Best apt complex to live in Aliso Viejo (Irvine, Nice: apartment complex, rentals)

[Lisa Hall]

Hello,

I am looking for apt referrals for Aliso Viejo. My "must haves" are:

Quiet Community
Not a lot of kids
Dogs ok as long as people clean up after them
Nice landscape
Spacious 1 bedroom floorplan
Upgrades
Close to shops, dining, freeway
Ample guest parking
And not huge rent increases

Thanks!!

[pacific2]

Aliso Viejo is a very small city and, from what I've seen, the apartment complexes really don't seem to differ that much from one another. With the exception of being "Close to shops, dining, freeway" and "not huge rent increases," most probably fit your criteria.

My suggestion, if you haven't done so already, is to drive around the city, and then walk around a couple of complexes that interest you. Ask tenants how they like living there.

BTW, AV is setup using a town center model, and most of us have to drive to a central location for local shopping, etc. Exceptions include those who live at City Lights and St. Moritz.

City Lights is attractive, but it used to have a "party central" reputation. I don't know if that's still true. St. Moritz is directly across the street from Town Center, and I believe they offer townhouse rentals, as well as single level units. FWIW, a neighbor of mine once stayed there after he sold his home and was waiting to find a new one to buy, and he liked it.

I have also noticed that some people who live at Vantis, up on the hill above Town Center, make the trek down. But, those units are primarily new townhouses/condos, and there is no apartment complex up there. Still, I'm sure that some of them are rentals.

I once leased a unit from Alicante and was satisfied, but that was years ago, and I chose it primarily because it allowed big dogs.

Regarding freeway access, we are fortunate in that the 5 does not cut through the city. You just make the short trip there using either Alicia Parkway, Moulton, El Toro, or, if you don't mind tolls, the 73.

About rent increases, perhaps some developments are known for keeping increases pretty small from year to year, I don't know. Landlords are, of course, in the business of making money, and vacancy rates are low, so they will likely do what the market will bear. Some are even using software to help determine the optimum time for a rent increase.

Sorry for being so long-winded, but I hope this helps. Maybe someone else will give a more concise reply.

[Lisa Hall]

Thank you it helps alot. I am relocating from Irvine. I have lived here for years, however the rent increases have become increasingly steep and the demographics have changed considerably.

Thanks again!

[Podo944]

Originally Posted by Lisa Hall

Hello,

I am looking for apt referrals for Aliso Viejo. My "must haves" are:

Quiet Community
Not a lot of kids
Dogs ok as long as people clean up after them
Nice landscape
Spacious 1 bedroom floorplan
Upgrades
Close to shops, dining, freeway
Ample guest parking
And not huge rent increases

Thanks!!

We lived in the Barcelona Apartments for a few years a while back.
We LOVED the one bedroom we had! Very spacious for a one bedroom and the complex itself was pretty nice. No extreme noise issues that we could tell, it helped we were on the third floor, so no footsteps above.

AV apartments aren't going to be cheap, but maybe a little better than Irvine.