Want some advice about relocating.

[superdanch]

Hey guys,

There's a chance I might be relocating down to Irvine. Company is moving there. I'm not very familiar with the area, so I'm looking for suggestions about where to live.

I'm single so raising a family isn't a big concern, but I'd still want to avoid living in some ghetto areas if possible. Since I'll be renting a place, I don't want to spend a lot of rent either. Which areas offer reasonable housing?

Thanks in advance.

Daniel

 

[ketchupfreak]

Irvine is not ghetto and is really expensive. I guess you can find some cheaper apartments but a lot of the places you see there are luxury apartments.

 

[Sayemthree]

the OC is nice, but good areas are not cheap. you can go inland/east from Irviine/Tustin a prices get better. but dont go too far or your commute will suck. closer to the beach and more $$$$.

good news for you is OC has a surplus of avail single women.

 

[Justin W]

Where in California are you now?

 

[Sayemthree]

Huntington beach is a nice place - may have some nice apartments or small homes for rent - cant go wrong there - surfing capital of N america. lots of action for a single guy.

 

[dpham00]

well, it's gonna be hard to find a nice apartment in a good neighborhood for cheap. but i'd try to live somewhat close to work as traffic can be a bitch if you live far away.

 

[superdanch]

Where in California are you now?

I'm in Cupertino, Silicon Valley.

Thanks for the advice guys. Yeah, Irvine looks to be expensive. I'm prepared to spend like ~1000 for a decent one bedroom, but Irvine looks to be in the ~1400 range.

How is Fullerton? Google maps says it's like 40 min from Irvine with traffic. Not that great, but doable. Seems considerably cheaper. Is there traffic all times of the day? Work doesn't actually start until 10 so it wouldn't be too bad if it dies down after nine.

Thanks again.

Daniel

 

[w3b_dzgnr]

I'm in Cupertino, Silicon Valley.

Thanks for the advice guys. Yeah, Irvine looks to be expensive. I'm prepared to spend like ~1000 for a decent one bedroom, but Irvine looks to be in the ~1400 range.

How is Fullerton? Google maps says it's like 40 min from Irvine with traffic. Not that great, but doable. Seems considerably cheaper. Is there traffic all times of the day? Work doesn't actually start until 10 so it wouldn't be too bad if it dies down after nine.

Thanks again.

Daniel

Hi Daniel,

You can also check out Craigslist for anything around O.C. http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/

I live around the 91 fwy by Anaheim Hills and it usually take me about 40-45 mins every morning to get to Irvine/Newport Beach area. Good Luck!

 

[Sayemthree]

I'm in Cupertino, Silicon Valley.

Thanks for the advice guys. Yeah, Irvine looks to be expensive. I'm prepared to spend like ~1000 for a decent one bedroom, but Irvine looks to be in the ~1400 range.

How is Fullerton? Google maps says it's like 40 min from Irvine with traffic. Not that great, but doable. Seems considerably cheaper. Is there traffic all times of the day? Work doesn't actually start until 10 so it wouldn't be too bad if it dies down after nine.

Thanks again.

Daniel

Fullerton is nice, most parts and a College town. Orange is nice too. some parts of Anahiem are nice - Avoid most parts of Santa ana. The 57 south is not too bad mid day, but going north at 6 pm can be a biotch. Mission Veijo is nice too.

 

[Justin W]

Traffic can be pretty tough from around 7 until 10... so your late start won't probably help you too much.

$1000 just isn't very much down here for a 1 bedroom... I figured you would be used to spending more than that up in the Bay Area...

 

[Sayemthree]

Traffic can be pretty tough from around 7 until 10... so your late start won't probably help you too much.

$1000 just isn't very much down here for a 1 bedroom... I figured you would be used to spending more than that up in the Bay Area...

yeah - from what I hear Silicone Valley is $$$$$$$$.

 

[Justin W]

Just wanted to clarify about rents down here...
$1000 just won't get you very much in most of the places you are looking to move to.. sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

 

[superdanch]

Just wanted to clarify about rents down here...
$1000 just won't get you very much in most of the places you are looking to move to.. sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

No worries. Bring on all the bad news you want. The more I'm aware of the area, the less I'll be disappointed when I finally get there. =P

So how much does rent run in Fullerton, just out of curiosity.

Also, where do all you guys live?

Daniel

 

[LBKEN41]

$1000 on the contrary I think can find you a great spot depending on what you can find. Are you planning on living by yourself or with a roomate? A roomate will bring you rent down slightly and can make more places affordable. I agree with looking at the carigslist option. I guess it also depends on what kind of commute you are looking at. There are plenty of places near Irvine, but can range from 20 minutes to an hour. You could try Fountain Valley, Fullerton, etc. Huntington Beach has some spots that are affordable. If you don't want to live in the ghetto don't look at Santa Ana. They are also small cities along the way to Irvine off the 405 you may want to consider as well. I was born and raised in Long Beach. Living in LA the past several years, but frequent the LB and OC area. If you have a place to stay for a couple weeks when you get down here you may just want to go apartment/house shopping. Sometimes you just can't find a deal until you drive around. I've found most luck with that approach finding places in the Valley and Los Angeles. Just my 2 cents. Good luck.

 

[Justin W]

Well... I'm in a condo now so I don't have as much of a grasp on rent rates of late... not to mention I am in the Valley which is not where the OP is looking... but I was under the impression that, if anything, OC is more expensive than LA so that is why I am thinking $1000 won't go very far.

For example... a friend of mine was paying $1600 for an "ok" place in Woodland Hills... 1br/1ba...
He's just signed a new lease and is moving to Sherman Oaks... his rent is now around $1200 for a 1br/1ba... nothing too special... no pool... small complex... older construction... good location though & safe area though.