Baker Ranch in Lake Forest / Foothill Ranch

NEW -> Contingent Buyer Assistance Program
I finally got a chance to take a look at all the floor plans today. Disappointing. The great room trend continues in every single plan. I guess I'm old fashioned. I prefer distinct rooms with privacy and character rather than a multipurpose cram-it-all-in box. Shea has done a goofy job with The Knolls plan 1 kitchen. Whatever happened to the functional oven-sink-frig 'work triangle' that design experts recommend and common sense dictates? Their layout and clumsy island violates the rules. On another note, a bathtub in the master is out of the question unless one splurges on a Heights plan or kicks it up a notch to Highlands . Being someone who has refrained from looking at new homes the last few years, I don't know if this is the "thing" now to have only a shower stall with no options for a tub. For those with a money tree in their backyard, they may enjoy seeing a Highlands plan with a casita.
 
I'll say this. The Knolls Plan 3 is a model of efficiency. 4bd/3ba in 1671 sqft AND you have three walls for your family room, AND none of the secondary bedrooms are against the master? I can't find one thing wrong with that plan. Great job on that one Shea.
 
shadax said:
I'll say this. The Knolls Plan 3 is a model of efficiency. 4bd/3ba in 1671 sqft AND you have three walls for your family room, AND none of the secondary bedrooms are against the master? I can't find one thing wrong with that plan. Great job on that one Shea.
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Though..  I really have to say this otherwise it wouldn't be fair-  parking is going to suck in this neighborhood! They have a whole 8 "excess" (of what is required) parking spaces.  Meanwhile Shea's attached neighborhood will have about 0.5 "excess" free spaces PER unit.  It'll be an embarrassment when you have to admit to your attached townhouse neighbor that they have better parking than you do.
 
Anyone know the story on the house across Alton from Baker Ranch?  It's the older place on top of the hill.  It seems that people live there, but I don't see lights on at night.  Also, the place seems to be in ill repair given the fact that the people could potentially profit a large sum of money with any sell of their surrounding land.  (Unless they only own the immediate area surrounding their house.

 
Highland plan 1 and 3 look the best.  I don't think these will be $1.5M to start.  That would be too pricey for LF.  I'm guessing $1.1-1.2M
 
I don't understand planning 4-5 br homes and only offering 2 car garages. My neighborhood is all full 3CG, yet most homeowners have 1-2 extra vehicles (teenagers, extended families, ect).

Perhaps the master planner is hoping for a breakthrough in teleportation to overcome the number of cars expected in the area.
 
In Saucilito? No idea. I have a four car garage myself and cannot imagine having only a two car garage with over 4000 sq feet but apparently people are ok with it since they've sold quite a few houses.
 
Ready2Downsize said:
There are lots of tracts with only 2 car garages. Saucilito has 5 br 5 1/2 bath homes over 4000 sq feet and only two car garages.
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Saucilito has a pretty nice floorplan.  I really like Shea Homes.  The ones they did in Blackstone in Brea are really sweet.  Emerald Heights, plan 4 had a open loft feel with a great fireplace and wine cellar.  Coral Ridge plan 3 has a 3 car garage with a nice courtyard looking over the hills.  But too bad they are built on oil wells.  I wish they could take those open floorplans to Irvine.  Sagewood is as close as it gets but the MR/HOA is too high.

I'm waiting to see how the Toll Brother's Highlands looks, especially the plan with the spiral staircase.  You don't see those often in the new floorplans.  Anyone want to guess price with release dates?
 
Newspaper says early 2014 for release.

Finally looked at some of the floorplans of the 2000sft+ homes... not impressed. I think only one had a 3-car and it was tandem.

And as SoCal said, too many Great Room executions without that extra downstairs flex/dining/living space.

Baker Ranch missed an opportunity here to differentiate themselves from Irvine to get buyers to move and they will have a hard time selling at the same price points as Pavilion Park. At least in Pavilion Park, both Sagewood and Rosemist address both the extra downstairs flex space and a 3rd garage space.
 
Agreed that if you are trying to sell a $1m+ house, it should have a 3 car garage.

I usually like Toll Brothers, so am curious to see their Highlands plan.  One of them has the spiral staircase, something that is not common in the Irvine homes.  You see a lot of them in Tustin Ranch, Laguna Hills, etc but not Irvine.  The price has to be right for them to compete with Pavilion Park. 
 
If I were buying in Baker Ranch because of the area rather than being interested in Irvine, I would buy in Foothill Ranch -- bigger lots, 3CWGs, and elevation views.
 
Tyler Durden said:
i think they are going after a different type of buyer who is not necessarily interested in Irvine (maybe interested in Irvine adjacent).  For example, the folks who live in Foothill Ranch or Ladera are not interested in Irvine - they wanted to be where they are for a reason (not necessarily because of price). Some folks don't want to live in a very congested area, or perhaps be zoned for IUSD.
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this is blasphemy!!!! who the hell would not want to live in irvine! :-)
 
I would expect pricing to be very similar to what Whisler Ridge sold for in Lake Forest, maybe initially a tad bit less but lower 300s sq foot range.  The problem with Lake Forest is liquidity is not as much as Irvine, so make sure you are buying to live there for a while.  The No Mello Roos will keep the price per sq footage very similar to the Irvine range.

e.g.  $900,000 home in Irvine @ 1.7% tax rate = $15,300 in property taxes
$900,000 home in Lake Forest @ 1.1% tax rate = $9,900 in property taxes

Difference is $5,400 per year/12 months = $450 a month.

This is basically a difference of $90,000 in price of a home @ 4.5%, 30 year fixed which is a $456.02 payment a month.

So payment wise > Would you want a $900k home in Irvine or $990,000 home in Lake Forest.

I would still select Irvine or maybe Tustin Ranch if you could go to IUSD...
 
Yessir.  I guess Irvine can't have too many Capital Seafoods, Sam Woos, Shabu and Korean owned Japanese places...all we are missing is a Vietnamese owned Kettle Boiled Southern place similar to Oyster Bar in Vegas in Irvine
 
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