The Meadows, Lake Forest by Toll Brothers

It?s up to the Meadows and BR communities to express their support for a school. Money has already been given in developers fees, but it does not mean a new school will be built. The area really would benefit, but the district is declining in enrollment and closing schools in other areas.

In the end, the residents have to push for it, which they have not as of yet. My best guess is that it will only happen if the community floats a construction bond. The last one was voted down when asked to support school building.
 
We're currently finalizing the decision on relocating from the Bay Area back to OC and have been looking at Fresco @ EW. With the last phase pricing (+$30K), my wife is a bit hesitant as it'll be close to $2M for a <3K sq. ft. house that she doesn't particularly love.

I hadn't considered LF before but just saw The Meadows today and am now intrigued. I don't know much about LF, but what do you all think of it compared to Irvine (and EW specifically)? Good school district is a must, but it seems like the LF schools are quite a bit lower in rank compared to Irvine...is it not that big of a difference in reality? For what it's worth, we have a newborn so it's going to be awhile before she's in school, but it's hard to shake the notion of needing to buy in an area with top schools.

The Meadows (Evergreen) is a lot more attractive to my wife since we're currently in a 3200 sq. ft. TB home here in the Bay so she won't see it as a 'downgrade' (her words, not mine), not to mention the price difference is massive, especially since the market is so high.

One thing to note, however, is that I would need to commute to LA (Playa Vista) 3x a week. I already sucked it up that my commute is going to suck no matter what since there aren't many viable options in LA and we'd prefer to live close to Irvine near family, but am I crazy for potentially looking even further south? The commute from LF would be ~60 miles one way. Not sure how true traffic conditions right now are compared to non-pandemic times, but it looks to be about a 1 hour 15 minute drive, surprisingly - only 5 minutes more than from EW.
 
Asumis said:
We're currently finalizing the decision on relocating from the Bay Area back to OC and have been looking at Fresco @ EW. With the last phase pricing (+$30K), my wife is a bit hesitant as it'll be close to $2M for a <3K sq. ft. house that she doesn't particularly love.

I hadn't considered LF before but just saw The Meadows today and am now intrigued. I don't know much about LF, but what do you all think of it compared to Irvine (and EW specifically)? Good school district is a must, but it seems like the LF schools are quite a bit lower in rank compared to Irvine...is it not that big of a difference in reality? For what it's worth, we have a newborn so it's going to be awhile before she's in school, but it's hard to shake the notion of needing to buy in an area with top schools.

The Meadows (Evergreen) is a lot more attractive to my wife since we're currently in a 3200 sq. ft. TB home here in the Bay so she won't see it as a 'downgrade' (her words, not mine), not to mention the price difference is massive, especially since the market is so high.

One thing to note, however, is that I would need to commute to LA (Playa Vista) 3x a week. I already sucked it up that my commute is going to suck no matter what since there aren't many viable options in LA and we'd prefer to live close to Irvine near family, but am I crazy for potentially looking even further south? The commute from LF would be ~60 miles one way. Not sure how true traffic conditions right now are compared to non-pandemic times, but it looks to be about a 1 hour 15 minute drive, surprisingly - only 5 minutes more than from EW.
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You are crazy if you are planning to commute 3x a week from Irvine to Playa del Rey.  If you're looking at good schools you should be considering Los Alamitos or Rancho Palos Verdes instead.

Otherwise, plan on leaving Irvine at 5 am and returning home at 9 pm.
 
Asumis said:
We're currently finalizing the decision on relocating from the Bay Area back to OC and have been looking at Fresco @ EW. With the last phase pricing (+$30K), my wife is a bit hesitant as it'll be close to $2M for a <3K sq. ft. house that she doesn't particularly love.

I hadn't considered LF before but just saw The Meadows today and am now intrigued. I don't know much about LF, but what do you all think of it compared to Irvine (and EW specifically)? Good school district is a must, but it seems like the LF schools are quite a bit lower in rank compared to Irvine...is it not that big of a difference in reality? For what it's worth, we have a newborn so it's going to be awhile before she's in school, but it's hard to shake the notion of needing to buy in an area with top schools.

The Meadows (Evergreen) is a lot more attractive to my wife since we're currently in a 3200 sq. ft. TB home here in the Bay so she won't see it as a 'downgrade' (her words, not mine), not to mention the price difference is massive, especially since the market is so high.

One thing to note, however, is that I would need to commute to LA (Playa Vista) 3x a week. I already sucked it up that my commute is going to suck no matter what since there aren't many viable options in LA and we'd prefer to live close to Irvine near family, but am I crazy for potentially looking even further south? The commute from LF would be ~60 miles one way. Not sure how true traffic conditions right now are compared to non-pandemic times, but it looks to be about a 1 hour 15 minute drive, surprisingly - only 5 minutes more than from EW.
Click to expand...
I feel like you should value your time more. Commuting 3x a week from Lake Forest to LA and coming back with traffic would mean 4 hrs each day. Doing it 12 hrs a week means you'll be doing it 48 hrs a month. 48 hrs a month means two full days. In one year, you'll be spending 24 full days on commuting to work. Do you know what you can do with 24 full days? That can be a two 12 day vacation that you can take in one year.
 
WTTCHMN said:
You are crazy if you are planning to commute 3x a week from Irvine to Playa del Rey.  If you're looking at good schools you should be considering Los Alamitos or Rancho Palos Verdes instead.

Otherwise, plan on leaving Irvine at 5 am and returning home at 9 pm.
Click to expand...

We have a heavy preference for new construction so unfortunately there isn't much out that way. PV would definitely make more sense but unfortunately the Rolling Hills Country Club community by TB just sold out there (plus it's way more house than we'd need). The closest I saw that has good schools is in Santa Clarita, but that's almost like a Riverside with how far it is from everything.

sleepy5136 said:
I feel like you should value your time more. Commuting 3x a week from Lake Forest to LA and coming back with traffic would mean 4 hrs each day. Doing it 12 hrs a week means you'll be doing it 48 hrs a month. 48 hrs a month means two full days. In one year, you'll be spending 24 full days on commuting to work. Do you know what you can do with 24 full days? That can be a two 12 day vacation that you can take in one year.
Click to expand...

Definitely valid points...I don't currently own a Tesla but I'm planning on getting one just for the autopilot, which might make the commute more bearable. If it's a 2 hour commute each way, that's quite brutal but to be honest, a 1-1.5 hour commute I can deal with (I think)...I've done it for a few years. When you put it into perspective, it's definitely a lot of wasted time, but I view it as a tradeoff compared to living closer to work but paying $1.5M for a 1500 sq. ft. house that was built 50-70 years ago (no offense to anyone) - that's exactly how it is here in Silicon Valley, which is why we chose to live in the East Bay.

Ack, decisions.
 
Asumis said:
WTTCHMN said:
You are crazy if you are planning to commute 3x a week from Irvine to Playa del Rey.  If you're looking at good schools you should be considering Los Alamitos or Rancho Palos Verdes instead.

Otherwise, plan on leaving Irvine at 5 am and returning home at 9 pm.
Click to expand...

We have a heavy preference for new construction so unfortunately there isn't much out that way. PV would definitely make more sense but unfortunately the Rolling Hills Country Club community by TB just sold out there (plus it's way more house than we'd need). The closest I saw that has good schools is in Santa Clarita, but that's almost like a Riverside with how far it is from everything.

sleepy5136 said:
I feel like you should value your time more. Commuting 3x a week from Lake Forest to LA and coming back with traffic would mean 4 hrs each day. Doing it 12 hrs a week means you'll be doing it 48 hrs a month. 48 hrs a month means two full days. In one year, you'll be spending 24 full days on commuting to work. Do you know what you can do with 24 full days? That can be a two 12 day vacation that you can take in one year.
Click to expand...

Definitely valid points...I don't currently own a Tesla but I'm planning on getting one just for the autopilot, which might make the commute more bearable. If it's a 2 hour commute each way, that's quite brutal but to be honest, a 1-1.5 hour commute I can deal with (I think)...I've done it for a few years. When you put it into perspective, it's definitely a lot of wasted time, but I view it as a tradeoff compared to living closer to work but paying $1.5M for a 1500 sq. ft. house that was built 50-70 years ago (no offense to anyone) - that's exactly how it is here in Silicon Valley, which is why we chose to live in the East Bay.

Ack, decisions.
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I think the problem isn't whether one can do it. The problem is the amount of time you are wasting. I would rather put the time/effort to convince your boss to be able to be fully remote if possible. Otherwise put effort/time to find a job that allows you to do so. I'm not sure what your field of work is, but if it's not possible then I guess you are really left with no choice. Time is more valuable than anything tbh and time in traffic is not a justifiable reason to waste your time.
 
Asumis said:
We're currently finalizing the decision on relocating from the Bay Area back to OC and have been looking at Fresco @ EW. With the last phase pricing (+$30K), my wife is a bit hesitant as it'll be close to $2M for a <3K sq. ft. house that she doesn't particularly love.

I hadn't considered LF before but just saw The Meadows today and am now intrigued. I don't know much about LF, but what do you all think of it compared to Irvine (and EW specifically)? Good school district is a must, but it seems like the LF schools are quite a bit lower in rank compared to Irvine...is it not that big of a difference in reality? For what it's worth, we have a newborn so it's going to be awhile before she's in school, but it's hard to shake the notion of needing to buy in an area with top schools.

The Meadows (Evergreen) is a lot more attractive to my wife since we're currently in a 3200 sq. ft. TB home here in the Bay so she won't see it as a 'downgrade' (her words, not mine), not to mention the price difference is massive, especially since the market is so high.

One thing to note, however, is that I would need to commute to LA (Playa Vista) 3x a week. I already sucked it up that my commute is going to suck no matter what since there aren't many viable options in LA and we'd prefer to live close to Irvine near family, but am I crazy for potentially looking even further south? The commute from LF would be ~60 miles one way. Not sure how true traffic conditions right now are compared to non-pandemic times, but it looks to be about a 1 hour 15 minute drive, surprisingly - only 5 minutes more than from EW.
Click to expand...

The commute to LA would be brutal, I think you're underestimating how terrible it is.  2 hours is a bit optimistic even unless you leave at 5 am as people say.

I'd rent a room from someone or get a sleeping bags for the office a couple days a week instead. 

As for LF vs Irvine, I think you'll even be closer to the Spectrum than you would be at EW which has a Target, Costco, and nice hangout area for kids and teens etc. 

As I said elsewhere, the Foothill Ranch towncenter is very convenient and has great takeout options, but lacking in upscale dining which doens't affect me too much these days.

Just know i'm biased, I think EW is a really bad village in Irvine due to the location and I'm very happy right across the street from the Meadows in Baker Ranch. 

I realize the schools aren't as good but I figure a portion of that 400kn savings I got by buying in LF I can put towards extra tutoring for the kid!
 
don't buy in Irvine and use the price difference to buy a one bed room condo near Playa Del Rey

sleepy5136 said:
Asumis said:
We're currently finalizing the decision on relocating from the Bay Area back to OC and have been looking at Fresco @ EW. With the last phase pricing (+$30K), my wife is a bit hesitant as it'll be close to $2M for a <3K sq. ft. house that she doesn't particularly love.

I hadn't considered LF before but just saw The Meadows today and am now intrigued. I don't know much about LF, but what do you all think of it compared to Irvine (and EW specifically)? Good school district is a must, but it seems like the LF schools are quite a bit lower in rank compared to Irvine...is it not that big of a difference in reality? For what it's worth, we have a newborn so it's going to be awhile before she's in school, but it's hard to shake the notion of needing to buy in an area with top schools.

The Meadows (Evergreen) is a lot more attractive to my wife since we're currently in a 3200 sq. ft. TB home here in the Bay so she won't see it as a 'downgrade' (her words, not mine), not to mention the price difference is massive, especially since the market is so high.

One thing to note, however, is that I would need to commute to LA (Playa Vista) 3x a week. I already sucked it up that my commute is going to suck no matter what since there aren't many viable options in LA and we'd prefer to live close to Irvine near family, but am I crazy for potentially looking even further south? The commute from LF would be ~60 miles one way. Not sure how true traffic conditions right now are compared to non-pandemic times, but it looks to be about a 1 hour 15 minute drive, surprisingly - only 5 minutes more than from EW.
Click to expand...
I feel like you should value your time more. Commuting 3x a week from Lake Forest to LA and coming back with traffic would mean 4 hrs each day. Doing it 12 hrs a week means you'll be doing it 48 hrs a month. 48 hrs a month means two full days. In one year, you'll be spending 24 full days on commuting to work. Do you know what you can do with 24 full days? That can be a two 12 day vacation that you can take in one year.
Click to expand...
 
you're insane. I commuted from LF to Santa Monica back in 99-2002 - would never do it again.

Forget new construction and buy in Rossmoor or Belmont Shore - both have excellent public schools with more diversity than Irvine. Value the proximity to the beach and LA and great established family neighborhoods vs the look and feel of a new home.

My $.02. I live in the Bay now and always toy with the idea of moving back.
 
@Asumis,

Unlike everyone here, I recommend you stick with your original plan at Fresco @ EW. You'll appreciate it much more than other potential nearby areas. One of EW's biggest pros is its location. It's close to plazas, parks and everything else you would need especially if you have kids. Freeway is also close, but not too close to question any risks of vehicle pollution hazards. Some people don't like its location comparing to older towns, but for new constructions in Irvine, this is the best location IMHO. Also you'll enjoy its appreciation over the years. Just look at how phase 1 buyers at EW are enjoying almost up to a half million dollars price increase in just 2-3 years. If you truly can't deal with commute anymore, you can sell it later on with so much extra cash in your pocket. I've done long drive commute in most of my 20s, and I enjoyed listening to songs, sermons, radios and etc. Also I would call with friends and so on so it wasn't bad at all personally.

That said, if your wife doesn't really like Fresco, then I would buy where she likes the most. If she likes $2M 1500sq shack in LA, then go for it. Sounds like she would spend the majority of time or at lease more time than you at home so let her favorite be the final choice. Just my 2 cents. Good luck!
 
Rent first in Irvine, do the commute, then decide if it works for you, after a few months you'll know if you can do it for years to come.
 
Mety said:
@Asumis,

Unlike everyone here, I recommend you stick with your original plan at Fresco @ EW. You'll appreciate it much more than other potential nearby areas. One of EW's biggest pros is its location. It's close to plazas, parks and everything else you would need especially if you have kids.
Click to expand...

Everything else meaning the trailer park right across the street!  And the landfill on the other side! 

[quote author=Mety]
Freeway is also close, but not too close to question any risks of vehicle pollution hazards. Some people don't like its location comparing to older towns, but for new constructions in Irvine, this is the best location IMHO. Also you'll enjoy its appreciation over the years. Just look at how phase 1 buyers at EW are enjoying almost up to a half million dollars price increase in just 2-3 years.
[/quote]

The reason Eastwood went up in value is simply because The Irvine Company pumped insane marketing money into promoting it to the mainlanders. 

It's the same reason why certain neighborhoods in the Great Park sold out super fast and yet have barely appreciated beyond the last phase.  Marketing money makes things fly off the shelves when they're selling new houses, that has very little correlation to how much something will appreciate after the marketing money goes away.
 
You will be miserable commuting to Playa Vista from Irvine or Lake Forest. I love Playa Vista itself, so if anything there is within budget I would consider it. I also second the suggestion above to look at Ladera Heights/Baldwin Hills; I would even look in Culver Crest or parts of Culver City. There is also a bluff in Westchester that sits above Playa Vista that has some newer build Standard Pacific homes that are nice as well. If you really want to live in OC and commute to Playa Vista, I would suggest somewhere in Irvine by the 405 versus Lake Forest.
 
ThirtySomethingWEquity said:
Mety said:
@Asumis,

Unlike everyone here, I recommend you stick with your original plan at Fresco @ EW. You'll appreciate it much more than other potential nearby areas. One of EW's biggest pros is its location. It's close to plazas, parks and everything else you would need especially if you have kids.
Click to expand...

Everything else meaning the trailer park right across the street!  And the landfill on the other side! 

[quote author=Mety]
Freeway is also close, but not too close to question any risks of vehicle pollution hazards. Some people don't like its location comparing to older towns, but for new constructions in Irvine, this is the best location IMHO. Also you'll enjoy its appreciation over the years. Just look at how phase 1 buyers at EW are enjoying almost up to a half million dollars price increase in just 2-3 years.
Click to expand...

The reason Eastwood went up in value is simply because The Irvine Company pumped insane marketing money into promoting it to the mainlanders. 

It's the same reason why certain neighborhoods in the Great Park sold out super fast and yet have barely appreciated beyond the last phase.  Marketing money makes things fly off the shelves when they're selling new houses, that has very little correlation to how much something will appreciate after the marketing money goes away.
[/quote]

Thanks for your inputs.
Couple things to point based on your post.

A) The Grove across EW is a senior village. It?s not a homeless shelter or anything as people misunderstand. I hear the village is actually quite nice inside. If you were afraid of such things, I would be more cautious about the cement plant or Musick Jail near that LF area.

B) Your posts acknowledge and also admit that EW value goes pretty high. Most appreciations especially the ones that really go above and beyond are all built out finished with phases a long time ago. TIC?s marketing strategy does drive the value go higher than usual, but it?s not just that. It?s the prime location that people who live there are enjoying and potential buyers are seeing. Of course if you?re looking to buy in Ladera Ranch or something, that potential is not as important.

YMMV though so it was just my inputs on this village. BTW, I don?t live in EW. I know by now some people who live there and they really love it.
 
Mety said:
ThirtySomethingWEquity said:
Mety said:
@Asumis,

Unlike everyone here, I recommend you stick with your original plan at Fresco @ EW. You'll appreciate it much more than other potential nearby areas. One of EW's biggest pros is its location. It's close to plazas, parks and everything else you would need especially if you have kids.
Click to expand...

Everything else meaning the trailer park right across the street!  And the landfill on the other side! 

[quote author=Mety]
Freeway is also close, but not too close to question any risks of vehicle pollution hazards. Some people don't like its location comparing to older towns, but for new constructions in Irvine, this is the best location IMHO. Also you'll enjoy its appreciation over the years. Just look at how phase 1 buyers at EW are enjoying almost up to a half million dollars price increase in just 2-3 years.
Click to expand...

The reason Eastwood went up in value is simply because The Irvine Company pumped insane marketing money into promoting it to the mainlanders. 

It's the same reason why certain neighborhoods in the Great Park sold out super fast and yet have barely appreciated beyond the last phase.  Marketing money makes things fly off the shelves when they're selling new houses, that has very little correlation to how much something will appreciate after the marketing money goes away.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your inputs.
Couple things to point based on your post.

A) The Grove across EW is a senior village. It?s not a homeless shelter or anything as people misunderstand. I hear the village is actually quite nice inside. If you were afraid of such things, I would be more cautious about the cement plant or Musick Jail near that LF area.

B) Your posts acknowledge and also admit that EW value goes pretty high. Most appreciations especially the ones that really go above and beyond are all built out finished with phases a long time ago. TIC?s marketing strategy does drive the value go higher than usual, but it?s not just that. It?s the prime location that people who live there are enjoying and potential buyers are seeing. Of course if you?re looking to buy in Ladera Ranch or something, that potential is not as important.

YMMV though so it was just my inputs on this village. BTW, I don?t live in EW. I know by now some people who live there and they really love it.
[/quote]

Your point about The Groves is so true. It's funny how people just see a "trailer park" and automatically have some negative association with it. That's been one of the biggest things people have brought up about Eastwood. The senior "trailer parks" in Irvine are...senior communities. They also have it pretty well enclosed, it's not much of an eyesore.

Baker Ranch is close to a jail, two large water towers, a concrete facility, and other random industrial buildings. Every place has pros and cons.
 
Thanks everyone for the input - definitely a lot to consider!

For what it's worth, I've been checking Google Maps every day for a few weeks now to see what the commute would be like when leaving Irvine/LF at 5:45AM and going back from PV at 2:00PM and it has consistently been around 1 hour and 5-25 minutes. I'm sure that traffic now is lighter than it used to be, but I feel like it's at least back to 75-80% of what it used to be. 3-4 hours of total commute is still pretty bad but maybe I'm just used to traffic in CA and don't mind it as much lol. It's definitely a tradeoff everyone has to consider in terms of what works best/makes sense; now if it were a 5+ hour commute, then that would be unbearable. I'd be surprised if traffic right now is only half of what it was pre-COVID!

We'll expand our search to the LA area and see if anything in the suggested areas look attractive just in case too.
 
Asumis said:
Thanks everyone for the input - definitely a lot to consider!

For what it's worth, I've been checking Google Maps every day for a few weeks now to see what the commute would be like when leaving Irvine/LF at 5:45AM and going back from PV at 2:00PM and it has consistently been around 1 hour and 5-25 minutes. I'm sure that traffic now is lighter than it used to be, but I feel like it's at least back to 75-80% of what it used to be. 3-4 hours of total commute is still pretty bad but maybe I'm just used to traffic in CA and don't mind it as much lol. It's definitely a tradeoff everyone has to consider in terms of what works best/makes sense; now if it were a 5+ hour commute, then that would be unbearable. I'd be surprised if traffic right now is only half of what it was pre-COVID!

We'll expand our search to the LA area and see if anything in the suggested areas look attractive just in case too.
Click to expand...

Traffic is always lighter in the summer. You?ll have to check again once school starts.

Leaving at 2 PM is not too bad.  Why don?t you extend your day until 7 PM and reduce your commute to 2 days a week instead of 3.
 
Does anyone have any updates on the presale and if there is huge demand for homes here? The Willows seems like it will be backing Bake Pkway which isn't that great. Looks like The Oaks is the best and arguably "cheaper" route.
 
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