Motor Court Homes

[Irvinecommuter]

Stonegate does not have any of the glaring weaknesses as other villages (super close proximity to landfill/freeway, toxic soil, not so great schools) but the topography is boring and the density is quite high.

i still dont understand how Portola is trashed by virtue of being the closest to the landfil, when from a practical perspective, Stonegate is what .3 miles farther, with woodbury a close second at .5 miles, if that, from the landfill? does that .3-.5 miles really provide that peace of mind?

I don't really like Portola because it is way way too far from the 5 and too close to the hills.

 

[The Motor Court Company]

agree. it is more psychological effects but apparently home buying a lot of it is psychology and emotion.
Irvine High has the lowest API but in absolute terms it is not that bad, but Asian buyers still flock away from it

Stonegate does not have any of the glaring weaknesses as other villages (super close proximity to landfill/freeway, toxic soil, not so great schools) but the topography is boring and the density is quite high.

i still dont understand how Portola is trashed by virtue of being the closest to the landfil, when from a practical perspective, Stonegate is what .3 miles farther, with woodbury a close second at .5 miles, if that, from the landfill? does that .3-.5 miles really provide that peace of mind?

 

[usctrojancpa]

Stonegate does not have any of the glaring weaknesses as other villages (super close proximity to landfill/freeway, toxic soil, not so great schools) but the topography is boring and the density is quite high.

i still dont understand how Portola is trashed by virtue of being the closest to the landfil, when from a practical perspective, Stonegate is what .3 miles farther, with woodbury a close second at .5 miles, if that, from the landfill? does that .3-.5 miles really provide that peace of mind?

I don't really like Portola because it is way way too far from the 5 and too close to the hills.

Always takes me all of an extra 2-3 minutes to get to the 5 from Portola versus from Stonegate (that assumes I catch a red light at Portola/San Canyon).

 

[qwerty]

agree. it is more psychological effects but apparently home buying a lot of it is psychology and emotion.
Irvine High has the lowest API but in absolute terms it is not that bad, but Asian buyers still flock away from it

Stonegate does not have any of the glaring weaknesses as other villages (super close proximity to landfill/freeway, toxic soil, not so great schools) but the topography is boring and the density is quite high.

i still dont understand how Portola is trashed by virtue of being the closest to the landfil, when from a practical perspective, Stonegate is what .3 miles farther, with woodbury a close second at .5 miles, if that, from the landfill? does that .3-.5 miles really provide that peace of mind?

yeah i agree. if anything the visual of the 133/241 as well as being bordered by Portola would seem like more of an issue for las ventanas at least since those are right smack in your face.

 

[test]

You never see Ferraris parked on a driveway, always a motor court.

 

[jmoney74]

Ah.. this is where it all started.  IC's compromise to buy a home with no drive way and tiny yard space. 

 

[iacrenter]

You never see Ferraris parked on a driveway, always a motor court.

People who own a Ferrari in Irvine don't share a motor court with 3-5 of their closest neighbors. They buy their own court.http://www.redfin.com/CA/Irvine/50-Blue-Heron-92603/home/5899629

 

[irvinehomeshopper]

From .3 to .5 miles means another 10,000 homes further away.

Stonegate does not have any of the glaring weaknesses as other villages (super close proximity to landfill/freeway, toxic soil, not so great schools) but the topography is boring and the density is quite high.

i still dont understand how Portola is trashed by virtue of being the closest to the landfil, when from a practical perspective, Stonegate is what .3 miles farther, with woodbury a close second at .5 miles, if that, from the landfill? does that .3-.5 miles really provide that peace of mind?

 

[viobruin]

What does everyone think the future of the motor court home is in Irvine? I'm looking to buy in the next few months, but it seems that, even in the $800k range, I'm going to have to settle for a motor court home if I choose to buy new. Something about that doesn't sit well with me. I can accept that you have to sacrifice some things in order to get a more "reasonably" priced home - i.e., $500k, $600k, low $700k. But $800k and still having a motor court seems a bit extreme.

I'm not fundamentally opposed to a motor court as I do not think it will have that big of an impact on my daily life. I am, however, concerned about resale value down the road. If $800k and a motor court is the new normal and will forever be, then I guess it shouldn't impact resale value too much (but please correct me if I'm mistaken). But if the market is going to change and builders will start offering homes with driveways again at a reasonable price, I'd rather hold off. Thoughts?

 

[lnc]

If $800k and a motor court is the new normal and will forever be

I guess the motor court home is the new black.

With the high price of land and strong housing demand for homes under $800k, you can continue to count on motor court home being popular. 

For resale concern, one should always pick detached product over attached if budget allows.  Just from my observation, these detached motor court homes in Irvine holds value just as well as tradition SFR home. 

 

[notTHEoc]

Magnolia in CV were motor courts over $1mil+ and I think they sold well. $1mil+ is price for a driveway in new so dont think there would be too much of a resale concern at $800k.

 

[irvinehomeowner]

I think before you look at what the resale value will be down the road, how about your own valuation?

Do you mind not having a driveway? Do you have to buy new?

Personally, I wouldn't buy a motorcourt home... esp without a driveway for $800k. Back during the 2010 Collection, when those Woodbury homes with driveways and motorcourts were in the $700s, I just couldn't justify fact that you didn't have a real street.

But most people who have bought those kind of homes can live with them and even tout the advantages of a motorcourt... and there are even mid $1m homes selling in Orchard hills that have a motorcourt setup.

So really, I think it's your personal tolerance... you should think more about yourself first than a future buyer.

 

[qwerty]

there are buyers at every price point. plenty of buyers out there that cant shell out $1M+ for a driveway and therefore will have to settle for motorcourt to be close to jobs and good schools.  the jobs arent going anywhere and with more and more asians everyday the schools arent going to get worse. buying any product in irvine in terms of appreciation/holding value is probably a good decision.

 

[aquabliss]

I've lived in Irvine homes in both an alleyway setup (not exactly like a motor court but very close), and one with its own driveway. 

I think it's quite a lottery with a motorcourt or alley, it totally depends who your neighbors are.  In my situation I had one neighbor who smoked in the alley (adjacent) and another one who played loud music with the windows open (across the alley).  Both of these affected me inside my home.  If my windows were open I could hear the music and smell the smoke.  If my windows were closed I could still hear the music thumping.

I got to the point where I just couldn't take it anymore and had to move out.  For me having the separation and my own driveway made a world of difference.

If your neighbors aren't nosy or annoying a detached motorcourt product is probably just fine, but it's a lottery I didn't feel like playing my hard earned money with again.

 

[bones]

I've lived in Irvine homes in both an alleyway setup (not exactly like a motor court but very close), and one with its own driveway. 

I think it's quite a lottery with a motorcourt or alley, it totally depends who your neighbors are.  In my situation I had one neighbor who smoked in the alley (adjacent) and another one who played loud music with the windows open (across the alley).  Both of these affected me inside my home.  If my windows were open I could hear the music and smell the smoke.  If my windows were closed I could still hear the music thumping.

I got to the point where I just couldn't take it anymore and had to move out.  For me having the separation and my own driveway made a world of difference.

If your neighbors aren't nosy or annoying a detached motorcourt product is probably just fine, but it's a lottery I didn't feel like playing my hard earned money with again.

If you have a backyard neighbor (either directly behind you or one next to you) that smokes or listens to loud music, you can be affected too.  Even if you have a driveway, some of these houses are so close together, you don't really get the separation you need to not have smoking/music issues bother you.  I think from a motor court standpoint, the issue that stands out most to me with regards to bad neighbors would be ones that consistently park IN the motorcourt or treated the motor court as their own personal driveway. 

 

[test]

I've lived in Irvine homes in both an alleyway setup (not exactly like a motor court but very close), and one with its own driveway. 

I think it's quite a lottery with a motorcourt or alley, it totally depends who your neighbors are.  In my situation I had one neighbor who smoked in the alley (adjacent) and another one who played loud music with the windows open (across the alley).  Both of these affected me inside my home.  If my windows were open I could hear the music and smell the smoke.  If my windows were closed I could still hear the music thumping.

I got to the point where I just couldn't take it anymore and had to move out.  For me having the separation and my own driveway made a world of difference.

If your neighbors aren't nosy or annoying a detached motorcourt product is probably just fine, but it's a lottery I didn't feel like playing my hard earned money with again.

If you have a backyard neighbor (either directly behind you or one next to you) that smokes or listens to loud music, you can be affected too.  Even if you have a driveway, some of these houses are so close together, you don't really get the separation you need to not have smoking/music issues bother you.  I think from a motor court standpoint, the issue that stands out most to me with regards to bad neighbors would be ones that consistently park IN the motorcourt or treated the motor court as their own personal driveway. 

You mean like this?

 

[The Motor Court Company]

due to shared driveway, majority of motor court homes will be classified as condos, regardless of size and price. How much does the driveway going to cost you? from $75k to $100k I believe?

If it were me, I rather buy a smaller size SFR with driveway than a bigger detached condo in a motor court, for the same price.

SFR holds value better than condo.

 

[aquabliss]

I've lived in Irvine homes in both an alleyway setup (not exactly like a motor court but very close), and one with its own driveway. 

I think it's quite a lottery with a motorcourt or alley, it totally depends who your neighbors are.  In my situation I had one neighbor who smoked in the alley (adjacent) and another one who played loud music with the windows open (across the alley).  Both of these affected me inside my home.  If my windows were open I could hear the music and smell the smoke.  If my windows were closed I could still hear the music thumping.

I got to the point where I just couldn't take it anymore and had to move out.  For me having the separation and my own driveway made a world of difference.

If your neighbors aren't nosy or annoying a detached motorcourt product is probably just fine, but it's a lottery I didn't feel like playing my hard earned money with again.

If you have a backyard neighbor (either directly behind you or one next to you) that smokes or listens to loud music, you can be affected too.  Even if you have a driveway, some of these houses are so close together, you don't really get the separation you need to not have smoking/music issues bother you.  I think from a motor court standpoint, the issue that stands out most to me with regards to bad neighbors would be ones that consistently park IN the motorcourt or treated the motor court as their own personal driveway. 

All the more reason to buy a SFR that does not have a neighbor behind.  But then you guys will say it's prime for thievery since it sits behind a park or a road or some nonsense.  All things considered, I'd prefer this option when available.

 

[irvinehomeowner]

I actually don't mind having a home that backs a street due to privacy as long as your above the street and it's not too busy.

But backing a freeway or major road... not so much.

I wouldn't want to back MagicQwerty either.

 

[viobruin]

Thanks for the feedback everyone. Still haven't decided whether to pull the trigger, but it generally sounds like as long as I can live with it day to day, it shouldn't be a burden to me in other ways - i.e., financially down the road.