Pros and Cons of Living in Mission Viejo California

Are you thinking of moving to Mission Viejo California? 

In this video I want to dig into some pros and cons of moving to this Orange County city.

Hi I’m John Alesi, and if you’re ready to enjoy the laid back, casual Southern California lifestyle, stick around for my pros and cons of living in Mission Viejo.

Weather

Let’s start with the Pros:

and #1 is Weather - 

The weather is one of the best reasons to live in Mission Viejo. 

The weather is mostly moderate with sunshine on 90% of our days. 

Temps range from the 80s and 90s in the summer and down to the high 40s for a few days during the winter. We do get a few weeks in August and September where we’ll get into the 100s but only for a short time and then back to normal. 

It rarely rains here with the average amount around 3-4 inches per year so it’s pretty dry which means if you love a green lawn, you’re going to spend some money watering it to keep it that way.

The other factor that makes Mission Viejo a joy to live in is the low humidity. 

A typical day will only reach 20% humidity and some hotter summer days down into the single digits.

Now one OTHER factor about our weather is what we call the marine layer. These are low clouds that move in from the ocean in the evening and then back out in the morning. 

This gives us cool evenings even on the hottest days. The temperature might drop 10-15 degrees from mid-day to evening which makes it wonderful for sitting out on the patio at night for 

al fresco dining or just a few drinks with friends.

Which leads to Pro #2

Outdoor Lifestyle - 

Because the weather is always good, people young and old tend to do more outside. Whether it's golf, biking,, hiking, running, skateboarding, or playing frisbee, baseball, soccer or tennis, Southern Californians love the outdoors. 

There are so many parks and open spaces maintained by the city to enjoy but we’re also close to recreation areas like mountain ski resorts, world famous beaches, the desert areas around Palm Springs. 

If you love the water, our beaches are the best. Mission Viejo is just a short drive to Laguna Beach, Dana Point and San Clemente with Newport Beach and Huntington just a few minutes up the coast. 

You’ll find swimming, kayaking, paddle boarding and of course the best surfing around. 

In the evening catch a fantastic sunset then light a bonfire and toast some marshmallows as the night cools down. Don’t forget to bring sunscreen and a hat for the day and a sweatshirt or jacket for the evening, even in the summer.

Bedroom Community

Another PRO, although for some it will be a CON, is that Mission Viejo is one big Bedroom Community. It’s a suburban area built from tract housing but it only has 100,000 people living here. So there is a great community feeling with friendly neighbors in all of the areas. 

During this covid crisis, many people have taken to the streets for exercise so we see a lot of people walking through the neighborhoods. 

Everybody is waving and having socially distant conversations and some neighborhoods have even gotten together for live music and even happy hours in a nearby cul-de-sac.

As I’ve mentioned in my other videos, my next Pro are schools. 

The schools are all top rated here in Mission Viejo. We are served by two school districts that support the area with elementary, middle, high school and alternative needs schools. Sports and music programs have been traditionally top rated but academics are also strong. 

Because of boundary lines, some homes may not have students attending the nearest school, especially for high schoolers. I’ll include some links for school locators websites down below. 

During this pandemic, schools have adopted individual plans for having students in-class attendance. 

There is still a mixture of online and in-person instruction but it varies from school to school.

If you have any questions about specific schools, just reach out and we’ll answer you directly. 

Mission Viejo has a community college in the city and we’re close to several top rated Orange County universities.

Things To Do

And one final PRO is that there is an endless supply of Things To Do whether you want to enjoy nature, entertainment, museums, theme parks, sporting events and more. 

You can also take easy day trips to Los Angeles, San Diego and Palm Springs and Las Vegas is only about a 5 hour drive.

Our close proximity to the second largest metropolitan area in the country gives you an unbelievable choice when you want to do something. You could literally do something different every day, 365 days of the year and never repeat an activity.

So, how about a few of the CONS

Housing

Housing prices are higher than many other cities around the country. The median price for a detached home in Mission Viejo is around $780,000 for a 3 bedroom, 2 bath house, while a two bedroom, two bath, 1200 sq ft condo is selling for about $490,000. 

Another factor is lot size. In Mission Viejo, most homes are built on lots of about 7,000 sq ft with just a few over 10,000 sq ft. so you won’t find any large acreage lots in the area.  

And by the way, click this link to create your own personalized search for Homes in Mission Viejo. 

And while you’re there, don’t forget to hit that subscribe button.

Gasoline Prices

Another CON is Gasoline Prices. 

Gas prices in California are usually the highest in the Nation with the exception of Hawaii. In Mission Viejo today, the price for a gallon of regular grade gas is about $3.25.  This is about One Dollar more than the national average. 

One reason that the price is so high is that we've had several refinery fires and regulators made it nearly impossible to reopen these damaged plants so companies have simply shut the doors and bring in fuel from out of state.

Traffic 

Traffic can be a challenge just like any other area with a dense population. 

The streets around town are wide with multiple lanes but there is just a lot of traffic because we have a lot of cars and public transportation is limited. 

Getting around by bus is gonna be a time consuming activity. 

Freeways are also busy so you need to consider drive times when you’re looking for a new home. Many people use Interstate 5 as their main road into central Orange County and the John Wayne Airport area. The morning traffic can be  30 minutes to get there. And drive time can be an hour and a half if you need to get to Los Angeles.

If you work in the Riverside, Corona or other Inland areas, traffic is not so bad as many people in those towns are coming into Orange County so you’re going against the grain.

TAXES

Taxes are one of those that can be either PRO or CON. 

For homeowners, property tax is based on the sale price of the house when it was purchased. 

The tax rate is approximately 1.1 percent so a home purchased in 1995 for 300,000 will have a base tax of 3,300 dollars plus yearly increases while the same house purchase in 2020 for 800,000 will have a tax of $8,800. 

California also has a STATE income tax which will be another financial consideration. We also have  Sales tax on retail purchases, except food and prescription drugs, at 7.75 percent 

So that’s my list.

If you have any questions about Mission Viejo and the surrounding Southern California area, just reach out by phone, text, email or messenger.

Ya know... We’re talking to people every day about living the California lifestyle right here in Southern California and we’d love to hear from you!

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