Las Ventanas Plans 2+3 vs. Maricopa Plans 1+2

[irvinehomeowner]

Welcome to TI eqly... glad you moved from lurker to poster.

Personally, I love corner lots, that means at least one side is "free" and you could have additional parking for guests.

I think it depends on what type of premium IP puts on it but I do think if it's not too large, it's worth it. Your lot is usually bigger and you have "some" privacy on one side. Plus, if you ever resell, you have one more bullet item on your property description... "corner lot location".

 

[usctrojancpa]

Welcome to TI eqly... glad you moved from lurker to poster.

Personally, I love corner lots, that means at least one side is "free" and you could have additional parking for guests.

I think it depends on what type of premium IP puts on it but I do think if it's not too large, it's worth it. Your lot is usually bigger and you have "some" privacy on one side. Plus, if you ever resell, you have one more bullet item on your property description... "corner lot location".

Unless he lists it with Mike Dunn...then it'll say...."best location in the universe."  haha

 

[ps99472]

We were finally able to tour the models today.  First, we were told by sales that we can't take pics, so apologize to all for the lack of over-sized, badly cropped pictures.  We toured both plan 2 and 3, and skipped plan 1 to keep our memories fresh.  133 is like the elephant in the room, impossible to ignore.  My wife is worried about cars careening off the freeway and smashing into the house.  I showed her the little access road between the freeway and the house.  So the chance of that happening is unlikely (the road is lower then the wall of the house).  But if somehow the car hits a ramp and launches off the freeway.....

Upon entry into Plan 3 model, you arrive abruptly in the Great Room.  Now I finally appreciate the inefficient long hallway entry found in Sonoma and Maricopa.  Make a U-turn and you're in the cramped, standard downstairs bedroom.  The shower is pretty big for a downstairs 3/4 bath.  There is no coat closet.  The Great Room has a fireplace and a built in unit.  Made the room looked more cramped, glad it's an option for the fire place.  The TV was placed above the fire place in the corner facing the other corner.  This is my least favorite layout for a TV wall, and it made the small Great Room, even smaller.  The kitchen has an over-sized island and faces the opposite wall instead of into the Great Room.  The Dining room is between them and you could probably fit a nice circular table between, to break up the sharp corners.  Plenty of windows in the Dining and Kitchen area, the desk is standard.  The island is too big for the kitchen though in my opinion.  Do like the garage entry through the kitchen. 

Going upstairs, the hallway leading to Bedrooms 2 and 3 is spacious.  The rooms themselves feel cramped like the downstairs bedroom.  One has a walk-in closet, which is nice.  The deal breaker for me here is the Master Bedroom.  Even with no furniture, it felt small.  A California King would be out of the question here.  Master Bathroom has the enclosed shower that IHO likes (I see what you mean, spa-like).  Most of the room entries are circular cut, which I thought was a nice touch and never seen in other new Irvine homes.  The loft and tech space works well.  A 5th bedroom there would make the tech space really cramped.  Nothing special about the laundry (they have the overflow basin, only about 4 inches high!). 

Plan 3 is "efficient" but too cramped for me.  The main problems I have are the M. Bedroom being too small and the corner to corner TV placement.  Walking right into the Great Room is a little weird for me as well. 

On to plan 2, similar entry as plan 3, U-turn to downstairs bedroom.  Still pretty small.  Has coat closet, downstairs 3/4 bath is smaller, especially the shower since its below the stairs so the ceiling is lower.  I would feel claustrophobic showering in there.  Great Room has potential, media niche is flush alongside one wall, forget the fireplace, a built-in unit here would be fantastic.  The Kitchen island faces the Great Room which is a plus.  Desk in the Dining Room is a distraction.  Double french/patio doors at Kitchen/Dining area brings in lots of light and makes the room bigger.

Upstairs, linen closet at top of stairs is interesting, but it is across from the laundry room.  Laundry room is huge, seems a waste to me, plenty of storage though.  Bedrooms 2 and 3, nothing stood out, except being small.  Master Bedroom feels cramped again, despite no furniture.  Media niche is not necessary in the Master, maybe they could've pulled back the doors and made the room bigger without the niche.  Master bath has a humongous shower, enclosed but what is that extra space for?  Tag team showering? 

Plan 2 has a nicer entry but lacks a loft upstairs which is wasted in the laundry room.  Both plans are on lots around 4000? sq. ft.  It does have a sloped yard which is wasted space.  The 3000 sq ft lots would feel even more cramped.  After visiting the models I can see why these go for $300/sq ft.  I hate to be harsh, but I don't see my family living here. 

 

[ps99472]

Ah, if you don't mind, could you ask Maricopa about phase 2 release and move-in date?

Stopped by Maricopa after LV, sales says nothing confirmed yet on phase 2 but should be soon.  Phase 1 has 3 homes remaining, I believe two plan 3's and one plan 2.  The models are unavailable, work crew putting in all the designer stuff.  They'll probably display their "phase 1 sold out before grand opening" banner soon. 

 

[irvinehomeowner]

So not so good review from my cash suitcase brother.

The small master is sad for us... we have an Eastern King (I actually find Cal Kings less useful) and big furniture so we need space.

Like I've said before from the floorplans, I didn't like the 1st floor of Plan 3 and I guess you confirmed it. I didn't even notice there was no coat closet until you mentioned it, weird.

I guess we'll wait until the models are officially open but I appreciated the detailed description.

 

[irvinehomeowner]

So, ps9, what's the verdict?

Seems like you're still leaning towards Maricopa.

Now that you've seen both models, can you compare and contrast?

 

[ps99472]

We might go back to a wait and see mode.  With the recent pricing reductions by TayMo and NewHomeCo, I think IrvPac has some adjustments to do.  Besides that, a short sale just killed the comps in my area, so I can't sell my home now. 

LV called me the next day after the model tour, and I declined to purchase in the first phase.  I cited the proximity to the freeway as the main reason.  We'll probably wait for the later phases to even consider LV.  Maricopa seems overpriced, plan 2 $870K for a 3 bed and den..  Not satisfied with that.  We'll see what IrvPac does with the phase 2 release.  Hopefully they'll realize they need to come down in price.  I'll definitely be there for the grand opening, expecting nothing less than Korean taco truck...  Those LV cookies are pretty disgusting..

 

[irvinehomeowner]

Maricopa seems overpriced, plan 2 $870K for a 3 bed and den.. 

'Is' or 'is not'... there is no 'seems'.

I'm waiting to see what Altura is up to and if any more QH inventory shows up. In the past 2 years I've only seen one floorplan that was reasonably priced. I still think resale inventory in Irvine is pretty low.

 

[akim997]

We might go back to a wait and see mode.  With the recent pricing reductions by TayMo and NewHomeCo, I think IrvPac has some adjustments to do.  Besides that, a short sale just killed the comps in my area, so I can't sell my home now. 

LV called me the next day after the model tour, and I declined to purchase in the first phase.  I cited the proximity to the freeway as the main reason.  We'll probably wait for the later phases to even consider LV.  Maricopa seems overpriced, plan 2 $870K for a 3 bed and den..  Not satisfied with that.  We'll see what IrvPac does with the phase 2 release.  Hopefully they'll realize they need to come down in price.  I'll definitely be there for the grand opening, expecting nothing less than Korean taco truck...  Those LV cookies are pretty disgusting..

As someone who was debating selling/keeping his current home and buying, just make sure you can qualify for the mortgage if you still own your current.  If you have to sell to buy, you better sell it sooner than later.    I'm running into a bunch of issues on my loan right now.  Fannie and Freddie are making it REALLY difficult for current homeowners to purchase new homes unless they sell their old one.  Yes, I will keep my home and rent it out.  What?  You want evidence that someone has been renting it out?  Uh.. DUH... I live there now... what?  You need a new executed lease agreement and evidence of security deposit?  I just told you, I live there.   

 

[usctrojancpa]

We might go back to a wait and see mode.  With the recent pricing reductions by TayMo and NewHomeCo, I think IrvPac has some adjustments to do.  Besides that, a short sale just killed the comps in my area, so I can't sell my home now. 

LV called me the next day after the model tour, and I declined to purchase in the first phase.  I cited the proximity to the freeway as the main reason.  We'll probably wait for the later phases to even consider LV.  Maricopa seems overpriced, plan 2 $870K for a 3 bed and den..  Not satisfied with that.  We'll see what IrvPac does with the phase 2 release.  Hopefully they'll realize they need to come down in price.  I'll definitely be there for the grand opening, expecting nothing less than Korean taco truck...  Those LV cookies are pretty disgusting..

As someone who was debating selling/keeping his current home and buying, just make sure you can qualify for the mortgage if you still own your current.  If you have to sell to buy, you better sell it sooner than later.    I'm running into a bunch of issues on my loan right now.  Fannie and Freddie are making it REALLY difficult for current homeowners to purchase new homes unless they sell their old one.  Yes, I will keep my home and rent it out.  What?  You want evidence that someone has been renting it out?  Uh.. DUH... I live there now... what?  You need a new executed lease agreement and evidence of security deposit?  I just told you, I live there.   

Is your loan-to-value less than or equal to 70%?  One of my buyers went through the same thing when he moved from him condo to the home that he purchased.  I'll have to ask him what he ended up having to do.  You might have to get a "phantom" lease signed from somebody that you know and trust to get the deal done.

 

[irvinerealtor]

You might have to get a "phantom" lease signed from somebody that you know and trust to get the deal done.

Is that really your advice? Really?

How much "other people's money" are you going to spend before you give your license back?

 

[qwerty]

You might have to get a "phantom" lease signed from somebody that you know and trust to get the deal done.

Is that really your advice? Really?

How much "other people's money" are you going to spend before you give your license back?

IR - why the hatred towards USCTrojan?  Maybe im biased cause he is my friend and realtor but i can vouch for him being a stand up guy. You continuously take these shots at the guy. 

 

[akim997]

well, it may not be "right"... but i've been advised by multiple banks to do it.    this world is not in black and white anymore.. the fact that we have a lot of idiots running our country necessitates the need for this...

underwriting standards are ridiculous...  appraisers are idiots.  i should have 70% ltv in my house, but the idiot appraiser ran comps against my 3BR, 2.5BA townhome against 2BR condos that sold for significantly less.  Basically pricing my condo at 2002 irvine prices...    he's pricing it $60K less than what comps are going for now.  duh....  so basically they dont even want to credit any rent against my mortgage because of that. 

Further, I had a one year sch C item that caused a loss.  not filing a sch C this year, but they said, because its there we count it against your income even though it doesnt affect you anymore.  along the same lines, i had a large bonus in that same year, but it was less another year, but they dont give you credit for the large bonus...  the way underwriting works is so robotic, that underwriters should get paid less than migrant workers...  they are a bunch of idiots.  if any one of them would wake up and smell the coffee and actually do their job to examine true facts and circumstances, actual qualified buyers could get a house. 

the wife and i do well, have excellent credit, have no consumer debt outside student loans, and have 25% to put down on a home... yet...  we are having a lot of trouble on the loan.  It makes me think its a sign that i should bow out and wait.  If capital is this hard to come by, and only cash borrowers get any deals.......

 

[rickr]

You might have to get a "phantom" lease signed from somebody that you know and trust to get the deal done.

Is that really your advice? Really?

How much "other people's money" are you going to spend before you give your license back?

Seriously you need to lay off. USCTrojan is being a hell of a lot more classier than you are and ignoring your hatred remarks. He might not be saying anything but his friends and clients will not take your BS.

 

[irvinerealtor]

You might have to get a "phantom" lease signed from somebody that you know and trust to get the deal done.

Is that really your advice? Really?

How much "other people's money" are you going to spend before you give your license back?

IR - why the hatred towards USCTrojan?  Maybe im biased cause he is my friend and realtor but i can vouch for him being a stand up guy. You continuously take these shots at the guy. 

No hatred.  I admit that it's very hard not to like the guy. I helped and loaned him equipment when he had none of his own in selling his mother's home in QH. I sat and went through the contract with him sitting at back of the IHB meetup at Cantaloop way back in the day. And if you take a real look, it's been others "taking shots" at him, and generally not me, except when having to correct misinformation. That's what has been eating too much of my time up lately.

I've been having to do some more of that lately because it affects me when I have to correct it with people that I work with that read here.

The things that I do dislike are the dishonesty that we've had dealings with, and the lack of ethics that he's displayed in previous dealings.

Specifically:
- attempting to illegally take a private HOA key from one of my listings.
- sharing private information that put my client's family at risk, after it had been specifically requested that it be kept private.
- seeking/receiving "kickbacks" from secondary service providers in exchange for referring them, without disclosure to clients.
- direct lies (needlessly). My questions were simple: "Are your clients currently in escrow?" or "As an expert, how many short sales have you closed?"
- "altered" document submittal on offers
You can ask him directly about all of these items.

I acknowledge that there have been many instances where it has worked out well for people that have worked with him. I hope that you are one of them and wish you the best. But as I've written before, integrity is not a "sometimes" thing.

The suggestion that someone create a false lease agreement to qualify for a loan is just icing on the cake. If you don't see the ethical issues here, I don't know what else to say.

We're all human, and we all screw up from time to time. Myself included. But you've got to draw the line somewhere.

-IR2

 

[usctrojancpa]

You might have to get a "phantom" lease signed from somebody that you know and trust to get the deal done.

Is that really your advice? Really?

How much "other people's money" are you going to spend before you give your license back?

IR - why the hatred towards USCTrojan?  Maybe im biased cause he is my friend and realtor but i can vouch for him being a stand up guy. You continuously take these shots at the guy. 

No hatred.  I admit that it's very hard not to like the guy. I helped and loaned him equipment when he had none of his own in selling his mother's home in QH. I sat and went through the contract with him sitting at back of the IHB meetup at Cantaloop way back in the day. And if you take a real look, it's been others "taking shots" at him, and generally not me, except when having to correct misinformation. That's what has been eating too much of my time up lately.

I've been having to do some more of that lately because it affects me when I have to correct it with people that I work with that read here.

The things that I do dislike are the dishonesty that we've had dealings with, and the lack of ethics that he's displayed in previous dealings.

Specifically:
- attempting to illegally take a private HOA key from one of my listings.
- sharing private information that put my client's family at risk, after it had been specifically requested that it be kept private.
- seeking/receiving "kickbacks" from secondary service providers in exchange for referring them, without disclosure to clients.
- direct lies (needlessly). My questions were simple: "Are your clients currently in escrow?" or "As an expert, how many short sales have you closed?"
- "altered" document submittal on offers
You can ask him directly about all of these items.

I acknowledge that there have been many instances where it has worked out well for people that have worked with him. I hope that you are one of them and wish you the best. But as I've written before, integrity is not a "sometimes" thing.

The suggestion that someone create a false lease agreement to qualify for a loan is just icing on the cake. If you don't see the ethical issues here, I don't know what else to say.

We're all human, and we all screw up from time to time. Myself included. But you've got to draw the line somewhere.

-IR2

I will only respond because I won't allow you to portray me as some unethnical fly by night realtor.  For my condo that I sold, you lent me your lockbock and gave me some advice when the seller had asked me to occupy my condo prior to closing.  As you the other allegations, let's clear the air....

- attempting to illegally take a private HOA key from one of my listings. - This is a lie...I never attempted to take any HOA key (I asked the occupant of your listing if he would be willing to sell my client the key because they asked if I could ask him).

- sharing private information that put my client's family at risk, after it had been specifically requested that it be kept private. -  A little exaggeration here....I passed along the occupant's e-mail over to my client because they had a few questions about the neighbor).

- seeking/receiving "kickbacks" from secondary service providers in exchange for referring them, without disclosure to clients. - I have never received any kickbacks from any service providers that I refer over to my clients, I refer the providers to them because they provide a good service at a competitive price.

- direct lies (needlessly). My questions were simple: "Are your clients currently in escrow?" or "As an expert, how many short sales have you closed?"  -  Honestly, it wasn't your business to know whether they were in escrow or not.

- "altered" document submittal on offers - Jumped the gun a bit on two instances and cleared thing up shortly after

As I always say, I let my clients do all the talking for me.  Does my success really bother you?  I have never once said anything negative about you and yet you keep doing it to me.  And I'll leave off by saying...."Let he who is without sin cast the first stone"

 

[usctrojancpa]

You might have to get a "phantom" lease signed from somebody that you know and trust to get the deal done.

Is that really your advice? Really?

How much "other people's money" are you going to spend before you give your license back?

Just passsing on what my client's LENDER told him to do.  As mentioned before, not everything is black and white in this world....the lending and real estate are definitely two industries that aren't.

 

[irvinerealtor]

Just passsing on what my client's LENDER told him to do.  As mentioned before, not everything is black and white in this world....the lending and real estate are definitely two industries that aren't.

Agreed. It's just fair to clarify on which side either of us (and apparently our trusted resources) stand when the tough choices come out.  ;D

 

[usctrojancpa]

Just passsing on what my client's LENDER told him to do.  As mentioned before, not everything is black and white in this world....the lending and real estate are definitely two industries that aren't.

Agreed. It's just fair to clarify on which side either of us (and apparently our trusted resources) stand when the tough choices come out.  ;D

I'm not going to lie, if I have to massage and/or bend a few rules for the benefit of my clients I will do so because I represent them zealously, to be the best of my abilities. 

 

[irvinerealtor]

Just passsing on what my client's LENDER told him to do.  As mentioned before, not everything is black and white in this world....the lending and real estate are definitely two industries that aren't.

Agreed. It's just fair to clarify on which side either of us (and apparently our trusted resources) stand when the tough choices come out.  ;D

I'm not going to lie, if I have to massage and/or bend a few rules for the benefit of my clients I will do so because I represent them zealously, to be the best of my abilities. 

Therein lies the problem... I hope that in time you will come to the realization on your own that doing the right thing IS in the best interest of your clients, whether they know it or not.  You have that responsibility as a trusted source.