Looking to move (back) to SoCal but not home to LA (San Diego: for sale, real estate)

[MaryRachelKate]

I'm originally from LA. I was raised in Silverlake/Los Feliz and moved to Sherman Oaks when I was around 18 and stayed there until I moved to the Bay Area in 2016. I currently live in the Bay Area between SF and Silicon Valley. My husband is from SF and moved to the SF Peninsula in his 20s. We are a GenX couple without kids. We can't afford a house here or even a condo. The idea is to rent and then look into buying. I don't want to go back to LA because the only interesting jobs there are in entertainment, and they pay ridiculously low. I'm looking at OC; here is what I know as of 2016...

Santa Ana, Anaheim, Buena Park, and Stanton are ghetto.
Newport Beach, Corona del Mar, and Dana Point are pricey, and for that price, I'd rather live in Laguna Beach.
I grew up going to Huntington Beach, and I believe it is reasonably priced (especially by Bay Area standards). making our likely target, possibly Irvine.

I want to be near South Coast Plaza and Fashion Island because shopping in the Bay Area sucks, and I need to be near my happy place. My husband wants to be close to the beach or mountains/hills.

I don't know the differences between the inland places Orange, Tustin, El Toro, Fountain Valley, Fullerton, Yorba Linda, Garden Grove, Mission Viejo, etc., which areas are nice, which areas are ghetto, which areas are expensive, etc.

We would be looking for remote or hybrid jobs based in SoCal.

I am looking into the budget to buy $4500/month on a VA loan.
Our budget to rent is $3500/month 2b 2b, pet-friendly, central air, washer/dryer in unit, etc.

How safe is the Orange/Anaheim border? I just saw that the Irvine Company, who we are renting with, now has a place there, and it's super cheap by my standards (all under $3500).

[sacreole]

I’ve always said that if I ever move back to So Cal, it would either be to southwestern Riverside County (Temecula area), northern San Diego County or southern Orange County. Based on your preferences and housing budget, check out Aliso Viejo located southeast of Irvine and Newport Beach. Within Newport, there are a couple of options. There’s Newport Terrace, which is an enclave of Newport Beach bordering Costa Mesa and Huntington Beach. The other option is the Lido Peninsula.

Newport Terrace Condos For Sale - Beach Cities Real Estate

[Francisk]

If you like Irvine Company apartments, definitely check out Enclave in Costa Mesa. It's walking distance to South Coast Plaza, as well as Segerstrom Center for the Arts and the new Orange County Museum of the Arts. There are also two new more luxury apartment complexes on those blocks: 580 Anton and Halcyon House. HH is like a boutique hotel, but also pricier than your/and our budget.

Also, check out the Irvine Co. apartments Newport North. Near the Back Bay, so has that ocean appeal with bike paths and trails. And it's like a 7 minute drive to South Coast Plaza. Maybe less to Fashion Island.

Would never consider HB. Toxic.
The NB suggestions above, and of course the ultimate Laguna Beach, sounds like you know about.
Explore Lido area. A great little shopping enclave there, but peninsula living comes with its own challenges.

For the inland areas, Orange and Tustin have cool walkable ”downtown” areas. Orange is a college town, lots of great restaurants in and around their Old Towne. Or maybe it's Olde Town. Marketing.

The Gateway apartments in Anaheim/Orange are in what's been called the Platinum Triangle, centered around Angels Stadium. Lots of apartments have gone up, and are going up. In the center of a craft brewing district. In a few years, the area around the Honda Center arena and the ARTIC train station will become something cool. For now, it feels sterile with almost no retail or street life to speak of. Too many apartments with not enough urban amenities, as of yet. Used to work in the area--but that opinion is a few years out of date.

Irvine is an acquired taste. Incredibly located, well-designed, and a vibrant economic engine for the region. Some hate it's master planned ambience. Still, check out the apartment communities near the Irvine Spectrum. Like urban villages, and walkable to the Spectrum. Not luxury like South Coast Plaza, more that entertainment/dining/shopping experiential thing.

If you love city living and shopping, I'd look at the South Coast Plaza area first. It's the best OC has to offer. If it's quintessential California, Laguna Beach hands down. Ocean and tough trails linking to Laguna WIlderness.

Don't think it fits the budget, however. That's why we don't live there anymore, alas.

Hope that helps a bit.

[Francisk]

Also, Quail Hill in Irvine. It's up against the hills, with trail access into the mountains that run to Laguna Beach. Set apart from the rest of Irvine, but also right on the freeways. Not far to South Coast Plaza, especially since you can avoid rush hour, and near the Spectrum. Easy Laguna Canyon access to Laguna Beach.

There are Irvine Co. apartments, as well as owner-rented townhomes, and single family homes that get nicer and much pricier as you head up the hill.

[TashaPosh]

Originally Posted by MaryRachelKate

We can't afford a house here or even a condo. The idea is to rent and then look into buying. I don't want to go back to LA because the only interesting jobs there are in entertainment, and they pay ridiculously low.

Originally Posted by MaryRachelKate

We would be looking for remote or hybrid jobs based in SoCal.

Originally Posted by MaryRachelKate

I am looking into the budget to buy $4500/month on a VA loan.

Tho how do you know what your budget will be if you don’t have jobs yet? What type of jobs are you looking for?

[Gaylord_Focker]

Not a fan of the area around SCP.

[Guerrilla Poster]

Originally Posted by MaryRachelKate

I want to be near South Coast Plaza and Fashion Island because shopping in the Bay Area sucks

Do people actually GO shopping anymore?

[saibot]

Originally Posted by Guerrilla Poster

Do people actually GO shopping anymore?

I have never been much of a shopper, so nothing's changed with me, but my daughters (ages 20 and 23) go shopping all the time. They like Irvine Spectrum and South Coast Plaza...and whenever I go by either place, the parking lots are full, so it's not just them going there.

[Guerrilla Poster]

Originally Posted by saibot

I have never been much of a shopper, so nothing's changed with me, but my daughters (ages 20 and 23) go shopping all the time. They like Irvine Spectrum and South Coast Plaza...and whenever I go by either place, the parking lots are full, so it's not just them going there.

I have daughters the same ages....I think the lure of those places is people watching more than it is actually shopping. And, when I was at the Irvine Spectrum and it didn't feel like the US. I think we were the only people there whose ancestors were not from east of the Mediterranean.

[Night Gale]

"How safe is the Orange-Anaheim border?"

IIRC, that is the Santa Ana River. I used to ride my bike from Lincoln and State College over to near Glassell at 10:30 p.m. for work. I never encountered any trouble.