Sevilla at Portola Springs

[villiagepeople]

Somehow I think Las Ventanas has to start at $700k.

If it starts at mid $600k, it's going to cannibalize the Plan 3s of all these detached condo units at PS.

in the general portola springs marketing brochure i picked up yesterday, it had las ventanas at mid 600's... it listed 6 other projects and the prices are accurate... only thing is primrose is listed as "low 500's"  while sevilla is listed as "mid 500's"... 529900 vs 531990... so maybe las ventanas will start at $669,990.

 

[blitzjs]

Plan 3 doesn't have an optional loft according to the book they gave us.  It has an optional den/powder instead of bath and bedroom 4 (downstairs).  Upstairs it has the tech space which I thought was too small to be useful, other than that I really liked plan 3, but its so close to the toll roads.  Decisions, decisions...

 

[irvinehomeowner]

If Las Ventanas does not have a 2nd sub HOA... even at $700k, the nominal cost should make people pause.

 

[akim997]

went there sat.  yes, 90% asian.  wife ran into several irvine high school classmates (proof that they can't stay away from irvine).  first, to save space, they nixed fire places.  we happen to like fireplaces.  plan 1 is no different than our current townhome, except kitchen is larger and has an island.  plan 2 was ok, but i like plan 3 the best.  downside is i dont know how i'd set up the "great room" (not really that great) and where i'd put my tv.  if i recall, they stuck tv on wall closest to entry.  wont work for anyone who has more than a tv (components, etc.).  other option is to seal off the room by a couch, which makes the space feel smaller.  i like the 2nd story tech space/mini loft.  overall, our assessment was we didnt find enough of an "upgrade" to move from our current 1500 sq ft townhome. 

 

[Condo TRAP]

I like these, but...

The toll roads are definitely audible and visible.  I did recon on these while they were under construction and the freeway noise is definitely greater from the second floor.

Go there after 5:15pm on a weekday and watch the cars take archway from the 133 to the 241.  It's similar to watching Nascar, but the cars are turning right as opposed to left. 

Pollution -- It's okay for sinks and dinks, but I personally would not want to raise kids there and have them live a life of carrying an asthma toolbox around.  Also, my puppy's liver will probably be working overtime filtering out the emissions and rubber particles so I'd have to consider that.  It is a toll road that isn't a heavily traveled arterial like the 5 and 405, however the freeways are above grade and the incline of the freeways require more engine load than that of a flat freeway.

There are positives about the development, but those are my negative (captain planet) attributes. 

 

[villiagepeople]

If Las Ventanas does not have a 2nd sub HOA... even at $700k, the nominal cost should make people pause.

i don't know if i agree with that... if you look at plan 2 of sevilla it's 2044 sqft @602k... 20% down 5% int. rate = $2585/mo for 30 yrs... las ventanas (if the brochure is correct) is 1866 sqft taking your assumption of 700k is $3006 that's a diff of  $421 if you subtract the sub hoa ($84) that means las venanas would still be $337 more... would you pay $337 a month more for 30 years just cause it's zoned a sfr?  (other assumptions, a poster said 1st phase has a full drive way and i'm assuming interior upgrades are similar)

 

[irvinehomeowner]

Yes... even $337 month for an SFR vs a detached condo could make some people *pause*. If Las Ventanas were at mid $600k, that could make them STOP.

Montecito sells over Santa Cruz and Santa Cruz doesn't even have a sub-HOA. There are other differences of course with location being number one... but that's the point, with Sevilla and LV being close to each other... I would probably take LV at $700k over Sevilla Plan 3 at $615k or $660k. But I would have to see them to be sure.

And there is still some other math that might be a factor... you can't deduct HOAs.

 

[iacrenter]

If Las Ventanas does not have a 2nd sub HOA... even at $700k, the nominal cost should make people pause.

would you pay $337 a month more for 30 years just cause it's zoned a sfr?  (other asumptions, a poster said 1st phase has a full drive way and i'm assuming interior upgrades are similar)

I don't care about zoning designation but would certainly pay that and more for not living off a motor court (even with a driveway).

 

[villiagepeople]

If Las Ventanas does not have a 2nd sub HOA... even at $700k, the nominal cost should make people pause.

would you pay $337 a month more for 30 years just cause it's zoned a sfr?  (other asumptions, a poster said 1st phase has a full drive way and i'm assuming interior upgrades are similar)

I don't care about zoning designation but would certainly pay that and more for not living off a motor court (even with a driveway).

thanks for your input irvinehomeowner and icrenter... that's a real i opener... i really need to take this into consideration now...

 

[irvinehomeowner]

@villagepeople (YMCA!!):

Just remember that each decision is personal and what some of us may prefer... others may not.

I actually think we are going to wait to see what Laguna Altura has to offer. While very tempted by Las Ventanas, we really like the location of Laguna Altura (405/133) and since Quail Hill is still stubborn in pricing... we have to hope TIC isn't going to be too greedy.

 

[iacrenter]

If Las Ventanas does not have a 2nd sub HOA... even at $700k, the nominal cost should make people pause.

would you pay $337 a month more for 30 years just cause it's zoned a sfr?  (other asumptions, a poster said 1st phase has a full drive way and i'm assuming interior upgrades are similar)

I don't care about zoning designation but would certainly pay that and more for not living off a motor court (even with a driveway).

thanks for your input irvinehomeowner and icrenter... that's a real i opener... i really need to take this into consideration now...

Villagepeople,

I agree with IHO as well. These are just personal opinions and take all these posts with a large grain of salt.

TIC and its builders are offering a compelling package especially on a price per sq ft basis. New construction always looks attractive. The big caveats are: higher monthly costs due to HOA/MR, small lots, and lack of traditional SFR setup (unless you spend North of $800K). Purchasing any home, new or resale, involves personal choices and individual circumstances. For several on TI, the the benefits of new TIC construction outweighed the risks. Good luck with your home search!

 

[IndieDev]

Sevilla may be the best value offered by TIC in recent memory. Still, the monthly outlay for even their smallest 1CR models is still laughable.

 

[warwickhunt]

Hi everyone.  Portola Springs is a great place to buy a home, and best of all, the lots seem to be very large.  I'm a design principal with Studio H Landscape Architecture, and we recently finished some work in the Portola Springs community.  We understand that budgeting for your landscape installation is a big part of buying a home,  and of course, ultimately you will be landscaping the lot.  We would love to offer some preliminary design ideas and budgeting free of charge to anyone that is interested.  We also work with some landcape contractors that have very competitive pricing as well as some pretty cool web calculators on our website, which are still in development, but you're welcome to play around with them.  I'd really love to get some feed back on what you think so far.  http://www.studioh-inc.com/landscape-construction-costs-estimator/  , we believe this could be a very helpful tool to future buyers.  Best of luck with your new home and we hope to hear from you!

 

[home2irvine]

Just stopped by.  Looks like the first phase homes had full size driveways.  Other than the first phase, only the last phase will have a few homes with full size driveways.

Prices were -

Res1 - 531900-567490
Res2 - 601990
Res3 - 609840-659840

Actually not all first phase homes had full driveways. Only three of them did (homesites 41, 42 and 43). You had to be pre-qualified to have a shot at one of these. It looks like they sold out the first phase in one day. They will probably release phase two in the next week or so.

 

[home2irvine]

Here is the whole plan

Phase1

Interior/Exterior Pics of Plan3 Early California

 

[irvinehomeowner]

Great pics.... these look more like SFRs than detached condos... and it's nice to see Van Daele switch up their floor plans rather than recycling the Santa Cruz ones (although I think I prefer some of the Santa Cruz ones over these).

So did the sales people say these are detached condos... or detached "single family homes"?

 

[home2irvine]

Great pics.... these look more like SFRs than detached condos... and it's nice to see Van Daele switch up their floor plans rather than recycling the Santa Cruz ones (although I think I prefer some of the Santa Cruz ones over these).

So did the sales people say these are detached condos... or detached "single family homes"?

I agree that Santa Cruz has nice floor plans, but their entry price point is quite a bit higher.

They are calling them single family detached condominium, though I don't think that designation applies to the three with full driveways. Which begs the questions how will they be insured? SFR or Condo?

 

[villiagepeople]

So did the sales people say these are detached condos... or detached "single family homes"?

i asked her specifically if they were all zoned condos or sfr... she said "detached condos".

 

[test]

Prickly Pear?

Good luck with the resale on that one!

 

[rickr]

I heard your new address is 3 Inch Dick. 

Nope, I paid the extra $100k to buy the place across the street at 8 Inch.

A new thread needs to be created to help TIC with future street names in Stonegate.

I will start of with my recommandations.

1- Dirty Sanchez
2- Rusty Trombone
3- Chili Dog