Craiglist best for family rentals?

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Zaedyn_IHB

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Hello all, this is my first time posting here. I've been following the IHB for a few months since we were planning on moving there.



We have 3 children aged 3 months to 6 years. We're currently in a 3/2.5 1700+ sqft house in an area where housing is cheaper than Irvine.



From what we've seen of the neighborhoods, it looks like Woodbridge would be a good fit. Though beyond that, I'm not too familiar with the areas in Woodbridge to know which are good for a younger family.



I checked out the Irvine Company sites, but most seemed either too small, or lacking features we won't go without (W/D, etc). At least the Woodbridge ones.



We don't need a huge place, we're not long out of student housing and are perfectly happy with just 3 bedrooms. We actually rented a < 1100 sq ft 2/2 in San Jose not too long ago and were pretty happy with it.



It'd be nice to find a place where the kids could walk out the front door and play easily. With less room inside, it's nice if the kids can easily play outside.



I was wondering if Craigslist is the best/only place to find a rental if you're looking for a place like that. I've seen recommendations here to look at the First Team site as well, which I've poked around on as well.



Are there other places?



Thanks!
 
whats your budget roughly? skys the limit for rentals right now so its really what you're willing to pay.
 
Like I said, we're comfortable with nothing too big and fancy. I think we'd prefer to not get too far away from $2000 / month. I'd say around $2600 tops unless the place is perfect, and not much higher.
 
zaedyn - Go to realtor.com and use the rentals tab. Realtor.com has the rental inventory via MLS. I think a good chunk of rentals in this area are listed via agents. To get a 3-bedroom place in Irvine, you'll be at $2K minimum, more likely in the $2200-2300 range for a smaller unit, and pushing toward $2500-2600 for the 1500-1700sf size range...



This one could probably be had for $2150 or 2200:



http://www.realtor.com/realestate/irvine-ca-92614-1096689502/



Betweeen realtor.com and craigslist, you would probably have a good chunk of the rental market covered.



There are a few 3-bedrooms in a better area of Irvine IMO, Northwood Pointe, in your price range. They have an awesome elementary school, Canyon View.
 
I currently rent in westpark for 1925/mo it's a 1200 sq. ft. 2/2 in a great neighborhood for small kids. Honestly, there's not really an area of Irvine that isn't good for small kids. Though our landlord is now trying to sell the place. Just be really careful about renting a house, as many of them are concurrently for sale. There was a great post a few weeks back by someone about how many rentals are on the verge of foreclosure and to be careful.



Here's <a href="http://www.irvinehousingblog.com/forums/viewthread/1807/">that other post</a>
 
Thanks for the advice ipoplaya and Shay.



I'm a little flexible in the price range because I can technically afford more, though I prefer to be frugal.



I've read a lot of back and forth in the "best neighborhood" thread.



We like the pools and parks in Woodbridge. Is most of Irvine like that then?



I liked some of the comments about how Woodbridge is also windy and confusing, so keeps out people just wanting to "cruise" the area---compared to Woodbury which seems to be more straight? Although I guess Woodbury has short streets.



Do a lot of the neighborhoods meet this?



I'll check out Northwood Pointe and Westpark.



Is every neighborhood good then? I haven't heard a lot of comments about University Park here.



I've been looking at this heat map:



http://www.trulia.com/home_prices/California/Irvine-heat_map/



Would I want to avoid the darker green and darker orange areas? Orange for overpriced and darker green for "lower priced because of some negative reason"? Or are they all just good?
 
How safe are the listings on realtor.com? It sounds like I'd better do a thorough investigation on any privately owned rental.



Seems like renters need to be as careful as owners these days.
 
I know Westpark has tons of parks and tennis courts and pools available. I believe that is the case for most of Irvine. Honestly, Woodbridge is one of the older neighborhoods, and I would expect them to have the least amenities compared to the other areas, because of this.
 
Expanding my search outside of Woodbridge, I see some IAC places that have more amenities. They are a little pricier though, and smaller.



The consensus here seems to be that the Irvine Company properties cost a bit more, but may be worth it in terms of stability, maintenance, and amenities. Does that sound right?



I'd think private owners are best if you can find a good one though.
 
You can find 3 bd apts and townhomes from the Irvine Company for under 2500 a month. They will be smaller like 1200-1400 sqft, but you'll have a low deposit vs a private rental. You also don't have to worry about the sheriff showing up at your door with an eviction notice.



We conducted a month long search of private rentals and it was exhausting. I used realtor.com, firstteam.com, craigslist, ocrealestatefinder.com and the classified ads. I then researched the owners and their financial positions. After a month of finding underwater landlords, we decided to stick with the Irvine Company.
 
I've never lived in an IAC apartment complex, but I've lived next door to them for years now, and have evaluated them every time I've moved. The one thing I need is a 2 car garage, preferably attached. Which are almost unheard of at IAC properties. Though, I've also had to move twice now because of landlords selling places.



The pluses of IAC are: lower deposit, consistent maintenance, the apartment won't be sold out from under you while you're living there so can stay as long as you'd like, gyms usually on site.



The negatives of IAC are: you are more likely to have neighbors above and below you, parking can be somewhat tricky for guests, there's usually quite a bit of walking from parked car to front door, neighbors (esp. near UCI) more likely to be students and/or rowdier than those living in condo/townhouse areas where the majority usually own their house, they usually don't do year long leases so they can raise rent more often.
 
If you are looking for an attached, two-car garage check out Woodbury Place. They are all townhomes so there is nobody above or below you either. I have been in there for about a year now and I have had no issues whatsoever. Great community.
 
[quote author="Minimorty" date=1207718189]If you are looking for an attached, two-car garage check out Woodbury Place. They are all townhomes so there is nobody above or below you either. I have been in there for about a year now and I have had no issues whatsoever. Great community.</blockquote>


Those look nice, but we'd prefer 3 bedrooms if possible.
 
Has anyone seen an Irvine Company place with an eat-in kitchen?



It looks like they all have carpeted dining rooms which is a little gross when you have little kids.
 
I like Craigslist and the local paper for getting a sense, then I narrow to a neighborhood and drive. The areas I like are more established, like Eastside Costa Meas, and there are many "For Rent" signs up. Lots of competition and also lots that do not show up. More importantly, private landlords. Property management firms, IMHO, are the worst. With donkey dung statements like newer upgraded kitchen that in reality is 1980s hovel.



Craigslist is also a source of high-priced listings IMHO. It's too easy for a wish pricing to reinforce each other.



Question for IrvineRenter, have you tracked the listings for under $3000/4Beds in Irvine since January? I did a quick check today and with a 179 listings, 25th percentile was $2700, median $3200 and 75th percentile $3600. That seems lower than I remember.
 
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