Your favorite IAC place

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upperlowerclass_IHB

upperlowerclass_IHB

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I'll prolly be moving to Irvine in June and I'm looking for a 2+/2+ with a 2-car garage. I know quite a few of you are living in the IAC, so which ones are your favorite for the money?

Oh and BTW rental-living.com search engine sux, no 2-car garage filter, man I swear its the hardest ammenity to search for.
 
Try the newer communities, such as Quail Hill, or Turtle Ridge(I am sure others have them too). I know these two have 2 car attached garage townhome style apartments. They tend to be on the periphery of the complex if you look at the site plans...
 
i chose orchard hills, new complex with an adjacent shopping center that i walk to in less than a minute (pavilions, drug store, peets coffee, banks). you can search online but if you have specific requirements you can call 1.800.IAC.5115 and they'll do the searching for you and let you know what's available in the different complexes. i also liked portola place but decided on orchard hills because my mom moved in with me and she can no longer drive so the shopping center next door is perfect.
 
Woodbury Place also has 2 bed w/ 2 car attached garage. If more budget minded (all noted so far are newer and more pricey), you might want to check out Santa Rosa or Santa Maria in Westpark or Solana in Northpark. Each also has some w/ 2 car attached garages, but are a tad cheaper.
 
we looked at the townhomes in woodbury and one in oak creek that had garages (not sure if the oak creek one was attached) and we ended up going with a 2/2 at the village by the spectrum. you don't get a real garage, but you get 2 parking spaces in an underground garage.
 
<p>Estancia has direct access garages as well.</p>

<p>My fave IAC place has to be the Bluffs. Pricey, but good living...</p>
 
Whew... checked out six places today. Trying to keep the price under $2.5k if I can, so unfortunately the bluffs and all their niceness prolly won't be an option unless vacancies force specials at $200-$300 off.



Today I checked out:



Bordeaux

Quail Ridge

Shadow Oaks

Woodbury Place townhomes

Solona

Anacapa



Bordeaux was too pricey and I didn't get to see a model.. total loss here. Quail Ridge had a decent floorplan and nice interior uprgrades, but all the townhomes had a sweet view of the freeway and all the noise that goes with it. Shadow oaks, worst of both worlds, high price, low quality interior, pretty surpirsed here. Woodbury Place was cool, some were even completely detached mini homes. However, the living/dining rooms would be a bit of a challenge to get a dining room table and a couple of couches into. Solona was behind the times with the interior, but had the most square footage at 1268in^2, plus it was a 3/2. Anacapa, hands down favorite so far. Layout, size, and interior materials were all great. Only minus here was that it had the most shared walls, it was a flat and had someone living above you and on both sides, I play six instruments and can imagine accumilating complaints quickly.



Luckily I noticed that a lot of IAC floorplans are duplicated on multiple properties and didn't check out doubles.



Looks like Orchard hills is very similar to the Anacapa floorplan, definately have to check this out.
 
I live in Anacapa and love it. My wife plays piano and we haven't received any complaint. Close to 241 so easy to go down Jamboree for 50 cents.





I heard the Orchard Hills is similar and pretty nice.





Good luck!
 
A piano really?!?! I've never played any instrument as loud as a piano in any IAC place. Most of my instruments are electronic and I try to keep the volume to about half that of a piano. That is really good news, or perhaps you just have really nice neighbors.
 
I have had much better luck with a private rental. We pay below $2500 and have a 2bd/3ba + loft (1400 sqft) in a Newport Coast gated community. I know it is not Irvine, but it is an Irvine Company community. Also, rented in Tustin Ranch...off of Pioneer and Patriot in the Cantada community for $1375 and this place was 1154 sqft with a huge master and loft...but only had a one car garage. Moral of the story...drive around the areas you like and read the for lease signs...the unit around the corner me is for the lease...the same model I am in for $2700. Hope this helps:-)
 
<p><em>A piano really?!?! I've never played any instrument as loud as a piano in any IAC place. Most of my instruments are electronic and I try to keep the volume to about half that of a piano. That is really good news, or perhaps you just have really nice neighbors.</em> </p>

<p>I'm going with the - really nice neighbors. We had a neighbor at our IAC place that played the piano. I was <em>"really nice"</em> for about 6 months while I had to listen to her play the piano (cringing every day). One day I finally snapped and asked them if they could turn it down a notch. I could only be <em>nice</em> for 6 months. </p>

<p>The lease has a "no musical instruments" paragraph. We kept our piano in storage while we lived there. </p>

<p>I can now enjoy my piano once again now that we live in a SFR. </p>

<p> </p>

<p> </p>
 
In our IAC townhouse we've got an 8 year old neighbor who practices her violin each evening. Her efforts are commendable...but <em>WHOA</em>. Like fingernails on a chalkboard. Don't have the heart to say anything, though....
 
<p>I live in the Newport Ridge complex and love it. It is in Newport Coast and not in Irvine, but it is right next to it. I recommend at least checking it out. It is a beautiful area - 3 miles from the ocean and 3 miles from Fashion Island.</p>
 
I'm certainly planning to look at private places, but feel that I'm not close enough to June to find any places that will still be available then. I figure I'll find the IAC place I like first, then look for a good deal on a privately owned place. If I can't find a good privately owned place I got my fav IAC place to fall back on.



Oh and I haven't completely decided on Irvine just yet, I work in paramount, so I'm gonna have to commute if I live in any nice area (my work is one freeway exit from compton).



newportnaturalmom... you plannin to move out this summer perhaps?
 
I've never stayed in a place with a 2 car garage. If you are looking for specific amenities like this, I'd talk to the agents at the IAC apartment center on Harvard/Main. They might also waive your application fee.





I'd rank my experiences with IAC/Irvine rentals in the following order:





1. San Paulo - Westpark - 3br/2.5ba/1car shared garage- Nice area. Close to everything. Spacious and very homey. Parking is no problem for < 3 people. Hands-down my favorite complex/apartment so far.





2. San Carlo - Westpark - 2br/2ba/1car shared garage - Nice area. Close to everything. Street parking available (but snatch it earlier in the afternoon or night).





3. San Leon - Westpark - 2br 2ba/carport only - Nice area. Close to everything. Parking can be bad if you own more than 2 cars. Would rather stay at (1) or (2) for around the same price.





4. Windood Townhome - Deerfield/Irvine Center&Culver - 3br/2.5ba/1car non-shared garage - Area is not as nice as Westpark. IMO the food, stores, and amenities are better in Westpark. Parking is good. Very few students so noise level is low.





5. Windwood Knoll - Deerfield/Irvine Center&Culver - 3br/2ba/carport only - Same comments as (4) on the area. Worst thing about this place was the SPIDERS. We're talking large and red/orange/black here. Careful where you walk. Noise level was OK but we had a bad experience. Cops were always being called b/c of domestic violence @ the neighbor's place. We suspect another neighbor stole one of our packages, but cannot be sure.





6. Cornell Court - UCI area - 3br/2ba/carport only - DO NOT live here (or anywhere near UCI) unless you are going to school there. There is no reason to live in the area unless you are walking to school. Noise level is high, parking is horrendous, build quality is bad, and office managers are hostile.





7. Parkwest - Michelson between Culver and Harvard - (*bonus) I've never lived here but have heard enough horror stories to be glad I haven't. Don't be fooled by their large floor plans, many "amenities", and "street parking. Noise level is high. Parking is non-existent. College students have the uncanny ability to leave their cars on the street for weeks on end (I know-I did it while at Cornell). Roaches and spiders abound. Also, TWO!!!! of my friends had their cars stolen. Another friend's car was keyed for no reason and I've heard numerous stories of cars being broken into. AVOID at all costs.
 
Getting a 2-car garage might be pretty hard for an IAC apartment. Are you from a not-so-mild climate area? If so, you may not realize that you don't need a garage as much here as you would in, say, Iowa.
 
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