Which Irvine Community would you want to retire in?

R

readytobuy

Member
Irvine has many communities which are very different. Couple questions for you all who are interested to share:

1) Which community would you want to buy to retire in?
2) If you were in a position to buy now and you were in your mid thirties, would you buy a house to retire in? given that interests are historic lows?

 
readytobuy said:
Irvine has many communities which are very different. Couple questions for you all who are interested to share:

1) Which community would you want to buy to retire in?
2) If you were in a position to buy now and you were in your mid thirties, would you buy a house to retire in? given that interests are historic lows?
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I am in early 40's and have been living in Irvine for 15 years.  I just bought a larger house to finish raising kids for next 15 years.  After that, I will NOT retire in Irvine.  There are WAY too many places I can think of retiring in.  I like Irvine for growing family, not growing old in.
 
maybe I should word it to which communities would you prefer to raise a family.  I agree about retiring somewhere else..i probably wont be retiring in Irvine but having long term plans helps me in the long run.
 
Irvine2Irvine said:
I like Irvine for growing family, not growing old in.
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But if you're an FCB... chances are your kids will go to UCI and decide to live in Irvine so then they would want you to live close by or even help them buy a home and put you in the in-law room.  :D
 
But to answer the question... if I had to retire in Irvine... it would probably be a quiet hillside area... like Portola, QH, Turtle Rock (or Ridge?) or if I become a Bren... Shady.

To answer your second question... any of the new communities since that's where you'll find the most kids.
 
Woodbridge.  It's near the senior center.  You can walk to a supermarket or just around the lake.  There are also a lot of other older people there. 
 
also if I were to retire I would want to be near a place where I could rely on a bus or a tram or a subway to get me other places providing that I were in a condition that I would be able to move about on my own.
 
I agree with loco... Woodbridge is poised as the Irvine retirement community, in addition to the Senior Center:

- Lots of medical offices
- Close to Kaiser and the new Hoag
- Every elderly person movie I've seen has some lake in it
- Many retirement homes
- Central
- Various churches
- $1 movie theater

Or we can take IrvineRenter's advice and retire in Vegas, you can buy a house for 17 dollars out there.
 
readytobuy said:
maybe I should word it to which communities would you prefer to raise a family.  I agree about retiring somewhere else..i probably wont be retiring in Irvine but having long term plans helps me in the long run.
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I think just about anywhere in Irvine is good for raising a family.  Where you move really depends on your budget.  Newer and more desirable areas will cost you more.

Having said that, I personally like Northwood Pointe, Woodbury, and Woodbridge.
 
darn, i wouldn't want to live in woodbridge living among older people YET. Forget finding a house to retire in.
Is northwood the same as woodbridge? a lot of older people in the community? I have considered this location for the lack of mello roos and bigger lots for my budget.
 
i am having trouble quoting. anyways so is northwood pointe the newer side of northwood?  Tustin Unified? for some reason I insist on IUSD.
 
readytobuy said:
darn, i wouldn't want to live in woodbridge living among older people YET. Forget finding a house to retire in.
Is northwood the same as woodbridge? a lot of older people in the community? I have considered this location for the lack of mello roos and bigger lots for my budget.
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Northwood Pointe would have more teenage kids since the community is about 15 (make that 12) years old. 
Northwood and Woodbridge actually has many kids, but nearly not as many as Woodbury.
The older 20-40 year old communities in Irvine tend to have many 2nd wave of younger buyers with kids moving in after the initial owners move out as empty nesters.  But there will always be older neighbors mixed in there also.

Northwood Pointe is Irvine Unified and feeds into Northwood High.
 
I forgot to add that Woodbridge has lots of one-story homes and none of those ridiculous 3-story towers in some of the newer 1-bedroom developements.

If I were looking for a home that I could live in when I was old it would have the following:

1.  Mobility within my own home (meaning no two-story or larger homes)
2.  Accessibility to the outside world (near a cafe or senior center)
3. Lots of my own peers nearby
4. Places where I could interact or at least observe the younger generation like a cafe that is not corporately owned
5. Someplace where I could walk somewhere and have people around me.

I'm pretty sure that everything that I mentioned is redundant, but when I get old I don't want to be alone.
 
I only have a 5 month old baby. :) so that would be in the woodbury category for small children?


Irvine2Irvine said:
Northwood Pointe would have more teenage kids since the community is about 15 (make that 12) years old. 
Northwood and Woodbridge actually has many kids, but nearly not as many as Woodbury.
The older 20-40 year old communities in Irvine tend to have many 2nd wave of younger buyers with kids moving in after the initial owners move out as empty nesters.  But there will always be older neighbors mixed in there also.

Northwood Pointe is Irvine Unified and feeds into Northwood High.
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those are some great points, loco
i think one story home is a must for old age, i see my grandma climbing up those stairs to her room and it takes her a while!
Also when you're around that age you probably need to have friends close by...to keep each other entertained....either that or some people choose to go to a senior home rather than to be at home alone when kids are all gone.

locolocal said:
I forgot to add that Woodbridge has lots of one-story homes and none of those ridiculous 3-story towers in some of the newer 1-bedroom developements.

If I were looking for a home that I could live in when I was old it would have the following:

1.  Mobility within my own home (meaning no two-story or larger homes)
2.  Accessibility to the outside world (near a cafe or senior center)
3. Lots of my own peers nearby
4. Places where I could interact or at least observe the younger generation like a cafe that is not corporately owned
5. Someplace where I could walk somewhere and have people around me.

I'm pretty sure that everything that I mentioned is redundant, but when I get old I don't want to be alone.
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Woodbridge isn't only popular because of 1-story homes... it also has retirement complexes so that helps with 1, 2 and 3 on your list.
 
irvinehomeowner said:
Woodbridge isn't only popular because of 1-story homes... it also has retirement complexes so that helps with 1, 2 and 3 on your list.
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Ahhh, no wonder those little 1,500sf single story homes in Woodbridge sell for over $400/sf. 
 
I'd retire in Crystal Cove or Shady Canyon.

I'm not sure I want to retiree in the home I'll buy when I'm mid-30...too much upswing coming in later years so I hope to move up one more time before I'd retire.

Moving up doesn't necessarily mean bigger, but nicer.  No need for 5 bedrooms when kids are all out of the home.  Also, single level home would be a big plus.
 
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