We already had one for mayor, where y'all at?

Hi Irvine Apartment Company Renter Redditors:

Throwing this out there because you all have such a breadth of experience and perspectives and I'm hoping you can help me. I will be moving from Rancho San Joaquin (RSJ) in about 4 weeks and am befuddled at the selection of apartments I have visited.

\* The place I'm looking to rent will be 2BR or 1 BR +Den with 1 or 2 Baths. Budget between $3500-4000. I am currently paying within that range for 2BR/2BA on the golf course at RSJ. 

\* I need to stay in the area (near University/Culver, but could stretch a bit--1 or 2 mile radius may be OK) to be near my aging parents. I WFH, so work location won't affect my decision. I've lived in IAC apartments for the past 10 years at Parkwood and RSJ, so I'm not unfamiliar with IAC's management practices and have plenty of complaints about them, but I'm assuming those policies will be similar across properties.

\* RSJ works really well for me because of the location, but the amenities are poor, the complex buildings are old, the in-apartment fixtures (fridge, bathrooms, AC) are worn, there's no in-unit W&D and covered parking (only). Due to the age of the community, we've had massive ant infestations, annual roof repairs, etc.  

\* I've looked at Baypointe, Newport North, Turtle Ridge, Santa Clara, Santa Rosa, Baywood, Villa Sienna, Park Place, Woodbridge Villas, Quail Ridge, Park Newport and another place at RSJ and I'm completely confused. Apartments at Santa Clara have gated community, newer fixtures, swank amenities, W&D in the apt, dedicated garage. The gym and facilities at Park Place are so much better than RSJ, it's like it's not even the same grade of residence!?!? Yet all the places I've seen are going between $3500-4000. Seems like ICA has a lock on pricing and inventory and just needs to fill apartments however they can, monopolistically keeping the prices as high as they can. What gives? 

\* I can tell some places are better for families and that's not important to me. I don't have a lot of deal breakers, though location is probably the most important consideration for me (thus I'm not considering Spectrum or Tustin Marketplace properties). 

\* I'm confused when I compare the fit and finish of apartments between the various complexes, there's such a range of quality so why can a 2 BR/2BA at RSJ command the same as Villa Sienna, Park Place or Santa Clara (with W&D in unit, garages, beautiful amenities). I guess I think that that, comparatively, RSJ and some of the other older communities should be cheaper. I know location is an important factor, but the variance of quality and wear is staggering.

Thanks in advance for your generous consideration. I'd be grateful to benefit from your wisdom and experiences to hear your thoughts on how to make sense of this search.   

Also, some places don't have microwaves; what's up with that? I thought that was kind of a mandatory.

TLDR: Why is there such a variance in quality with such uniform pricing across IAC apartments in Irvine and what can I do to make the best decision?

They didn’t even use the duck crossing /s