1- 1.5M SFR - Best Bet in OC w/ scenic views - good schools

[dream16]

Hi All OC Neighbors:

One of my classmates just bought a SFR for 1.2M - 3500 sq.ft ($315/sq.ft) - SFR in Anaheim Hills - schools rated at 9/10/9 - with $100 HOA and no Mello-Roos. It is a 20 year old house renovated-tear down 2015 and built back. He closed in October 2017, so shielded himself from Trump's 750K mortgage deduction limit, although he paid 30% down, so doesn't really make much of a difference.

Anaheim Hills - gets scenic mountain views, privacy !

Other friends - bought in Brea and Aliso Viejo, i own a property in Irvine.

I am a sucker for mountains/scenic views/privacy and having a big SFR which is NOT boxed from 3 sides like the 1-1.5M range SFR's in Irvine.

It has to be atleast 5 bedrooms - 3500 sq.ft +

Apart from the options suggested in poll above, what other cities would you put your money down in OC to buy an SFR as a primary residence to call it home?

I am into IT - so can't live very further down into the weeds of San Juan Capistrano. Location wise - i guess if i will eventually work in Irvine or Downtown LA or say Pasadena (worked/lived there for 3.5 years) or Long Beach - none of the cities i mentioned will be ideal. City of La Verne can be for Pasadena workers - but its not in OC.

I can do twice a week work from home sort of a thing down the line.

If you take the work-location aspect out of the context (say you have permanent work from home) as a deciding factor - where would you bet your 1.5M on to get all the specified parameters? 8) 8)

I am trying to stick to 1-1.5 M range and hence looking for options to eventually have a goal in sight - to where to put my money on in the coming future. Basically, trying to narrow down to a city.  :-\

Please chime in with your thoughts !

Note: my original post in OC Real Estate section did not get much traction, so i posted it here, my favorite place

 

[melodypowell]

Sorry your post is very confusing, I am not sure what you want. Do you have or plan to have a family? Are you looking for a family environment with good schools? Sounds like the case since you need 5 bedrooms. I wouldn't look for a permanent house if you could work in Irvine or Downtown LA, that being said, given the information you have, my choice would be:

1. Cypress if you commute
It's a very boring choice. But the location is great wether you work in LA or OC. It's in OC, easy access to 91, 22 and 405. The magnet Oxford Academy is the BEST public in SoCal, the area has attracted a lot of great families in the area. Other schools are great too. You can commute to either Irvine or LA, long beach would be super easy. Some homes have very big backyards, but very few have views. There are a lot of company headquarters in Cypress, such as Yamaha. If you are into Asian food, you have Cerritos next door.

2. Turtle Rock
But if you are already living in Irvine, I would definitely check out Turtle Rock area. Some houses has great views, and they are not boxed on 3 sides. I personally don't like the new developments in North Irvine. Some times you can get a small 5 bedroom for 1.5, but probably not anything close to 3500sq ft. I also like Woodbridge, get a lakeview?

3. Coto de Caza
If you work from home and likes mountain views, this is right in your neighborhood. You can get a very nice house for 1.5, toll road takes about 30 mins to Irvine. Great school, I would buy a house zoned for Wagon Wheel elementary.

4. Ladera Ranch maybe?
It's very family friendly and not so out of the way. Schools are highly rated with 1.5 you can easily buy a 5 bedroom with a little mountain view. Lots of young IT professionals and finance professionals with young family live there

5. Top of the world Laguna Beach
Best schools and views. Once in a while, you will see some houses that has 5 bedrooms for below 2m. Perfect location for working from home, commute would suck. No HOA or Mello Roos