Recent content by Zulu_IHB

Fortunately, we did not have to go through the DRC during the design process. That was done by the previous owners. I have heard they are reasonable IF you follow the guidelines. If you try to do something different...well...good luck because you'll need it. They've actually left us alone...

Scfan - I'll know more when we're done with the house, but the most important thing I've found during the building process is shop around because it pays off. There are a lot of subcontractors out of work right now that appreciate work at any price. Others seem to think it's still 2005 and they...

Well, from experience I can say that construction financing is pretty much non-existent for owner-builders, and if you're building for spec it is pretty much impossible to get unless you go for private money at 14-16% plus plus. As far as profit margin on a spec home goes - it's not really...

So find an area with a cool climate with lots of character and shrubs that you like and move there. Puget Sound or Vancouver Island come to mind. But give the argument a rest, please.... Anyone ante up the $35 to visit this years Philharmonic House of Design on Canyon Creek? It seems to be...

Assuming it sells for around $4.1 or so, it would be difficult/impossible to duplicate that home even at todays' depressed building prices. The back yard is nice, it has decent views - overall I think it's a nice home although the landscaping is completely overgrown and needs to be ripped out...

Yes, it's a decrease of 26% from the (arguably) unrealistic price of $2,650,000 for an odd shaped lot. On the other hand, the current asking price is about 4.5% more than what the owner paid for it. The plans that come with it may have no value to the future buyer and its a shame. At $1.3m...

Cactus - I'll take a look at 30 Sage Creek ASAP and get back to you. USC - like most people here I like my privacy, which is why I use a moniker. I mention lots of homes and situations - might be one of them is mine - but I don't like to tie specific names, real or otherwise, to specific...

No, I'm committed to finishing our home under construction. Foreclosure, no foreclosure...price is part of the equation but not the end-all. Some builders put more into their homes than others. What is sad is that they don't often get a higher price than a poorly built, flashier home. I...

Sandydee - some of what I wrote I heard from RE agents in Shady, some from owners themselves, and the rest was just commentary. I am only sure of one thing and that is what I hear - whether it is correct or not is anyones guess. That being said, if I were you, I wouldn't believe anything I read...

I can't help but wonder what your motivation is for continuing with the doom and gloom. Bloodbath? Prices fell 30-40% in the first year and a half to two years after the market started tanking. Maybe 50% on some homes. Just because some sellers are late to the party and are just now finding...

Can we change the name of this thread to something other than "Bloodbath in Coto de Caza". The bloodbath was last year, when home prices fell through the basement floor within a few months. OK, so a lot of people didn't figure it out then, or now for that matter, but the fact is that prices...

Hi Otis, I'll take the first stab at replying to your post. First, as far as location goes I think Shady Canyon is perfect. Close to the beach areas we like (i.e. Newport, Corona Del Mar) as well as the business areas of Irvine. My business is located in Irvine and is less than 5 minutes from...

The price drop on 23 Cactus really doesn't say anything about the Shady housing market. It does say a lot about the seller, though. If I price my 7,000 sf Shady home at an unrealistic price of, say, $8 million, and then I end up selling it for what it cost me to build, $4 million, does...

By the way, anyone see this article? http://irvinehomes.freedomblogging.com/2009/08/13/shady-canyon-estate-sells-after-12-million-discount/ 98 Canyon Creek sold 7/31/09 for $5.6 million, after 634 days on the market. I don't know why anyone is surprised that it took so long, and that...

Heard a rumor that 19 Vernal Spring is in escrow