moving from massachusetts to california (Sacramento, Riverside: appointed, apartments, rentals)

[ferreirinha]

hey everyone, my husband and I are planning on move to California by the end of july and I would like to know where is the best area, ( not expensive area) in orange county to live with good schools for a 14 and a 9 years old.
my husband is a professional carpenter, he works with finish carpentry and kitchen installation,what is the best area to work?
thanks.

[RosieSD]

Originally Posted by ferreirinha

hey everyone, my husband and I are planning on move to California by the end of july and I would like to know where is the best area, ( not expensive area) in orange county

What is your budget for renting/buying?

[ferreirinha]

$ 2000.00 rent

[saibot]

You really need to be more specific about your needs/desires. There are no "inexpensive" areas in OC; there are some areas that are "less expensive than others," but they tend to be where the schools are not so good.

Average rent in OC for an apartment is $1800, just to establish a baseline.

I believe this is a decent place to be a contractor in; at least, we've looked for contractors recently and they are all up to their eyeballs in work. But $2000/mo for rent for a family of 4 is going to limit you.

May I ask why are you moving to OC, if not for a job? What are your expectations?

[ferreirinha]

Originally Posted by saibot

You really need to be more specific about your needs/desires. There are no "inexpensive" areas in OC; there are some areas that are "less expensive than others," but they tend to be where the schools are not so good.

Average rent in OC for an apartment is $1800, just to establish a baseline.

I believe this is a decent place to be a contractor in; at least, we've looked for contractors recently and they are all up to their eyeballs in work. But $2000/mo for rent for a family of 4 is going to limit you.

May I ask why are you moving to OC, if not for a job? What are your expectations?

Massachusetts is really good for construction right now, but we are tired of living in this cold weather our family enjoys the outdoors a lot and this weather puts a limit on it, and California is an old dream.
If rent is that expensive, that means people make more money?

Do you live in OC?

[saibot]

Yes, I live in Rancho Santa Margarita, which is in South OC. OC has become a very expensive place to live, especially for people who are just coming in. It's a bit easier for those of us who have been here a long time (my husband and I both grew up here, and we bought our house over 20 years ago). But I think people are often disappointed to find out that they won't earn enough more here to make up for the increased cost of living.

Have you visited OC? There are other places that have warm weather, which are not as expensive as coastal California...

[payutenyodagimas]

think also of the competition that may not be available in Masachussets

[ferreirinha]

Originally Posted by saibot

Yes, I live in Rancho Santa Margarita, which is in South OC. OC has become a very expensive place to live, especially for people who are just coming in. It's a bit easier for those of us who have been here a long time (my husband and I both grew up here, and we bought our house over 20 years ago). But I think people are often disappointed to find out that they won't earn enough more here to make up for the increased cost of living.

Have you visited OC? There are other places that have warm weather, which are not as expensive as coastal California...

I’ve been there a couple of times but as a visitor, didn’t take the time to study about the place you know. I am considering other places too, but like you said, some places don’t have good schools.
Thank you for taken you time to answer me.

[RosieSD]

Originally Posted by saibot

Average rent in OC for an apartment is $1800, just to establish a baseline.

Saibot has given you some good advice. I'll add a bit more information on "Average" rents in Orange County as of November 2017, based on Zillow.com listings:

Average rent for a three bedroom home/apartment: $2926
Average rent for two bedroom home/apartment: $2443
Average rent for one bedroom (which I'd assume would be out with two kids): $1875

https://www.zillow.com/orange-county-ca/home-values/

Of course, "averages" are just that, averages. Some areas (especially the ones with "good schools") will have higher rents, while others will have lower ones.

My suggestion would be that you go to Zillow.com or Apartment.com. Do a search for which areas in Orange County you'll turn up rents in your price range. Zillow is good because you can specify what type of rental (i.e., single family home, apartment, condo) you prefer and the number of bedrooms. But if you are OK with apartments, Apartment.com sometimes has listings that never make it to sites like Zillow or Trulia.

Make note of where you are finding rentals in your price range. Then come back here and ask for some opinions about those areas, including how the schools are in those areas.

If it's California or bust, you might want to look beyond Orange County. Riverside County and the Sacramento area (as well as other parts of California) may have more options for rentals in your price range located in areas with good schools. You can use Zillow to do a state wide search too.

Good luck with your decision!

[TacoSoup]

Originally Posted by ferreirinha

hey everyone, my husband and I are planning on move to California by the end of july and I would like to know where is the best area, ( not expensive area) in orange county to live with good schools for a 14 and a 9 years old.
my husband is a professional carpenter, he works with finish carpentry and kitchen installation,what is the best area to work?
thanks.

Originally Posted by ferreirinha

Massachusetts is really good for construction right now, but we are tired of living in this cold weather our family enjoys the outdoors a lot and this weather puts a limit on it, and California is an old dream.

Don’t let other discourage you, you’ll get a lot of this around here. Make the move, your kids will thank you. Seriously though, if your husband is an accomplished carpenter he’ll find work as there’s plenty of people with money looking, and willing to pay, for quality craftsmanship. It might just take some time for him to establish himself. Are your two kids the same sex, can they share a room? If so you’ll have a lot more options looking for 2 bedrooms places vs 3 bedrooms. Unfortunately I’m mostly familiar with the beach cities of Orange County and they’ll most likely be out of your price range, I’m just here to encourage you to chase your dream and give your family a better life. Best of luck to you and your family.