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Old 01-17-2009, 10:16 PM
 
2 posts, read 20,048 times
Reputation: 11

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Hi All,
I am looking to buy a house in Orange County and my budget is about $425K. Is it possible to get a house (with 3 BR) in a good neighborhood and a decent school district within that budget?
Also which parts of the suggested areas should I look for? I will be commuting to Howard Hughes Pkwy, LA.
Presently I am considering Whittier, Cerritos, Buena Park, Cypress?
Any suggestions are welcome.

Thanks in advance.
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Old 01-18-2009, 12:08 AM
 
Location: OC, CA
3,309 posts, read 5,679,083 times
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You are going to be pressed to find something "detached" and in a good school district at that price. La Palma, Fullerton, and West Garden Grove (92845) might suit you.
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Old 01-18-2009, 07:11 AM
 
Location: Las Flores, Orange County, CA
26,338 posts, read 93,407,924 times
Reputation: 17827
Go to
http://www.city-data.com/forum/orang...ing-tools.html

and use the Redfin housing search tool. Also on that link above are school district maps.

And (what I forgot to add) check out Sigalert.com - Personalized Traffic Reports during the times you expect to commute.
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Old 01-18-2009, 08:14 AM
 
136 posts, read 461,886 times
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Whittier?! Cypress?! that commute would be treacherous- I hope you work odd hours because this commute is going to get old fast.

Why not look in the South Bay -Torrance, Redondo, El Segundo.. You will be looking at 30-40 min commute rather than 1 hr plus.

The best cities in OC, in my opinion, are Newport, Yorba Linda, Anaheim Hills, Huntington, Laguna, and the 949 area code in general is very nice. Consider finding a job down there, like Irvine. The area is very ideal with virtually no crime.
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Old 01-18-2009, 10:35 AM
 
Location: Anchorage, AK to SoCal to Missoula, MT
1,539 posts, read 3,177,286 times
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Definitely look into something in LA County that has the schools you want. I'm not too familiar with the LA communities, but definitely don't set yourself up for a long commute. It won't be worth it and you will hate living here.
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Old 01-18-2009, 04:14 PM
 
2 posts, read 20,048 times
Reputation: 11
Thanks to everyone for their replies. To answer ocexpo, I am not particularly looking for a house but also townhouses.
The idea to look for in Whittier, Cypress, Cerritos or Buena Park was that with the budget that I have, these areas could offer better deal per square foot. Also commute will definitely be a big issue but then there are trade-offs. What do you guys think?
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Old 01-18-2009, 09:10 PM
 
5 posts, read 20,958 times
Reputation: 14
I would definantly suggest the south bay, because i think that OC the commute would be too hard, and honestly redondo beach, hermosa, palos verdes, torrance and manhattan beach are just as good as the OC communities, and they have great schools. I have grown up in redondo beach, but i have friends all around the South Bay. It is very nice, and the commute is not as bad as being in OC. For 425 you are more likely to find something you like in the south bay, and you wont have to be in the corners of OC, you can be closer to the beach. In the south bay you are also close to good shopping and not too far from los angeles, and i dont think your commute would be too horrible.
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Old 01-18-2009, 11:18 PM
tew
 
Location: The Ranch, CO
209 posts, read 630,828 times
Reputation: 40
If you like being in your car for some time I guess those cities are good. Why does it have to be in OC? Why not live in LA county? Isn't closer to your job? What about Long Beach? Ive never lived there but I hear its not super pricey.
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Old 01-19-2009, 02:17 PM
 
Location: South Bay
7,226 posts, read 22,093,996 times
Reputation: 3626
howard hughes pkwy is just north of LAX. the furthest away from there that i would consider living is Long Beach, which is probably the only city that you'll find homes in your price range, that isn't in the 'hood' anywhere near your office. actually, you might be able to find some decent condos in culver city, but the southbay communities are very expensive and may not be an option, expecially if you need a 3br.
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Old 01-19-2009, 02:33 PM
hsw
 
2,144 posts, read 7,132,512 times
Reputation: 1540
Would rent a TH/small house in Irvine...

House prices are falling

Public schools in LA region suck except Irvine and PV Peninsula (which lacks cheap, newer housing)...kids that gain a better education (and likely better college and job) will save you many bucks in future

Drive arriving <6AM and departing >7PM is no worse (actually better) than comparable commutes in NYC or Chicago (and most senior execs in those cities similarly drive at off-hrs to avoid morons of "normal" rush hr)....LA's near-perfect weather reduces yr-round commute times dramatically vs cities back East...
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