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Old 07-20-2009, 06:23 PM
 
3 posts, read 8,132 times
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Possible move from Birmingham, AL to Orange County.
My husband's office will be in Bria.
Where to live? HELP!
We are VERY active and both compete in the sport of triathlon. We are late 30's/40's with NO kids, so an EXCELLENT, top rated school system does NOT matter to us (ie: Irvine). We care more about proximity to gym's and bike routes.
We are left wing liberal and have concerns about what i have read about Irvine and "fitting in" with no kids and the ultra-conservative thinking, but Irvine seems beautiful and almost "Truman Show"-esq.
We currently live in an area close to downtown with excellent restaurants, coffee shops, and parks. Our neighborhood is established with 100 year old homes and older trees. Our neighbors are single, married, straight, gay, black and white AND we LOVE it. We walk to parades and concerts in the parks.
Can anyone help me find my little Birmingham in OC? Does it exist?
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Old 07-20-2009, 06:36 PM
 
Location: Las Flores, Orange County, CA
26,338 posts, read 93,427,408 times
Reputation: 17827
Quote:
Originally Posted by tristephtri View Post
My husband's office will be in Bria.
Where to live? HELP!
I think you mean Brea.

Will you be working too? Where?
Rent or buy? Housing budget?

Chorus advice is live near where you work.

I've read good things about Belmont Shore and it looks to be sort of doable for commuting, but we can't recommend anything until we know your budget.

I'm sure others will chime in.

Last edited by Charles; 07-20-2009 at 06:52 PM..
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Old 07-20-2009, 06:43 PM
 
619 posts, read 2,159,780 times
Reputation: 261
Quote:
Originally Posted by tristephtri View Post
Possible move from Birmingham, AL to Orange County.
My husband's office will be in Bria.
Where to live? HELP!
We are VERY active and both compete in the sport of triathlon. We are late 30's/40's with NO kids, so an EXCELLENT, top rated school system does NOT matter to us (ie: Irvine). We care more about proximity to gym's and bike routes.
We are left wing liberal and have concerns about what i have read about Irvine and "fitting in" with no kids and the ultra-conservative thinking, but Irvine seems beautiful and almost "Truman Show"-esq.
We currently live in an area close to downtown with excellent restaurants, coffee shops, and parks. Our neighborhood is established with 100 year old homes and older trees. Our neighbors are single, married, straight, gay, black and white AND we LOVE it. We walk to parades and concerts in the parks.
Can anyone help me find my little Birmingham in OC? Does it exist?
Most of OC is very conservative and ppl here have a LOT of kids. I`ve never seen so many kids anywhere else. At one point I think OC was the most conservative County in the country. That aside,OC is a phenommenal place to live with lots to do, gyms, proximity to ocean, mountain, trails etc.
Brea is a nice upscale, new town with a young vibe to it. Not cheap.
You`ll love it here.
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Old 07-20-2009, 06:44 PM
 
3 posts, read 8,132 times
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Yes I will be working. Not right away,I will have to find a job. Currently a h.s. teacher, so I should have something next fall as we are anticipating a mid-year move. Rent something in the beginning. House budget is tricky, I am SHOCKED by the prices. SHOCKED! We don't need much 2br/2 ba. Is over $500k going to be a must? We could swing that, but not much more.
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Old 07-20-2009, 06:55 PM
 
Location: Las Flores, Orange County, CA
26,338 posts, read 93,427,408 times
Reputation: 17827
Quote:
Originally Posted by tristephtri View Post
Yes I will be working. Not right away,I will have to find a job. Currently a h.s. teacher, so I should have something next fall as we are anticipating a mid-year move. Rent something in the beginning. House budget is tricky, I am SHOCKED by the prices. SHOCKED! We don't need much 2br/2 ba. Is over $500k going to be a must? We could swing that, but not much more.
My favorite tool is redfin for home searching.

I've read a lot of people advising to rent for a while as 1) I'm assuming you are totally new to Southern California, and 2) a lot of people thing housing prices are still falling.

Also try HousingMaps for craigslist rentals on a google maps interface.

Become familiar with www.sigalert.com. You'll find out why.

Finally, I put together a list of tools which should help you:

Useful Househunting tools
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Old 07-20-2009, 07:01 PM
 
Location: South Bay
7,226 posts, read 22,100,014 times
Reputation: 3626
there are homes to be had under $500k, but the selection isn't huge.

as far as being triathletes, the best tranining is in south orange county (including irvine). they have the best bike paths and climbs there. you also have the ocean nearby for OWS. i really like the fullerton area though and that might be a good match for what you are looking for as far as neighborhoods, especially near the downtown area. i'm not sure about pools/gyms in fullerton, but there is a fairly large university in the city which has a very nice rec center which i'm sure you can pay to join. they also have a pool on campus and beach isn't too far away if you really want to swim in the ocean. as far as cycling, the santa ana river path is relatively close and you can ride to the beach or out towards corona. other places you may consider might be old town tustin, the orange circle, and huntington beach but that is getting pretty far from brea. belmont shore is very nice place and i'm sure you would fit in there, but that would a crummy commute for your husband.
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Old 07-20-2009, 07:04 PM
 
Location: Denver
9,963 posts, read 18,426,721 times
Reputation: 6181
Quote:
Originally Posted by tristephtri View Post
We are left wing liberal
You should look to Long Beach, Belmont Shores to be exact. Run on the boardwalk, swim in the ocean, bike rides down PCH, walks on 2nd street, trendy, hip, liberal, diverse, fun and pretty close to Brea.
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Old 07-20-2009, 07:07 PM
 
Location: South Bay
7,226 posts, read 22,100,014 times
Reputation: 3626
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mach50 View Post
You should look to Long Beach, Belmont Shores to be exact. Run on the boardwalk, swim in the ocean, bike rides down PCH, walks on 2nd street, trendy, hip, liberal, diverse, fun and close to Brea.
i wouldn't say 25-30 miles is close.
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Old 07-20-2009, 07:09 PM
 
Location: Orange, California
1,576 posts, read 6,326,978 times
Reputation: 758
Quote:
Originally Posted by tristephtri View Post
Yes I will be working. Not right away,I will have to find a job. Currently a h.s. teacher, so I should have something next fall as we are anticipating a mid-year move. Rent something in the beginning. House budget is tricky, I am SHOCKED by the prices. SHOCKED! We don't need much 2br/2 ba. Is over $500k going to be a must? We could swing that, but not much more.
As a triathlete, you will be in good company in southern california. There is a huge triathalon subculture in southern california and you will find many kindred spirits. But as for home prices, I couldn't agree more. It is completely disheartening coming from a place like Birmingham and trying to figure how you can buy in to the OC housing market. Even in this tanking economy, prices would still have to fall much further to be considered affordable by the average person. I would suggest you rent for now and take your time monitoring the housing market. You have the benefit of time. I don't know if prices will necessarily drop that much more, but I cannot see them going up anytime soon.

As for the conservative vibe in the OC, don't worry too much. You are coming from Alabama!!! CA republicans are like AL moderate dems. Look no further than the governer's office. A pro-choice republican like him would be considered a democrat in Alabama for sure. You'll be fine.
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Old 07-20-2009, 07:09 PM
 
Location: Las Flores, Orange County, CA
26,338 posts, read 93,427,408 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BRinSM View Post
i wouldn't say 25-30 miles is close.
Google maps says 35 minutes, 50 minutes in traffic. Barely passes Charles's one bladder test.
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