Please help me buy a place before I move to Irvine

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coder7

New member
I will be starting a new job in Irvine on June 1st. I need to buy a place by that time. I found 2 places so far which I've seen only via internet. My budget is between $425000 and $480000. I can afford the upper range only if it's low HOA and no mello roos. I am looking for a 2 bedroom 2 bath place with a 2 car garage.

First place ishttp://www.redfin.com/CA/Irvine/94-Cartier-Aisle-92620/home/5547409
Cons: 1 car garage, old
Pros: No mello roos, 1 story, low HOA

Second place ishttp://www.villagesofirvine.com/Vil...s/Stonegate/Residence/Santa-Maria/Residence-2This is priced at $425000
Cons: Mello roos, high HOA, 2 stories
Pros: Brand new

Location wise I don't have much info since I've never lived in Irvine before. I'd be glad if you help me and show me possible alternatives. Also there is a broker coop in the second option. I heard that I can work with a broker and get some part of the commission. However I've read somewhere that this might be illegal.

Thanks.

 
Coder7,

Welcome to the TI board and to Irvine! You will find many helpful people on the board but take everything with a grain of salt.

Before people can help you it may be helpful to talk about why you need to *buy* now as opposed to renting. If you have never visited, it may be worthwhile to take your time and get to know the community before committing yourself to owning property. I don't think you want to rush into making a home purchase and regretting the decision later. Renting will give you that flexibility. I don't know your particular situation and maybe there are other pressing reasons why you need to buy by June 1st, but seriously consider the alternative.

There are many choices for renting in Irvine: corporate owned apartment buildings (i.e.Irvine Apartment Company etc...), private rental apartments or single family homes.

For your search try realtor.com, craigs list, or even use one of our Talk Irvine RE agents like IrvineRealtor to access the proprietary Multiple Listing Services (MLS) for private rentals. If you like more corporate owned housing in Irvine--check out rental-living.com for all the many choices (some luxury).

As far as purchasing new construction--you are correct there is a broker coop fee on many developments paid by the builder. If you have a RE agent register you at the development before you sign up on any interest/prequalification lists, then you can usually share some % of that coop fee with your agent.

Good luck with your search and keep us posted. If you need more advice on particular places to rent or buy etc... keep posting. :)
 
I really don't want to live in an apartment because I had really bad experiences. I looked for townhome rentals but I could not find an upgraded place. The ones in craigslist are either super expensive or very old.
 
coder7 said:
I really don't want to live in an apartment because I had really bad experiences. I looked for townhome rentals but I could not find an upgraded place. The ones in craigslist are either super expensive or very old.
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If you are not physically in the area it would be a good idea to use a local realtor. Give them your criteria, price point, and let them use their local knowledge to help you. It won't cost you anything since the fees are paid by the private landlords.

I sent you a PM (private message)--look at the top of the menu screen under "My Messages".
 
For resale homes Cal Pac's detached condos are the best buy since TIC terminated this style of paseo entrances away from the motorcourt. Without new homes to benchmark resale prices value ratio continue to bleed as posted by Cubic Zirconia's Northpark casestudy.

Here are the projects you will find the 2 bedrooms in your price range and may be less.

Aldea in OakCreek
Cortile in Woodbury
Sage in Quail Hills
Bowen Court in Woodbury
Wisteria in West Irvine

Don't look at Vientos in Potty Springs because that place is the worse location of the entire South County. I would not even recommend it to my worse enemies.

Don't look at attached 2BR because prices will continue to bleed until 2017.
 
I'm with iacrenter... June 1st is too short of a deadline to make a purchase decision with a new job in a town you've never lived in.

You can find townhome rentals on the MLS too... try and contact one of the TI realtors (I use IrvineRealtor) and ask them to help you out.

Good luck... but I really would think twice about purchasing in such a rushed timeframe.
 
coder7 said:
I will be starting a new job in Irvine on June 1st. I need to buy a place by that time. I found 2 places so far which I've seen only via internet. My budget is between $425000 and $480000. I can afford the upper range only if it's low HOA and no mello roos. I am looking for a 2 bedroom 2 bath place with a 2 car garage.

First place ishttp://www.redfin.com/CA/Irvine/94-Cartier-Aisle-92620/home/5547409
Cons: 1 car garage, old
Pros: No mello roos, 1 story, low HOA

Second place ishttp://www.villagesofirvine.com/Vil...s/Stonegate/Residence/Santa-Maria/Residence-2This is priced at $425000
Cons: Mello roos, high HOA, 2 stories
Pros: Brand new

Location wise I don't have much info since I've never lived in Irvine before. I'd be glad if you help me and show me possible alternatives. Also there is a broker coop in the second option. I heard that I can work with a broker and get some part of the commission. However I've read somewhere that this might be illegal.

Thanks.
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Have you considered renting instead of buying so you don't have to put yourself under the gun?  It's never a good idea in rushing into a real estate transaction, it's the biggest financial decision you will make in your lifetime.  Also, it is definitely not illegal for agents to split the broker co-op with buyers of new homes and whoever tries to tell you that is either lying or just doesn't know any better.
 
I just hate moving and if I rent now I have to move again in a year. You guys talk like there will be a substantial drop in prices. Are you telling me to hold off for a few years?
 
coder7 said:
I just hate moving and if I rent now I have to move again in a year. You guys talk like there will be a substantial drop in prices. Are you telling me to hold off for a few years?
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It's not about a substantial drop in prices... it's about the total investment... not just money, but time and your lifestyle.

Worst case scenario... what if your new job doesn't work out? Then you're stuck in Irvine paying a mortgage and you don't have many outs that won't be costly.

You've never lived in Irvine so what if you don't like it here? What if you would have rather purchased a lower priced, nicer place in a surrounding city. For your range, you can get a nicer/larger detached SFR in some areas outside of Irvine.

I understand your pain with moving (I moved twice in one year)... but the pain of being stuck is probably worse. At least if you rent you can check out other areas, other neighborhoods, other cities... other types of homes... etc etc. Even if prices were going up... I still wouldn't recommend buying here if you're new to the area, new to your job and trying to do that in just over 2 months. Renting just gives you more options (and you can't have too much stuff to move for a 2br home :) )
 
Imho, you're not allowing yourself enough time. Get situated. I understand. You don't like renting. Just remember it's only temporary. In all honesty, IAC is probably one of the best property groups you'll find and that's coming from someone who's rented from several management companies. It shouldn't be all that bad. It was the least painful renting experience I've had even though I realized during my search that I don't want to live in Irvine (hint). Irvine is so huge. You'll need time to figure out what you like when you get here. You owe yourself that leeway. You don't want to be disappointed with your big purchase, do you? Buying is a stressful enough process without having that deadline element thrown in.

Nobody here mentioned Hotpads.com. You can also narrow down private rentals through them.

Also, Martin a.k.a. USCTrojan was left out of the list of agents if you need help. He responds to messages promptly.

 
The Cartier Aisle unit backs to Roosevelt, which may have some noise.  You also have people living under you on this particular floor plan, so you may get some noise from your neighbors, or you may get complaints that you're walking too loud.  There has been a few short sales and foreclosures in this community, so I feel like the standards of the general demographic of residents has gone down hills.  I now often see trash like fast food wrappers, empty soda/beer cans in the public areas.  Otherwise, the community was recently repainted, lights were recently replaced, and the roads repaved.  The HOA does a pretty good job of maintaining the place.  There's a Islam center right next to the community, so during their holidays and feasts, traffic can get a little annoying with all the pedestrians trying to cross the street and people may try to park in the community as well.
 
coder7, if you dont want to move multiple times, why not at least stay in a furnished short term apt and put your stuff in public storage for a month or two?  depending on where you work is, lake forest and aliso viejo can be closer than parts of irvine.  irvine is a very large area so just having your job in the city and you living in the city doesnt mean you are close to work or closer to work than a nearby city. 

you said you had bad experiences with apartments...can you elaborate?  if its sound or bad neighbors, you risk that with buying and worse, you are trapped.  we live in a rented condo and are thankful everyday that we arent owners here.  this community went from a highend luxury place to college student dorms with trash and noise increasing. 

for your price range, you can get this in aliso viejo which is very close to a lot of irvine. http://www.redfin.com/CA/Aliso-Viejo/14-Cuervo-Dr-92656/home/4853101
 
coder7 said:
I guess you are right about not rushing this one. I will try to find a rental. Thanks.
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Realtors can also help you find a private rental if you prefer to live in a condo versus renting an apartment.  Either way, I think you'll look back and be glad that you decided to rent instead of rushing to purchase.  Take the time to learn about the various neighborhoods of Irvine, each one is very different.  Maybe explore to see if other surrounding cities offer up what you like (at your price point you can easily buy a detached 3-bedroom condo in other cities near Irvine).  It's always wise to review and consider all of your options.
 
The reason why I hate aparment living is because of the current place I live in. The floors are paper thin. The evil neighbor complains when we are simply walking on the floor. They called the security on us numerous times before. It's extra annoyin when security knocks the door when you have friends invited.
 
coder7 said:
The reason why I hate aparment living is because of the current place I live in. The floors are paper thin. The evil neighbor complains when we are simply walking on the floor. They called the security on us numerous times before. It's extra annoyin when security knocks the door when you have friends invited.
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Whether you buy or rent, you are still open to evil neighbors. At least if you rent it can be a shorter term problem.

Sounds like you value privacy. Focus your rental search on detached products (i.e. single family home) or townhomes (only shared walls--no one above or below you). There are probably more on the private market but even IAC rents them out as well with direct access garages. Not cheap but they do offer a lot of amenities and sometimes offer shorter lease terms at a higher price.
http://www.rental-living.com/Commun...llage/Prices-And-Floorplans/Floorplan/Plan-5/
http://www.rental-living.com/Communities/Woodbury-Place/Prices-And-Floorplans/Floorplan/Plan-E/
http://www.rental-living.com/Commun...d-Floorplans/Floorplan/Plan-L---The-Twilight/
 
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