Moving from Out-of-State

NEW -> Contingent Buyer Assistance Program
PeterUK said:
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I am also curious to know your thoughts about the lifestyle differences between the burbs of Chicago and Irvine. I know things are little more materialistic over there but i am assuming people are friendlier and happier because of the all-year-round nice weather. I want to thank both you ,CalGal, BV for giving me such invaluable advice when i am ready to make the move.

Panda
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'

My Wife grew up in Park Ridge, Chicago and we've been there a lot in each of the seasons, you can't beat the SoCal climate..
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Peter,

Your wife's family is about 5 minutes a away from where i live. How does she like it living in Irvine compared to Park Ridge?
 
The_Maestro said:
Panda, don't do it. You've got an Irvine right in your neck of the woods, Naperville. I moved here from Naperville 4 years ago. I'm not sure if I would do it again, probably not. The only plus I can really come up with for Irvine is the weather. Naperville is equally good in every other way, and it doesn't feel like a giant strip mall. Irvine is just bland. Sure, the master planning has its advantages but Irvine just does not have a sense of community like Naperville, or any other Chicago area burb for that matter. It's hard to exactly put a finger on it but Chicago is just better. Sure, you've got LA and San Diego nearby but it is a pain in the ass to ever go there and enjoy the culture, which there is none of in Irvine. The allure of Southern California looks great in January and it sure is nice to go for a bike ride in 60+ degree weather in the winter, but there just aren't many other things I can come up with as good reasons to move here from Chicago. You've seen the price of real estate here, if you are willing to pay that for weather then go for it.

As far as the move, I used U-Pack from ABF. Sort of like pods. You load your own belongings into a semi trailer. You pay for the space used. They will bring the trailer to your door or you can load and un-unload at their facility. Paid about $1700 for enough stuff to fill my large one bedroom and small storage spot in my garage. Well worth it but you'll need someone on both ends to help pack and unload the trailer. Drove my own car out in two days.
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Maestro and Joon,

Thanks for giving me your feedback. My wife and I really like Naperville a lot and we would live there if had decided to remain in the burbs of Chicago. We love to hang out at the river walk during the summers. My reason for wanting to move to Irvine is a little more than just the nice weather. I see Irvine as the next Silicon Valley of Southern California, and to live and having a business with an Irvine address has been a dream of mine for ten years now. Being an Asian American Entrepreneur in the Tech Sector, I identify myself more with Irvine more than i do with Naperville. Here in Chicago, I have good friends who have stellar educational backgrounds graduating from Kellogg, U of Chicago, Harvard, and they all have good corporate jobs, but they don't seem to have a single string of entrepeneurial creativity in them. Starting your own company from grass roots is a little unusual here among my circle of friends.

Irvine is more of a dream and a place i can identify myself best than just the nice weather. Also in terms of real estate, I have absolutely no desire to research, look at, move up, or buy any real estate here in the some of nicest suburban areas of chicago like (South Barrington, Lake Forest, Wilmette, Winekka, Naperville, Northbrook, Hinsdale, etc.) but it is different story when it comes to Orange County real estate. I know where the trophy homes are located in Irvine, and southern Orange County by the street name, and but absolutely have no clue of the street names of where some of nicest properties are located in burbs of Chicago, and I have lived here since 1982.

As an Asian American in my early 30s, Irvine just seems to identify me for who i am, where i have never felt that I quite fit in the Chicagoland burb for 25 years.The bloggers on the Irvine Housing Blog seem to have similar aspirations and interest as me. It is sort of weird that I can relate and connect to a housing blog than I can with the community in Chicago burbs here for 25 years. IHB is like a virtual community with people whom I can relate to.

Joon and Maestro, I apprecate your feedback as i am trying to make the same move that you guys have in the past 4 years.

Panda
 
PANDA said:
Maestro and Joon,

Thanks for giving me your feedback. My wife and I really like Naperville a lot and we would live there if had decided to remain in the burbs of Chicago. We love to hang out at the river walk during the summers. My reason for wanting to move to Irvine is a little more than just the nice weather. I see Irvine as the next Silicon Valley of Southern California, and to live and having a business with an Irvine address has been a dream of mine for ten years now. Being an Asian American Entrepreneur in the Tech Sector, I identify myself more with Irvine more than i do with Naperville. Here in Chicago, I have good friends who have stellar educational backgrounds graduating from Kellogg, U of Chicago, Harvard, and have very good corporate job, but they don't have a string of entrepeneurial creativity or blood in them. Starting your own company from grass roots is a little unusual here among my circle of friends.

Irvine is more of a dream and where i can identify myself best than just the nice weather. Also in terms of real estate, I have absolutely no desire to research, look at, move up, or buy any real estate here in the some of nicest suburban areas of chicago like (South Barrington, Lake Forest, Wilmette, Winekka, Naperville, Northbrook, Hinsdale, etc.) but it is different story when it comes to Orange County real estate. I know where the trophy homes are located in Irvine, and southern Orange County by the street name, and but absolutely have no clue of the street names of where some of nicest properties are located in burbs of Chicago, and I have lived here since 1982.

As an Asian American in my early 30s, Irvine just seems to identify me for who i am, where i have never felt that I quite fit in the Chicagoland burb for 25 years.The bloggers on the Irvine Housing Blog seem to have similar aspirations and interest as me. It is sort of weird that I can relate and connect to a housing blog than I can with the community in Chicago burbs here for 25 years. IHB is like a virtual community with people I can relate to.

Joon and Maestro, I apprecate your feedback as i am trying to make the same move that you guys have in the past 4 years.

Panda
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In that case, go for it. It sounds like you have found your home. When I moved, I sold some things that I thought I could replace easily. I didn't want to just give anything away though and if I thought it was going to cost me too much to replace it, I kept it. Good luck with the move.
 
Don't use Red Ball. Most of my boxes were rifled through and most of my CD's and various electronics were stolen (and I wrapped and taped those boxes up like Fort Knox). They weren't coy about it either, just ripped the tops off. Was impossible to prove who did it b/c unbeknownst to me, the original driver drove to New Jersey, UNPACKED his truck and stored my property in some warehouse.....then they subbed my contents and the rest of the move out to some nobody. My stuff got held up for 4 extra days in NJ because of this....and some fly by night operation arrived with my stuff. Not Red Ball. Most of my furniture was scratched, dented or dinged in some manner. Some even showed up with pieces missing.....AND I "inherited" quite a few items from someone else....They mixed up my property with someone elses during a transition. I called them to come pick it up, but they never did.

Oh, and they were supposed to crate my plasma TV.....guess what they did ? Put it in a cardboard box and shipped it laying flat. Ruined. (I refused to pay for the move, so all of my losses and damage just about made it a wash). Nightmare.

I would never hire a moving company again. I'll do it myself (with Penske I guess) and find the local Police Department parking lot to store it in overnight and take a cab to a hotel.

Panda, did you buy something here and I missed it on another thread?
 
Trooper said:
Don't use Red Ball. Most of my boxes were rifled through and most of my CD's and various electronics were stolen (and I wrapped and taped those boxes up like Fort Knox). They weren't coy about it either, just ripped the tops off. Was impossible to prove who did it b/c unbeknownst to me, the original driver drove to New Jersey, UNPACKED his truck and stored my property in some warehouse.....then they subbed my contents and the rest of the move out to some nobody. My stuff got held up for 4 extra days in NJ because of this....and some fly by night operation arrived with my stuff. Not Red Ball. Most of my furniture was scratched, dented or dinged in some manner. Some even showed up with pieces missing.....AND I "inherited" quite a few items from someone else....They mixed up my property with someone elses during a transition. I called them to come pick it up, but they never did.

Oh, and they were supposed to crate my plasma TV.....guess what they did ? Put it in a cardboard box and shipped it laying flat. Ruined. (I refused to pay for the move, so all of my losses and damage just about made it a wash). Nightmare.

I would never hire a moving company again. I'll do it myself (with Penske I guess) and find the local Police Department parking lot to store it in overnight and take a cab to a hotel.

Panda, did you buy something here and I missed it on another thread?
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No, I tried to buy Casalon Townhomes (Phase 3) Plan B1/B2 1534 square feet 3/3 in Quail Hills in 2003, but the guy right in front me got the town home. I remember that i wanted to beat this guy up.

When Phase 4 raised their prices by $30,000, I gave up on Irvine and thought to myself that Panda was priced out forever. It is amazing how life gives us another chance. Isn't Life Great??
 
CalGal said:
Panda, I found the moving company that moved us from Mass to California.

Julian's Van Lines and Moving Company

They were GREAT! They had two guys drive cross-country. The drivers are the movers so they don't require day laborers. And they take turns driving, so they are cross country in a short amount of time.

I can't commend them enough.

Everything came in one piece - no scratches, no dents, etc.

I didn't have any boxes get squished or bent.

I believe they are based in Boston, so I'm not sure if they go to Chicago or not.

But that's my suggestion.

Don't use Bekin. They were horrible! All my boxes came squished and beat up. My TV had a huge hole in the top. My mattress frame broke, pans were dented . . . I could go on and on.
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Thanks for the tip CalGal. I will definitely check to see if Julian's Van Lines has a Chicago office.
 
One of my favorite favorite article from Donald Bren.

Look Ahead to the Year 2020.

By Donald Bren, Chairman, The Irvine Company.

July 19th, 1997

[. . .] Fewer can still match Irvine for its historical encouragement of entrepreneurial risk takers that has fueled our stunning economic growth in the past 30 years. Both took work to achieve. I believe entrepreneurship will continue to drive an exciting, robust and diverse job-creating county economy into the year 2020 only if we can maintain the former and nuture the latter.

What does that mean?

We know from both studies and experience that today's entrepreneurs can and do operate virtually anywhere based, in part, upon highly personal considers. Those decisions are driven as much by a desire to be in a satisfying place to live and a positive entrepreneurial culture, as they are by access to universities, a talented labor pool, advanced telecommunications, and sophisticated transportation systems. In all these areas, Orange County stacks up well; at least it does today. Further, county's culture has long embraced the concept of smaller, less intrusive government and lower taxes, both of which are encouraging to risk takers and investors.

But we simply can't ignore or take granted the needs and concerns of the entrpreneur, the risk taker, the little guy with a big dream, and the small company with a product or a process that will change the world. [. . .]
 
The_Maestro said:
Panda, don't do it. You've got an Irvine right in your neck of the woods, Naperville. I moved here from Naperville 4 years ago. I'm not sure if I would do it again, probably not. The only plus I can really come up with for Irvine is the weather. Naperville is equally good in every other way, and it doesn't feel like a giant strip mall. Irvine is just bland. Sure, the master planning has its advantages but Irvine just does not have a sense of community like Naperville, or any other Chicago area burb for that matter. It's hard to exactly put a finger on it but Chicago is just better. Sure, you've got LA and San Diego nearby but it is a pain in the ass to ever go there and enjoy the culture, which there is none of in Irvine. The allure of Southern California looks great in January and it sure is nice to go for a bike ride in 60+ degree weather in the winter, but there just aren't many other things I can come up with as good reasons to move here from Chicago. You've seen the price of real estate here, if you are willing to pay that for weather then go for it.

As far as the move, I used U-Pack from ABF. Sort of like pods. You load your own belongings into a semi trailer. You pay for the space used. They will bring the trailer to your door or you can load and un-unload at their facility. Paid about $1700 for enough stuff to fill my large one bedroom and small storage spot in my garage. Well worth it but you'll need someone on both ends to help pack and unload the trailer. Drove my own car out in two days.
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Maestro,

What brought you to Irvine from Naperville? Friends who are from there have only good things to say about the area.

Stats:

Naperville, IL

Money #3 Best Places to Live in America

Population: 142,900

Average Income: $123,221.00

Average Age: 34.3

Irvine, CA

Money #4 Best Places to Livein America

Population: 193,900

Average Income: $108,206.00

Average Age: 35
 
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