3 New California Pacific Communities in Portola Springs Late 2021

[CalBears96]

Interesting. So master for you and your wife, second bedroom for your one kid, 3rd bedroom for your office, then what?s the 4th bedroom for especially if you have the loft?  Guests? An in-law?

I thought I needed a 4th bedroom too since I wanted one room to be the office.  But I have two toddlers same gender so they can technically room together in the larger secondary bedroom (more bonding actually that way).  Or we could give each kid their own room, and I could make the loft into an open office space?my kids wouldn?t be around during the day due to day care or school.  Plan 1 also has such a large master and walk-in closet, I could literally stick a desk into either if I needed to take work calls that needed more privacy.

Without a 4th room there wouldn?t be any room for guests, but after thinking about it, that?s actually a good thing.  Neither my wife or I are fans of having our in laws live with us and we rarely have friends from afar visit.  But if anyone does they could use one of our pull out couches?not ideal for guests but again we really don?t have guests over who spend the night maybe cause most all our family and friends are local to southern CA.

For guests.

Funny thing is that we're living in a 5 bedroom (well, 4 bed + optional den) house now, with bedroom and den downstairs, so I use the den as office and my son uses the other bedroom as his playroom when he was younger and now computer/game/study room. And we have living room + dining room + kitchen + nook + family room downstairs and a huge bonus room upstairs. It's 3309 sq ft.

So we're actually downsizing quite a bit to the 2606 sq ft Bluffs 2.  That happens when you move from IE to Irvine. ;D

 

[SWATeam]

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[Sysko]

How was the traffic at the Sierra models this weekend?  I wasn't able to get over this weekend as I have my Great Park open house and buyer showings, plus I don't like big crowds.  I'll probably check them out tomorrow.

We got to Bluffs around 10:45am and I didn't see many cars at Sierra models. We thought about going there after signing the reservation, but it was already 2pm and we hadn't had lunch yet, so we left, but I didn't see many cars either.

I went to Sierra around 3pm today and it was less hectic than yesterday.  Plenty of parking spaces and no need to wait to go inside the model homes.  I saw Plan 2 and 3 of Sierra and Plan 1 and 2 of Lapis.

Foot traffic through all plans was high between 11:30 - 12:30 PM on Saturday.  It did seem to gradually die down though.  Sunday, I heard didn't have as much foot traffic as Saturday but wasn't a ghost town either.

I'm not surprised folks might not have checked out Sierra's Plan 1 based on what's on paper.  But, everyone I know that saw Plan 1 (8+ previewers) actually liked it way more than Plan 2.  The design is super efficient and Plan 2's flow was very meh.  Before seeing any of the models we were gung-ho in waiting for a Plan 2, but Plan 1 really wowwed us.  One of my family members whose in Irvine said Plan 1 really felt like a million+ $ home with the flow vs Plan 2 kind of missed that mark.  Plan 3 is nice, but you'd be paying quite a bit of a premium for that (+$200K).

Of course if a 4th bedroom is needed, then I totally understand why folks would also skip out on seeing the Plan 1.

Yeah, I skipped Plan 1 because I was looking for 4 bedroom homes.  Now I'm curious how Plan 1 is.  I'll go back again today and check it out.

 

[Danimal]

How was the traffic at the Sierra models this weekend?  I wasn't able to get over this weekend as I have my Great Park open house and buyer showings, plus I don't like big crowds.  I'll probably check them out tomorrow.

We got to Bluffs around 10:45am and I didn't see many cars at Sierra models. We thought about going there after signing the reservation, but it was already 2pm and we hadn't had lunch yet, so we left, but I didn't see many cars either.

I went to Sierra around 3pm today and it was less hectic than yesterday.  Plenty of parking spaces and no need to wait to go inside the model homes.  I saw Plan 2 and 3 of Sierra and Plan 1 and 2 of Lapis.

Foot traffic through all plans was high between 11:30 - 12:30 PM on Saturday.  It did seem to gradually die down though.  Sunday, I heard didn't have as much foot traffic as Saturday but wasn't a ghost town either.

I'm not surprised folks might not have checked out Sierra's Plan 1 based on what's on paper.  But, everyone I know that saw Plan 1 (8+ previewers) actually liked it way more than Plan 2.  The design is super efficient and Plan 2's flow was very meh.  Before seeing any of the models we were gung-ho in waiting for a Plan 2, but Plan 1 really wowwed us.  One of my family members whose in Irvine said Plan 1 really felt like a million+ $ home with the flow vs Plan 2 kind of missed that mark.  Plan 3 is nice, but you'd be paying quite a bit of a premium for that (+$200K).

Of course if a 4th bedroom is needed, then I totally understand why folks would also skip out on seeing the Plan 1.

Yeah, I skipped Plan 1 because I was looking for 4 bedroom homes.  Now I'm curious how Plan 1 is.  I'll go back again today and check it out.

I like plan 3. I am not a big fan of plan 1 & 2 in which the kitchen table is right in between the kitchen & great room.

 

[The Motor Court Company]

looks like a nice location given the circumstances, congratulation again! Feng-shui wise it is good to be backed to a hillside, right?

I thought I wouldn't pay $1.5M for a detached condo, but here I am, paying $1.56M for Bluffs 2. But I guess I still think we're lucky to get it. Someone already reserved it, but backed out after finding out the all the homes in this phase and next 3 already missed the Stage 2 upgrade deadline. So no electrical or cabinet upgrades. Fortunately, the more important upgrades, like countertop and back splash, are Stage 3, so we can accept whatever that's already included.

The base price is $1.48M, plus $70k exterior and lot premium, and about $10k designer selected interior upgrades. Fortunately, the more expensive upgrades (cabinets to ceiling and recess lights in bedrooms) were on our upgrade list anyway. We looked at the site this morning and were happy with the lot (~3900 sq ft), which is about 1100 sq ft larger than the base lot.

And the fact that base price will increase by $20k to $1.5M in next release (next week) really made us happy we had a chance to purchase this home.

Congratulations!!!
Did you end up getting Bluffs 2 on Poppyseed?

Thanks. Yes, I got Bluffs 2 on Poppyseed. It's lot 95, closer to Tail Reed side. This is one with bigger lot and it backs to Hillside homes that are on slightly higher elevation, so the back wall is really high and he last 7 ft or so of the back yard is sloped up.

 

[SWATeam]

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[SWATeam]

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[Sysko]

I thought I wouldn't pay $1.5M for a detached condo, but here I am, paying $1.56M for Bluffs 2. But I guess I still think we're lucky to get it. Someone already reserved it, but backed out after finding out the all the homes in this phase and next 3 already missed the Stage 2 upgrade deadline. So no electrical or cabinet upgrades. Fortunately, the more important upgrades, like countertop and back splash, are Stage 3, so we can accept whatever that's already included.

The base price is $1.48M, plus $70k exterior and lot premium, and about $10k designer selected interior upgrades. Fortunately, the more expensive upgrades (cabinets to ceiling and recess lights in bedrooms) were on our upgrade list anyway. We looked at the site this morning and were happy with the lot (~3900 sq ft), which is about 1100 sq ft larger than the base lot.

And the fact that base price will increase by $20k to $1.5M in next release (next week) really made us happy we had a chance to purchase this home.

Congratulations!!!
Did you end up getting Bluffs 2 on Poppyseed?

Thanks. Yes, I got Bluffs 2 on Poppyseed. It's lot 95, closer to Tail Reed side. This is one with bigger lot and it backs to Hillside homes that are on slightly higher elevation, so the back wall is really high and he last 7 ft or so of the back yard is sloped up.

Again...congratulations on your new home!!!
I had a feeling it was lot 95.  I figured it was either lot 95 or lot 98.
I think lot 95 is a great location!  There's more privacy since the Hillside homes are not directly behind the lot.

Attached is a pic I took a few weeks ago of the remaining lots in Bluffs.  Pic taken from Jaybird.

 

[CalBears96]

I thought I wouldn't pay $1.5M for a detached condo, but here I am, paying $1.56M for Bluffs 2. But I guess I still think we're lucky to get it. Someone already reserved it, but backed out after finding out the all the homes in this phase and next 3 already missed the Stage 2 upgrade deadline. So no electrical or cabinet upgrades. Fortunately, the more important upgrades, like countertop and back splash, are Stage 3, so we can accept whatever that's already included.

The base price is $1.48M, plus $70k exterior and lot premium, and about $10k designer selected interior upgrades. Fortunately, the more expensive upgrades (cabinets to ceiling and recess lights in bedrooms) were on our upgrade list anyway. We looked at the site this morning and were happy with the lot (~3900 sq ft), which is about 1100 sq ft larger than the base lot.

And the fact that base price will increase by $20k to $1.5M in next release (next week) really made us happy we had a chance to purchase this home.

Congratulations!!!
Did you end up getting Bluffs 2 on Poppyseed?

Thanks. Yes, I got Bluffs 2 on Poppyseed. It's lot 95, closer to Tail Reed side. This is one with bigger lot and it backs to Hillside homes that are on slightly higher elevation, so the back wall is really high and he last 7 ft or so of the back yard is sloped up.

Again...congratulations on your new home!!!
I had a feeling it was lot 95.  I figured it was either lot 95 or lot 98.
I think lot 95 is a great location!  There's more privacy since the Hillside homes are not directly behind the lot.

Attached is a pic I took a few weeks ago of the remaining lots in Bluffs.  Pic taken from Jaybird.

Sales lady said phase 26 will be released this week. I'm pretty sure that lot 98 will be released. It looks a bit bigger than my lot 95, so it's going to be close to $1.6M since she said base price for Bluffs has gone up from $1.48M to $1.5M for phase 26. For lot 95, the lot premium is $65k.

And yes, based on what we saw at the site, there is some privacy since lot 95 is between two Hillside homes. We are very satisfied with the location and lot size.

 

[MsHouseHunter]

Thanks for the info! We decided against Lapis even though we really did like the floor plan. Not so much because of the 241 but just some of the broader issues with the location for us. Hoping we don't regret it as the other model homes are out of our price range. We'll probably start looking at resales in Stonegate/Cypress Village etc.

Hi all - we were looking into Lapis floor plan 2 since it's a 4br with one downstairs which is highly desirable for us.  It would be of the front row lots so furthest away from the freeway (opposite side of the models for Sierra).

I was wondering how concerned we should be about the nearby 241 in terms of noise and air quality.

I could hear little 241 traffic from loud vehicles when i was there on grand opening day even with a lot of background noises from visitors. Road noises are definitely louder early in the morning when everything else is quiet. You should give it a visit during this time for a piece of mind.  IMO, lots near Highland further away from model home should be ok.  More homes/trees in the future will definitely reduce the 241 noises.

As far as 241 traffic pollution, it shouldnt be a problem. I would be more concerned about dust pollution since PS are surrounded by undeveloped hills but when the santa ana wind picks up, everyone in SC has the same issue.

 

[bkimxmd]

Congrats CalBear.  The bluffs model is very nice.  Was my wife?s first pick.  But we didn?t get on the list until maybe a month ago.  No way would be able to get one anytime soon.  Thankfully we got the Sierra.  Looks like everything is falling into place for everyone.

Cheers!

 

[CalBears96]

Congrats CalBear.  The bluffs model is very nice.  Was my wife?s first pick.  But we didn?t get on the list until maybe a month ago.  No way would be able to get one anytime soon.  Thankfully we got the Sierra.  Looks like everything is falling into place for everyone.

Cheers!

Thanks. We've been anxious this whole time since getting on the waitlist 3 months, considering Bluffs releases 4 homes per month. We got lucky this time because I responded to her email not long after someone backed out of the lot, so she gave me the purchase opportunity over a couple of people that she sent out email to that hadn't responded yet. Originally, I made the appointment to come at 1pm yesterday, but she asked me later if I could come in at 11am instead because someone responded later and made an appointment at noon. She wanted to give us the first opportunity because we made an impression by keeping in touch with her, going in to see the models 4-5 times already.  ;D

 

[SWATeam]

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[Danimal]

Thanks for the info! We decided against Lapis even though we really did like the floor plan. Not so much because of the 241 but just some of the broader issues with the location for us. Hoping we don't regret it as the other model homes are out of our price range. We'll probably start looking at resales in Stonegate/Cypress Village etc.

Hi all - we were looking into Lapis floor plan 2 since it's a 4br with one downstairs which is highly desirable for us.  It would be of the front row lots so furthest away from the freeway (opposite side of the models for Sierra).

I was wondering how concerned we should be about the nearby 241 in terms of noise and air quality.

I could hear little 241 traffic from loud vehicles when i was there on grand opening day even with a lot of background noises from visitors. Road noises are definitely louder early in the morning when everything else is quiet. You should give it a visit during this time for a piece of mind.  IMO, lots near Highland further away from model home should be ok.  More homes/trees in the future will definitely reduce the 241 noises.

As far as 241 traffic pollution, it shouldnt be a problem. I would be more concerned about dust pollution since PS are surrounded by undeveloped hills but when the santa ana wind picks up, everyone in SC has the same issue.

Cypress Village and Stonegate. No love for Woodbury? I am selling my place there in few months if you are interested.

I kid of course. On a serious note,  if you have concern about 241, you definitely dont want Cypress Village. I live in Woodbury and I can hear 5 freeway occasionally from my home at night or early in the morning even my home is couple of block from Trabuco.  Stonegate/Woodbury/OH are safer bet for freeway noises.

 

[SWATeam]

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[Sysko]

How was the traffic at the Sierra models this weekend?  I wasn't able to get over this weekend as I have my Great Park open house and buyer showings, plus I don't like big crowds.  I'll probably check them out tomorrow.

We got to Bluffs around 10:45am and I didn't see many cars at Sierra models. We thought about going there after signing the reservation, but it was already 2pm and we hadn't had lunch yet, so we left, but I didn't see many cars either.

I went to Sierra around 3pm today and it was less hectic than yesterday.  Plenty of parking spaces and no need to wait to go inside the model homes.  I saw Plan 2 and 3 of Sierra and Plan 1 and 2 of Lapis.

Foot traffic through all plans was high between 11:30 - 12:30 PM on Saturday.  It did seem to gradually die down though.  Sunday, I heard didn't have as much foot traffic as Saturday but wasn't a ghost town either.

I'm not surprised folks might not have checked out Sierra's Plan 1 based on what's on paper.  But, everyone I know that saw Plan 1 (8+ previewers) actually liked it way more than Plan 2.  The design is super efficient and Plan 2's flow was very meh.  Before seeing any of the models we were gung-ho in waiting for a Plan 2, but Plan 1 really wowwed us.  One of my family members whose in Irvine said Plan 1 really felt like a million+ $ home with the flow vs Plan 2 kind of missed that mark.  Plan 3 is nice, but you'd be paying quite a bit of a premium for that (+$200K).

Of course if a 4th bedroom is needed, then I totally understand why folks would also skip out on seeing the Plan 1.

Yeah, I skipped Plan 1 because I was looking for 4 bedroom homes.  Now I'm curious how Plan 1 is.  I'll go back again today and check it out.

Did you get a chance to see plan 1 Sierra?  If so, what did you think relative to the other plans?

Sorry...my son kept me busy today.  I'll try to go tomorrow!

 

[bkimxmd]

Congrats CalBear.  The bluffs model is very nice.  Was my wife?s first pick.  But we didn?t get on the list until maybe a month ago.  No way would be able to get one anytime soon.  Thankfully we got the Sierra.  Looks like everything is falling into place for everyone.

Cheers!

I'm pretty sure we're going to be neighbors at this point and our 2 girls are going to grow up with your 2 boys.  We should trade contacts .

How old are your girls?  My boys are 4 going to kindergarten next fall.  Paying for preschool will finally be over soon!

 

[SWATeam]

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[SWATeam]

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[usctrojancpa]

By chance, anyone else on this forum a part of phase 1, other than Bkim (Plan 3) and Martin's dad (Plan 2)?  The sales team mentioned a couple expecting a boy took the other Sierra Plan 2 but I haven't seen anyone here call themselves out on that.  Also haven't heard anyone here mentioning they reserved the other Plan 1 and Plan 3.  Maybe there will be more folks following this thread in Phase 2.

Would love to start getting to know my neighbors and plan an early Phase or Anthem block party ;D. 

Yeah my dad got the Plan 2 corner lot (58) so I'll be coming back his house regularly.  I'm thinking of surprising him with a dog when he moves down because he likes to go for walks in the morning and at dusk.