Moving Out to Irvine, if you live there or if you know about it, I need your help please (Huntington Beach: sublease, apartment complexes)

[Ihsen]

My family which is composed of myself, my wife and my 2 years old boy are moving out to Irvine very soon. We think of it as a perfect city for us to move down there since it seems to be safer than many cities in California; it has a good employment rate, many preschool options and the weather seems to be very nice too.

If you live in Irvine, or if you know about it, I would appreciate it if I get more info about the best family neighborhoods in Irvine (with names, addresses and details if possible, if not just names and addresses) knowing that we are looking for affordable houses/apartments that would not cost more than 1500$/a month.

Thank you in advance.

[bhcompy]

You will not find a 2b apt in Irvine for under 1500/mo unless you're the luckiest person alive. House or condo isn't even an option. There are other parts of the county where you will find a safe neighborhood with good schools and weather at that price, but not in Irvine

[Mr. Fantastic]

I think Woodbridge is one of the best family oriented neighborhoods in Irvine. Turtle Ridge is also awesome. Northpark, and the area around Main St., and Paseo Westpark is prime as well.

The problem is, $1,500 a month won't buy you much. Are you looking to rent a 1 bedroom or 2 bedroom?

[Ihsen]

TO bhcompy: I guess you might be right. we moving out in July so by then we got a couple of weeks to do a good research, hopefully we'll get lucky. thanks. what are the names of the places around Irvine?

To Mr. Fantastic, thank you. I been looking at apartments for rent in those neighborhoods and I appreciate your help. We looking for 2 bedrooms but we might end up havin 1 dependin on the budget, we can stretch it but not more than 1700 $.
Turtle Ridge looks very intersting really!! I saw the Irvine Village on Lain St. not bad at all.

[OC Investor2]

Originally Posted by Ihsen

My family which is composed of myself, my wife and my 2 years old boy are moving out to Irvine very soon. We think of it as a perfect city for us to move down there since it seems to be safer than many cities in California; it has a good employment rate, many preschool options and the weather seems to be very nice too.

If you live in Irvine, or if you know about it, I would appreciate it if I get more info about the best family neighborhoods in Irvine (with names, addresses and details if possible, if not just names and addresses) knowing that we are looking for affordable houses/apartments that would not cost more than 1500$/a month.

Thank you in advance.

Irvine is divided into a series of villages. Westpark, Woodbridge & Northwood are among the most popular with young families. Irvine was mostly developed by the Irvine company and their Irvine Apartment Communities subsidiary owns most of the major apartment complexes in the city. Check out their site for a great overview of the city & and the rental market here.

Rental-Living.com - California Apartment Communities


Good Luck.

[bhcompy]

Originally Posted by Ihsen

TO bhcompy: I guess you might be right. we moving out in July so by then we got a couple of weeks to do a good research, hopefully we'll get lucky. thanks. what are the names of the places around Irvine?

At your price range it's limited, but no where will you find a house in that range. You're basically looking at 2bed apts and possibly condos/townhouses. You can find a place in Costa Mesa that's decent for that price and not in a bad neighborhood, but the neighborhoods aren't particularly family oriented. Tustin may offer more choices. You might be able to find something in an older part of Mission Viejo or Lake Forest(think old condo).

Honestly, I think a better bet would be to relocate your search to an older, more vanilla part of the county that has more apartment options available, particularly northern and western OC. Los Alamitos, Cypress, western Garden Grove, parts of Huntington Beach, La Palma, La Mirada, Fullerton, Brea, etc. Greater selection at that price and plenty of family friendly neighborhoods(even for apartment living)

[LivinginIrvine]

Do you think you might qualify for a reduced rent rate at an IAC? There are programs to help those with lower incomes and I believe it's a sliding scale for rental costs. You could check with the city or call a leasing office to find out. Maybe some of the locals at Talk Irvine . com would be able to give you some leads. I rent in an IAC and pay almost two grand for a 2 bed / 2 bath.

[resoundingjoy]

I lived in Irvine for two years as as young grad student/professional. It is ridiculously difficult to get a place of one's own with a budget of $1500. Most of the apartments communities are run by the Irvine Company, and require a household income of at least 3 or 4x rent. I know there are some places off Streamwood or in the Orange Tree area that are privately owned and might be a little less expensive. You might get lucky on craigslist.

[LivinginIrvine]

I have to disagree with the comment about Craigslist being a good place to look. In this economy, you don't want to get hooked by a homeowner is skimming your rent and not paying their mortgage, or an apartment renter who is not allowed to sublease to you and tries anyway (I've seen that happen to several friends.) It's better to go through the front door on this one, imo. I'd probably only recommend craigslist if you were looking for a room mate and it doesn't sound like you are. Even then - it's a risk.

[Sharontoji]

Sadly, irvine is very expensive although there is some affordable housing with waiting lists. Luckily we bought here 48 years ago! Our house is big so we almost always have one of our adult children, often with a grandchild, living here. The recession brought that on. You might get a one bedroom for $1700. Try park west or the apartments in university park, our oldest village. It's true we have a good school system, lots of parks and open space.