This is what I am getting from the insurers so far. Even the ones insuring it like Farmers is charging elevated premiums.
I currently live in a wild fire zone (not Irvine) and I probably should not be pushing my luck.
Thinking of buying in Portola Springs. Few questions…
- Thread starter coder77
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NEW -> Contingent Buyer Assistance Program
I currently live in a wild fire zone (not Irvine) and I probably should not be pushing my luck.
7. I also happened to attend Irvine High some 20 years ago around the time that Northwood High was opening up after which a lot of the sports talent chose to go to Northwood or other Irvine schools to be on teams with higher ceilings. Inevitably, there was a drop in the student population due to some rezoning to Northwood. Most of the sports teams became bottom feeders afterwards, so the school might have lost some appeal and prestige from these declines. Maybe that’s contributed to the supposed negative perception and reduced appeal among some. Not sure how their athletics are doing in recent years with Beckman and Portola High added to the mix. From what I remember, Irvine World News local newspaper would publish a list of seniors from each high school and what four-year university they were going to if accepted, and it seemed like at least 1/4 to 1/3 of the graduating senior classes had four-year university destinations, mostly of the UC/CSU variety. The numbers seemed pretty similar for each of the high schools in town with the exception of Uni High, which seemed to send about 50% to four year universities. Based on the current greatschools rating, seems like the school is still doing pretty well.
As for home insurance, go with Mercury. It’s less than $1000 annually. I have two homes in PS insured by Mercury, the older one around $700+ and the newer and bigger one at $616. Both are $5k deductible, but if you want to go with $1k deductible, then it’s probably $100-$200 more.
I lived in Woodbury for 15 years before i moved to Eastwood. WB has a lot more traffic due to bigger community and apartment complexes. Also I could hear street noises from Jeffrey/Irvine Blvd/Sand Canyon especially early in the morning even my house was in the middle of the village. WB has better pools especially jr olympic pool which i really miss. It also has lots of community activities like Halloween, Eater Egg hunt… I dont like dual associations in WB. It runs almost $400+ for any condo there. My kid still goes to WB elementary due to year round schedule which I prefer. Overall WB is just a lot more hustle bustle which I dislike as I get older
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1. Pre-drywall and pre-closing home inspections
2. Visit your home to check for things and take pictures. Send it to the builder in writing to have a paper trail to have these items resolved prior to closing.
3. During the first year, document and find any fit & finish issues. Prior to your 1 year warranty expiring, you can also hire a home inspector to do a second inspection to see if anything needs to be addressed prior to expiration of your fit & finish warranty
4. Don’t be a douchebag to your builder warranty representative. No matter how horrible they are, they are going to be the ones that can help you get things fixed. They may also give you bonuses for being nice and understanding.
I currently live in a wild fire zone (not Irvine) and I probably should not be pushing my luck.
GrowthStateofMind
Member
6. I remember some people in the Portola community sharing pictures from the Silverado fire from 2020 when it was basically raging across the hills on the other side of the 241 toll road next to the condo communities separated by the toll road and the trees had caught fire in the neighborhood, but none of the buildings actually burned down. I guess the buildings really don’t have much fire-fueling material. During that fire, anyone north of Irvine Boulevard unfortunately had to evacuate though, which was essentially Northwood and all of the newer communities - you could say that was probably around 20% of Irvine.
7. I also happened to attend Irvine High some 20 years ago around the time that Northwood High was opening up after which a lot of the sports talent chose to go to Northwood or other Irvine schools to be on teams with higher ceilings. Inevitably, there was a drop in the student population due to some rezoning to Northwood. Most of the sports teams became bottom feeders afterwards, so the school might have lost some appeal and prestige from these declines. Maybe that’s contributed to the supposed negative perception and reduced appeal among some. Not sure how their athletics are doing in recent years with Beckman and Portola High added to the mix. From what I remember, Irvine World News local newspaper would publish a list of seniors from each high school and what four-year university they were going to if accepted, and it seemed like at least 1/4 to 1/3 of the graduating senior classes had four-year university destinations, mostly of the UC/CSU variety. The numbers seemed pretty similar for each of the high schools in town with the exception of Uni High, which seemed to send about 50% to four year universities. Based on the current greatschools rating, seems like the school is still doing pretty well.
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CalBears96
Well-known member
Considering most agents would give back up to 50% of the commission from new construction, I don’t think it’s awkward to bring this up with your current agent.
As for home insurance, go with Mercury. It’s less than $1000 annually. I have two homes in PS insured by Mercury, the older one around $700+ and the newer and bigger one at $616. Both are $5k deductible, but if you want to go with $1k deductible, then it’s probably $100-$200 more.
usctrojancpa
Well-known member
OP, have you asked your agent those questions? An experienced agent should either be able to answer those questions or provide you some kind of guidance and/or feedback. I'll provide you my responses later on today when I have a break in open house traffic flow.
After mapping the area, I am not sure if the location of Portola Springs will work for me. The idea of a new construction is nice but location is as important if not more. I thought you could easily go to retail in Foothill Ranch but apparently you have to use the toll road. The idea of driving 10+ minutes just for grocery is a bit off putting. I did not completely eliminate this option but I rather find an older, well kept home in Eastwood, Stonegate or Woodbury.
Is that some new development? Forum does not allow searching for 3 letter wordsJust wait for OH4
Oh yeah, that would be way above my budget.
irviniteeee
Active member
Personally, I think Woodbury is the best pick from all of those choices. More variety in home styles and architecture in comparison to CV East and the new phase of Portola Springs...LOTS of amenities and parks, convenient shopping center in the community, etc.
I agree but inventory in Woodbury is very limited. There is one single family 4 bedrooms home right now in our budget range but it has the strangest plan.
I lived in Woodbury for 15 years before i moved to Eastwood. WB has a lot more traffic due to bigger community and apartment complexes. Also I could hear street noises from Jeffrey/Irvine Blvd/Sand Canyon especially early in the morning even my house was in the middle of the village. WB has better pools especially jr olympic pool which i really miss. It also has lots of community activities like Halloween, Eater Egg hunt… I dont like dual associations in WB. It runs almost $400+ for any condo there. My kid still goes to WB elementary due to year round schedule which I prefer. Overall WB is just a lot more hustle bustle which I dislike as I get older
.Isn't Woodbury also year round school, another thing to consider if you have kids in elementary school, and if you have 2+ kids middle school is traditional, so there will be a year or many where you have 2 school schedules and possibly 1 or more kids at home while the others go to school. That would be a huge drawback in my book.
Wouldn't you say noise would be an issue in Cypress Village East as well then? It's not very different than Woodbury, as a matter of fact closer to the freeways.I lived in Woodbury for 15 years before i moved to Eastwood. WB has a lot more traffic due to bigger community and apartment complexes. Also I could hear street noises from Jeffrey/Irvine Blvd/Sand Canyon especially early in the morning even my house was in the middle of the village. WB has better pools especially jr olympic pool which i really miss. It also has lots of community activities like Halloween, Eater Egg hunt… I dont like dual associations in WB. It runs almost $400+ for any condo there. My kid still goes to WB elementary due to year round schedule which I prefer. Overall WB is just a lot more hustle bustle which I dislike as I get older
CV east, wb east and stonegate east are sandwiched between 133 and Sand Canyon. Definitely more street noises.
Which one of these builders is the better one, Cal Pacific or New Home Co?
I might consider Portola Springs once again. Basically it's between Azul vs Olivewood. We have seen one home in Azul and the drawers were not installed properly (falling apart when you open). That left a bit of bad taste in my mouth but I guess it can happen with any builder.
I might consider Portola Springs once again. Basically it's between Azul vs Olivewood. We have seen one home in Azul and the drawers were not installed properly (falling apart when you open). That left a bit of bad taste in my mouth but I guess it can happen with any builder.
irviniteeee
Active member
Hmmm tough one...I've always known California Pacific to be a quality homebuilder, even with their condos and townhomes. The New Home Company is also top notch IMO. Maybe someone else with personal experience with the new homes can chime in if I'm wrong, especially since both of these projects were originally Irvine Pacific before the takeover.
sleepy5136
Well-known member
Better is subjective. Builders here use the same contractors from my experience. It all comes down to the builder construction managers that enforce the quality that matters. That’s a hit or miss. What I would emphasize instead are the following:
1. Pre-drywall and pre-closing home inspections
2. Visit your home to check for things and take pictures. Send it to the builder in writing to have a paper trail to have these items resolved prior to closing.
3. During the first year, document and find any fit & finish issues. Prior to your 1 year warranty expiring, you can also hire a home inspector to do a second inspection to see if anything needs to be addressed prior to expiration of your fit & finish warranty
4. Don’t be a douchebag to your builder warranty representative. No matter how horrible they are, they are going to be the ones that can help you get things fixed. They may also give you bonuses for being nice and understanding.
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I can't do something about #1 (regarding pre-drywall) since both homes are existing inventory. I'll pay attention to the other things you mentioned.