Thread: Advise on living in Orange County, Ca

Please bear with me - I am a Forum Virgin :)
Can anyone offer any advise on where to live in Orange County? My OH is relocating with work to Long Beach and since we are taking the cats, we want to live in Suburbia rather than in the city!! However, it's all a little overwhelming and I have no idea where to find info on good neighbourhoods / cities etc. Most estate agents don't seem to have area info - and other stuff I've read is often contradicted somewhere else. Any pointers would be great!!

try searching on google earth by satalite so u can see the area,s and then type the adresses which look good in google maps and look at the links

Thanks for the tip - I did look at the area west of Long Beach on Google Earth (Rancho Santa Margarita area - which peps online have said is quite nice) - but couldn't see the wood for the roads / houses!! I can't believe how built up it all is - not great for our cats :( Looks like this house hunt is going to be a real hobby!!

Hi and welcome to the forum!

It does get a little overwhelming but if your husband's relocating with work you should be spared a lot of the headaches! If you manage to sort out which area you like the look of you might want to think about renting before buying a house even though there are some amazing deals to be had here at the moment. You'll be amazed how different it is to live somewhere for a year before really sorting out where you want to buy. We found our rental place on craigslist (but be warned your credit history in the UK doesn't transfer over here and credit history is everything!)

http://www.craigslist.org/about/sites

Folks over here seem to use it for everything!

And another thing - I'm assuming you'll get family medical insurance through your husband's employer - if you have a choice you might want to consider PPO over HMO even though you pay a little bit more. They should be able to send you info on it but you can also research it on the web.

Feel free to ask as many questions as you want cos that's we're all here to share info!

For heaven's sake, rent don't buy. You're moving right into (one of) the epicenter(s) of the US mortgage crisis and prices have significantly further to fall.

PhilFog

Thanks PhilFog - Top Tip. I have heard rumours that market is expected to drop another 20% in SoCal during 2009, so will definitely hang on tile the end of the year before making a decision..

Hi there
I should have a contact for you early next week - do you have an email address I can give her..any further spec on price range etc?
Thanks

Originally Posted by Mrs Lobley

......since we are taking the cats, we want to live in Suburbia rather than in the city...

I know nothing about California......I live in Orange County Florida.
It was the reference to cats that prompted me to reply.
I brought my cat with me from England when she was 3 years old.
She had spent 3 years running around the Yorkshire countryside, but when she came here she became an indoor cat. She settled in very well and lived 16 years.
I don't know if it's similar in OC California, but there is such a flea and tick problem here you have to find a prevention treatment that suits your animals, and be meticulous with grooming. Cats usually keep themselves clean, but I used to brush her everyday.
You may want to consult a local vet before you get there.

When my cat first arrived, she sat in the window and freaked out when she saw a family of sand hill cranes walking across the lawn. She has never seen birds big enough to eat her!
A British friend of mine lives on a lakeside, her prize-winning Turkish Van Cat was scooped up by a bald eagle, other pets have been taken by alligators......I guess we're not in Yorkshire anymore!!! :eek:

PS - I have a very funny story about picking my cat up from the airport. Might put it in another thread.
(She had to fly separately as they don't carry pets on Military flights).

As other pople have said, rent first, no point in buying until you know what is going to work for you.
Good point from traveller too, if possible get a PPO over HMO on the health insurance.... yeah health insurance, welcome to that nightmare. lol

PS no alligators in the wild in CA either, but plenty of other wildlife.

Hi, I live in Huntington Beach with my British Husband(I am American). He works near Long Beach. Huntington Beach is a great area to live in, also check out Belmont Shore(this is a cute beach town just outside of downtown Long Beach). Also drivable and not bad is Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, Tustin, Rancho Santa Margarita is a bit far, probably 45 miles or so, nice but far and if you buy there you have to pay whats called Mello Roos fees, look it up.