Thank you everyone for the info and advice. We went back today and checked out several models today including Avalon, The Vine, Brio, Indigo, Lantana, and also went the meet the builder event at Parasol Park.
Here are some quick and dirty notes:
Avalon: Good entry level price for the Plan 1. We pre-qualified but waiting list is quite long although they would not tell us how many people are in line which we thought was weird/fishy. Some things that we did not like are the tandem garage, stackable washer/dryer, and no kitchen island. I went to the upstairs floor plan and stomped as hard as I could but my wife said the noise was not too bad and could be heard mostly in the garage area of plan 1.
Brio: Plan 1 price is above the $600k limit at $630k+ but had a good layout, I like that it had 3 bedrooms or 2 bedrooms + den option. All the living space was on 1 floor and we liked the outside patio. We did not test the noise from upstairs but they had an overlay of plan 2 over plan 1 and we were told that most of the upstairs living space is above the garage areas, however we did not confirm.
Indigo: Plan 2 would be our main choice but is way above our budget at $650k+. It has 1 bedroom downstairs and a bathroom which would be one of main requirements. We liked that the downstairs bathroom had a seat/ledge and also liked the patio with storage room.
Lantana: Plan 1x would be the best bet for us since there is a bedroom and bathroom on the first floor. However, we did not like that the living room/dining room/kitchen on the second floor felt a little small. Finally, the master and other bedroom on the 3rd floor were okay but we felt like it was a workout getting from floor to floor. I think we ruled out a tri-level just due to convenience and marketability later on if we decide to sell/rent.
The Vine: Wife seems to think that I compare all the models we see to either Plan 2 or Plan 3 at the Vine. The Plan 3 is $590k+ and is a 2 bedroom and 2 bath. We like that the garage has a small workshop area and that the washer/dryer are side-by-side. In addition, the garage is 2 car side-by-side. The kitchen has an island and all the living space is all on 1 floor. We did not test the noise from upstairs neighbors but the ceilings on the plan 3 seemed pretty high. At either $590k for the plan 3 or $540k for the plan 2, are there better options than these plans for the price? Maybe I have tunnel vision but wanted to get everyone's opinion on if I am missing something.
Community: We liked Eastwood Village and Portola Springs. However, for some reason, Cypress Village did not stand out to us.
Meet the Builder Event: Sorry for the weak review but we felt that Parasol Park would probably be out of our price range and felt that the outside designs of all the builders were bland, boxy, and boring. The event was pretty nice. There was free coffee. In addition, there were some pastries, cookies, and drinks. There was a balloon maker, an area for children to color, and each builder had small freebies. My wife liked that there were flowers. They had pre-made bouquets that you could take or we had the option to select a couple flowers and have them make one for you.
