Aliso Viejo Discussion Thread

[quote author="CK" date=1216091889]Spent Saturday down in AV, checking out homes and trying to get a feel for the community. From the homes standpoint, we really liked the Westridge neighborhood. Irvine123 described it well in his post at the top of this thread. Looks like they have a new elementary in that neighborhood (Canyon Vista) which has an API of 890. Very close to Irvine scores, not that I think the API score is the only factor when assessing a school. We also really like the neighborhoods down Canyon Vistas from Pacific Park. Not sure what to call that area, but here is a listing from there:



<a href="http://www.redfin.com/CA/Aliso-Viejo/33-Silkwood-92656/home/4869537">Silkwood</a>



Anybody know this neighborhood is called? Felt to us like a hillside Northwood Pointe --- with a LOT lower prices.



Also toured the new Shea community Pasadera. Nice and great floorplans, but way too high taxes. Pricing on Sunday was: Plan 1: $709k; Plan 2: $725k; Plan 3: $778k. Don and Darren at the Pasadera sales office said they get a LOT of foot traffic through that community from current Irvine residents.



As far as the community as a whole, we liked what we saw. Everwhere there were people out in about. The faces around AV seem to be about a 1 for 1 flip from Irvine, where more people in AV look like Mr. blond CK, and in Irvine more look like Ms. Asian CK. They were holding a big time bike race in AV on Saturday which we watched for a while, that was cool. Also caught a movie and dinner at the Town Center and spent some time in the B&N;. Kids and families everywhere, it is definitely a family oriented place. Our daughter is an ice skater, so having the AV Ice Palace right there is an added plus.



Overall, we could definitely see ourselves there. We've go some thinking to do.</blockquote>




Er-rahhhhh,



Could you explain what do you mean by Mr blond CK and Ms Asian CK ?



I'm new to this site but I've been reading a lot of theads and this racial theme of Whites not wanting to live in a neighborhood with Mexicans and Whites not wanting to live in a neighborhood with Asians seems to pop up a bit from other posters as well.
 
<blockquote>Could you explain what do you mean by Mr blond CK and Ms Asian CK ?

I?m new to this site but I?ve been reading a lot of theads and this racial theme of Whites not wanting to live in a neighborhood with Mexicans and Whites not wanting to live in a neighborhood with Asians seems to pop up a bit from other posters as well. </blockquote>
We're all one big multi-racial family. :p
 
[quote author="Trooper" date=1216719547]CK is just reminding us that he is White and his wife is Asian.</blockquote>


Hey Trooper,



Thanks for the reply but with the current Housing mess many people are having to deal with in the OC, does it still really matter what the nationality of your next door neighbor is ?



A few years ago, some friends of mine moved from Westminster to Orange because Vietnamese families were buying into their community, which by the way was a very very nice neighborhood with some really beautiful looking homes.



Well, within a few years of them living in the nice new gated community in Orange, who moves in across the street from them but two Korean families, who also seems to be some really nice folks.



So again, outside of bad character, does it really matter in the OC, what the nationality of your next door neighbor is ?
 
[quote author="CalGal" date=1216720441]<blockquote>Could you explain what do you mean by Mr blond CK and Ms Asian CK ?

I?m new to this site but I?ve been reading a lot of theads and this racial theme of Whites not wanting to live in a neighborhood with Mexicans and Whites not wanting to live in a neighborhood with Asians seems to pop up a bit from other posters as well. </blockquote>
We're all one big multi-racial family. :p</blockquote>


CalGal, that's nice to know, I'ed hate to think that some of my future neighbors might plan using their 400 plus thread count sheets for something more than bed dressings :)
 
speaking only for myself, i would say that my assumption when i read comments like that here at IHB, and when discussion housing in general, is that it likely has more to do with economic class and cultural assimilation, rather than race per se.



at least, those are my biases developed from living in a variety of cities around the country.
 
[quote author="Brotha Man" date=1216720973][quote author="CalGal" date=1216720441]<blockquote>Could you explain what do you mean by Mr blond CK and Ms Asian CK ?

I?m new to this site but I?ve been reading a lot of theads and this racial theme of Whites not wanting to live in a neighborhood with Mexicans and Whites not wanting to live in a neighborhood with Asians seems to pop up a bit from other posters as well. </blockquote>
We're all one big multi-racial family. :p</blockquote>


CalGal, that's nice to know, I'ed hate to think that some of my future neighbors might plan using their 400 plus thread count sheets for something more than bed dressings :)</blockquote>


Sorry a little late on the response here, but my comment was only intended to relay the observations we made while checking out AV, and put a face on what we saw down there. Hopefully I didn't offend anyone, just stating a fact, wasn't concerned with the PCness of the statement. Honestly, if we had our way we would prefer an area a bit more diverse, such as Irvine ---- we feel Irvine reflects our family well. But that said (and freedomCM put it well) racial makeup is not a top priority in our decision....Being around neighbors who have the same values and priorities as us is a priority --- Good schools, safe streets, family oriented activities. And neighbor dudes who like to hang out in the garage and have a beer while solving world problems is also a plus.
 
[quote author="CK" date=1216801375][quote author="Brotha Man" date=1216720973][quote author="CalGal" date=1216720441]<blockquote>Could you explain what do you mean by Mr blond CK and Ms Asian CK ?

I?m new to this site but I?ve been reading a lot of theads and this racial theme of Whites not wanting to live in a neighborhood with Mexicans and Whites not wanting to live in a neighborhood with Asians seems to pop up a bit from other posters as well. </blockquote>
We're all one big multi-racial family. :p</blockquote>


CalGal, that's nice to know, I'ed hate to think that some of my future neighbors might plan using their 400 plus thread count sheets for something more than bed dressings :)</blockquote>


Sorry a little late on the response here, but my comment was only intended to relay the observations we made while checking out AV, and put a face on what we saw down there. Hopefully I didn't offend anyone, just stating a fact, wasn't concerned with the PCness of the statement. Honestly, if we had our way we would prefer an area a bit more diverse, such as Irvine ---- we feel Irvine reflects our family well. But that said (and freedomCM put it well) racial makeup is not a top priority in our decision....Being around neighbors who have the same values and priorities as us is a priority --- Good schools, safe streets, family oriented activities. And neighbor dudes who like to hang out in the garage and have a beer while solving world problems is also a plus.</blockquote>


I've seen the interesting asian-white dynamic recently with my new rental. We have 9-10 houses on the culdesac... It's pretty much 50% asian and 50% caucasian. Everyone we have seen (outside of one asian brother and sister that live together across the street) has been nice, friendly, say "hi", etc. The caucasian families have extended more socially, e.g. invited us over for BBQ, came over to chit chat when the kids were playing outside, etc. The white families seem enthused to have another primarily white family living on the street. And you can bet, I am the only asian brutha you will find on my street chillin' with a beer and tinkering with tools...
 
I've said this before and I'll say it again. I live in Irvine and my personal experience with my many Asian neighbors is that most of them are married couples with kids who seem very uncomfortable with my "lifestyle" as a single mother. It's like they think my condition is contagious. Most of them won't even make eye contact with me, even when I say hello directly to them. Now don't get me wrong, I've been treated just as rudely by plenty of white people, but there is a real language and cultural barrier for me here in Irvine that is making me consider MV and AV more and more seriously every day. I used to take my son on playdates with a Korean kid from his daycare, but when I got divorced, the parents acted really weird - the husband wouldn't even acknowledge I was in their house.



And frankly, it would be nice to have neighbors who speak the same language as me! (My neighbor on the left speaks only Farsi and on the right, only some form of Chinese. It's very difficult to cultivate friendships in this situation!)
 
<em>most of them are married couples with kids who seem very uncomfortable with my ?lifestyle? </em>



LOL ! Wait until I move into the neighborhood ! ;-P
 
[quote author="irvinesinglemom" date=1216811128]I've said this before and I'll say it again. I live in Irvine and my personal experience with my many Asian neighbors is that most of them are married couples with kids who seem very uncomfortable with my "lifestyle" as a single mother. It's like they think my condition is contagious. Most of them won't even make eye contact with me, even when I say hello directly to them. Now don't get me wrong, I've been treated just as rudely by plenty of white people, but there is a real language and cultural barrier for me here in Irvine that is making me consider MV and AV more and more seriously every day. I used to take my son on playdates with a Korean kid from his daycare, but when I got divorced, the parents acted really weird - the husband wouldn't even acknowledge I was in their house.



And frankly, it would be nice to have neighbors who speak the same language as me! (My neighbor on the left speaks only Farsi and on the right, only some form of Chinese. It's very difficult to cultivate friendships in this situation!)</blockquote>


FWIW, our favorite neighbor in San Carlo Villa is a white single mother of a 4 year old son. I've actually wondered if that's you a couple of times. She is a great person, and seems to treat her son just like a king. Our kind of person. Oh, and she drives an ML-class and has some high-powered marketing job....so anybody who likes to stereotype a single mother can stop now. Our least favorite neighbors are the Korean family two doors down who hold loud bible study nights in their townhouse every Sunday, with their bible study friends clogging up all the parking.



Just keep in mind that you probably would not want to be friends with anybody who would judge you, anyway. And there are judgemental a-holes everywhere, unfortunately.
 
I have to agree with CK, anyone who would place judgment on a single mom (who clearly has majority of the custody time, meaning the judge deemed the ex-husband a loser as much as you did), then you wouldn't want to be friends with them anyway. Hell... I wouldn't want to be friends with someone like that just for judging you.



Now, back on topic. I checked out the latest upcoming August 18th REDC auction, <a href="http://ushomeauction.com/property.php?auctionID=H-038&itemID=35988&venueId=204&start=0">and I saw 8 Palatine again</a>. Yes... again, and this is the third, yes, 3rd auction this home has been listed at that I know of. WTF is wrong with the place? Is it painted with a shrimp paste based paint or what?
 
[quote author="graphrix" date=1216819777]

Now, back on topic. I checked out the latest upcoming August 18th REDC auction, <a href="http://ushomeauction.com/property.php?auctionID=H-038&itemID=35988&venueId=204&start=0">and I saw 8 Palatine again</a>. Yes... again, and this is the third, yes, 3rd auction this home has been listed at that I know of. WTF is wrong with the place? Is it painted with a shrimp paste based paint or what?</blockquote>


Thanks for getting us back on topic. That's what I was doing down in AV for in the first place, not for some sort of National Geographic racial demographic mission.



Here is a 2003 rollback at $250/sq ft that looks very nice, except for the fact that it backs up to Pacific Park. They didn't have interior pictures posted for the longest time, so I figured something must have been wrong on the inside at this price point. Now that I see the inside pics, I likey. Stuff like this is starting to make me say hmmmm even more:



<a href="http://www.redfin.com/CA/Aliso-Viejo/41-Northern-Pine-Loop-92656/home/4869296">41 Northern Pine</a>
 
Firstly I'd like to say hello. I'm a new member and have really enjoyed reading this blog and forum over the last year. The members here are all very well informed, interesting... and sometimes a little bit crazy :)



With that out of the way...



I really like Aliso Viejo, but have just moved from there to Quail Hill. For the last 2 years I lived in the same small neighborhood as <a href="http://ushomeauction.com/property.php?auctionID=H-038&itemID=35988&venueId=204&start=0">8 Palatine</a>. The neighbohood is not very desirable as is the case with a lot of the areas in AV. The community is a mix of houses and condos which feels odd for how small it is. There are no sidewalks and the driveways are very short, which is a problem because the only street parking is around the main inner loop in designated spots - you can't park in front of your house. I felt like I was living in a condo even though the house was detached. Houses have been having a tough time selling on the street, but not as tough as the houses on Northern Pine Loop where CK linked to <a href="http://www.redfin.com/CA/Aliso-Viejo/41-Northern-Pine-Loop-92656/home/4869296">41 Northern Pine</a>.



I'm not exactly sure why but houses on this street have really taken a beating. Its actually the street that signaled the bursting of the bubble for me. In early to mid '05 there was a house on this street that was priced well below other houses in the area and it just wouldn't sell. It went off the market for a month or so(not sure of the story here) but popped back on and languished for around a year. If you drive around this neighborhood you can start to feel why. The houses feel kind of nice, they've nailed a few shutters on here and there and plopped a few other details onto the facade, but they are jammed <em>really</em> close together and to get the almost acceptable setbacks the builders needed to all but eliminate the backyards. Northen Pine Loop is also lower in elevation than Pacific Park, which probably helps for noise, but makes the neighborhood feels closed in.



My favorite somewhat affordable neighborhood in all of AV is off of Canyon Vistas, CK linked to <a href="http://www.redfin.com/CA/Aliso-Viejo/33-Silkwood-92656/home/4869537">Silkwood</a> a page or two back. This neighborhood is great, if you drive through it and park at the top of Hollyleaf you can hike along the ridge to Top of the World. Also, the prices haven't dropped as fast as many areas of AV - they've definitely dropped, though. This has become my benchmark for desirable neighborhoods. During the bubble people would buy anything. They were being handed a free bag of money, who cares if it backed to power lines or a sewage facility. Now that people are clawing their way out of their drunken Kool Aid stupor they're becoming very picky. The neighborhoods and houses that are truly desireable are revealing themselves. Take a look at this <a href="http://www.redfin.com/CA/Ladera-Ranch/44-Christopher-St-92694/home/12444145">listing</a> in Covenant Hills. Its way, way under equivalent asking prices, but who wants to pay 800k to live 20 feet away from power lines?
 
Chotsky - Welcome and good to have another person familiar with South OC on here. I've been through your former neighborhood a couple times, and it always hits me as odd how there are a couple buildings of those <a href="http://www.redfin.com/CA/Aliso-Viejo/21-Florentine-92656/home/5300375">European-style condos</a> right next the type of place you lived in. IMO, those attached condos would be pretty cool for city living where land is an issue but they are way too vertical and have too many stairs to be practical for families or empty-nesters.



That neighborhood is a prime example of what I say you need to watch out for in Aliso - packed in neighborhoods that just don't feel like they were designed quite right and don't have the right vibes (perhaps it's the feng shui). Another of these is <a href="http://www.redfin.com/CA/Aliso-Viejo/7-Bienvenido-92656/home/5685214">this neighborhood for me</a> - I couldn't exactly put my finger on it but it just felt off when we drove through here - like the homes were too tall and crammed in. This one (<a href="http://www.redfin.com/CA/Aliso-Viejo/4-Alegre-92656/home/5685160">4 Alegre</a>)is in a really strange position because it's off of a little side street but sort of shares a "driveway" with the one right next door. Really odd...



I am also a fan of the Northern Pine Loop neighborhood - there are a handful of foreclosures coming there (NODs on 87, 41 and 55 Northern Pine Loop and NTS on 58; NOD on a place on Boulder Circle) so there will certainly be some turnover. My favorite ones in this neighborhood are the models with the garages that don't face the street. The kitchen setups also look good.
 
[quote author="CK" date=1216844731][quote author="graphrix" date=1216819777]

Now, back on topic. I checked out the latest upcoming August 18th REDC auction, <a href="http://ushomeauction.com/property.php?auctionID=H-038&itemID=35988&venueId=204&start=0">and I saw 8 Palatine again</a>. Yes... again, and this is the third, yes, 3rd auction this home has been listed at that I know of. WTF is wrong with the place? Is it painted with a shrimp paste based paint or what?</blockquote>


Thanks for getting us back on topic. That's what I was doing down in AV for in the first place, not for some sort of National Geographic racial demographic mission.



Here is a 2003 rollback at $250/sq ft that looks very nice, except for the fact that it backs up to Pacific Park. They didn't have interior pictures posted for the longest time, so I figured something must have been wrong on the inside at this price point. Now that I see the inside pics, I likey. Stuff like this is starting to make me say hmmmm even more:



<a href="http://www.redfin.com/CA/Aliso-Viejo/41-Northern-Pine-Loop-92656/home/4869296">41 Northern Pine</a></blockquote>


I'm confused. The last sale is 2003 for $525K, but the 2006 property tax assessment is for $750K, not the 2% $557K it should be. Is there another sale for $750K not showing? Or if you refi, does your property tax go up to the refi amount?
 
[quote author="stepping_up" date=1216855078][quote author="CK" date=1216844731][quote author="graphrix" date=1216819777]

Now, back on topic. I checked out the latest upcoming August 18th REDC auction, <a href="http://ushomeauction.com/property.php?auctionID=H-038&itemID=35988&venueId=204&start=0">and I saw 8 Palatine again</a>. Yes... again, and this is the third, yes, 3rd auction this home has been listed at that I know of. WTF is wrong with the place? Is it painted with a shrimp paste based paint or what?</blockquote>


Thanks for getting us back on topic. That's what I was doing down in AV for in the first place, not for some sort of National Geographic racial demographic mission.



Here is a 2003 rollback at $250/sq ft that looks very nice, except for the fact that it backs up to Pacific Park. They didn't have interior pictures posted for the longest time, so I figured something must have been wrong on the inside at this price point. Now that I see the inside pics, I likey. Stuff like this is starting to make me say hmmmm even more:



<a href="http://www.redfin.com/CA/Aliso-Viejo/41-Northern-Pine-Loop-92656/home/4869296">41 Northern Pine</a></blockquote>


I'm confused. The last sale is 2003 for $525K, but the 2006 property tax assessment is for $750K, not the 2% $557K it should be. Is there another sale for $750K not showing? Or if you refi, does your property tax go up to the refi amount?</blockquote>


First, no your property taxes do not go up when you refi.



Second, I dunno why the taxes are screwed up, but it is the county that is confused. Gawd knows what they did, but the APN seems to be screwed up, and the tax collector doesn't even pull up the regular bill. It does pull up the tax default for $9500, plus another $1200 in penalties. Even when you pull the info up on the default, what it is based on makes no sense. Regardless, if there was another sale in between the last one and now, this will certainly be a PITA to fix.
 
ISM - You might like the South Bay: Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach. When I was growing up there, single parents and step parents were the norm.


I don't know if this helps, but there are certain cultures, Asians included, who do not seem to make eye contact with me either. I am married, so it probably has nothing to do with my marital status.
 
[quote author="irvinesinglemom" date=1216811128]I've said this before and I'll say it again. I live in Irvine and my personal experience with my many Asian neighbors is that most of them are married couples with kids who seem very uncomfortable with my "lifestyle" as a single mother. It's like they think my condition is contagious. Most of them won't even make eye contact with me, even when I say hello directly to them. Now don't get me wrong, I've been treated just as rudely by plenty of white people, but there is a real language and cultural barrier for me here in Irvine that is making me consider MV and AV more and more seriously every day. I used to take my son on playdates with a Korean kid from his daycare, but when I got divorced, the parents acted really weird - the husband wouldn't even acknowledge I was in their house.



And frankly, it would be nice to have neighbors who speak the same language as me! (My neighbor on the left speaks only Farsi and on the right, only some form of Chinese. It's very difficult to cultivate friendships in this situation!)</blockquote>
ISM, my husband and I had a very difficult time when we moved to Irvine. We would walk right past Asian people and they would never respond to us when we said "hi" - in fact, they wouldn't even look at us. Our neighbors wouldn't talk to us or even look at us. We tried to be friends with them or even just neighborly, but they wanted nothing to do with us. It was very frustrating. Of course, they aren't all this way, in fact one of my best friends is Asian. But we just found most of them didn't want anything to do with us. And I can understand if they were intimidated by the language barrier if they didn't speak English, but I'm sure they know the work "hi" or "hello" by now.



This is one of the main reasons we left Irvine. So, hopefully you won't take it personally when some Asians don't socialize with you - they don't with me either. ;-P I've met more people in Coto in 6 months than I did in Irvine in 4 years.
 
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