Moving to OC (Orchard Hills?)

NEW -> Contingent Buyer Assistance Program
tiffarew said:
University Hills (for University of California employees) looks amazing.  The major issues are
-Up to a 2 year waiting list + mostly (granted not all) older homes
-Minimal appreciation

True, little appreciation, but worth it!

You should  call the housing office.  There are a few custom houses there that are owned by emeritus faculty, who may be looking to move.  Or faculty that have moved and are looking for buyers, but have a hard time getting new faculty to buy their more expensive houses than faculty salaries typically allow. They may need updating, but are pretty amazing.  And there is no way to know, as these are not generally listed.
 
The new homes are built by Cal Pac and remind me of every other new construction home in Irvine... the only difference is the price (50% off!)  The community center is also very nice.  They are building more and more and if you can get in, it's a steal.
 
WTTCHMN said:
The new homes are built by Cal Pac and remind me of every other new construction home in Irvine... the only difference is the price (50% off!)  The community center is also very nice.  They are building more and more and if you can get in, it's a steal.

50% off? That's quite a claim. Mind running some comps here with prices AND adjusting for the higher mello roos in Greenwood relative to non-Beacon Park Irvine options?
 
Perspective said:
WTTCHMN said:
The new homes are built by Cal Pac and remind me of every other new construction home in Irvine... the only difference is the price (50% off!)  The community center is also very nice.  They are building more and more and if you can get in, it's a steal.

50% off? That's quite a claim. Mind running some comps here with prices AND adjusting for the higher mello roos in Greenwood relative to non-Beacon Park Irvine options?

If you re-read the thread, I was referring to the post above me regarding UCI faculty housing at University Hills.  Yes, the homes are 50% off relative to elsewhere in Irvine.

Perspective, you're smoking some good shit.  Everything you post always boils down to how OH II is the best and everyone else sucks.... blah blah blah.  The sales office at Strada is even thinking of adopting you as a mascot.
 
WTTCHMN said:
Perspective said:
WTTCHMN said:
The new homes are built by Cal Pac and remind me of every other new construction home in Irvine... the only difference is the price (50% off!)  The community center is also very nice.  They are building more and more and if you can get in, it's a steal.

50% off? That's quite a claim. Mind running some comps here with prices AND adjusting for the higher mello roos in Greenwood relative to non-Beacon Park Irvine options?

If you re-read the thread, I was referring to the post above me regarding UCI faculty housing at University Hills.  Yes, the homes are 50% off relative to elsewhere in Irvine.

Perspective, you're smoking some good shit.  Everything you post always boils down to how OH II is the best and everyone else sucks.... blah blah blah.  The sales office at Strada is even thinking of adopting you as a mascot.

My mistake. I made no mention of OH nor Strada in this comment.
 
First time I saw University Hills with all the new construction, was so excited, wanted to go to the sales office, then came the realization it's not for the general public, doh!
 
Irvine or Bust said:
Perspective said:
Why do you like the gated feature of OH Village I? It's a nuisance living in a gated neighborhood. We've lived in three, and I've always hated waiting for gates to open at every entry and exit. I hated the trouble it causes guests. And it doesn't provide any greater security. Irvine apt complexes have gates, so it's not prestigious/exclusive.

All the cool kids are buying in OH Village II without gates and spending $200K+ less thereby diversifying their assets.  ;) Do you need a 3K+ sq ft house? i.e. Do you have more than two adults and/or more than two kids in your family?

I too am looking at OH gated community. Why are the cool kids buying in Village II? Do they have SFR? It looks like all they have are attached and detached condos. I drove by at night and they all seem to be around ~2K sqft? I'm looking for 4 bdrms, each with bath and a decent size loft for adult and kid separation, SFR perferred, and 3K sqft min so we can grown into the house and not feel cramped (family of 4).

I agree gates will not prevent people who really want to get in, but I saw a guard shack so I'm assuming theres a guard? That should deter some % of riff raffs drifting from other cities, no? Versus just a regular street that random people drive thru?

I think Strada is the only SFR outside the gates. I get why you think its a condo since the community is surrounded by condos. If you're looking for open floor plans at 3K sqft or more then I would go look in the gated side. It's got more of a SFR feel as well. But it will all come down to budget. Gated side is pretty expensive. And currently there is no guard. Not sure when they will staff, perhaps one of the gated residences can chime in.
 
In that price range, I'd go for Saviero, Vincenza or Amelia in OH ensuring that I got a good-sized lot (especially in the case of Saviero or Vincenza because the pool is not within easy walking distance).  The only problem with the Amelia's is that they're all inside perimeters so no view.  La Vita would be my ideal but they've practically gone and rightly so.  Those views ...
 
nyc to oc said:
Irvine or Bust said:
Perspective said:
Why do you like the gated feature of OH Village I? It's a nuisance living in a gated neighborhood. We've lived in three, and I've always hated waiting for gates to open at every entry and exit. I hated the trouble it causes guests. And it doesn't provide any greater security. Irvine apt complexes have gates, so it's not prestigious/exclusive.

All the cool kids are buying in OH Village II without gates and spending $200K+ less thereby diversifying their assets.  ;) Do you need a 3K+ sq ft house? i.e. Do you have more than two adults and/or more than two kids in your family?

I too am looking at OH gated community. Why are the cool kids buying in Village II? Do they have SFR? It looks like all they have are attached and detached condos. I drove by at night and they all seem to be around ~2K sqft? I'm looking for 4 bdrms, each with bath and a decent size loft for adult and kid separation, SFR perferred, and 3K sqft min so we can grown into the house and not feel cramped (family of 4).

I agree gates will not prevent people who really want to get in, but I saw a guard shack so I'm assuming theres a guard? That should deter some % of riff raffs drifting from other cities, no? Versus just a regular street that random people drive thru?

You will find that people tend to vociferously plug the communities where they themselves have bought or are buying. Its only human nature. I'm a little guilty of the same, since I'm buying in gated OH side. I don't care that much about gates personally,  but decided on Groves side, mainly to get the larger house and the larger yard which were available only on the gated side. Also, our hope  was that there would be fewer investment condo/rentals on the gated side, and a more stable long term owner population, since they are "move up" houses.

Geniue response, thanks. How big of a yard can I get for $1.5 (+/-$100K on the price)?
Regarding your comment on "move up" houses... Is that solely based on house size and price, or are you seeing alot of first time / investors outside the gates? After reading about these chinese buyers coming in and dumping their money into empty houses I would be worried about moving into a neighborhood that is vacant. what I've seen happen, those vaccant homes later become college crash pad rentals.
 
Depends on whether you want to stay at 1.5M all in, or starting as a base price. For new construction, I would factor probably at least 150-200K for upgrades either through the builder or after close of escrow, especially when you're talking 3K+ sq ft house--flooring, window treatments, closets, landscaping, driveways, etc etc, it all really adds up fast.



I think in general, there are more investors/rentals in areas with condos, as those are easier to find tenants than a renter for a 3000+ sq ft house. Whether that happens with investors directly buying new to rent out (plenty of that in Irvine) or first time buyers eventually moving up into their own SFR and then keeping their first condo to rent out.
 
Dresden215 said:
Per Keystone Pacific, it will be years until a guard is placed. All homes must be completed (Phase 2, 3, etc) before the gates are manned.

The HOA community FAQ page just says that "the master developer [TIC] has control of the entry facilities until development of the community has been completed and they have completed their sales and marketing programs. The HOA does not have staffing authority over the gates until build out of the community and the facilities have been conveyed to the HOA." However, this doesn't mean that the facilities won't be staffed before the buildout of the community.

I remember the first time I visited the model homes at Laguna Altura (also managed by Keystone Pacific) more than a year after the grand opening, the gate was manned, and the guard did not let me into the community because I had arrived after 5:00 PM. When I visited the next day at an earlier time, I had found that many of the streets had remained unbuilt. It seemed like less than half of the streets had been built out.

The point of this story is that TIC has been known to guard their gate facilities before the buildout of their communities, regardless of whether the staffing was authorized by TIC or by the HOA. Ideally, this should happen sooner than later. There really is no reason for TIC to not staff the gates themselves at this point in time; there are always 2-3 TIC-employed security vehicles driving throughout the community at night, might as well man the gates while they're at it.
 
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