philipf22

Hey everybody
I think there are a bunch of you in this forum and I figured who better to ask than the people that live there. I am currently living in Chicago. My fiancee and myself have been thinking about moving and we really have our eye on So. Cal. I have heard cali can be very very expensive though. High taxes, high cost of living, etc. I am looking for suggestions on places/communities to live. My home budget is around 350-400k. I would like a decent size house with a two car garage in a nice community. It doesn't have to be close to the water (I'm sure its much more expensive). I am 27 and she is 25 so being young, we would like to live in a area that is "fun."

So suggestions for this would be great.

Also, what are your favorite and least favorite parts of living in So. Cali. You don't have to mention the weather, I know there is no comparison to Chicago.

I am currently working in information technology for a large consulting firm (yes I still have a job) but want to be in a area that if I had to find a job in technology, I wouldn't have to look to far.

Thanks so much for all your suggestions!

MajorHavoc

My first recommendation would be to take a long weekend and visit some
of the places that will be recommended to you !!!

As for my recommendation, I think Irvine has a lot of tech companies
so, you might want to consider Orange County. Lots of excellent cities
on OC !!! You should have quite a few choices in your price range. Possibly
even fairly close to the coast.

Another consideration might be to get a referral to a good realtor that you
could talk to before you come!

Good luck and welcome (soon to be) to California !!!

JohnnyCat

Temecula/Murietta area is very affordable, but you could face a 40 minute commute. For 350-400K you can get a very large house.

Albert

I agree with Major Havoc. Irvine would be a good place to check out. I've lived in Irvine for a number of years and still dig it. You're close enough to Newport Beach (15 min. local drive) to go party when you want, but far enough away that you won't have to deal with the headaches of being in a place that is just a little too much "fun" (I've lived in Newport before, right across from the water... and it sucked IMHO)

But you'll dig Irvine as a car enthusiast anyway. Nice clean wide open streets. No potholes, and local speed limits of around 45-50 mph. Great way to practice your 0-60's from stoplight to stoplight.

tantheman

IRVINE is great but if you want to be able to differentiate your house from your neighbors then Fountain Valley is the better choice. NO HIGH CITY PROPERTY TAX like Irvine. No Association fees. Fountain Valley is next door to Huntington Beach (SURF CITY). Mile Square Park, low crime rate, reasonable water,utility rates. My 2 story 4 Bedroom is now appraised at $400K when it was purchased for $285,000.

Tan

johnnydev

Yea, Irvine's great if you like BEIGE! It does have nice streets and is nice to drive through but I could never live there (and I'm 40!) Check out Fountain Valley as Tan suggested, Costa Mesa where I live, (it's right between Newport Beach and Huntington Beach), even parts of Huntington Beach aren't too bad price wise. You should also check out south Orange County where Major Havoc is. It is a great place to live and work. Also, if I could live anywhere out here, I would live in Coastal/North San Diego county. A great area but jobs are not as plentiful. Does your current employer have any offices out here?

tantheman

Try to avoid Mello-Roos Tax on your home if you do decide to live in the Irvine area. It is a tax on top of an existing property tax that was initiated by City Council/Government to provide better schooling and landscaping in the communities that support this additional tax.

Tan

philipf22

Thanks for all the great suggestions everybody. I think I will take a week or so to travel around and take a look at different areas. I don't really trust realators sometimes. You all should have a non biased opinion though which is certainly valuable. Now I just need to see if my company transfer will go through.

Thanks again.

philipf22

We have an office in San Fran but I can live wherever as I am a traveling consultant.

Ascended Sayian

I'm selling my Irvine condo But the timing for you would probably not be great for you (selling my condo so I can get a detach to settle) In anycase - Irvine is great - Great community, nice cars, friendly people (i.e. T.I.T.S), and so forth - yeah, Taxes suck, but it's a price to pay.

You may also want to check out the Mission Viejo area - There's a new community being developed down there (Ladar Ranch - spelling is off) The mission Viejo area doesn't have Mello Roos and has relatively low taxes - now whether it will extend the same thing to Ladar Ranch, that's something I don't know)

If you're interested in a brand spanking new place and are able to wait, 3 communities are being formed - Quail Hill, Turtle Ridge, and PA1 - all starting construction in late summer (late July...) and will probably not finish it's first phase until at least Nov. If time is flexable - that may be an option for you - just make sure you have some time during the summer to come check out the property or call the developers for putting yourself on their priority list - Projections indicate at least 10 families on a waiting list for each home built.

Hope that all helps.