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Old 06-19-2011, 11:33 AM
 
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Hello,

I am moving over from the UK to work in Lake Forest, I have a wife and 1 year old to support and will be earning just over $100k a year, and want to spend a max of $2300 on rent with 3 bedrooms.
There seems to be a lot of great places to live in around OC. When we visited we thought that Laguna Beach was a great place to live, but I have a fear that it can become very overcrowded in the summer? We visited in Feb.
Are there any other beach locations that people can recommend or any other locations for that matter :-)

Thanks!
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Old 06-19-2011, 11:56 AM
 
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How far are you willing to travel to your job in Lake Forest? Dana Point is nearby and coastal, but not nearly as touristy or crowded in the summer as Laguna Beach.

You can rent this 3bd/3bth/2000 sq.ft. townhouse with a peek ocean view in Dana Point for $2,275 month ( I wonder if there is a catch because the price seems low):

33862 Olinda Dr Dana Point CA - Home for Rent - MLS #S658299 - Realtor.com®

FWIW, there used to be some sort of “pipe organ” business at that address, but I don’t know how this would influence its present desirability. I do wonder if there are other issues in the area, like nearby noisy renters? Sometimes coastal condos attract more than their share of party animals.

Last edited by pacific2; 06-19-2011 at 12:10 PM..
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Old 06-19-2011, 12:09 PM
 
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I dont mind a bit of a jorney, I'm used to London traffic
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Old 06-19-2011, 12:13 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DoctorOD View Post
I dont mind a bit of a jorney, I'm used to London traffic
You might want to investigate the coastal towns of Dana Point and San Clemente if travel is not an issue. Try for a short term lease to see how you actually feel about the traffic, because things can bog down on the 5N from San Clemente.

San Clemente 3 bedrooms under $2300:
San Clemente Homes for Rent - San Clemente Houses for Rent - San Clemente, CA Rentals Real Estate - Realtor.com®
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Old 06-19-2011, 12:22 PM
 
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Anywhere inland you would recommend? I had a good look around Irvine as well which seemed very family friendly.
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Old 06-19-2011, 12:34 PM
 
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Irvine tends to be very pricey, but there are lots of more reasonably priced inland options like Mission Viejo, Laguna Niguel and Aliso Viejo.
You could get a short term lease in Aliso Viejo and scout out the area before deciding on where you want to live.

I stayed at Alicante when I first moved from Manhattan to Aliso Viejo, and found it to be very friendly, well-kept and well-managed. A huge plus for me was that Alicante is big-dog friendly.
YouTube - ‪Alicante Apartment Homes Aliso Viejo CA Sequoia Equities‬‏ (http://youtu.be/6GNCs4vdduY - broken link)

City Lights in Aliso Viejo also offers short-term leases:
YouTube - ‪City Lights Apartments For Rent - Aliso Viejo, CA‬‏

Rents, especially short-term corporate rentals, are probably higher at City Lights.

Last edited by pacific2; 06-19-2011 at 12:42 PM..
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Old 06-19-2011, 12:40 PM
 
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Thanks for your help!
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Old 06-19-2011, 12:53 PM
 
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You’re welcome and good luck!

Soka University Aliso Viejo (new) Performing Arts Center

YouTube - ‪Interview w David Palmer, General Manager, Soka Performing Arts Center‬‏

Renaissance ClubSport Aliso Viejo (This is a very popular second “town hub,” and is so successful that city managers may consider allowing another resort hotel to open in Aliso Viejo)
YouTube - ‪Renaissance ClubSport Aliso Viejo Spa, Sport Club & Hotel‬‏

Aliso Viejo Town Center
YouTube - ‪Aliso Viejo Town Center‬‏

Aliso and Wood Canyons

YouTube - ‪Aliso and Wood Canyon Wilderness Park - Wcities‬‏

The Neighborhood Cup

YouTube - ‪John Troy at The Cup with Bob Hawkins - Find Someone‬‏

City Perk Coffee
YouTube - ‪City Perk Bakery and Cafe - Aliso Viejo Coffee Shop‬‏

Last edited by pacific2; 06-19-2011 at 02:20 PM..
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Old 06-19-2011, 04:36 PM
 
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In SoCal, it's always best to live in close proximity to your place of employment - especially when you are unfamiliar with traffic patterns and such. Lake Forest is a pretty nice town and most likely more affordable than the coastal communities. It might be worth consideration to start out with a rental in LF while you scout out the surrounding areas.

And you are correct in your assumption regarding traffic in Laguna. It is a major tourist attraction in the summer and there are only two ways in or out. Those are PCH and Laguna Canyon Road. Both can be quite nasty for commuters.

Congrats and good luck!
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Old 06-19-2011, 06:08 PM
 
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BTW, These observations made on C-D by someone else who moved last year from the UK might be of help.

Making the move from UK to Aliso Viejo


Quote:
12-19-2010, 12:35 PM
peckerwood101
Member

Hi, I'd be glad to try and help. I know how difficult I found it to get information before our move.

I'm still not that best placed to tell you how far you 90k will stretch. The company I work for has provided us with an apartment and a rental car for the first few months so I haven't had to pay for any of those things as yet. Having said that I have a good idea how much things cost.

Apartment:
Irvine is a very popular place to live, and has more "happening" than some of the other local areas. Irvine Spectrum is a large mall that attracts a lot of shoppers and is a good place for entertainment (lots of bars, restaurants, and a cinema). I would recommend Aliso Viejo, Mission Viejo, also Laguna Niguel, and if you're after a location closer to the sea, Dana Point. They are all relatively close to Irvine, but its worth mentioning that rush hour in Orange County is notoriously bad. A 20 min journey can turn into a 60+ minute journey in rush hour. Bear that in mind.
If I was you I'd look for a shortish term let in Irvine for now, and get a feel for the place and your priorities before you make any longer term commitment. Personally, I love living in Aliso Viejo (lots of young families, clean, safe, and incredibly well maintained). And its fantastic to be 7 mins from the office, and 10 from Laguna Beach.
Depending on the sq footage (the biggest cost factor here) you should be able to get a 2 bed 2 bath for a bit less than $2000 per month in any of those areas.

Car:
Cars are good value. I'd say roughly the same price in dollars as in pounds.
I don't presume to know your financial situation, but to give you my experience, I found it difficult to get a decent rate of interest over here (they don't take into consideration your UK credit history - good or bad). So I was being offered 22% APR for a lease or a loan. In the end I used a chunk of our savings to buy 80% of a car, and then the remaining 20% of credit I will pay of in 3/4 months (rather than the 36 month term) just to get a foot on the credit ladder.

Other costs:

Expect to pay $300+ per month for utilities (you pay for trash and sewage directly here as a utility).
Groceries are more expensive here (I'd say 50% more than in the UK). Shop at Walmart/Target for anything you can. Also make sure you get the store loyalty cards as they save you 20% on every shop.
Clothes are cheaper.
Electronics are cheaper (I drool over the huge cheap TVs in BestBuy)
Mobile phone bills are more expensive (you even pay to receive calls and txt messages)
Broadband and cable TV is more expensive
Petrol is way cheaper.

And don't forget everything comes priced BEFORE tax. So essentially you have to remember to add 8.5% to all sticker prices.

The one thing I can tell you is that the best things to do are the cheapest. A day at the beach will cost you the price of a home-made picnic and maybe $1 an hour parking depending on the beach. Honestly, sitting on the beach in December enjoying the sunshine with your family makes it all worth while

I'm rambling on now, but if there's anything else I can tell you please let me know.

Good luck!
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