Hidden Canyon or Orchard Hills?

[gasman]

When does Tustin Legacy HS suppose to open?

Your guess is as good as mine.  Heritage was "supposed" to open in 2010/11, but they are "supposed" to open in 2016.  I wouldn't bet on Legacy HS opening for at least another 5 years.  Just my opinion...I'd challenge TUSD to prove me wrong.

 

[Legit949]

Hopefully sooner than later.

 

[gasman]

I wouldn't hold my breath.  Heritage is only opening in 2016 because Tustin won't approve another CFD in the Greenwood buildout unless they do.  Tustin won't have any leverage to force TUSD to open Legacy High or the middle school until the rest of Legacy residential starts construction.  Greenwood alone will probably take 18+ months (and I'm being generous).  I haven't seen plans/timelines for any other residential builds after.  Also, Heritage was built to meet the "use it or lose it" deadline that the Navy had in the contract.  There is no such timeline for Legacy High.

Ok, back on topic.

 

[Arman]

The New Home Company and Innovation? Who doesn't use the repeated floorplan?  still cookie cutter homes...Not sure about the quality of TNHC's construction. It even seems to use cheap interior design quality and piece of paper brochure. They were just lucky on Lamber Ranch targeting FCB in right time! No luxury aspect what so ever!

I've argued before and I'll argue now that TNHC has innovative floorplans. What other home out there has a floorpan like The Grove 2 at LR? Plan 2 at Oliva is equally incredible. Amelia does have floorplans similar to what was done at LR, however, as a whole, there's very little that repeated. I'll take the luxury from TNHC over that from Toll Brothers any day (not to knock Toll Brothers, which does very luxurious homes).

 

[Oncdoc]

another reason why i think HC is superior is that there are no more land to built new houses around the area of south 405 and 133.  But there are plenty of land in OH and portola and great park.  So by supply/demand , you would see the demand and price go up in HC when it is built out.  (among other reasons i stated earlier in my post)

 

[snowball]

The New Home Company and Innovation? Who doesn't use the repeated floorplan?  still cookie cutter homes...Not sure about the quality of TNHC's construction. It even seems to use cheap interior design quality and piece of paper brochure. They were just lucky on Lamber Ranch targeting FCB in right time! No luxury aspect what so ever!

I've argued before and I'll argue now that TNHC has innovative floorplans. What other home out there has a floorpan like The Grove 2 at LR? Plan 2 at Oliva is equally incredible. Amelia does have floorplans similar to what was done at LR, however, as a whole, there's very little that repeated. I'll take the luxury from TNHC over that from Toll Brothers any day (not to knock Toll Brothers, which does very luxurious homes).

I bet you will.
Just curious, where can you find the repeated floorplans in Irvine by TB? the one from Texas? Btw, TNHC only has a short period of history in a limited area so a bit early to say they never use repeated floorplans.

 

[eatthis]

Price-wise, not sure HC is worth $3m (after upgrades), whereas the high $1m homes in the gated part of OH seem like a bargain comparatively. I just don't know if there is a $1m benefit between the $2m homes at OH vs the $3m ones in HC.

This is apple to orange comparison to me. The same can be said for $3M homes at OH (after upgrades) and high $1M homes at OH. And, the same can be said for just about anything else. Is a $100k Mercedes S 4 times the car as a $25k Toyota Camry? Toyota Camry also seem like a bargain comparatively. It's far more relevant to compare $2M La Vita at OH versus Capri at HC or Trevi with Marbella.

 

[Villager]

I think generally speaking, many will agree that amenities-wise and neighborhood feel, OH has an advantage over HC.

Location is subjective but I do prefer being closer to the 405 than the Foothills.

As for schools, that's also subjective, but perception-wise, IUSD is better than TUSD, although in reality, the TUSD schools that OH is zoned to are the same.

Price-wise, not sure HC is worth $3m (after upgrades), whereas the high $1m homes in the gated part of OH seem like a bargain comparatively. I just don't know if there is a $1m benefit between the $2m homes at OH vs the $3m ones in HC.

It is personal preference, neither is "better", just what is "better" to you.

Between $2mil homes in OH and $3mil homes in HC, I think what you get from HC is a view, bigger living spaces, lots and 3 or 4 car garages, convenient location. OH is like a bit upgraded Portola Spring to me. It is far east.

Honestly, I was not very impressed with the views at HC. It's appropriate that it's called "Hidden" Canyon, because the best part of the view is "Hidden" by a hill. Lol. And the views themselves aren't guaranteed; a good portion of the lots are not view oriented.

Now if we're talking about the groves at OH, those views are something else... the view lots (albeit, not as plentiful in number as they are at HC) have SPECTACULAR views of all of Orange County, even the ocean/Catalina, with few to no obstructions. I haven't been that impressed with an offering of city light views since Turtle Ridge. If I were in the market for a new-build home soley for the view, I would probably go for one of the view lots at OH. But otherwise, the two communities are pretty much the same. It all boils down to personal preference.

 

[inagawa]

I've made endless visits to the sales office at tnhc in orchard hills.  I was pretty set on buying a home there.  Both Trevi and Amelia have nice floor plans.  Personally I prefer floor plans from TNHC over Hidden Canyon.  Having more homes at the grove means they can build larger and better amenities for the residence there.  We decide on buying in HC in the end because we liked the location better and the zoning for the schools are in the IUSD.

I honestly don't get why anyone would complain about either orchard hills or hidden canyon.  No community will be perfect.  Sure there are better ways to spend your $2M.  But if you want to buy in Irvine and in a new development, there aren't many choices at this price point.

I agree. There really aren't a lot of choices, and ironically, this is as good as it gets for $2-3mil.

We came read-over-the-CC&R's-close to buying Amelia, but in the end we couldn't justify $2.1mil after upgrades on a 6900sqft lot. TNHC plans were great, but it just wasn't enough to close the deal. None of the options available on the market are 100% perfect, but for our specific needs, HC came close at 90%. It's all personal preference.

#firstworldproblems

 

[happios]

marutaro, were you looking at a plan 3 for Amelia, since that's the closest to the price range you mentioned?
I was really close to signing for a plan 3 at Amelia.  For me it wasn't that the lot is small, but I feel the backyard of the homes are too close to each other.  Even some of the Trevi homes have back to back yard.  But if you are looking for a new 4500+ sq ft home in Irvine your only choices are Amelia/Trevi/Capri/ Marbella.  Above 5000 sq ft  it's Trevi and Marbella only...  Beyond that you are in Shady Canyon territory.

I've made endless visits to the sales office at tnhc in orchard hills.  I was pretty set on buying a home there.  Both Trevi and Amelia have nice floor plans.  Personally I prefer floor plans from TNHC over Hidden Canyon.  Having more homes at the grove means they can build larger and better amenities for the residence there.  We decide on buying in HC in the end because we liked the location better and the zoning for the schools are in the IUSD.

I honestly don't get why anyone would complain about either orchard hills or hidden canyon.  No community will be perfect.  Sure there are better ways to spend your $2M.  But if you want to buy in Irvine and in a new development, there aren't many choices at this price point.

I agree. There really aren't a lot of choices, and ironically, this is as good as it gets for $2-3mil.

We came read-over-the-CC&R's-close to buying Amelia, but in the end we couldn't justify $2.1mil after upgrades on a 6900sqft lot. TNHC plans were great, but it just wasn't enough to close the deal. None of the options available on the market are 100% perfect, but for our specific needs, HC came close at 90%. It's all personal preference.

#firstworldproblems

 

[irvinehomeowner]

Price-wise, not sure HC is worth $3m (after upgrades), whereas the high $1m homes in the gated part of OH seem like a bargain comparatively. I just don't know if there is a $1m benefit between the $2m homes at OH vs the $3m ones in HC.

This is apple to orange comparison to me. The same can be said for $3M homes at OH (after upgrades) and high $1M homes at OH. And, the same can be said for just about anything else. Is a $100k Mercedes S 4 times the car as a $25k Toyota Camry? Toyota Camry also seem like a bargain comparatively. It's far more relevant to compare $2M La Vita at OH versus Capri at HC or Trevi with Marbella.

Comparing $75k to $1m is more apple/orange... and cars are not homes.

If you look at the square footage of the homes in OH vs HC, they are similar and although HC has a "grander" design (and the ps9/IHS wow foyer)... is that worth $1m difference? OH supporters would argue that the amenities/neighborhood feel is better so what is that $1m difference really getting you?

From what other posters are saying, it's rarity (not much land next to the 405) and an exclusive/private feel. I get that, but IMO, I would hope the $1m would buy more separation from your neighbors, single loaded streets and better views. I would argue that Vicara homes in QH are a better buy at the mid $2m but I understand that many people prefer gated and new.

Again, each opinion will differ but I just don't see any value in the $1m difference whereas I do see a difference in a $20k car vs a $30k one (a more apt comparison).

 

[Oncdoc]

Another reason why HC is better is the property tax.
the property tax for HC is 1.008 % plus a fixed mello roos (approx 5700 a year). so if buy a mid 2 mil dollar house the property tax is around 1.2% (and even lower if we are talking about 3 mil dollar house) that is much lower in OH

 

[qwerty]

Another reason why HC is better is the property tax.
the property tax for HC is 1.008 % plus a fixed mello roos (approx 5700 a year). so if buy a mid 2 mil dollar house the property tax is around 1.2% (and even lower if we are talking about 3 mil dollar house) that is much lower in OH

This is such a flawed argument. The base tax is the same and the mr is based on square footage. Because one has a higher price doesn't make it a better deal from a property tax rate perspective.

 

[irvinehomeowner]

Another reason why HC is better is the property tax.
the property tax for HC is 1.008 % plus a fixed mello roos (approx 5700 a year). so if buy a mid 2 mil dollar house the property tax is around 1.2% (and even lower if we are talking about 3 mil dollar house) that is much lower in OH

Aren't the tax rates (including MRs) in OH similar to HC?

 

[Oncdoc]

Another reason why HC is better is the property tax.
the property tax for HC is 1.008 % plus a fixed mello roos (approx 5700 a year). so if buy a mid 2 mil dollar house the property tax is around 1.2% (and even lower if we are talking about 3 mil dollar house) that is much lower in OH

Aren't the tax rates (including MRs) in OH similar to HC?

I believe they are different... the property tax is similar but the Mello roos is very different depending where and which community you live.  The Mello roos is lowered for HC if you compare similar price homes.  I believe  for HC it is fixed amount rather than a percentage.

 

[gasman]

I believe they are different... the property tax is similar but the Mello roos is very different depending where and which community you live.  The Mello roos is lowered for HC if you compare similar price homes.  I believe  for HC it is fixed amount rather than a percentage

MR is always a fixed amount based on square footage ranges, and is set by the city before construction.  MR is different for every area, and many today have multiple CFDs.

 

[Oncdoc]

I believe they are different... the property tax is similar but the Mello roos is very different depending where and which community you live.  The Mello roos is lowered for HC if you compare similar price homes.  I believe  for HC it is fixed amount rather than a percentage

MR is always a fixed amount based on square footage ranges, and is set by the city before construction.  MR is different for every area, and many today have multiple CFDs.

The MR for HC is pretty low compare to OH ( do your homework).  When I calculated the amount i will be paying , it is around 1.2 % (including property tax) which i believe is lowered than OH

 

[gasman]

The MR for HC is pretty low compare to OH ( do your homework).  When I calculated the amount i will be paying , it is around 1.2 % (including property tax) which i believe is lowered than OH

I never claimed one area was lower/higher than the other (read before responding).  All I'm saying is that MR is a fixed rate, and it shouldn't be considered as a % of the overall property value.  Only the base tax rate is a % based on assessment.  MR is usually a fixed amount per area and per square footage of the home.  Therefore, if the value of the home increases, MR stays the same, and the base tax amount goes up proportionally.

 

[qwerty]

The MR for HC is pretty low compare to OH ( do your homework).  When I calculated the amount i will be paying , it is around 1.2 % (including property tax) which i believe is lowered than OH

I never claimed one area was lower/higher than the other (read before responding).  All I'm saying is that MR is a fixed rate, and it shouldn't be considered as a % of the overall property value.  Only the base tax rate is a % based on assessment.  MR is usually a fixed amount per area and per square footage of the home.  Therefore, if the value of the home increases, MR stays the same, and the base tax amount goes up proportionally.

i think this argument needs to be resolved in the woodbury town center parking lot at 3pm today.  my money is on gasman

gasman to ocdad:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygQvB6OjHOU

 

[irvinehomeowner]

i think this argument needs to be resolved in the woodbury town center parking lot at 3pm today.  my money is on gasman

What kind of person would fight over words on a forum?

Oh wait.

#InternetFightClub