Help finding the right area in OC, 2 strikes so far, am I being realistic? (Long Beach: apartment complexes, rentals)

[synecdoche]

Hope someone can help! I am relatively new to California. So far I have lived in two places. One was university housing near UCI. That was fine. I then moved to Long Beach. I may have just landed in a bad area despite my research, but I really dislike it - noisy and kind of dangerous and awful traffic, etc. I'm counting the days til I can leave.

Except I'm unsure where to go. Here's the thing:

-My boyfriend lives in Irvine at UCI. I'd like to be closer to him than I am now in LB. I can't move back to university housing (no longer a student).

-I work from home mostly so commute isn't a big issue. I sometimes teach at Elite on Roosevelt in Irvine so that area is a possibility.

I basically don't know anything about the communities, and even after all my research I screwed up choosing my place in LB and I don't want to do it again. My criteria:

-Don't care about apt much, except no roaches or rats. One BR/ Studio is fine. I have a cat. I don't want to pay more than $1250 tip top if possible.

-Want somewhere safe and quiet. I loved Irvine for this. I wouldn't mind somewhere with more going on than Irvine but really nightlife isn't a huge priority.

I would just go back to Irvine but 1) If I can find somewhere more interesting/ less under the thumb of UCI, I'd like to, and 2) anything in my price range seems to be bad.

Have looked a little into Mission Viejo, Aliso Viejo. I don't know where to start. All the apartment complexes that show up on Craigslist have HORRIBLE online reviews. Noise, crime, rats, roaches.

I guess I'm just lost, and I'm willing to do the work to research but I don't know what work to do. I keep coming to this forum and reading posts for help, so I thought maybe if I posted myself someone could guide me specifically. Would be so appreciated.

[DinsdalePirahna]

Try private rentals on the east side of Costa Mesa.

Go out and explore neighborhoods that you like. Walk or Bike and look at "For Rent Signs"

[pacific2]

Originally Posted by synecdoche

Hope someone can help! I am relatively new to California. So far I have lived in two places. One was university housing near UCI. That was fine. I then moved to Long Beach. I may have just landed in a bad area despite my research, but I really dislike it - noisy and kind of dangerous and awful traffic, etc. I'm counting the days til I can leave.

Except I'm unsure where to go. Here's the thing:

-My boyfriend lives in Irvine at UCI. I'd like to be closer to him than I am now in LB. I can't move back to university housing (no longer a student).

-I work from home mostly so commute isn't a big issue. I sometimes teach at Elite on Roosevelt in Irvine so that area is a possibility.

I basically don't know anything about the communities, and even after all my research I screwed up choosing my place in LB and I don't want to do it again. My criteria:

-Don't care about apt much, except no roaches or rats. One BR/ Studio is fine. I have a cat. I don't want to pay more than $1250 tip top if possible.

-Want somewhere safe and quiet. I loved Irvine for this. I wouldn't mind somewhere with more going on than Irvine but really nightlife isn't a huge priority.

I would just go back to Irvine but 1) If I can find somewhere more interesting/ less under the thumb of UCI, I'd like to, and 2) anything in my price range seems to be bad.

Have looked a little into Mission Viejo, Aliso Viejo. I don't know where to start. All the apartment complexes that show up on Craigslist have HORRIBLE online reviews. Noise, crime, rats, roaches.

I guess I'm just lost, and I'm willing to do the work to research but I don't know what work to do. I keep coming to this forum and reading posts for help, so I thought maybe if I posted myself someone could guide me specifically. Would be so appreciated.

Interesting. Remember that most of the people who write those reviews have an axe to grind. Some are also competitors, so take what they say with not a grain, but a full truck load of salt.

Both Mission Viejo and Aliso Viejo are newer, very clean cities with low crime rates. I've lived in Aliso for quite a while and have never heard those claims about any apartment complex. You have tons of choices all over South County, so also check Lake Forest and Laguna Niguel.

The worst I have heard concerned City Lights, a large complex at Town Center. They seemed to have more than their share of car break-ins in the past. I haven't heard any thing negative about them recently and the complex no longer seems to pop-up in crime reports. City Lights is very attractive on the outside and looks very well-maintained.

I can personally recommend Alicante in Aliso Viejo since I spent some time living there when I first arrived in AV and had no problems. They are fanatics about maintenance.

[synecdoche]

Can anyone give me suggestions for neighborhoods to look into? I'm totally willing to drive/ bike/ walk around and look at places, but am unsure where to start.

East side of Costa Mesa - I did see some rentals in my range east of the highway, but they were in the southern part of Costa Mesa (area of Canyon Park? Bay St.) and I have read a few times that this area is actually not terribly great/ not worth looking into.

[synecdoche]

Originally Posted by pacific2

I can personally recommend Alicante in Aliso Viejo since I spent some time living there when I first arrived in AV and had no problems. They are fanatics about maintenance.

Alicante is one of the (very, very few) I have seen with online referrals that are more positive than negative, and it is actually on my check-out list, so thanks! Others, such as the Promenade in Mission Viejo or ones near the Irvine Spectrum, are simply trashed. Very true that reviewers often have axes to grind, it just makes me super nervous when I reason that my lower (for OC) price range may justify the kinds of issues I see being raised so maybe there's some truth behind them.

[pacific2]

Originally Posted by synecdoche

Alicante is one of the (very, very few) I have seen with online referrals that are more positive than negative, and it is actually on my check-out list, so thanks! Others, such as the Promenade in Mission Viejo or ones near the Irvine Spectrum, are simply trashed. Very true that reviewers often have axes to grind, it just makes me super nervous when I reason that my lower (for OC) price range may justify the kinds of issues I see being raised so maybe there's some truth behind them.

Your price range may be the only obstacle to finding an apartment anyplace in South County.

Drive around both Aliso Viejo and Mission Viejo and you'll see just how ridiculous the claims are.

Alicante


Alicante Apartments | Aliso Viejo, CA | Sequoia Equities - YouTube

[pacific2]

A friend stayed at the St. Moritz in Aliso Viejo after selling one home and waiting to buy another one; and he liked it. Look all over South County. Prices are probably a bit lower in Laguna Niguel since most apartments there are a bit older (sometimes upgraded).



St. Moritz (It's located directly across from Town Center)


St. Moritz Resort Apartments Video Tour Aliso Viejo - YouTube

[synecdoche]

Originally Posted by pacific2

Drive around both Aliso Viejo and Mission Viejo and you'll see just how ridiculous the claims are.

I consider this great news, because some of the complexes have seemed pretty decent but the reviews put them so far out of possibility I was getting concerned. To that end, if anyone has specific recommendations of complexes or neighborhoods or buildings to look at anywhere in this area, like the recommendation for Alicante, I'd love to hear them. Deerfield in Irvine is one I've considered but again find consistently trashed online, as are the Coronado buildings in (I think) Costa Mesa.

(I'm not tied to the idea of a big corporate complex, but they seem to be the easiest for someone who doesn't know the area well, rather than trying to get into nitty-gritty of separate houses and landlords).

[pacific2]

Remember too, that you pretty much get what you pay for; and paying a low rent in OC usually means that you will have to live in an older and more affordable area where the revenue from the building may not be enough to "inspire" the landlord to keep the place up.

Some people hate master planned communities like Aliso Viejo, Mission Viejo and Rancho Santa Margarita; but one advantage to living in one is that, on a day-to-day basis, you don't even think twice about the HOA, but if a landlord, or anyone else, just thinks about letting his property rundown, he'll have his worst nightmare.

[Sondeera]

Costa Mesa around 17th street on the East Side would be a great fit for you. Close to Irvine, close to plenty of nightlife and fun stuff, bikeable. I had friends that lived in apartments off Tustin and another off Orange for years and it was fantastic.