The Retreat - Santa Ana New Homes

NEW -> Contingent Buyer Assistance Program
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SteveNocCA_IHB

New member
I am in the process of purchasing a house at the Shea Homes "The Retreat" project. I am a single guy with no children and plan on living in this home. I currently own a new house I purchased in Irvine in Woodbury. I purchased a Lennar home in the "Villa Rosa" project that I plan on renting out.



I was anxious to get any feedback about Shea Homes and/or The Retreat community.



Thanks!
 
I think you're a donkey for holding any real estate in this market, and I think you're even bigger donkey for buying at the retreat instead of across the river in Floral Park.



At least if you're upside down you can live in a nice neighborhood where the homes don't all look the same and people actually act like neighbors.



But that's just me.



If you want a tract home why not just stay in Irvine?
 
Vasily!

While I generally agree with you, buying in Floral park is a bit of a risk also. You're definitely buying a better product, but you might(probably) have to do some real work to your house to get it in shape. Who knows how much work those old homes need. AND really I agree with you, i'd just pick up something in Irvine and depreciate the house (if its underwater) and live in a small tiny place.

-bix
 
[quote author="SteveNocCA" date=1209450359]I am in the process of purchasing a house at the Shea Homes "The Retreat" project. I am a single guy with no children and plan on living in this home. I currently own a new house I purchased in Irvine in Woodbury. I purchased a Lennar home in the "Villa Rosa" project that I plan on renting out.



I was anxious to get any feedback about Shea Homes and/or The Retreat community.



Thanks!</blockquote>


What are you going to do with the Woodbury house?
 
If you cross Flower into West Floral Park the homes are 20-30% less per SF.



It's not any less safe. But it is newer. And less.



I don't see any long term appeal of new tract homes in the area, given the inconvinences you're going to put yourself through to live there (that's code for TRAFFIC). Particularly since it backs up against the 22/5 offramp.



If I wanted a house like that, I'd move to Irvine or Coto.
 
[quote author="SteveNocCA" date=1209450359]I am in the process of purchasing a house at the Shea Homes "The Retreat" project. I am a single guy with no children and plan on living in this home. I currently own a new house I purchased in Irvine in Woodbury. I purchased a Lennar home in the "Villa Rosa" project that I plan on renting out.



I was anxious to get any feedback about Shea Homes and/or The Retreat community.



Thanks!</blockquote>


Steve,



Villa Rosa is not exactly cheap and so is the Reserve. You are too wealthy as a single guy. I can recommend a couple of Asian girls to you and I will guarantee you would not be looking for a second house.



It will be hard for you to rent out Villa Rosa. Very few could afford the 4-5k rent. The reserve is a terrible project and it is NOT in Floral Park. Reserve has bad proportions and inappropriate styles for that existing single story neighborhood. The 3 story cottage is just too wierd and out of scale and even the tallest sound wall could not conceal it from the freeway! The same architect who designed Brightwater at Huntington Beach also designed the McMansions at the Reserve.



Older homes are tricky and some members have already warned with caution. Vintage homes are not for the amateurs. You really have to know a lot about homes before buying one. Those 1/2 hour home repair show on TV is very deceiving and months of repairs are compressed into just a few frames. The refurbished homes are gorgeuos in Floral Park and homeowners took a lot of pride and years in fixing them. The Floral Park home tour is an excellent way for homeowners to show off their hard work and the incentive in keeping up the neighborhood pride. I heard the attendance of the tour was 30,000 visitors last weekend.
 
Take BK's advice on the home, and don't take his advice on the girls. Trust me, the graph way to validate is much cheaper and a lot more fun than the LV store validation he is talking about. Wow, I just told BK he gave bad advice. I hope that doesn't mean some bad karma is coming my way, I better go double check that feng shui.



<blockquote>The same architect who designed Brightwater at Huntington Beach also designed the McMansions at the Reserve.</blockquote>


Speaking of feng shui, if this is true, which it is, then I wouldn't touch this project.
 
Thank you everyone for the feedback!



My first intention was to purchase another place in Irvine. I nearly purchased the model at Lantana (Columbus Grove) and also at Manzanita in Portola Springs. Both had some things I liked and disliked, but most importantly both include mello-roos taxes.



I am guessing that most people would think that the extra $600.00 or more in monthly tax burden is worth the Irvine address?
 
maybe an extra 100-200, but an extra 600? Most people won't take up that bet....

Send a few dollars into the house (negtative cash flow) and i'm sure you'll get a few bites.



-bix
 
The ultimate punishment is to hook up Ten and validation Asian women. Not even his USC trust fund would last til the end of this year. These women will minipulate him and temper his attitute into a pussy cat.



[quote author="acpme" date=1209527130]BK- ouch! who takes more punishment here in these fora -- tenmagnet or asian women in general?</blockquote>
 
Ha ha, i find it funny. Although my wife also have very little appreciation for doing anything with her money other than purchasing power....

Oh well.

-bix
 
I'm still confused by the newbie with houses falling out of his pockets choosing to buy in one of the least desirable neighborhods in OC as his preferred spot to LIVE IN? I golf at River View Golf Course, and the surrounding area is fine, but there definitely is much more crime and a much higher population density there. It is an island in a sea of traffic, and really, really bad neighborhoods are not far away. Yea, the floorplans seem nice, but why there???



What am I missing here????
 
[quote author="CM_Dude" date=1209541564]I'm still confused by the newbie with houses falling out of his pockets choosing to buy in one of the least desirable neighborhods in OC as his preferred spot to LIVE IN? I golf at River View Golf Course, and the surrounding area is fine, but there definitely is much more crime and a much higher population density there. It is an island in a sea of traffic, and really, really bad neighborhoods are not far away. Yea, the floorplans seem nice, but why there???



What am I missing here????</blockquote>


<img src="http://enigma.dune.net/~eric/Do-not-feed-the-troll.PNG" alt="" />
 
CM dude is a Troll? He posted many times and is a regular here. It is strange that he finds that project by the 91 fwy attractive.
 
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