I think 128 Messenger and 116 Sunnyside are slightly different products. They're both 4 bed though. 128 Messenger has an extra half bath. In that respect, pretty similar.
116 Sunnyside is a denser product - an attached condo.
128 Messenger is a detached condo. This is preferable and all else equal, will demand a higher $/sqft,
Consider HOA dues, which impact total house payment
116 Sunnyside: $551/mo
128 Messenger: $303/mo
If one paid $250 towards loan instead of HOA, at 6.5% for 30 years, that would cover about $40k of additional loan (about $20/sqft for a 2,000 sqft house).
Consider $/sqft of each
116 Sunnyside: $897
128 Messenger: $979 (TBD on final price)
Consider size
116 Sunnyside is claimed at 2,006sqft, 4 bed, 4 bath (I say claimed because sometimes this is exaggerated/inaccurate. Check county records.)
128 Messenger is claimed at 1,849sqft, 4 bed, 4.5 bath
Consider when they were built and what their history is.
116 Sunnyside looks to have been built in 2024 with some efforts to rent since then.
128 Messenger looks to have been built in 2020. Nothing stands out to suggest it was sold since then. I can't tell if it was owner occupied or rented. The former tends to bode better than the latter in terms of how the house was cared for, but not a guarantee.
Consider location
116 Sunnyside is very close to the 241 toll road.
128 Messenger is comfortably in the interior of the community.
They're both comfortably in high fire risk zone, but if a fire comes it's likely going to reach 116 Sunnyside first.
The higher $/sqft of 128 Messenger is likely due to it being a detached condo in a location further from the 241 toll road.
134 Newburry looks like a close comparable. It was sold for $1,560,000 on 10/25/24.
https://www.redfin.com/CA/Irvine/134-Sunnyside-92618/home/188060402
I see the same listing agent for 116 Sunnyside is also selling 146 Sunnyside with an ask of $1,716,000. 146 Sunnyside has only 3 bed and 3.5 bath though.
https://www.redfin.com/CA/Irvine/146-Sunnyside-92618/home/189772783
136 Newburry looks like a close comparable. Redfin thinks it's worth $1.6M (though these estimates are hardly reliable)
https://www.redfin.com/CA/Irvine/136-Newburry-92618/home/180707219
136 Sunnyside looks like a close comparable. Redfin thinks it's worth $1.64M (again, highly unreliable)
https://www.redfin.com/CA/Irvine/136-Sunnyside-92618/home/188060401
Having said all that, my answer is I don't know if $1.80M is a fair price. I'm not seeing evidence to convince me it's fairly priced, but the absence of evidence isn't good evidence.
If I had better access to comps I would look there. I would look at how long similar products have been on the market and at what asking price (if they're sitting more than 30 days, they're probably overpriced). There's some new homes for sale there - are any of them attached condos? If so, I would check out what the builders are offering - in soft market conditions like we're currently in, new builders tend to not be too far off from market after all their incentives plus upgrade costs are accounted for, especially on near completed products. Maybe a single digit premium for the privilege of buying direct from the builder.
If you're serious about your home search, my biggest recommendation would be to reach out to a great local realtor like
@usctrojancpa . People like him are worth every penny. Don't try to do it alone on such a massive purchase. Don't team up with some wannabe realtor who doesn't know what they're doing other than hunting for commissions.
Good luck with your search!