Relocating from South Florida to OC (South Santa Ana?)- HELP Please! (Anaheim: real estate, HOA fees)

[NikonManFlorida]

Greetings all! My wife and I are relocating to OC - corporate relo, etc. We have no kids so I couldnt care less about schools, etc. Her new office is in Costa Mesa (SC Metro Area).

We just spent 7 days looking at new construction and homes in Costa Mesa, Irvine (Woodburry/Portola), Tustin, Anaheim (yikes) and even south county Rancho/Aliso area. Melo Roos and HOA fees are out of hand in Irvine - it is very manicured and pretty and safe - however I think the value isnt there unless one has kids in the school systems.

We found a new community (new construction) in South Santa Ana, basically right over the Costa Mesa line on Fairview and Alton (just north of MacArthur). The homes are nice, and reasonably priced (relative to the CA/OC market) - the only issue is that the exit of the community is on Alton (railroad track and trailer park across the street) - not a really big deal - we are just concerned as it seems that everyone here says Santa Ana is the worse city in OC for crime and blight, etc. The area we were in seemed fine to me - maybe as it is so close to the South Coast Mall/Costa Mesa area.

Anyone have any additional input on south Santa Ana or the general area around the South Coast Plaza residential area?

THe community is called "canopy lane" btw ...

thanks so much !!!!

[ragnarkar]

Santa Ana's crime rate is roughly the US average.. so it's not particularly unsafe but not particularly safe either.

Overcrowding will be the issue that'll affect you on a daily basis. When the population density is over 10,000 and the city being car-dependent, you will want to live as close to a freeway as possible if you want to live in Santa Ana. You'll be within proximity of I-405, CA-55, and CA-73 (toll road) so this area passes.

[bhcompy]

That area of Santa Ana is basically safe. If I recall, you're right next to Segerstrom High and there are no problems in that area. Nice communities between there and the 405.

Of course, you could avoid all of the Mello Roos stuff if you look at older construction. Costa Mesa Country Club is nice and very close, pricing should be lower than other nice communities in the area IIRC. You could also look in Fountain Valley or Westminster.

[robbybee]

That part of Santa Ana is not one of the higher crime areas of the city. It is freeway close and should be relatively nice to live there. But around the Holidays, when South Coast Plaza gets jumping, it can be a real nightmare to travel on Bristol Street and Bear Road. The 405 and the 73 both get backed up with holiday shoppers.

On the good side, Segerstrom Hall (OCPAC) and South Coast Repertory (a great little venue) are right close. If you like the theater or the symphony you will be quite happy. There are also some very nice ($$) restaurants nearby as well. And if you are into the more alternative forms of entertainment, the Galaxy Theater is quite close too.

[NikonManFlorida]

Thanks guys for the great info!

[rickc007]

Santa Ana is a pit

And if something in OC is "priced reasonably" ... Buyer Beware

[NikonManFlorida]

Well again, the area I was driving around was fine - I really saw nothing wrong with it! At least from South Florida (Miami) standards! This was extreme south Santa Ana near the Costa Mesa line. The rest of Santa Ana may be bad - I dont know.

$600K for 2300 square feet is "reasonable" for OC/CA standards with no MR and reasonable HOA for us with no kids IMHO. 50% of exisiting homes are REO or SS and aren't much cheaper and take ~18 months to close. We are looking for 'newer' construction (2000 or newer) so that exludes much of the rest of whats available.

Truthfully, not much in OC (especially Irvine and its 'perfectness') reflects 95% of the rest of the country lol.

Seems like many folks here are jaded with OC - what do you think is the "buyer beware" issue? Do you know the area I am refering to?


Thanks !

[erickim]

That should be an OK area. Santa Ana gets a worse reputation because it's right on the edge of where "South OC" starts. There are worse areas in SoCal, but I myself would never live in Santa Ana towards the 5.

You must know that the 55 fwy is JAMMED going south and north during rush hour. We're talking idling about 5-10 miles of fwy. So if you're going to be working in South Coast area, you should save yourself agony and live down in that area. The neighborhood around that area is fine. Costa Mesa is a relatively safe area.

If you have $600,000 to spend, I would buy in Irvine. Home resale value is much better there.

I lived in Irvine for 25+ years.

[rickc007]

"buyer beware" is anytime something is reasonably priced in OC would trigger that response

In todays market 600k for 2300 sqft in Santa Ana, is not what I would call "reasonbly priced"
you can do better than Santa Ana.


Plenty of Laguna Niguel is now valued at that, and many paid 900k a couple years ago
for the same house. (there's other, I just still get updates from Laguna Niguel, which is
why I mention)

Regardless of how nice that spot is, or close to Costa Mesa (which has shady spots),
Railroad track, and trailer park across the street ... big no no for many
Santa is the least desirable in OC, worst rep, not the best place to invest in Real Estate.

Someone wiser then me once said "buy the cheapest house in the nicest neighborhood"

I think you could do a Lot better.
I know it's tough when you don't know the area ... you may have a tough time
selling that one if you want to move one

[rickc007]

Originally Posted by erickim

If you have $600,000 to spend, I would buy in Irvine. Home resale value is much better there.

This ^

Irvine is the Darling of OC
Santa Ana is the Red Haired Step Child