Mission Viejo has good schools and lots of sport activities for children. There are 75 parks within the city Plus Lake Mission Viejo with fishing, boating and swimming. Named the safest city in the U.S. 4 out of 5 of the last years.
I raised my family here and now my grandchildren have been raised here. You can call me with any questions you my have or email me and I be glad to contact you. I have called this home for more than 35 years. I grew up with the city so I know my way around as to what will work for my clients.

Hi Movingtocal,

Your new community is an important choice and it affects the entire family. You can get both community and school report information by clicking on my link below:

http://www.mgrimm4homes.com/school_reports.shtml

With a little research it will be hard to go wrong in South Orange County. I've lived in Dana Point and Laguna Niguel and have sold homes all over South Orange County.

After you've done some research you should set yourself up with an automatic search and familiarize yourself with the different communities. Redfin and Zip Realty have search capabilities that several of my clients choose over the searches I set up.

Call me once you've narrowed things down a bit and I can set up a custom search with your exact parameters and also tell you about my Real Estate Commission Rebate Program. I've saved dozens of clients Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars on their home purchases.

Brad Davidson http://www.wehelpubuy.com
949-697-5467

It really depends on your price range. I relocated to the area from New England and it was mid-year in high school for my daughter, so very traumatic. My husband was working in Lake Forest and we decided we wanted to be close to the coastal area since we had the opportunity. The coastal towns are a lot more pricey, so I'm not sure if it will be affordable for you. However, if it is, you may want to consider Laguna Beach - it is a much smaller school system than some of the other larger towns in the area. I felt my daughter would have been overwhelmed at Aliso Niguel High or Dana Hills High so we settled in Laguna Beach. You do have to live in town to attend and they are very strict about their district. Corona del Mar is also a very nice area and has great sports programs. In terms of ratings, Irvine and Laguna Beach are both highly rated, Distinquished Blue Ribbon Schools and two of the best in the South OC area. If I can be of any further assistance, please email me at: cfleming@coldwellbanker.com. Best of luck with your relocation and feel free to contact me!

Hello there,

I have been working in South Orange County for more than 32 years and have a lot of experience in just about every community mentioned by my peers, below. My children, and my grandson, have all been brought up in the area - quite happily.

I can share with you some of the nuances of each of these communities, literally having watched them, and helped them, grow up.

I would be honored to be your Realtor of choice, for South Orange County. Check out my home search venue, below, direct from the local MLS. Good luck in your search.

Where do you need to commute to?

Hi!

This is a wonderful school website- Try this website out: http://mccormacks.com/

I would recommend renting in an area you are considering first, for many reasons!
There are multiple areas in Orange County that are excellent and by renting first you are not married to an environment.
After one year, you will know where you & your family should be!
Also, within the next year you will have more supply to select from and hopefully at a better price!

If I can assist with either, please call me.

Thanks,

Steven Abraham
"24 Years of Professional Real Estate Experience"
"Your Realtor for Life"
Prudential CA Realty
949.378.4005 Cell
lagunacastles@cox.net http://www.stevenabraham.com

Hi,

I know it's hard to move kids, especially that age.....but it's going to be ok! We have some great schools and sports programs.

I grew up in Mission Viejo and raised my kids here as well. Both school districts, Capistrano Unified and Saddleback have some really nice schools. These school districts will serve Mission Viejo, Laguna Niguel, Ladera Ranch, Talega....all very family oriented areas.

Of course there are a few schools I'd recommend against, and we will identify those as well as special schools which might be better for your kids based on their needs....but we can talk more about that.

This is going to be a good move....we have terrific weather and lots of ways for the kids to make new friends.

If you'd like to talk more....shoot me an email or give me a call.

Karen

Hi,
Here is a web site that you can check out the schools from. http://www.schoolfinder.ca.gov/
Once you decide that you like what you read about a school let me know the area and I'll see if one of my past clients has had kids go to that school and what they thought of it. You can search the MLS from my web site to see if there is anything in the area that fits what you need.
Good luck with your move and welcome to Southern Orange County.

That is a very big question and you will probably get a lot of different answers. The first thing I am wondering is what city is the job you are relocating to in? If you are working in Seal Beach, you may not want to go to far south at all. Conversely, if you are working in San Clemente, Fullerton may not be the best choice. It can take easily an hour each way to drive from on end of the county to the other.

Also, your budget is important. Orange County rents and home prices are fairly high compared to the rest of the country. As far as schools, if you haven't already, check out http://www.GreatSchools.net. It is an extremely valuable resource in regards to studying schools and districts.

I am a life long southern California resident and know most cities quite well. Call me at 714-349-5454 and I will be happy to give you specific information about areas that might best suit you....obviously for free and with no obligation whatsoever. Good luck in your relocation. Orange County is a great place to call home!

DaveO@theOCmls.com

Laguna Niguel is very nice, as well as many other cities in South Orange County. The schools are very good in both Saddleback and Capistrano Unified School Districts. Some schools have special programs that may be appropriate for your oldest, but you need to check each school for specifics.

I work in the greater So Orange County area in the cities including Laguna Niguel, Mission Viejo, Rancho Santa Margarita, Lake Forest, Aliso Viejo and Laguna Hills. Please contact me if you would like to talk about the pros and cons of each area.

Moving from out of the area is always a bit overwhelming. I have 3 kids - all active in sports so I know how important that can be. South Orange County is amazing and filled with wonderful areas for families and great schools. My website has a page with the different school districts and that may get you started.

I would talk with a couple Realtors and find someone you are comfortable with that can describe the different areas, the pros/cons, etc. You'll want to become familiar with different tax areas, mello roos districts, etc. Personally, I would considering Mission Viejo, Ladera Ranch, Aliso Viejo, Laguna Niguel, Rancho Santa Margarita - to name a few.

I'd be happy to discuss some of the areas with you. Also, take a look at my website for further insight into some of the areas. Localism.com may also help with photos, area description and market info.

Best of luck.

You can have all of that in Irvine, but the trade off is that it is quite sterile and pricier than other cities.