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Looking for affordable housing to rent in Southern California within 30 miles of Irvine.?

I transferring from the Midwest and need to know of a service that will look for housing for me if I give them my price range, number of bedrooms, etc. My move date is October 1, 2007 and I would like to have a place when I get there in order to start work October 8th, 2007. I'm somewhat desparate at this point.

Public Comments

1. Try Long Beach. I lived there and had an apt that was 2 blocks from the beach and in a safe area. I paid like $585.00 a month and that was 7 years ago so I'm sure it's more now. Make sure you get a place with parking. It's important in Cali. I found that out when I did have an apt at the beach. No parking and it was a pain. To get to Irvine you can get on the 405 or take PCH which takes longer cause it has traffic lights. I had a friend that lived in Irvine and she paid like $1500 for a 2 bedroom. It's expensive down there. Good Luck. I love So Cal. I miss it. Don't know of a service that can help. Go to yellowpages.com or look up longbeach on the web.
2. I don't know of any specific rental services, but I'll give you some advice. 30 miles away could easily mean a 90 minute commute--each way. A lot of people work in Irvine, so traffic to Irvine in the morning, and away from Irvine in the evening, is horrendous. The closer you are to Irvine, the better. You really do not want to commit to renting anything without seeing it first. The neighborhoods in Orange County vary tremendously from one block to the next. If renting an apartment is acceptable for you, then I would go to a site like apartments.com, and write down the addresses of some apartments that appear reasonable based on your criteria. Then, I would fly to Orange County for a weekend, and check them out. If you want a house, then craigslist is a good source. Also, consider contacting the office that you are transferring to. The employees there may have some good advice about where to look. If you can't make it to OC before October, then consider staying at a hotel for a few days before you start work, and use the time to find a rental. It will be worth it.