I can honestly say thatone of the best transition places to live is where I am living right now- Northpark. With more than 5 pools, just as many playgrounds, and loads and loads of young married couples with kids (my kids are 5 and 2), it is great for a stay at home wife.
Plus, b/c of the market, there are lots of rental properties (but these are not apartments, they are homes, condos, and duplexes)

Rose ... Valerie was right about recommending that you move here to Irvine and lease or rent for some time prior to making a home purchase. During that time you can check out schools and locations that are important to you.

Best wishes.

Harrison K. Long, Coldwell Banker Previews, Irvine, CA http://www.CoastLivingHomes.com

Hello Rose,

Since you mentioned Schools and neighbourhood is important, I would suggest you start with the school. Please check out the schools of Irvine and attendance boundaries on http://www.iusd.org. All parts of Irvine city, do not fall under the Irvine Unified School District.

Some of the different areas within Irvine are University,Turtle Rock, Turtle Ridge,Woodbridge,Northwood,El Camino, Walnut, Oak Creek, West Irvine, West Park, Airport Area etc. The newer communities in Irvine are Woodbury,Columbus Grove, NorthPark and Portola Springs. Of the above, not all homes of Northpark, West Irvine and Airport Area come under the Irvine Unified School District.

The home sales in Irvine has been showing an increase in the last few months, especially some of the zipcodes. So if you really like a home and the neighbourhood, it may not be a bad idea to buy also.

You could search the homes available for lease or sale on my website, http://www.archana.listingbook.com . Feel free to email or call me if you need any more info!!

Good luck with your move!!

Thanks

Regards

Archana

Archana Jayaraman
DRE License No.01845233
Realtor at Hanu Reddy Realty, Irvine

I think you are doing the right thing. Move here and rent till you get to know the nieghborhood and talk to others about schools. You can go on the site below to check out the schools. This is put out by the state and will give you information that you need. Anything else I can help you with let me know.

http://www.schoolfinder.ca.gov/

Rose ... If you want to check about Irvine homes for lease, please check out http://www.ExploreHomePrices.com ... select the city or area you want there, select that you are looking for homes for lease or rent, set up your own search criteria, and you will control your automatic search.

We just today took a lease listing on a nice 3 bedroom home here in Irvine, Northwood. If you want information about that and other homes, please let us know. Thank you.

Harrison K. Long, Coldwell Banker Preview, Irvine, CA

Hi,
I am sure you will love this one, search like an agent :
http://www.listingbook.com/?pre=williamchan
I would like to offer my free service too to give you some tailor made list of rental properties if you send me your email address.
All the best !
Yours Sincerely,
William Chan
Realtor®, e-PRO Certified Internet Expert, Notary Public , MRICS, MHKIS, MASPE

Coldwell Banker Platinum Properties
3500 Barranca Pkwy, Irvine CA 92606
USA

Office: (949)-552-0505
Cell: (949)-326-8352

website: http://www.cbPlatinumProperties.com
My personal web: http://www.california-12home.com
My profile: http://www.trulia.com/voices/profile/Real_Estate_Pro-92606-115685/

That's quite an impressive web site, Hartanov Team. Kudos, to you!

Hi Rose,
You might want to check out a few surrounding areas too. There are many neighborhoods with Blue Ribbon schools. You can look at the school ratings on my website and rentals too. I have a mapping system to show you where rentals are located and surrounding areas too. Let me know if I can help in any way, I've lived in Irvine and South Orange County all my life and have worked in real estate for over 22 years.
Thank You,
Laura Baron

The best way to search for rental properties is to view the rental listings by price ranges that are already sorted out for you on an easy to use format at
http://www.hartanovteam.com/irvine-rentals.php

The list is updated daily for your convenience of searching whenever you like.

Hi Rose,

Irvine, California is a wonderful city in which to raise your two children. We've lived in Irvine since 1981 and have raised our two boys here--both of whom attended the local public schools within the Irvine Unified School District.

We have been Realtor(s) in Irvine for over 20 years, and would welcome assisting you and your family in your move to Irvine. Here is a property search link to make it easier for you to browse rentals in Irvine: http://tinyurl.com/dbkb9q

Best regards,

Robin and Eric Fenchel
Century 21 Professionals

Hello Rose,

Irvine is a great place! I just recently moved there myself! =) You can use my website to search listings on the MLS (Multiple Listing Service) so that you may get an idea of what is out there! Also, having an agent will DEFINITELY help you to make sure you get the best deal and a home to fit your needs!

http://www.crestico.com

If you have any other questions, feel free to email us directly and one of our agents will get back to you immediately!

Happy Hunting!

Mitra Karimi

Rose, During your search you may want to make use of these tools for rental trends and rent comparisons.
http://www.zilpy.com/ ... http://www.rentometer.com/

This sites informations is taken from the counties public records and has a lot of info on housing trends, schools, crime ect.. and can be broken down into neighborhoods.
http://www.bhgrealestate.com/Views/Look/Default.aspx

Good luck, Dunes