Irvine Housing Dreams ? Part 1

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roundcorners_IHB

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This is turning out to be the first part of a series I like to call Irvine Housing Dreams. Panda is not the only one dreaming of Irvine. Being housing enthusiasts here on the IHB we probably all, day dream of what our ideal housing situation would be and look like.



I broke down some general categories that I identify with. We all think about which house would fit our particular lifestyle and personality and character. And I?m sure I?m not the only one who dreams about <a href="http://www.irvinehousingblog.com/forums/viewthread/4775/">bedrooms</a>, patios, kitchens, locations, square footage and floor plans.



As most of you know; what matters more than the Physical House, Location. Situation or even financial aspects are the relationships. I dream about hanging out in my son?s room spending quality time with school work and interests. I imagine making pancakes with him on Saturdays for mommy; and hosting mid-size <a href="http://www.irvinehousingblog.com/forums/viewthread/5221/">gatherings </a>for friends and families. I actually day dream about out-door patio sectional furniture; crown molding and <a href="http://www.irvinehousingblog.com/forums/viewthread/4685/">French doors</a>. I can almost smell the Korean bbq fresh off the grill on a Sunday afternoon. I dream about taking a walk with the family; or riding our bikes casually to the local retail centers after work. I know most of you have an ideal scene playing in your head about your future home, care to share?
 
After reading the response from traceimage's <a href="http://www.irvinehousingblog.com/forums/viewthread/5562/">poll</a>, I should have included a option; Dreams are irrational human responses that are poor reasons for making important decisions...
 
I'm in a rare bad mood today, so I probably shouldn't write anything... but those things above were my dream prior to buying our first home six years ago. Then we did buy the house and I realized it's a time-sucker that takes more away from the dream than it contributes. Summer is upon us now and with two boys under the age of six, all that my dreams include are having a space for spontaneous outside play that does not require me to drop everything and make the journey to a tot lot, in search of grass (Not a busy parking lot. Not a through street. Not fire-resistant ground-cover that you can't play on.) Sorry for my whining, but I just want out of my IAC box. I want a yard and that is all. A patio I will take. Any other pluses are just icing on the cake but they're not necessities.



Did anyone watch Jon & Kate last night? Man, that sucked. Careful what you wish for.



He who dies with the most toys wins. Not.
 
Why do I get the feeling that these things somehow mean less to you in a home you rent? Life is too short to constantly be thinking of something better. If you are all healthy and alive, every moment you spend now is valuable and I honestly doubt they will be any better because you have a mortgage payment instead of a rent payment. Your idealized view of ownership may come back to bite you when you have a hard time finding the time to do all of the things you want to do in this house because you are too busy paying for the house or endlessly trying to make it look the way you want. You will be very surprised sometime soon when you look at pictures of your little baby and can hardly him being that small. It's hard to believe right now, but it will happen. Sorry to be a buzz-kill, but geez, enjoy life now.



Sorry, I didn't read SoCal's post before my own rant. It sounds like SoCal needs to start looking for a nice little rental house, I think I'd go just as crazy if I were living in a "box" as you put it with kids over 2 years old.
 
[quote author="SoCal78" date=1245824276]



He who dies with the most toys <strong><em>dies</em></strong>.</blockquote>


Fixed that for you.



I formerly owned, and I loved my little house. The Mrs. did too. 1050 square feet on a 12,000 square foot lot with a detached 20'x30' garage. The four hour one way commute to South County wasn't exactly doable.
 
I agree with Socal.



Having a yard is so important even when it is a private patio type away from a busy sidewalk or street. I know in Irvine a patio yard for a detached condo is still $500k-600k. I have come up with a solution for the Silicon Valley detached condos where price point is even higher than Irvine to deliver detached condos with a good yard for all units at a similar price.



The solution is not like Brittany in Foothill Ranch or Cobblestone in Oackcreek where the front door is accessed from the motorcourt where guests who comes into the front door also track the grease onto the beige carpet in order to achieve a backyard.



I spent 2 hours in my yard each morning listening to the birds in the trees, staring at the ugly possum my neighbor trapped in a small cage where its butt is jamming the door from freedom, counting the variety of flowers, and checking Cayci's avocado inventory. I could not imagine what life would be like without my yard and I guess it would be devastating like IHO without his 3 car garage.



Here is my advice to home shoppers a house is for raising your family but the yard is really where memories are created.
 
[quote author="SoCal78" date=1245824276]Did anyone watch Jon & Kate last night? Man, that sucked. Careful what you wish for. </blockquote>


They have been headed for a breaking point for years. The whole time the show has been on, you could feel the anger dripping from John and the control dripping from Kate. I guess this ties into the thread about therapy. They should have started going 3 years ago.
 
[quote author="T!m" date=1245830261][quote author="SoCal78" date=1245824276]Did anyone watch Jon & Kate last night? Man, that sucked. Careful what you wish for. </blockquote>


They have been headed for a breaking point for years. The whole time the show has been on, you could feel the anger dripping from John and the control dripping from Kate. I guess this ties into the thread about therapy. They should have started going 3 years ago.</blockquote>


I've never actually seen the show but since all mainstream news has them in the headline, I apparently have to see it anyway. The news today was that basically their entire show has been a sham because they haven't actually lived together for the last two years.



Back to the topic, bk is right once again. My husband didn't actually like our house when he toured it at the open house (he's 6'8" tall and many old houses aren't made for people this tall, Craftsman style excluded). It wasn't until he entered the backyard that he decided that the house didn't matter to him, we basically bought the house because of the yard. I guess it also depends how you grew up and since he grew up on a lot which is close to 1 acre and spent most of his time outdoors, the yard was important. Personally, I remember as a child my mom letting us in the house for a snack after school and basically kicking us out until dinner, so outdoors was also where we lived (her mantra rings in my head "GET OUTSIDE!"). I can see that it would be difficult even if there are plenty of parks because mom doesn't get to do all of the things that need to be done while she's watching the kids at the park. It's a bit of a catch 22 because if you're home, the kids are making a mess and undoing all of the work you are accomplishing and if you're out of the house, you don't get anything done!
 
[quote author="tmare" date=1245831536][quote author="T!m" date=1245830261][quote author="SoCal78" date=1245824276]Did anyone watch Jon & Kate last night? Man, that sucked. Careful what you wish for. </blockquote>


They have been headed for a breaking point for years. The whole time the show has been on, you could feel the anger dripping from John and the control dripping from Kate. I guess this ties into the thread about therapy. They should have started going 3 years ago.</blockquote>


I've never actually seen the show but since all mainstream news has them in the headline, I apparently have to see it anyway. The news today was that basically their entire show has been a sham because they haven't actually lived together for the last two years.



Back to the topic, bk is right once again. My husband didn't actually like our house when he toured it at the open house (he's 6'8" tall and many old houses aren't made for people this tall, Craftsman style excluded). It wasn't until he entered the backyard that he decided that the house didn't matter to him, we basically bought the house because of the yard. I guess it also depends how you grew up and since he grew up on a lot which is close to 1 acre and spent most of his time outdoors, the yard was important. Personally, I remember as a child my mom letting us in the house for a snack after school and basically kicking us out until dinner, so outdoors was also where we lived (her mantra rings in my head "GET OUTSIDE!"). I can see that it would be difficult even if there are plenty of parks because mom doesn't get to do all of the things that need to be done while she's watching the kids at the park. It's a bit of a catch 22 because if you're home, the kids are making a mess and undoing all of the work you are accomplishing and if you're out of the house, you don't get anything done!</blockquote>


IHO can send his kids to the 3 car garage instead of the neighborhood parks. His kids have already recognize the garage opener above their head is the gateway to heaven.
 
SoCal,



It just sounds like you are in the wrong rental for you and your family. The choice isn't an IAC box or owning a house. You can rent a home in Irvine that has a yard and costs less to rent than to buy today. The landlord will be responsible for the maintenance and maybe include a gardener and if they don't, you hire one yourself.



Look at IPO... he outgrew his condo, sold it and then signed a lease on a house that fits his family's needs for now. I don't have kids, but if I did, I wouldn't want to be in an IAC rental. I wanted a dog, but never felt like I could take on that responsibility without a yard and some certainty about where I lived, but I couldn't justify the higher costs of a move up rental for that desire. If I had kids, the justification would have been there. You can have more than your IAC box and you deserve it!
 
[quote author="stepping_up" date=1245839616]SoCal,



It just sounds like you are in the wrong rental for you and your family. The choice isn't an IAC box or owning a house. You can rent a home in Irvine that has a yard and costs less to rent than to buy today. The landlord will be responsible for the maintenance and maybe include a gardener and if they don't, you hire one yourself.



Look at IPO... he outgrew his condo, sold it and then signed a lease on a house that fits his family's needs for now. I don't have kids, but if I did, I wouldn't want to be in an IAC rental. I wanted a dog, but never felt like I could take on that responsibility without a yard and some certainty about where I lived, but I couldn't justify the higher costs of a move up rental for that desire. If I had kids, the justification would have been there. You can have more than your IAC box and you deserve it!</blockquote>


Thanks, Step. It's a little complicated. I don't want to bounce them around a lot from place to place. Next time we move, I think it will be into the place we buy because I can't imagine packing and moving two kids two more times again (another rental then purchase) before we're done. I know, I shouldn't complain unless I plan on doing something about it. If I were to rent a SFR, the neighborhood I would like to move to only has one available at this time and it's not one I particularly care for. And there are no homes for sale there. The apartment has its financial advantages. It's much cheaper than a SFR and allows us to save faster, therefore buying sooner, or so I hope. There are a lot of trade-offs. Hmm. Thanks for reading my rant.
 
What I've really come to realize is that just about anything in life is a trade off and that's not a bad thing... it' just gives an opportunity to make decisions based on our values and needs and to understand why we made those choices. As we shift, grow and change we can make new choices knowing that we are trading towards the things that matter the most and being OK with leaving behind the least important pieces in order to make the trade off. Most of us can't have it all, but we can have what's most important to us and appreciate it.
 
[quote author="roundcorners" date=1245822706]After reading the response from traceimage's <a href="http://www.irvinehousingblog.com/forums/viewthread/5562/">poll</a>, I should have included a option; Dreams are irrational human responses that are poor reasons for making important decisions...</blockquote>


I think it also helps to include an option in which you call yourself a moron. (I currently have 7 of those responses.)
 
[quote author="bkshopr" date=1245829578]I agree with Socal.



Having a yard is so important even when it is a private patio type away from a busy sidewalk or street. I know in Irvine a patio yard for a detached condo is still $500k-600k. I have come up with a solution for the Silicon Valley detached condos where price point is even higher than Irvine to deliver detached condos with a good yard for all units at a similar price.



The solution is not like Brittany in Foothill Ranch or Cobblestone in Oackcreek where the front door is accessed from the motorcourt where guests who comes into the front door also track the grease onto the beige carpet in order to achieve a backyard.



I spent 2 hours in my yard each morning listening to the birds in the trees, staring at the ugly possum my neighbor trapped in a small cage where its butt is jamming the door from freedom, counting the variety of flowers, and checking Cayci's avocado inventory.<strong> I could not imagine what life would be like without my yard</strong> and I guess it would be devastating like IHO without his 3 car garage.



Here is my advice to home shoppers a house is for raising your family but <strong>the yard </strong>is really where memories are created.</blockquote>


Yes, I remember living with my parents. My bedroom has a desk by the window. And during spring/summer, I would look out my window to see birds, bees, flowers, trees, shrubs, etc. in the front yard. It was very relaxing. Oh how I miss that.
 
[quote author="stepping_up" date=1245839616]SoCal,



It just sounds like you are in the wrong rental for you and your family. The choice isn't an IAC box or owning a house. You can rent a home in Irvine that has a yard and costs less to rent than to buy today. The landlord will be responsible for the maintenance and maybe include a gardener and if they don't, you hire one yourself.



Look at IPO... he outgrew his condo, sold it and then signed a lease on a house that fits his family's needs for now. I don't have kids, but if I did, I wouldn't want to be in an IAC rental. I wanted a dog, but never felt like I could take on that responsibility without a yard and some certainty about where I lived, but I couldn't justify the higher costs of a move up rental for that desire. If I had kids, the justification would have been there. You can have more than your IAC box and you deserve it!</blockquote>


SoCal....I strongly second this. After nearly 3 years in an IAC box (and it was a 1,300 sq ft box so was not that bad) we could not take it anymore. The transient feeling of an apartment complex just got to be too much. We rented a house that was FAR from our dream house at the time --- but quickly realized how much we were missing out on during those three years of community living. Yes, we pay a bit more in rent than we would in IAC --- but we have gotten so much more back in lifestyle that you can't put a price tag on. And in the long run, it may actually end up saving us money. You see, our urgency to buy completely disappeared since moving into a space consistent with our lifestyle --- so the chance of making a rash decision in a declining market is all but eliminated. Honestly, I could hang out here renting for two or three more years. We might just hang out until we can convince the owners to give up any dream of future appreciation and buy it from them. Or if they don't want to sell maybe we'll just rent it for the really long term....if we are happy, then what does it really matter who's name is on the mortgage papers?



My point is, you never know....we rented a house that was not our dream --- but is ironically evolving into something we really like and could see buying, now that we have lived here and started to make some memories....and best of all had a chance to "test-drive" the neighborhood.
 
I can totally see our son loving being outdoors; I don't know about other infants but he loves looking out the windows; he protest naps and he just completely stops crying when we take him out... My wife totally agrees with the yard thing, tot lots are great, but yeah you do have to stop what you are doing. I'm all up for a little piece of lawn, but the kid is going to have to get used to concrete and out door carpeting...
 
With a yard your creation and the kids memories will be a part of the family legacy that will be passed on down to the next generation like several members have expressed the fond memories from their childhood backyard. From my years of experience in research no one ever shared their childhood experience in a neighborhood tot lot or pocket park other than finding cat poop or dog feces in the sand pit. Memorable spaces are the fun outdoor spaces where family laughs and share their joy outside their family home and for the younger ones their private paradise outside their bedroom window where natural creatures came to visit.



Here is another example from my own experience. My 87 year old mother and 7 family members from Chinatown visited me just once in 19 years when I lived in homes with a tiny patio yard eventhough there were parks near by to accommodate a large gathering. They felt going to gather at a park away from home resemble Mexican ghettos where Hispanics like to gather at a free parks with Pinata hanging between trees.



Since I move to my current home my backyard became the large family gathering hub my mother insists her grand children drive her and she spent hours looking at the various plants, Asian garden, herbs, vegetable, citrus trees and of course my 100 year old avocado trees that yield several hundred pounds of crops that she gives away to Chinatown old ladies.



I regret that I did not have a yard sooner and very little memories with my mother and my little girl just became 13 a few days ago. Not having a private yard was one of the biggest regret in my life.
 
[quote author="bkshopr" date=1245893379]my little girl just became 13 a few days ago.</blockquote>


Congratulations, Bk!



Before you know it, you will be hosting her Father of the Bride wedding in your backyard.
 
[quote author="bkshopr" date=1245893379]From my years of experience in research no one ever shared their childhood experience in a neighborhood tot lot or pocket park other than finding cat poop or dog feces in the sand pit. Memorable spaces are the fun outdoor spaces where family laughs and share their joy outside their family home and for the younger ones their private paradise outside their bedroom window where natural creatures came to visit. </blockquote>


Some of my best childhood memories are spending time in the tot lot behind my house in University Park. It was safe enough and far enough away from traffic that my mom would let me play with my friends there unsupervised from a very early age. Since there was no internet and no 24-hour news stations, worrying about kidnappers and flashers and molesters never entered her mind. My friends and I were even allowed to cross University Dr alone (not much traffic back then) and catch frogs in the nature preserve. We would walk to the library, the pool and adventure park with no adults supervision.
 
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