newbi looking to relocate around Irvine

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pecosbill_IHB

New member
Hello everyone,



Nice to see a good blog congrats on the creator and participants.



I am looking for a new position early 2010 based in Irvine close to the Orange county airport.

I have 3 kids (10, 7 and 1 years old) both my wife and I are french and just turn 40.



I have been a coupel time in Irvine but unfortunatly didi not have much time to stroll around (this is big..)



We are looking for houses around 1 M 5 bedroom, with a reasonable garden (6000 Sqft) range and we tend to like better the spanish. meditteran houses. School is important and commuting time would be nice is under 30 min.



I have looked at a lot of houses new and on redfin but nothing replace some locals with real experience.



I will be relocated so my company will take care of closing costs, moving etc...



My family likes outdoor, beach mountain etc... kids in the street, safe and low noise level (not next to the highway...)



Many places looks the same in Irvine so difficult to focus on one area. I will also be open to outside of Irvine if not too far.



Thanks for your valuable insight.

Kind regards,

Pecosbill
 
[quote author="pecosbill" date=1250889603]Hello everyone,



Nice to see a good blog congrats on the creator and participants.



I am looking for a new position early 2010 based in Irvine close to the Orange county airport.

I have 3 kids (10, 7 and 1 years old) both my wife and I are french and just turn 40.



I have been a coupel time in Irvine but unfortunatly didi not have much time to stroll around (this is big..)



We are looking for houses around 1 M 5 bedroom, <strong><span style="color: blue;">with a reasonable garden (6000 Sqft) range</span></strong> and we tend to like better the spanish. meditteran houses. School is important and commuting time would be nice is under 30 min.



I have looked at a lot of houses new and on redfin but nothing replace some locals with real experience.



I will be relocated so my company will take care of closing costs, moving etc...



My family likes outdoor, beach mountain etc... kids in the street, safe and low noise level (not next to the highway...)



Many places looks the same in Irvine so difficult to focus on one area. I will also be open to outside of Irvine if not too far.



Thanks for your valuable insight.

Kind regards,

Pecosbill</blockquote>


Welcome PB,

The highlighted portion of your statement may be the most difficult to attain in that price range in this city. Most lots (total) are at or below that square footage.

If you'd like help, I'll send my contact info. Plenty of references available.

-IrvineRealtor
 
[quote author="pecosbill" date=1250889603]Hello everyone,



Nice to see a good blog congrats on the creator and participants.



I am looking for a new position early 2010 based in Irvine close to the Orange county airport.

I have 3 kids (10, 7 and 1 years old) both my wife and I are french and just turn 40.



I have been a coupel time in Irvine but unfortunatly didi not have much time to stroll around (this is big..)



We are looking for houses around 1 M 5 bedroom, with a reasonable garden (6000 Sqft) range and we tend to like better the spanish. meditteran houses. School is important and commuting time would be nice is under 30 min.



I have looked at a lot of houses new and on redfin but nothing replace some locals with real experience.



I will be relocated so my company will take care of closing costs, moving etc...



My family likes outdoor, beach mountain etc... kids in the street, safe and low noise level (not next to the highway...)



Many places looks the same in Irvine so difficult to focus on one area. I will also be open to outside of Irvine if not too far.



Thanks for your valuable insight.

Kind regards,

Pecosbill</blockquote>
Welcome to the forum Pecosbill. Irvine is a great place to live and play, especially for families. That being said, since you are coming from over sees...have you considered renting before buying a home? It might give you an inexpensive preview into the neighborhood that you would be live in with committing yourself to a purchase? Most newer parts of Irvine do not have the larger lots size that you are looking for, but older homes tend to have larger lots. Each Village in Irvine provides unique features, positives, and negatives.
 
Hi, Bill. Welcome to IHB.



I'm wondering if anybody could locate the link to the write-ups IrvineRenter has done on each / most of the villages. They were posted some time ago on the main blog, I believe. I searched with no luck. Bill, if we can find them -- they are helpful in that they contain descriptions and pictures so you can sort of get a feel for the area, but of course, nothing replaces first-hand experience. With the size you are seeking and the price range, just like anything - it will be a give and take with what is most important to you. Good luck and let us know if we can be of any help.
 
Thanks for your fast reply, we will be coming from New Jersey (princeton area) sorry about the confusion, but we are french leaving in teh US for the past 5 years. renting would be an option but we would not want to move the children too much from one school to the other and teh relocation package will only be available for a purchase within a year that is why we will be looking to buy instead of rent :-)
 
[quote author="pecosbill" date=1250891039]Thanks for your fast reply, we will be coming from New Jersey (princeton area) sorry about the confusion, but we are french leaving in teh US for the past 5 years. renting would be an option but we would not want to move the children too much from one school to the other and teh relocation package will only be available for a purchase within a year that is why we will be looking to buy instead of rent :-)</blockquote>
Understood...depending upon your "must have" list for your house like many buyers you will have to determine which features are more important to you than others....like having a new home with a small lot vs. having an older home with a large lot. The problem at this point in time is that many buyers are encountering a lack of inventory that not only limits the amount of homes available for sale but some organic sellers are trying to take advantage of the situation before of that (having crazy asking prices). We are in a very unusual real estate market right now. So the worst thing that you could do is settle for a home just for the sake of buying and not having to move a second time. There are plenty of 6-month rentals out there so keep that has an option if you don't find what you are looking for in terms of a home to purchase. I'm sure as a fellow European you guys might want to find a home with hardwood and tiles instead of mostly carpet. ;)
 
[quote author="pecosbill" date=1250891039]Thanks for your fast reply, we will be coming from New Jersey (princeton area) sorry about the confusion, but we are french leaving in teh US for the past 5 years. renting would be an option but we would not want to move the children too much from one school to the other and teh relocation package will only be available for a purchase within a year that is why we will be looking to buy instead of rent :-)</blockquote>


As another resource, I've compiled sales histories <strong><a href="http://www.irvinerealtorsite.com">here </a></strong>along with most of the floorplans in your price range.
 
Irvine Schools Website: <A href="http://iusd.org">http://iusd.org</A>

Note that you cannot just show up and put your kids in school that day, there is stuff you have to do first

<A href="http://iusd.org/enrollment/HowToEnroll.html">How to Enroll</A>

<A href="http://iusd.org/enrollment/RequiredDocuments.html">Required documents</A> - read carefully, there is stuff that takes some time to round up first (ex. must have copies of specific paperwork - they are stickers about no substitutions), statements about test done by physicians, etc etc
 
We live in the Woodbridge village in Irvine and there is a group of French ex-pats who live nearby. My wife was raised in Europe and speaks several languages including French, so she ran in to them at Springacre park where they seem to have a group playing volleyball every evening. It?s pretty funny for us to watch them curse in French when they miss a shot ("merde!").... I've also heard there is a French school where many of their kids go. If you do end up moving here PM me and I'll try to put you in contact with one of them if you are interested.



Oh, and I agree that you will have a real hard time finding a large lot in Irvine, but most people feel that this is slightly offset by the many parks and facilities that are built in to each village. Woodbridge for example has something like 22 pools and 2 lakes with swimming lagoons, plus numerous parks and greenbelts....
 
[quote author="Chuck" date=1250897373]We live in the Woodbridge village in Irvine and there is a group of French ex-pats who live nearby. My wife was raised in Europe and speaks several languages including French, so she ran in to them at Springacre park where they seem to have a group playing volleyball every evening. It?s pretty funny for us to watch them curse in French when they miss a shot ("merde!").... I've also heard there is a French school where many of their kids go. If you do end up moving here PM me and I'll try to put you in contact with one of them if you are interested.



Oh, and I agree that you will have a real hard time finding a large lot in Irvine, but most people feel that this is slightly offset by the many parks and facilities that are built in to each village. Woodbridge for example has something like 22 pools and 2 lakes with swimming lagoons, plus numerous parks and greenbelts....</blockquote>


Chuck many thanks for your input, I agree that we may not need a large lot, just some space to eat outside and plant a few herbs, plants...

Would you mins haring the area of woodbridge where you leave as it is rather large.... I will try to find houses around with redfin.



Thanks again for teh offer of contacting the french crew, I willknow more about mey relocation in a month or so.



Pecosbill
 
Since you don't know the area well and are not used to US real estate transactions, I would recommend strongly (very strongly) that you use a local sales consultant (I personally trust and would contact IrvineRealtor, above, but there are other trustworthy ones too). They will be able to provide you a lot of local information that you will not get from a low-service saleman like redfin.



The really good ones, like IR2, may even be able to save you more money than a discount brokerage, since they will be able to negotiate with more local knowledge.



You will also likely be happier with your choice, and spend less time looking at unsuitable candidates.





(note: this advice does not necessarily apply to locals, or AWGEE)
 
[quote author="pecosbill" date=1250901848][quote author="Chuck" date=1250897373]We live in the Woodbridge village in Irvine and there is a group of French ex-pats who live nearby. My wife was raised in Europe and speaks several languages including French, so she ran in to them at Springacre park where they seem to have a group playing volleyball every evening. It?s pretty funny for us to watch them curse in French when they miss a shot ("merde!").... I've also heard there is a French school where many of their kids go. If you do end up moving here PM me and I'll try to put you in contact with one of them if you are interested.



Oh, and I agree that you will have a real hard time finding a large lot in Irvine, but most people feel that this is slightly offset by the many parks and facilities that are built in to each village. Woodbridge for example has something like 22 pools and 2 lakes with swimming lagoons, plus numerous parks and greenbelts....</blockquote>


Chuck many thanks for your input, I agree that we may not need a large lot, just some space to eat outside and plant a few herbs, plants...

Would you mins haring the area of woodbridge where you leave as it is rather large.... I will try to find houses around with redfin.



Thanks again for teh offer of contacting the french crew, I willknow more about mey relocation in a month or so.



Pecosbill</blockquote>


Sure, we live by the "south lake" in Woodbridge, right by Springacre park. Woodbridge may seem large, but once you get to know it it starts to make sense - it is basically a big loop (the Yale Loop) around 2 lakes. There aren't a lot of homes for sale in Woodbridge, but I know there is one at 25 Whispering Wind a few blocks away that just dropped in price form $1.1 million to $995,000. Its still overpriced in my opinion, and the layout has several levels which is a bit odd, but they have done a nice job with the remodel.
 
[quote author="freedomCM" date=1250903315](note: this advice does not necessarily apply to locals, or AWGEE)</blockquote>


I don't think "advice" or pretty much anything else ever applies for Awgee. The Bad Religion song "Against the Grain" always pops in my head when I read his posts.



<object width="325" height="250"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/youtube" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="325" height="250"></embed></object>
 
Bienvenue a Californie!



I agree with Trojan - why not rent for a year and fully decide your neighborhood prefere?



Bonne chance!
 
[quote author="freedomCM" date=1250903315]Since you don't know the area well and are not used to US real estate transactions, I would recommend strongly (very strongly) that you use a local sales consultant (I personally trust and would contact IrvineRealtor, above, but there are other trustworthy ones too). They will be able to provide you a lot of local information that you will not get from a low-service saleman like redfin.



The really good ones, like IR2, may even be able to save you more money than a discount brokerage, since they will be able to negotiate with more local knowledge.



You will also likely be happier with your choice, and spend less time looking at unsuitable candidates.





(note: this advice does not necessarily apply to locals, or AWGEE)</blockquote>


freedom, thanks for the advice I have not choosen any realtor or realtor type, my relocation company will take care ot it. I did mention rdfin as their web site is very well designed compare to realtors.com.



yhanks for all the good advices

pecosbill
 
[quote author="Chuck" date=1250897373]I've also heard there is a French school where many of their kids go</blockquote>There is one on Tustin Avenue, close to Orange
 
The French school is the Orange campus of the Lycee International Los Angeles:



<a href="http://www.lilaschool.com/index2.htm">http://www.lilaschool.com/index2.htm</a>



There is also an Orange County Accueil:



<a href="http://www.ocaccueil.com">http://www.ocaccueil.com</a>
 
[quote author="pecosbill" date=1250914854][quote author="freedomCM" date=1250903315]Since you don't know the area well and are not used to US real estate transactions, I would recommend strongly (very strongly) that you use a local sales consultant (I personally trust and would contact IrvineRealtor, above, but there are other trustworthy ones too). They will be able to provide you a lot of local information that you will not get from a low-service saleman like redfin.



The really good ones, like IR2, may even be able to save you more money than a discount brokerage, since they will be able to negotiate with more local knowledge.



You will also likely be happier with your choice, and spend less time looking at unsuitable candidates.





(note: this advice does not necessarily apply to locals, or AWGEE)</blockquote>


freedom, thanks for the advice I have not choosen any realtor or realtor type, my relocation company will take care ot it. I did mention rdfin as their web site is very well designed compare to realtors.com.



yhanks for all the good advices

pecosbill</blockquote>


When we moved down, we also had a relo company agent. Not the greatest one, I'm afraid. Make sure you look up stuff yourself on Redfin, and also check new construction from the builders (ex. <A href="http://www.villagesofirvine.com/">http://www.villagesofirvine.com/</A> and if you are planning to rent for a bit (ex. if it takes too long to close & move in), the IAC <A href="http://rental-living.com/">http://rental-living.com/</A>. I mention this because my relo agent didn't tell me about either (although the prices and service was better) as they'd make less commission that way. Also, get to know the various area of Irvine as well - my relo agent didn't know anything about Irvine, kept trying to get us to buy in her hometown to the south and also sell us some loan her mortgage broker buddy was pitching. Buyer beware.
 
[quote author="graphrix" date=1250909685][quote author="freedomCM" date=1250903315](note: this advice does not necessarily apply to locals, or AWGEE)</blockquote>


I don't think "advice" or pretty much anything else ever applies for Awgee. The Bad Religion song "Against the Grain" always pops in my head when I read his posts.



<object width="325" height="250"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/youtube" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="325" height="250"></embed></object></blockquote>
Hold gold.
 
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