A swift move four years in the making

With housing prices on the rise, John and Claudia Emigh figured they had better buy a home fast.

The Emighs, who have three young children, bought an older three-bedroom, two-bath home with a swimming pool in east Anaheim. The price: $175,000.

“We got a really good deal on it,” Claudia said. “We wanted to buy now before housing prices skyrocketed.”

The couple had been saving for the last four years to buy their first home.

They first looked in Orange, the city where 26-year-old John, a machinist, grew up, and where they were living. But prices were higher than what they wanted to spend.

So they turned to nearby Anaheim, where Claudia, 27, a grocery store bakery clerk, had lived until her teen years.

The Emighs’ 1,370-square-foot house, built in the early 1950s, has new carpet, paint and blinds. The kitchen and master bedroom and bathroom were renovated by the previous owner.

“I just fell in love with the neighborhood,” Claudia said. “It’s quiet and friendly. People watch out for the neighborhood.”