Renting Gets Pricier

Apartment rents in Orange County rose nearly 7% in the first quarter compared to last year. The average rent countywide jumped to $983 with 16 markets charging more than $1,000 a month. Here are the first-quarter rates, based on complexes with more than 80 apartments:

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Average rent 1-yr increase Studio $697 5.5% 1bd/1bath 859 6.4 2bd/2bath 1,130 7.4 3bd/2bath 1,243 7.5 All 983 6.9

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Units Occupancy Avrg. rent Aliso Viejo 3,677 89.5% $1,227 Anaheim 14,391 97.1 793 Anaheim Hills 742 99.5 1,141 Brea 2,003 96.8 901 Buena Park 1,958 97.1 800 Costa Mesa 7,633 97.2 1,034 Cypress 1,465 97.7 881 Dana Point 1,190 96.0 1,200 Foothill Ranch 1,344 93.0 1,159 Fountain Valley 2,288 97.3 960 Fullerton 7,174 96.8 822 Garden Grove 2,996 97.2 867 Huntington Beach 6,316 97.4 994 Irvine 11,664 95.4 1,304 La Habra 1,459 98.1 785 La Palma 800 98.1 900 Laguna Beach 421 96.2 1,124 Laguna Hills 1,601 97.7 1,026 Laguna Niguel 3,214 97.6 1,095 Lake Forest 2,747 95.7 978 Mission Viejo 2,314 96.8 945 Newport Beach 5,639 96.2 1,598 Orange 2,604 98.0 907 Placentia 1,380 97.3 940 Rancho Santa Margarita 2,100 94.8 1,025 San Clemente 810 95.4 1,014 San Juan Capistrano 274 94.5 1,177 Santa Ana 9,155 96.7 899 Seal Beach 549 94.4 1,306 Stanton 1,124 98.8 799 Trabuco Canyon 184 96.7 1,089 Tustin 5,915 95.8 967 Westminster 1,910 95.6 846 Yorba Linda 816 98.2 1,208 Countywide 109,857 96.6 $983

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Source: RealFacts