5,000. Those figures are pretty old so it could be higher now. Make sure that you have an OB-GYN in advance. Do not just show up at the hospital and expect to be admitted and find a doctor before your baby is born. Giving birth in a waiting room is not pleasant for mom.

Minimize your commute. Most communities are reasonably family oriented. However if you like your family, the closer you are to work, the more you will see them. Living close enough to see them at lunch time is wonderful. I used to be able to pick up my kids, take them to the Santa Ana zoo, look at monkeys for ten minutes, ride on an elephant, and grab a sandwich at the zoo cafe and still get back within an hour. It was wonderful. Besides, who else can return to work and when asked "What did you do for lunch" answer "I rode on an elephant with my kids".

[mija N' me]

Originally Posted by Coldjensens

I used to be able to pick up my kids, take them to the Santa Ana zoo, look at monkeys for ten minutes, ride on an elephant, and grab a sandwich at the zoo cafe and still get back within an hour. It was wonderful. Besides, who else can return to work and when asked "What did you do for lunch" answer "I rode on an elephant with my kids".

will you adopt me???

[Coldjensens]

Originally Posted by mija N' me

will you adopt me???

Do you come with a trust fund?

[Coldjensens]

By the way. You wanted something decent with a backyard. People living in OC have very different opinions of what constitutes "decent" and what constitutes a "backyard"

If you want enough room for two lawn chairs - not a problem. If you want room to throw a frisbee, you had better have a trust fund (or two). If you can afford the $2 to $3 million range, then you can get a home with 3/4 to an acre of land. Otherwise, you need to be happy with an 8000 s.f. lot (if you are lucky). That is about 1/5 of an acre (1/6? my math skills are terrible). Older homes often have a bit more yard. I have never met anyone with more than two acres of land in OC and I know some extremely wealthy people. Big yards are not popular even for people who can afford them. Who wants to spend all weekend cutting the grass instead of sitting at the beach? Plus watering an acre of lawn will double your house payment. (realistically, no one cuts their own grass. It is not worth buying a laawn mower for such tiny yards when lawn care services are so cheap ($15/week).

There are lots of parks in most communities. Throw a frisbee there, or go to the beach.

Most houses are "decent" condition wise. Unless you get termites, houses do not get a lot of wear since there is only rarely any weather other than hot or perfect. However get in the mindset of smaller homes. Remember, you will probably spend most of your time outside. You only need one set of seasonal clothing (not three or four sets) since there is only one season. I did not own a coat for over ten years - I borrowed one to go skiing. Further, warm weatehr clothing is less bulky. So you do not need as much storage. That is good since most homes do not have basements, nor useful attics.

Be wary of new houses. Construction practies are all about build it fast and cheap. Many turn out to have defects (leaky windows, roof, or walls or simlar problems). IF a house is at least 5-10 years old, most problems will ahve minifested by then.

In California 1800 s.f. is a common size for a faimly of three or four. More recently 2500 s.f. homes are becomming more common. Anything over 3000 s.f. is pretty much a $million plus. I cannot remember ever seeing a house over 3000 s.f. for less than a million in Orange County, except maybe in Santa Ana.

Most transplants need to change their way of thinking. Forget about size (within reason) and focus on location. A smaller house that is near your work is far superior to a big house even if you get far enough out to get a bit of land. Get home quickly, gather your family and go to a beach or park. That is much better than sitting in traffic trying to get to a slighly larger house in a distant subdivision. Does it really make a difference whether your living room and or bedroom are fifty s.f. smaller? (about 2.5 feet shorter in most cases).

Few people entertain inside their house. Many eat outside a great deal of the time (Barbque). Most of the people that we know eat out far more often than they eat at home. Kids tend to be so busy with activities outside the home, that they do little more than sleep there. Why sit at home in a big house that you can barely afford? Take the money you save and go ride an elephant (costs only about $3 by the way - plus zoo admission or an annual pass).

[cityx]

Originally Posted by mija N' me

will you adopt me???

No - me first!!