We visited Sage and Springhouse today.
Sage II was good. I liked Plan 1 (1697 sq ft, $702K, cheaper) and my wife liked Plan 3 (1975 sq ft, 788K, better floor plan). Included Solar system. The model with tiles throughout first floor was well designed; there was a good flow. With upgrades, this would be $813K, a bit more to my Saratoga cost ($809K). The specific site I looked at had good yard space (1157 sq ft), which was good. Mello Roos (5600) and HOA (207) was $250/month higher than SG. The future Portola school is a couple of miles away and great park is just a few away. Overall, we decided to skip considering the price. Relatively, Saratoga was better for us (Conservatory room, walking distance to a good elem school, a couple miles closer to the center of irvine, more diverse community, no construction). We have decided to trade drive way and back yard space for in-house space and school.
Springhouse was just awesome. We immediately liked Plan 1 (that was the only one within reach). I tried calling the sales office many times, but they wouldn't pick phones. We then just went in person. They are sold out across plans. The sales office actually sits in Plan 1 model garage. The houses have a farm / ranch style, which wasn't exactly our taste. The Plan 1 current price is 800K. Next phase is supposed to be 10 to 15K higher (!!!??!). I assume the Spring house residences are in huge demand and hence the steep increase. Every home has about 4000 to 8000 sq ft lot, which was awesome. This one will surely appreciate quick in the next few years. This is the real SFR. But with upgrades, this was going to be in 850K range, out of our budget.
But, overall, both homes were very impressive.
