Casero

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moonchild508

Member
We are considering Portola Springs' Casero Plans 2 and 3.  We like Plan 2's loft but the living room does not any windows.  Plan 3 is nice, but with the bonus room being on the 3rd floor, it will be very hot in the summer and the electricity bill will be huge.  Has anyone here purchased one of these plans or know someone who did, and can shed light on these cons?  Also, is it worthwhile to wait for the phases in the north enclave to be released?  The north enclave seems nicer than the south, despite the toll road and water tower.  They are selling the last phases in the south enclave right now.
 
Welcome Moonchild!

The Casero homes seem very similar to the KB Homes Bougainvillea project in the South enclave sold back in 2007. They also had a 3rd floor loft/game room option on their plan3 as well. I liked the Casero plan 3 as well--I always liked one bed downstairs and you still have the 3rd floor flex room option too. Only downside is the additional walking for the 3rd floor. I've never lived in a 3 story home, so I can't personally say if it is much more expensive to heat/cool. Good luck with your purchase and keep us updated on your progress.
 
iacrenter said:
Welcome Moonchild!

The Casero homes seem very similar to the KB Homes Bougainvillea project in the South enclave sold back in 2007. They also had a 3rd floor loft/game room option on their plan3 as well. I liked the Casero plan 3 as well--I always liked one bed downstairs and you still have the 3rd floor flex room option too. Only downside is the additional walking for the 3rd floor. I've never lived in a 3 story home, so I can't personally say if it is much more expensive to heat/cool. Good luck with your purchase and keep us updated on your progress.
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Don't you think the stairs are a bit "tight" on the Plan 3 versus the Plan 2?  I personally like the Plan 2 a lot better.
 
Yeah, I didn't like having to climb so many stairs.  Are Casero homes detached condos?  We are also considering Montecito and the sales lady said they were single family homes.  We like Plan 1 at Montecito, but really don't care for the motorcourt. 
 
Casero are detached condos.

Montecito feels a bit like detached condos but are SFRs.

I have found out that the question that will usually determine the difference is "What is the lot size?".
 
moonchild, Welcome!
IMHO - SFRs will maintain their value compared to condos and you own that piece of land. By the looks of it, you are ready to pull trigger for ~$700K - why not get SFR?
 
TustinRanchResident said:
moonchild, Welcome!
IMHO - SFRs will maintain their value compared to condos and you own that piece of land. By the looks of it, you are ready to pull trigger for ~$700K - why not get SFR?
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Not quite true...it's attached condo that don't hold their value compared to both detached condos and detached SFRs.  You own the land with detached condos.  The price per SF for detached condo is on par with detached homes in almost all of Irvine. 
 
USCTrojanCPA said:
Not quite true...it's attached condo that don't hold their value compared to both detached condos and detached SFRs.
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This is true.  The issue is attached vs detached.

USCTrojanCPA said:
  You own the land with detached condos.
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This is not true.  In a detached condo you don't even own the building.

 
test said:
USCTrojanCPA said:
  You own the land with detached condos.
Click to expand...

This is not true.  In a detached condo you don't even own the building.
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I still haven't received or found a definitive answer on this.

I've read conflicting reports that you own the building but not the land, you own the building and the land directly under the building, the HOA and owners own all the land in common, etc etc.

I think that you may own the building depending on the HOA because in true condos, where you only own the space between the walls, the HOA is responsible for the upkeep of the outside of the building including broken roof tiles, paint etc. In many of the newer detached condos, the sales office says that the owner is responsible for such upkeep... which wouldn't make sense if you don't own it.
 
I wouldn't put much faith in what the sales office says and just ask the HOA directly.  In all of the detached condos I own in Irvine the HOA takes care of the upkeep such as the roof.
 
test said:
I wouldn't put much faith in what the sales office says and just ask the HOA directly.  In all of the detached condos I own in Irvine the HOA takes care of the upkeep such as the roof.
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How many different detached condos in Irvine do you own? I would venture to guess that most detached condo HOAs DO NOT own the land and the building and a separate homeowner's insurance policy is required by lenders.
 
moonchild508 said:
We are considering Portola Springs' Casero Plans 2 and 3.  We like Plan 2's loft but the living room does not any windows.  Plan 3 is nice, but with the bonus room being on the 3rd floor, it will be very hot in the summer and the electricity bill will be huge.  Has anyone here purchased one of these plans or know someone who did, and can shed light on these cons?  Also, is it worthwhile to wait for the phases in the north enclave to be released?  The north enclave seems nicer than the south, despite the toll road and water tower.  They are selling the last phases in the south enclave right now.
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Btw, if you decide to buy a new home....find yourself a good realtor and have them agree to split the broker co-op with you.  No sense in leaving free money on the table.  ;)
 
We live in a SFA townhome right now.  We own the land and the interior space.  The building exterior is maintained by the HOA, as are the common areas.  Each building has 3 units, and we each own 1/3 of the land the building sits on.

I don't mind buying Montecito, but just don't like the motorcourt concept.  It offers very little curb appeal, which is a shame because the building elevation looks nice.  I also don't like that they put walls around the development.  This is against the original vision of Woodbury and is at odds with the rest of the community.
 
Btw, if you decide to buy a new home....find yourself a good realtor and have them agree to split the broker co-op with you.  No sense in leaving free money on the table.  ;)
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Can we still use a realtor after already visiting the model home without one?  I saw that the Montecito Plan 1 house we looked at this past weekend was listed on Redfin today.  Do you know if we can negotiate the price once the builder put the house on the market?
 
moonchild508 said:
Btw, if you decide to buy a new home....find yourself a good realtor and have them agree to split the broker co-op with you.  No sense in leaving free money on the table.  ;)
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Can we still use a realtor after already visiting the model home without one?  I saw that the Montecito Plan 1 house we looked at this past weekend was listed on Redfin today.  Do you know if we can negotiate the price once the builder put the house on the market?
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If you go to a new home sale office and check out the models homes and not sign anything, you can still use a realtor after you made your final decision and are ready to pull the trigger.  Remember, almost everything is negotiable...especially when the builder takes their standing inventory onto MLS.  I was able to negotiate a slightly lower sales price, design center upgrades (interior painting and window coverings), and money towards closing costs for a Woodbury condo for one of my buyers.  The builder will be most hesitant to move a lot on the sales prices as that is where everyone can see, including appraisers (and later on the other homeowners in the development) so they are a lot more flexible when it comes to getting design center upgrades for free and/or kicking in some money for closing costs. 
 
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