A housing update: Aliso Viejo

An update on our part-time move to Irvine; we're going to go with VRBO rentals instead of a full year commitment to one place. The thinking here is that:

• We can experience multiple areas of the city, to understand traffic, culture, weather, and so-on
• We don't have to worry about finding a furnished place, or furnishing one temporarily
• We can arrange a place now, instead of waiting until August
• If the house doesn't work out, we can move right away, instead of having to wait a full year

Available properties on VRBO and Airbnb are pretty varied, and I see a real and unsurprising price increase as one gets closer to the ocean. I'm kind of blown away by the cost, too; we're looking at about $6k/month for something pretty modest. This makes Austin prices, which are inflated and crazy, look normal! But it is what it is.

We're going to start in Aliso Viejo, in a townhome that's in a community subdivision. It's really, really different than where we are in East Austin, but it's (theoretically) a 15 minute commute to campus, 15 minutes to the beach, and directly on a 10 mile hiking trail. We're committed to that through December break.

After that, and depending on how traffic plays out, we're going to look at East Side Costa Mesa for our second stay, and then finally something in Long Beach.

I wasn't aware of how much anxiety this was causing me until we booked the VRBO (which we can cancel until Mid August). I feel much better.