Las Ventanas by Taylor Morrison at Portola Springs

[usctrojancpa]

So on October 9, USC put up a picture showing 7 homes available from the 46-62 lots. Just right now i checked the TM website showing 7 homes still available in that group of lots. Now that they are selling homes down Los Indios and Pawprint, are these 7 homes just going to sit there till the end unless they get a decent discount? 

USC - do you know if the floors put in these homes yet? just curious what you can get in the way of incentives to upgrade if the home is fully built out. Are they throwing in landscaping in the front/back yards?

I would think that TM is even more motivated now to sell those remaining homes in phases 1-4 then they were back in the summer when I got one of my buyers a boat load of incentives to buy a home in Phase 1 and sales were a bit stronger with the higher conforming jumbo loan limit.  They bumped the broker co-op from 2% to 3% for those remaining homes.  I got my phase 1 buyer option credits, closing credits, a free washer/dryer/refrigerator, and free window coverings.  I can definitely see them being negotiable enough to offer free basic landscaping.  As for whether the flooring is in those remaining homes....the answer is probably not UNLESS they had a buyer who went through the upgrade process in picking up the flooring and then couldn't close for whatever reason.  The pricing is gonna be harder for them to be flexible on (mainly because it will adversely affect their appraised values for the home to be released later) but I can totally see them being very flexible in providing other incentives....closing/option credits, appliances, landscaping, and/or window coverings.

 

[The Motor Court Company]

what kind of window coverings? plantation shutters?

So on October 9, USC put up a picture showing 7 homes available from the 46-62 lots. Just right now i checked the TM website showing 7 homes still available in that group of lots. Now that they are selling homes down Los Indios and Pawprint, are these 7 homes just going to sit there till the end unless they get a decent discount? 

USC - do you know if the floors put in these homes yet? just curious what you can get in the way of incentives to upgrade if the home is fully built out. Are they throwing in landscaping in the front/back yards?

I would think that TM is even more motivated now to sell those remaining homes in phases 1-4 then they were back in the summer when I got one of my buyers a boat load of incentives to buy a home in Phase 1 and sales were a bit stronger with the higher conforming jumbo loan limit.  They bumped the broker co-op from 2% to 3% for those remaining homes.  I got my phase 1 buyer option credits, closing credits, a free washer/dryer/refrigerator, and free window coverings.  I can definitely see them being negotiable enough to offer free basic landscaping.  As for whether the flooring is in those remaining homes....the answer is probably not UNLESS they had a buyer who went through the upgrade process in picking up the flooring and then couldn't close for whatever reason.  The pricing is gonna be harder for them to be flexible on (mainly because it will adversely affect their appraised values for the home to be released later) but I can totally see them being very flexible in providing other incentives....closing/option credits, appliances, landscaping, and/or window coverings.

 

[usctrojancpa]

I have not seen my buyer's home yet, but I believe so.

what kind of window coverings? plantation shutters?

So on October 9, USC put up a picture showing 7 homes available from the 46-62 lots. Just right now i checked the TM website showing 7 homes still available in that group of lots. Now that they are selling homes down Los Indios and Pawprint, are these 7 homes just going to sit there till the end unless they get a decent discount? 

USC - do you know if the floors put in these homes yet? just curious what you can get in the way of incentives to upgrade if the home is fully built out. Are they throwing in landscaping in the front/back yards?

I would think that TM is even more motivated now to sell those remaining homes in phases 1-4 then they were back in the summer when I got one of my buyers a boat load of incentives to buy a home in Phase 1 and sales were a bit stronger with the higher conforming jumbo loan limit.  They bumped the broker co-op from 2% to 3% for those remaining homes.  I got my phase 1 buyer option credits, closing credits, a free washer/dryer/refrigerator, and free window coverings.  I can definitely see them being negotiable enough to offer free basic landscaping.  As for whether the flooring is in those remaining homes....the answer is probably not UNLESS they had a buyer who went through the upgrade process in picking up the flooring and then couldn't close for whatever reason.  The pricing is gonna be harder for them to be flexible on (mainly because it will adversely affect their appraised values for the home to be released later) but I can totally see them being very flexible in providing other incentives....closing/option credits, appliances, landscaping, and/or window coverings.

 

[Nous]

So on October 9, USC put up a picture showing 7 homes available from the 46-62 lots. Just right now i checked the TM website showing 7 homes still available in that group of lots. Now that they are selling homes down Los Indios and Pawprint, are these 7 homes just going to sit there till the end unless they get a decent discount? 

USC - do you know if the floors put in these homes yet? just curious what you can get in the way of incentives to upgrade if the home is fully built out. Are they throwing in landscaping in the front/back yards?

I would think that TM is even more motivated now to sell those remaining homes in phases 1-4 then they were back in the summer when I got one of my buyers a boat load of incentives to buy a home in Phase 1 and sales were a bit stronger with the higher conforming jumbo loan limit.  They bumped the broker co-op from 2% to 3% for those remaining homes.  I got my phase 1 buyer option credits, closing credits, a free washer/dryer/refrigerator, and free window coverings.  I can definitely see them being negotiable enough to offer free basic landscaping.  As for whether the flooring is in those remaining homes....the answer is probably not UNLESS they had a buyer who went through the upgrade process in picking up the flooring and then couldn't close for whatever reason.  The pricing is gonna be harder for them to be flexible on (mainly because it will adversely affect their appraised values for the home to be released later) but I can totally see them being very flexible in providing other incentives....closing/option credits, appliances, landscaping, and/or window coverings.

Man this makes me want to punch my ex-RE in his face.  I told him to push a washer/dryer/fridge combo for us and he (in front of me) said "They want a washer/dryer/fridge, but you can't do that right?"  Man did I want to hurt him there.  Yeah, I too am interested in what kinda of window stuff they got.

 

[usctrojancpa]

So on October 9, USC put up a picture showing 7 homes available from the 46-62 lots. Just right now i checked the TM website showing 7 homes still available in that group of lots. Now that they are selling homes down Los Indios and Pawprint, are these 7 homes just going to sit there till the end unless they get a decent discount? 

USC - do you know if the floors put in these homes yet? just curious what you can get in the way of incentives to upgrade if the home is fully built out. Are they throwing in landscaping in the front/back yards?

I would think that TM is even more motivated now to sell those remaining homes in phases 1-4 then they were back in the summer when I got one of my buyers a boat load of incentives to buy a home in Phase 1 and sales were a bit stronger with the higher conforming jumbo loan limit.  They bumped the broker co-op from 2% to 3% for those remaining homes.  I got my phase 1 buyer option credits, closing credits, a free washer/dryer/refrigerator, and free window coverings.  I can definitely see them being negotiable enough to offer free basic landscaping.  As for whether the flooring is in those remaining homes....the answer is probably not UNLESS they had a buyer who went through the upgrade process in picking up the flooring and then couldn't close for whatever reason.  The pricing is gonna be harder for them to be flexible on (mainly because it will adversely affect their appraised values for the home to be released later) but I can totally see them being very flexible in providing other incentives....closing/option credits, appliances, landscaping, and/or window coverings.

Man this makes me want to punch my ex-RE in his face.  I told him to push a washer/dryer/fridge combo for us and he (in front of me) said "They want a washer/dryer/fridge, but you can't do that right?"  Man did I want to hurt him there.  Yeah, I too am interested in what kinda of window stuff they got.

Some realtors have better negotiating skills than others (negotiating commercial lending terms with my clients and the credit guys at the bank to get deals done sharpened my skills). 

 

[irvinehomeowner]

Just a question, but on the new homes... don't the salespeople interface directly with the buyers even in broker situations? Or was USC with them every time they went to the sales office.

Has anyone moved in yet? How is the toll road noise?

 

[kayochan]

Just a question, but on the new homes... don't the salespeople interface directly with the buyers even in broker situations? Or was USC with them every time they went to the sales office.

Has anyone moved in yet? How is the toll road noise?

I am also curious on the toll road noise.  Also, any pollution problems?

 

[usctrojancpa]

Just a question, but on the new homes... don't the salespeople interface directly with the buyers even in broker situations? Or was USC with them every time they went to the sales office.

Has anyone moved in yet? How is the toll road noise?

Not always, I communicated my buyers' requests to the salespeople over at TM without the buyers being there.  Most of the time, I was with my buyers at the sales office.  I proposed of where we should start to my buyers before presenting our requests to the salespeople over at TM.  The salespeople then sent out the emails to the corporate office with our requests and we heard the following business day of what TM corporate came back with. 

Two of my buyers have closed and moved in (both posted on here) so I'll let them chime in on the toll road noise.

 

[irvinehomeowner]

We actually passed by today to see how the project is doing and I must say it's looking pretty good. Some homes have already started landscaping their front "yards".

While most of the houses are almost exactly the same color, at least there isn't any salmon all over the place. I like how they did the grass berm then sidewalk and then front "yard". At least there is a bit more separation from the street that's maintained by the HOA.

I do hear the toll road but it's not as bad as you move down the streets allowing homes to give you a buffer. The issue is the toll road is elevated so the buffer that home structures would provide gets minimized a bit. I think the homes in the middle area are probably the best although the homes on the opposite end are farthest from the toll road, you will get the noise from the main inlet to Portola Springs off of Portola Parkway.

I still think that they should have done a Plan 2 1st floor with a Plan 3 2nd floor.

Also, since we visited Stonegate recently, it really makes these homes look like a bargain.... although the MRs are higher than the bigger homes in Stonegate. It also makes resale look a bit overpriced because if you look at competing products in the $700k range... it's not as new or sometimes as big... and this is just stuff in Woodbury so the location isn't that big of a difference. I think it also makes it hard for the condos in PS... as I see human sign holders for them but none for TayMo.

Still wondering why iPac doesn't put more stuff like this in their projects... instead of detached motorcourt condos and high priced SFRs.

 

[tentative]

Has anyone moved in yet? How is the toll road noise?

I am also curious on the toll road noise.  Also, any pollution problems?

I posted our experiences being on the of the first two residents into LV here http://www.talkirvine.com/index.php?topic=2033.msg27352#msg27352  - but also realized that may have been buried in that other thread.

As I write this, I am sitting in my living room downstairs with my back to the windows directly facing the toll road berm.  Until I started reading this thread, I really hadn't noticed any noise, but now of course I can hear every car that drives by . . . funny how that works.

As I mentioned, I'm not going to lie and say it doesn't make noise, but at no point has it really bothered me either.  The noise is very much confined to the peak driving time -- the morning can be loud with Waste Management trucks, but it's not the 405.  Again, other factors played a big part in our choosing one of these lots.  I can't speak for pollution.  We live in Orange County so I assume we're all contaminated!

Believe it or not, none of the 133 noise compares with the constant jackhammering across the street from our neighbors' landscaping work.  I hope they're putting in something cool.

 

[usctrojancpa]

Has anyone moved in yet? How is the toll road noise?

I am also curious on the toll road noise.  Also, any pollution problems?

I posted our experiences being on the of the first two residents into LV here http://www.talkirvine.com/index.php?topic=2033.msg27352#msg27352  - but also realized that may have been buried in that other thread.

As I write this, I am sitting in my living room downstairs with my back to the windows directly facing the toll road berm.  Until I started reading this thread, I really hadn't noticed any noise, but now of course I can hear every car that drives by . . . funny how that works.

As I mentioned, I'm not going to lie and say it doesn't make noise, but at no point has it really bothered me either.  The noise is very much confined to the peak driving time -- the morning can be loud with Waste Management trucks, but it's not the 405.  Again, other factors played a big part in our choosing one of these lots.  I can't speak for pollution.  We live in Orange County so I assume we're all contaminated!

Believe it or not, none of the 133 noise compares with the constant jackhammering across the street from our neighbors' landscaping work.  I hope they're putting in something cool.

Like a pool and spa with a slide? 

 

[MovingOnUp]

Has anyone moved in yet? How is the toll road noise?

I am also curious on the toll road noise.  Also, any pollution problems?

I posted our experiences being on the of the first two residents into LV here http://www.talkirvine.com/index.php?topic=2033.msg27352#msg27352  - but also realized that may have been buried in that other thread.

As I write this, I am sitting in my living room downstairs with my back to the windows directly facing the toll road berm.  Until I started reading this thread, I really hadn't noticed any noise, but now of course I can hear every car that drives by . . . funny how that works.

As I mentioned, I'm not going to lie and say it doesn't make noise, but at no point has it really bothered me either.  The noise is very much confined to the peak driving time -- the morning can be loud with Waste Management trucks, but it's not the 405.  Again, other factors played a big part in our choosing one of these lots.  I can't speak for pollution.  We live in Orange County so I assume we're all contaminated!

Believe it or not, none of the 133 noise compares with the constant jackhammering across the street from our neighbors' landscaping work.  I hope they're putting in something cool.

Hey, I think I know you. Weren't you the ground crew on an air force aircraft carrier?

 

[irvinehomeowner]

I posted our experiences being on the of the first two residents into LV here http://www.talkirvine.com/index.php?topic=2033.msg27352#msg27352  - but also realized that may have been buried in that other thread.

I actually found your post and another's after I posted that question (and I was in that thread).

Thanks for the responses. We spent most of our time outside and considering it wasn't that bad... I imagine indoors is better... especially farther away.

Enjoy your home... and just turn up the TV.

 

[usctrojancpa]

Just an FYI out to anyone who is or might be interested in buying a home over at Las Ventanas.  Based upon the experience that a handful of my buyers experienced with the Taylor Morrison in-house lender, I would consider going with an outside lender.  They have a great sales staff but their in-house leaves a lot to be desired.  I won't go into specifics on here (although some of my buyers might do so) but can go over the specifics from my point of view via PM.

 

[ducky]

Thanks for the update USC.  Does anyone know how well LV is selling these days?  My wife wants to check them out again this week.  I know they were offering incentives for homes built but not yet sold.  Is this still the case? 

 

[fishfinder333]

Haven't been back in a while. Anybody know what phase lv is currently in?

 

[plugnplay]

Has anybody completed their landscaping in LV? Do you mind sharing what you did and the cost? Just trying to get an idea of how much we need to budget.

 

[usctrojancpa]

Has anybody completed their landscaping in LV? Do you mind sharing what you did and the cost? Just trying to get an idea of how much we need to budget.

One of my buyers who closed back in December mentioned to me that he might be talking to the other owners about potentially uniting together and finding a landscape company that will provide a group buy discount.  I can pass along his contact info if you are interested in participating. 

 

[usctrojancpa]

Thanks for the update USC.  Does anyone know how well LV is selling these days?  My wife wants to check them out again this week.  I know they were offering incentives for homes built but not yet sold.  Is this still the case? 

That is correct, you can negotiate to get more credits on homes that are either pretty far along in construction or ones that have already been built.  Here's a picture of current status of the sales from this past weekend.  Looks like there are only 4 homes now left from the early phases. 

 

[usctrojancpa]

Haven't been back in a while. Anybody know what phase lv is currently in?

They are on Phase 7....lots 19-21 and lots 67-69.

Btw, the crappy lender guy that they have has been replaced last month.  So hopefully the lender side of TM will be a much better experience.