In your crystal ball, what will be the next cities to go downhill? Gangs, education, crime etc?

[OC Investor2]

I think the areas most immune in OC will be Irvine & south county. Simplest reason: HOA's

HOA's get away with regulating the area in ways no Gov't could. They keep out alot of the rif rif & give residents a vehicle to slow community decay. They have trade offs and being in a poorly run one can be heck, but I believe in the long run they will help slow any decline in a neighborhood.

[bhcompy]

Originally Posted by OC Investor2

I think the areas most immune in OC will be Irvine & south county. Simplest reason: HOA's

HOA's get away with regulating the area in ways no Gov't could. They keep out alot of the rif rif & give residents a vehicle to slow community decay. They have trade offs and being in a poorly run one can be heck, but I believe in the long run they will help slow any decline in a neighborhood.

and i think hoa's are the reason that communities like rossmoor, seal beach, eastern long beach, most of lakewood, cerritos, etc will always be better communities. they dont have hoa's, yet they still manage to be wonderful places to live without the added headache of worrying about what day you cut your lawn or where you put your kids playset in the back yard

[mrwumpus]

Just this week I saw gang graffiti for the first time on walls in the Portola Hills area (technically part of Lake Forest). Quite a shock after 15 or so years in this little haven. OC natives probably can't read such gang graffiti, but as a native I can. It read:

Sell your property, pack up your family and and get out now. Did you think there was not a price to be paid for cheaper landscaping, cheaper construction and all that fast food?