Aliso Viejo, nicer and cheaper?

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Gemini_IHB

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We are thinking of buying (maybe renting first) in Aliso Viejo, as we like the area and its close proximity to Newport Beach (where we work).

We are aware of the toll expense, but what other draw-backs does Aliso Viejo have?:



1- Schools not as good as Irvine?

2- Undesirable area for some other reason?



...etc. ...etc.



I noticed that per sqrt foot, it is averaging around $220/sqrft, while Irvine is something around $320/sqrtft.

Why is this difference? Asians do not like it as much as Irvine? :)





I really like the quite and spacious feel of the town, also the nicer bigger homes compared to Irvine.



Do you think it has more to drop in terms of price?



Thanks in advance.
 
There's a thread on Aliso Viejo if you look below.



Real quickly. I currently rent in one of Aliso's upscale rental complex's. It's a nice area and my wife and I would like to stay. However, we are not seeing capitulation in the housing market within our price range (500k). Like many areas, you can get $220 /sqft for more upscale properties that fall into the Jumbo Loan area, but everything I've seen is still around $300+. We're going to wait it out, but some of these Aliso homeowners are out of their minds.



I'm sure you'll get a lot of response on this, but Aliso Niguel is a good high school. Maybe not as great as some of the Irvine schools, but definitely respectable. I think most of the complaints are access from the 5 and the Toll Road fees.
 
This is intersting. I am wondering which rental property are you referring too, maybe I can take a look at it since I am intersted in renting there.



Also I am curious about the shopping areas and diversity or ethics food places, is there is such a thing in AV?



thanks!
 
[quote author="Gemini" date=1247023589]We are thinking of buying (maybe renting first) in Aliso Viejo, as we like the area and its close proximity to Newport Beach (where we work).

We are aware of the toll expense, but what other draw-backs does Aliso Viejo have?:



1- Schools not as good as Irvine?

2- Undesirable area for some other reason?



...etc. ...etc.



I noticed that per sqrt foot, it is averaging around $220/sqrft, while Irvine is something around $320/sqrtft.

Why is this difference? Asians do not like it as much as Irvine? :)





I really like the quite and spacious feel of the town, also the nicer bigger homes compared to Irvine.



Do you think it has more to drop in terms of price?



Thanks in advance.</blockquote>
I believe Aliso Viejo can get a bit warmer than Irvine in the summer. It isn't as centrally located as Irvine. Most of Aliso has Mello Roos, although the Mello Roos isn't that much for the majority of Aliso ($1,000 to $1,500 per year). I think renting for a bit is a great idea...it gives you an inexpensive and flexible preview of what living in Aliso may be like plus chances are the prices of homes in Aliso will come down that much more in the next few years. Let me know if you would like some assistance in locating a private rental.
 
[quote author="hey7019" date=1247035259]This is intersting. I am wondering which rental property are you referring too, maybe I can take a look at it since I am intersted in renting there.



Also I am curious about the shopping areas and diversity or ethics food places, is there is such a thing in AV?



thanks!</blockquote>


City Place is the nicest apartment property in Aliso. A little higher density than most with a parking structure rather than individual garages. Owned by Shea Properties. Location is very good as it is walking distance to the Aliso Town Center and several restaurants.
 
[quote author="hey7019" date=1247035259]This is intersting. I am wondering which rental property are you referring too, maybe I can take a look at it since I am intersted in renting there.



Also I am curious about the shopping areas and diversity or ethics food places, is there is such a thing in AV?



thanks!</blockquote>


Ethics food... ha ha ha...



I'm gonna assume you mean ethnic food. I'm familiar with the area (have some friends there), so a few places I can think of:



Aliso Creek:

Jade Palace... Vietnamese place masquerading as chinese. Not overly authentic, but decent. I'm partial to the combo Pho or the beef salad

Thai Bite... a bit more authentic, but still nothing like Irvine.

Inka Mama's... local Peruvian chain



La Paz:

Pho the Bowl... probably the closest "authentic" place in the area. Vietnamese. Also has Korean ribs and good egg rolls.

Avila's Mexican... another local chain... pretty good.

Zen Sushi... Korean owned. Best sushi in the area. Very friendly owners.

There's a Thai place right next to Zen, I forget the name... a bit more authentic than Thai Bite... pretty decent



Greenfield:

Thai (forget the name...) again, decent

Los Golindrinas... great take out mexican, love their burritos and chips, and great cinnamon raisin tamales





In general... no where near the choice of Irvine, its alot smaller area, and much more caucasian. Most places tend to cater towards the whitey. Its salvagable though, especially if you know what to order. I have noticed more Asians moving out there in the past few years, and if you look at the restuarants I listed, many are fairly new. Don't try to kid yourself into thinking its Irvine, Garden Grove or Fountain Valley. Its better than Coto/RSM though.



Delroy
 
<a href="http://www.irvinehousingblog.com/forums/viewthread/1232/">Aliso Viejo thread</a>.



As BK mentions, it is an inferior product compared to Irvine, and the products of Irvine are not all that great. There are exceptions, but they are rare.



There are 378 homes in foreclosure in AV. Keep in mind there are nearly 800 in Irvine but nearly 80k units in Irvine, when there are only 18k units in AV. Even if you adjust for the homeownership rate, AV still exceeds Irvine by a lot.



http://i32.tinypic.com/5yrjpw.jpg



Me thinks waiting for AV to purge the foreclosures would be a wise idea.
 
Looks like we are starting to see more of those P's become A's now? I didn't see the AV chart from early June. But compared to that one you posted on Irvine seems like the ratio of P's to A's are alot closer now. Is this starting to become the case in all cities? Seems like it was 10 to 1 (P's to A's) on that Irvine map from June.
 
[quote author="C Delroy Spuckler" date=1247055716]



I have noticed more Asians moving out there in the past few years, and if you look at the restuarants I listed, many are fairly new.

Delroy</blockquote>


some people have told me that a huge reason for good schools in Irvine are the Asian parents. If more asians are indeed moving to AV, does it mean that the schools will only get better with time?
 
Urban Thai (Town Center) - in my opinion, better Thai than all mentioned. Thai Bite reminds me of Old Town Buffet.

Opah (Town Center) - good food, better cougars.

Cosmos (AC/AV Prkwy)- decent Italian for the 'burbs. Pasta Rustica and Salmon Bowtie are good.

Avila's - I would rather eat a taco filled with hair clippings.

Grill Hut (PacPark/Alicia) - fantastic kabobs. (technically Laguna Niguel)

Pasta Bravo (PacPark/Alicia) - decent Italian to load up on noodles and m-balls after a mt. bike ride in Aliso Woods. (technically Laguna Niguel)

Mangia Bene (Oso/La Paz) - decent Italian. (technically LN)

Chevron (PacPark/AV Prkwy) - great breakfast burritos at the attached diner as you wait for your car to be hand washed.

Porky's Pizza (PacPark/AV Prkwy) - great dough, good sauce (order extra).

Original Pancake House (Moulton/Oso) - love it.

Molly's Country Kitchen (LaPaz) - love it.



Comparing restaurants in AV to Irvine is silly. AV is a village compared to Irvine.



AV is setting up to be a massacre. Rent instead and feel it out. The houses aren't going anywhere.
 
Since this thread has already gone off-topic, I'll ask: which Thai restaurant in Irvine do you think is better than Thai Bite in AV?



I've been unable to find a really good Thai place in Irvine. I'm aware of Kitima (kind of OK, but overpriced), Thai Bamboo Bistro, Thai Kitchen, but none of those are that great or authentic, in my opinion. Thai Bite is simple stuff, but it always makes me happy.



(BTW, the great thing about renting in City Lights in AV is that you can walk to the brewery and then crawl back uphill later...)
 
[quote author="AVRenter" date=1247144603]Urban Thai (Town Center) - in my opinion, better Thai than all mentioned. Thai Bite reminds me of Old Town Buffet.

Opah (Town Center) - good food, better cougars.

Cosmos (AC/AV Prkwy)- decent Italian for the 'burbs. Pasta Rustica and Salmon Bowtie are good.

Avila's - I would rather eat a taco filled with hair clippings.

Grill Hut (PacPark/Alicia) - fantastic kabobs. (technically Laguna Niguel)

Pasta Bravo (PacPark/Alicia) - decent Italian to load up on noodles and m-balls after a mt. bike ride in Aliso Woods. (technically Laguna Niguel)

Mangia Bene (Oso/La Paz) - decent Italian. (technically LN)

Chevron (PacPark/AV Prkwy) - great breakfast burritos at the attached diner as you wait for your car to be hand washed.

Porky's Pizza (PacPark/AV Prkwy) - great dough, good sauce (order extra).

Original Pancake House (Moulton/Oso) - love it.

Molly's Country Kitchen (LaPaz) - love it.

</blockquote>


Thai Bite is owned by the same people that own Urban Thai. Personally, I love Thai Bite. Especially for the money. $9 or so for a good size portion of either Thai curry or egg noodle.

Cosmo's is just kind of whatever. Like the italian version of Avila's or Wahoo's. For Italian, go down to Luciana's in Dana Point. Great atmosphere.

Porky's Pizza is like a piece of heaven wrapped up in dough

Wing Nuts has great wings. Also located in Costa Mesa

Panini Grill has good mediterranean.



Also, the upscale apartment complex is called City Lights. Not City Place. I live there and it's a great location and close to the movie theatre and mall.
 
[quote author="CougBear" date=1247186682][quote author="AVRenter" date=1247144603]Urban Thai (Town Center) - in my opinion, better Thai than all mentioned. Thai Bite reminds me of Old Town Buffet.

Opah (Town Center) - good food, better cougars.

Cosmos (AC/AV Prkwy)- decent Italian for the 'burbs. Pasta Rustica and Salmon Bowtie are good.

Avila's - I would rather eat a taco filled with hair clippings.

Grill Hut (PacPark/Alicia) - fantastic kabobs. (technically Laguna Niguel)

Pasta Bravo (PacPark/Alicia) - decent Italian to load up on noodles and m-balls after a mt. bike ride in Aliso Woods. (technically Laguna Niguel)

Mangia Bene (Oso/La Paz) - decent Italian. (technically LN)

Chevron (PacPark/AV Prkwy) - great breakfast burritos at the attached diner as you wait for your car to be hand washed.

Porky's Pizza (PacPark/AV Prkwy) - great dough, good sauce (order extra).

Original Pancake House (Moulton/Oso) - love it.

Molly's Country Kitchen (LaPaz) - love it.

</blockquote>


Thai Bite is owned by the same people that own Urban Thai. Personally, I love Thai Bite. Especially for the money. $9 or so for a good size portion of either Thai curry or egg noodle.

Cosmo's is just kind of whatever. Like the italian version of Avila's or Wahoo's. For Italian, go down to Luciana's in Dana Point. Great atmosphere.

Porky's Pizza is like a piece of heaven wrapped up in dough

Wing Nuts has great wings. Also located in Costa Mesa

Panini Grill has good mediterranean.



Also, the upscale apartment complex is called City Lights. Not City Place. I live there and it's a great location and close to the movie theatre and mall.</blockquote>


For good pasta, go to Marios by the Sea on Golden Lantern.
 
[quote author="hedgehog" date=1247145574]Since this thread has already gone off-topic, I'll ask: which Thai restaurant in Irvine do you think is better than Thai Bite in AV?



I've been unable to find a really good Thai place in Irvine. I'm aware of Kitima (kind of OK, but overpriced), Thai Bamboo Bistro, Thai Kitchen, but none of those are that great or authentic, in my opinion. Thai Bite is simple stuff, but it always makes me happy.



(BTW, the great thing about renting in City Lights in AV is that you can walk to the brewery and then crawl back uphill later...)</blockquote>


Thai Cafe off Jefffrey by the 5 near the 99 market is one of the best I've found in Irvine for the price ($8 - 12ish range per dish)
 
When we were looking for a place to buy, I only wanted to live in Irvine. We were looking at different neighborhoods in Irvine and started to really get away from what we wanted and started to settle.



We ended up just looking at different cities, foothill ranch, lake forest and then I started to come out of my bubble. We came to Aliso and found a 2bd 2 bath place we really liked. We ended up not getting that place because a 3bd/3ba with full driveway opened up for just a bit more money. We ended up getting that place and have lived in it since Sept. 1. I will say that I am very happy with Aliso Viejo and do not miss living in Newport North or Woodbury.



I enjoy the curvy streets and hilly atmosphere that is lacking in most of Irvine. Some people may not like the views of hillsides with houses but I think its cool to look at when I am driving home. I work in Irvine and still do think it is a great place to live but for our budget (400k) AV was a way better choice! With that being said, I have a feeling our next house will be in AV too.



The only thing that sucks about AV is the food choices. However, we are slowly finding different places to eat that are pretty close and not so commercial. We do enjoy eating the chain places but a hole in the wall that you'd see on Drive In's, Diners, and Dives is always fun to eat at.
 
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