If when you think of real estate in California the first thing that comes to mind are sprawling perfectly landscaped properties under the bright sun, you would not be wrong when it comes to Irvine, California. This is one of the state's playgrounds with the homes that most people want to be able to put up their home for sale in Toronto Canada for. But, there are also homes in the city for those living in lower income brackets. So, if you want to live the high life in California, there are certainly options out there for you in Irvine.

Irvine was built as a planned community by the Irvine Company in the 1960s and they wanted to make it the perfect combination between work, living and entertainment. The city seems to have succeeded in this mission over the years, as in 2008 they earned a fourth place ranking on CNN Money Magazine's list of the Best Places to Live in America. Home prices reflect the city's desirability, with people moving from as far away as Poughkeepsie NY Real Estate to be part of this community, and the average listing price is currently nearly $920,000. But right now the community is experiencing a market highly in favor of the buyers. The median sale price is a much more reasonable $555,000.

When looking closer at Irvine's real estate picture, you will find that there are pockets of the city where the listing prices go as low as an average of $400,000. In fact, many of the neighborhoods with these more modest home designs are some of the more popular in the city. The regions seeing the most interest right now are Woodbridge, Northwood and Turtle Rock. The average prices in these areas are about $500,000, $700,000 and $1.8 million respectively. The top community for first time homebuyers with more limited budgets, maybe someone coming in from a Toronto townhouse is the Woodbury neighborhood.

Because the city is relatively new, most of the home styles you will see follow very modern concepts. There is a large variety of condo designs for those looking for less square footage. Single family homes range in style from those with Spanish and Italian influences to the suburb standard homes that you will see in planned neighborhoods all the way to Leaside. And because most of these homes are less than fifty years old, they are generally in excellent shape.

For those really looking for a deal to get them out of that cold climate in Merton Street condos there is the option of homes in the state of foreclosure. With these you have the option of paying closer to three hundred dollars a square foot rather than seven hundred.