Yorba Linda, Vista Del Verde

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tiggr_IHB

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First post! Whoohoo!



Anyone have any opinions about the Legnds or Masters development there? And anyone have a prediction as to what prices may fall to, especially given recent circumstances? I have my eye on the "Ironwood" floor plan, and at 1.5M, it's comes out to $280/sf. While this is a HUGE house, and a bit beyond what I need (and can afford), I'm wondering if it may fall into considerable territory by the end of the year, or beginning of next.



Any opinions/comments/extra info welcome.



http://www.tollbrothers.com/homesearch/servlet/HomeSearch?app=model_description&plan_id=37063



Thanks!
 
Well here's my 2 cents. I was born and raised in Yorba Linda. I don't know if you have or plan to have kids... but I just looked up the schools for you and they are: Mabel Paine Elementary, Yorba Linda Middle School, and El Dorado High. These schools are not the shining stars of the district. (If you visit greatschools.net you can view each school's API scores, and also you will see there is a rather high number of socio-economic disadvantaged students.) I think it's common consensus that east Y.L. is the more desirable side of the city (in the Bryant Ranch area.) The homes there overall are newer, have nice views, and the schools of residency do very well. I feel like some of the newer homes made near Imperial Hwy. seem like they are an afterthought. While the Vista Verde community itself is nice, the surrounding area is quite a bit older. The only good thing about the location is that you are closer to the center of the city where you will find the library, civic center, some restaurants, etc. Don't get me wrong - I do like Y.L. very much but for the same price I think there are some nicer areas on the other side of the city. Just my humble opinion.
 
Thanks... 2 cents much appreciated.



Believe me, I've given a lot of thought to the whole schooling thing. In fact, I was mainly considering Irvine up until recently for that very reason. I checked out greatschools.net, and I know that Esperanza's the great one (even better than many Irvine schools!) for the PLacentia-Yorba Linda USD..



But here's what else I've learned looking around up there: there are a couple new schools being built there... a Lakeview Elemetary, and Yorba Linda High (just down the street from the Vista Del Verde site, I think). So, even though there aren't any "great schools" currently, plans are in the works for brand new schools to be built (are being built), which will hopefully be high quality given the demographics of the area. And given that I currently don't have any kids, (but it's in the works :) ) by the time my kids are old enough, these schools will be better established. It's a gamble, I know, but seems like a fairly safe bet. One you would take?



Seeing Vista Del Verde made me think that Irvine, with its Mello Roos, small lot sizes, and HOA fees, seems like a bit much compared to what you can get a little(lot) farther away. YL also shortens my commute compared to Irvine. I do still really like Irvine, though.



As an afterthought, would you have any suggestions for new developments in the Anaheim Hills area as an alternative?
 
Well what do ya know? Not only did SoCal78 finally start posting here, but we are both north/central OCr's. We prolly know some of the same people.



Anyway, I second what he said. El Dorado is certainly not the best high school for the area, but Esperanza is huge and your kid will never meet half of their class. I like Toll Brothers, and they are a graphcakes approved builder. They have dropped the prices big time for their tracts in YL due to the low land acquisition cost, and the price you mentioned seems high. Where did you get that price? I will add that there has been a bunch of foreclosures in the new homes in YL. I dunno who would be dumb enough to try to flip a home at that price, but then again I didn't think anyone was dumb enough to pay the price in the first place. Once the foreclosures become competition, then Bob will have no choice but to drop the prices even more.
 
[quote author="It?s a dry heat..." date=1220960101]Thanks... 2 cents much appreciated.



Believe me, I've given a lot of thought to the whole schooling thing. In fact, I was mainly considering Irvine up until recently for that very reason. I checked out greatschools.net, and I know that Esperanza's the great one (even better than many Irvine schools!) for the PLacentia-Yorba Linda USD..



But here's what else I've learned looking around up there: there are a couple new schools being built there... a Lakeview Elemetary, and Yorba Linda High (just down the street from the Vista Del Verde site, I think). So, even though there aren't any "great schools" currently, plans are in the works for brand new schools to be built (are being built), which will hopefully be high quality given the demographics of the area. And given that I currently don't have any kids, (but it's in the works :) ) by the time my kids are old enough, these schools will be better established. It's a gamble, I know, but seems like a fairly safe bet. One you would take?



Seeing Vista Del Verde made me think that Irvine, with its Mello Roos, small lot sizes, and HOA fees, seems like a bit much compared to what you can get a little(lot) farther away. YL also shortens my commute compared to Irvine. I do still really like Irvine, though.



As an afterthought, would you have any suggestions for new developments in the Anaheim Hills area as an alternative?</blockquote>


Funny you mentioned Esperanza. I actually graduated from there. It will be nice when the new YL highschool is built... especially considering all those east YL kids had to go all the way to Esperanza - it wasn't exactly convenient. As for the primary schools - I suppose you could always apply for a transfer and see what happens. Also the Fairmont private school is not far from the VDV homes (Fairmont & YL Blvd) so that would be a good close-by school albeit at an additional cost. You mentioned your commute would be better from there and I think that is important. If you work somewhere near the north OC area then I think YL is an excellent choice for a home-base. I ask myself often if we would still want to buy in Irvine if we didn't work here and I'm not sure it would be our top pick. I often think of moving back to YL instead but just because the job is here it's more convenient. Your dollar goes further in YL but it's still a nice safe family-friendly area. It's a bit like Irvine in that you won't find a bar (pub) anywhere in the city... there is a man-made lake at Eastlake Village - sort of their version of Woodbridge. It's just a nice place to live. Oh and I wasn't aware of the new Lakeview Elementary - that is good news.



Unfortunately I am not up to date on what new developments there are in Anaheim Hills. It's a nice area but won't put you in the PYLUSD school district. You would be in Orange Unified School District which seems to have some major issues and more teacher strikes / picketing than I have seen at any other district around here. Also the A.H. area has been the subject of numerous landslides over the years. If you were thinking of buying there it might be nice to get some kind of geological survey done beforehand.



Keep us posted on your home-search.
 
[quote author="graphrix" date=1220960953]Well what do ya know? Not only did SoCal78 finally start posting here, but we are both north/central OCr's. We prolly know some of the same people.



Anyway, I second what he said. El Dorado is certainly not the best high school for the area, but Esperanza is huge and your kid will never meet half of their class. I like Toll Brothers, and they are a graphcakes approved builder. They have dropped the prices big time for their tracts in YL due to the low land acquisition cost, and the price you mentioned seems high. Where did you get that price? I will add that there has been a bunch of foreclosures in the new homes in YL. I dunno who would be dumb enough to try to flip a home at that price, but then again I didn't think anyone was dumb enough to pay the price in the first place. Once the foreclosures become competition, then Bob will have no choice but to drop the prices even more.</blockquote>


Whereabouts are you from, graphix?
 
I looked at homes from this builder in this area before, but I'm not sure it's Ironwood. I remember it was around $1.2M. I like the area but I've decided not to uproot my child from Irvine school because she has already been uprooted once.
 
[quote author="graphrix" date=1220960953]Anyway, I second what he said. El Dorado is certainly not the best high school for the area, but Esperanza is huge and your kid will never meet half of their class. I like Toll Brothers, and they are a graphcakes approved builder. They have dropped the prices big time for their tracts in YL due to the low land acquisition cost, and the price you mentioned seems high. Where did you get that price? I will add that there has been a bunch of foreclosures in the new homes in YL. I dunno who would be dumb enough to try to flip a home at that price, but then again I didn't think anyone was dumb enough to pay the price in the first place. Once the foreclosures become competition, then Bob will have no choice but to drop the prices even more.</blockquote>


The price I got is from their handout... there's a little variability depending on the facade you get, but 1.5 is what they say. Again, it's a huge house... $284/sf is too high by how much? What would you consider more in-line with the current market?



No that I have any in-depth knowledge about this stuff (and I'm glad I've attracted the attention of an IHB veteran), but I was thinking (and hoping) I would be able to see a $1.2 to $1.3M range by the end of the year ($250/sf). Is this unrealistic? Or can I hope for even better, given this is YL rather than Irvine?



I was hoping the sh!t would totally hit the fan with the mortgage crisis. I'm a new home buyer, and have saved pretty diligently so far. From what people are saying in the other threads, the F&F bailout will just prolong the wait.
 
[quote author="Ambiepants / SoCal78" date=1221000467][quote author="It?s a dry heat..." date=1220960101]</blockquote>
</blockquote>


I forgot about the landslides in Anaheim Hills... someone mentioned that to me once. Fires too, right?



Anyways, greatschools gives Lakeview a 9/10 (whoohoo!). You think betting that YL high being a "good" school is a gamble? I'm a product of the public school system (from MD), and hope my future kids will go to one too. My fiance feels the same... so a good school is pretty important to our decision about where we want to be.



4175 Fairmont Blvd Yorba Linda, CA 92886 is the address of the YL high construction, so it's still up in the air, I suppose, whether I'd be in the boundaries for it, but that again seems like a low odds bet. Given what was said on another thread, the money saved from the Mello Roos/HOA fees could go to a private school tuition fund if I get stuck with El Dorado.
 
[quote author="It?s a dry heat..." date=1221027864][quote author="graphrix" date=1220960953]Anyway, I second what he said. El Dorado is certainly not the best high school for the area, but Esperanza is huge and your kid will never meet half of their class. I like Toll Brothers, and they are a graphcakes approved builder. They have dropped the prices big time for their tracts in YL due to the low land acquisition cost, and the price you mentioned seems high. Where did you get that price? I will add that there has been a bunch of foreclosures in the new homes in YL. I dunno who would be dumb enough to try to flip a home at that price, but then again I didn't think anyone was dumb enough to pay the price in the first place. Once the foreclosures become competition, then Bob will have no choice but to drop the prices even more.</blockquote>


The price I got is from their handout... there's a little variability depending on the facade you get, but 1.5 is what they say. Again, it's a huge house... $284/sf is too high by how much? What would you consider more in-line with the current market?



No that I have any in-depth knowledge about this stuff (and I'm glad I've attracted the attention of an IHB veteran), but I was thinking (and hoping) I would be able to see a $1.2 to $1.3M range by the end of the year ($250/sf). Is this unrealistic? Or can I hope for even better, given this is YL rather than Irvine?



I was hoping the sh!t would totally hit the fan with the mortgage crisis. I'm a new home buyer, and have saved pretty diligently so far. From what people are saying in the other threads, the F&F bailout will just prolong the wait.</blockquote>


No way you will get 1.2 to 1.3 by the end of the year. I've been following this neighborhood(legends and masters) since it's opening around 2 years ago for my parents and probably have 12 different price sheets from all my visits.



I managed to hold them off for a while, telling them the toll brothers homes will come down once the housing market crashes. However, Toll has been very reluctant to cut prices on their homes. I think the current prices are actually identical to the prices 2 years ago when they first opened. They have offered some deals on homes that have fallen out of escrow and don't sell, but those are mostly on the undesirable lots near the street with no view. This is their only development in OC, and it is actually viewed as a bargain relative to stuff in Irvine because there is no mello roos and HOA.



I was like you, hoping we'd see some price drops, but they are doing a good job of protecting the buyers in this neighborhood. Of course, I could be wrong, but just my opinion. Waiting won't hurt because i doubt prices will rise anytime soon. In my opinion, if one of those Ironwood homes is nearly built and still unsold, you can probably offer 50-100K less and have a chance.
 
[quote author="It?s a dry heat..." date=1221029086][quote author="Ambiepants / SoCal78" date=1221000467][quote author="It?s a dry heat..." date=1220960101]</blockquote>
</blockquote>


I forgot about the landslides in Anaheim Hills... someone mentioned that to me once. Fires too, right?



Anyways, greatschools gives Lakeview a 9/10 (whoohoo!). You think betting that YL high being a "good" school is a gamble? I'm a product of the public school system (from MD), and hope my future kids will go to one too. My fiance feels the same... so a good school is pretty important to our decision about where we want to be.



4175 Fairmont Blvd Yorba Linda, CA 92886 is the address of the YL high construction, so it's still up in the air, I suppose, whether I'd be in the boundaries for it, but that again seems like a low odds bet. Given what was said on another thread, the money saved from the Mello Roos/HOA fees could go to a private school tuition fund if I get stuck with El Dorado.</blockquote>


Yes, there have been fires too. It's an older area and showing its age now as well. Well the district site doesn't show yet what the boundaries will be for the new highschool so I guess it's a coin toss if it would be your child's school of residency. But I believe it's the closest campus to VDV so I bet odds would be in your favor. You could always apply for a transfer.. but having a school-kid myself, my experience has been if it's a "choice school" (which this may be) they settle it with a lottery-style drawing but then again I could be totally wrong and maybe they would have enough open spaces to accept transfer students. I suspect it will be a desirable school because it will be a brand new facility and more likely to be state-of-the-art in my opinion. I don't see how it could not be a good school. It's in an affluent area where you see families who take education and parent-involvement more seriously. If the "crowd" that goes there is anything like Bryant Ranch Elementary or Travis Ranch... (which it will be) I think that all signs would point to a good school. But we're talking about what it will be like when your child that hasn't been conceived yet goes to highschool right? So I suppose in 15 years things could be different LOL.
 
just went to see masters and legends this sunday. really liked the homes. wish it was gated. didnt like the drive up to the homes (homes didnt look nice ) but the vista del verde area is beautiful and definately on my radar.
 
Before you buy with Toll be sure to learn from my post about being burned by Toll. I started it as a new subject :) BTW I was told that a Toll executive put a $200,000 lot premium on one of the city/Catalina view lots at Legends. Someone said for that price I hope you can see Japan.....LOL
 
sorry for the essay, but...



"stuck with El Dorado"... As a student who started off at Esperanza for my 9-10th grade years and went to El Dorado for my 11-12th years (due to my family moving from East YL to Vista del Verde), I can say that the schools are very comparable. My mother voiced the same concerns as what is stated in this thread, but I actually liked my experience at El Dorado better, as at Esperanza I really did feel like just a number. I will admit that EDHS is lacking slightly in AP courses offered, but that should deter you. The teachers are great, some of the kids can have the typical suburban rich kid attitude, but during my 2 years there I did not even see 1 fight. I understand that you want to benefit your child with every advantage possible, but please don't think that El Dorado is a school is going to hold your "little Einsteins" back, as that is simply not the case. If your children really are that smart (you sincerely and truly believe they will go to Harvard, Yale, etc), then Esperanza, El Dorado, it won't make a difference as it'll be hard to get into any of those schools from either school (compared to say a East Coast Prep Academy or being top 1% in Troy's IB program). I took the classes my counselor recommended me, handled my school work and I got into every school I applied to except Stanford. The school has only gotten better in prior years, I mean it's won a Blue Ribbon award among other things so it is still in the what, top 4% of schools in the country? And if you find your blood too blue and are afraid of your children mingling with the "proletariat", don't worry, as there are plenty of descendants of multimillionaires for them to frolic with.



Any questions on local high schools, Vista del Verde, or pretty much any new development in YL for that matter, I would be happy to help answer.



-vistadelverdepinnacle

El Dorado High School C/O 2007

USC Marshall School of Business C/O 2011
 
as for Anaheim Hills, the only development that I have visited that was comparable to some of the larger Toll homes was Pointe Premier. Those are all a minimum of 1 acre and 7000+ sqft and 3mil+ though. If you want to move to AH, I'd skip the new housing and take a look at Peralta Hills, it's a great community with some beautiful homes.
 
^ You sure you're only 19/20 years old? I don't know any teenager who uses the word "proletariat". Also, how is it you are familiar with the Pointe Premier homes - isn't that an odd hobby for a college kid? I don't mean to be rude but just wondering.
 
I'm from Yorba Linda and I personally really like the Vista Del Verde community. It's very neat and organized with plenty of luxury amenities. I would go there if I could afford it. Also, be sure to check out Kerrigan Ranch, their a bit more expensive than Vista Del Verde but they have well sized homes and lots there, good luck!
 
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