Southern California living advice
 

Currently living in Virginia but are looking to relocate to Southern California as we just love it there. Been in USA now for 3 years from derby uk originally. My husband works in medical sales and is currently seeking a position. We know that irvine is where the majority of medical device companies are based. How ever we know that irvine can be expensive for houses so we are wanting some advice on what surrounding areas are nice for families as we have a 3 year old daughter and a little boy on the way.

Re: Southern California living advice
 

Hi,

We live in Mission Viejo which is just south of Irvine. Other cities to consider would be Aliso Viejo, Laguna Hills or Lake Forest (these are all south of Irvine) North of Irvine would be Costa Mesa, Newport or Tustin. One thing that I think makes a huge difference is look to see how far off the freeway the properties are. Mission Viejo isn't that far from Irvine but if you live past the lake off Alicia then you can add 10 - 15 minutes just to get to the freeway.

Would you be looking to rent or to purchase a home?

Let me know if you have any other questions!

Re: Southern California living advice
 

Many thanks for your response. We would probably rent at first then buy after maybe 6 months to a year

Re: Southern California living advice
 

We're in Anaheim Hills, about 15m from Irvine on the toll roads, 40m (worst case) on regular roads. Nice area, good schools. Little bit warmer as it's inland but larger houses than you'd get in Irvine.
Renting first isn't a bad idea until you get the lay of the land. Let me know if you have any questions.

Re: Southern California living advice
 

Do you know what corona ad eastvale are like for houses, schools etc

Re: Southern California living advice
 

No idea about houses ( other than they get cheaper the further inland you go) but I cannot stress this enough. The commute is a bitch from Corona. The drive from the 15 to the 55 can easily take an hour in rush hour, which is generally from 6 to 10 in the morning. Not recommended.

Re: Southern California living advice
 

Thank you Alan for your advice. We would be looking for a 4 bedroom house for $450,000 or under with either a pool or a is enough garden to put one in, we are willing to do minor renovations would you say that's a realistic price

Re: Southern California living advice
 

You want a pool, you buy a place with a pool.

It'll cost $25-50K+ to put one in and you'll never recoup the cost.

No idea on the budget for a house in that area, but I'd imagine it being a little low for anywhere that has a decent school district attached, certainly would have quite high property taxes.

Re: Southern California living advice
 

Honestly no, not in a decent school area anyway. Take a look at zillow and you can see house prices in the area.

Re: Southern California living advice
 

Ok thanks alan

Re: Southern California living advice
 

Unfortunately, that is not realistic in Orange County for a single family home in an area you would want your children to go to school. You would be able to get a 3 bedroom townhome in a good area for that price.

Prices in Corona are lower for a reason! The 91 freeway is one of the busiest in the nation.

What would be your budget for renting? I can have a look and let you know what would be available for rent in your price range in the areas around Irvine.

Dawn

Re: Southern California living advice
 

Many thanks for all your responses. We are just looking at areas at present nd jut trying to get an idea on costs etc we are not actually ready to do anything until my husband has secured a job. However another area I would like advice on is Rancho cucomonga re houses, schools etc and what's the commute like to irvine

Re: Southern California living advice
 

The California School Performance Map will give you a quick look at the school performance in different areas. You can click on symbols for more information. Blue is good and red is bad. You'll notice that Irvine is most all dark Blue.

http://schoolperformancemaps.com/ca/...57831%2C11%2C1

Re: Southern California living advice
 

The commute from Rancho Cucamonga to Irvine would be worse than Corona as it is another 30 minutes north (with no traffic).

Re: Southern California living advice
 

So if we said a budget of 550 to 600,000 that would be more realistic