Any Irvine homeowners or shoppers have opinions on Levity in Tustin?

[jamesKirk]

Curious to know what Irvine homeowners or those shopping in Irvine think of Levity near the district in Tustin.

We checked them out and passed on phase one. Prices seemed ok to us, lower $/sqft than other new developments in Irvine like Portola or Great Park. Units were fairly large.

Main gripes were no two story plans that only shared side walls. The units with garage and living space on the ground floor also had a unit above which we didn?t like, especially since the balcony is right over your front door/patio area on some models. We?re almost entirely not interested in any condo where you have to go up stairs everyday to get to your kitchen/living room.

Other complaints were that the flats had the U-shaped design so parking in your garage is annoying. The condos had the easier alley style, but I believe still only have one entrance on one end. And the lower priced models have tandem garages.

We didn?t like the overall design of the community, seemed like a very standard, crowded condo development. We much preferred the Portola Springs area of the new developments we?ve seen. Felt less crowded there even though there are a ton of houses. We really like the District area especially proximity to the AMC theatre as we go there a lot with A list. It?s just within the Levity development where we didn?t like the area.

Things we liked were that they were quite a bit larger than the offerings in the same price range in Irvine. Which seems obvious since it?s Tustin vs Irvine, but Tustin legacy is really close to Irvine and they should be getting a new school there soon.

Anyone else have any opinions on Levity as it compares to other offerings in Irvine?

 

[Mety]

I think you already have listed enough reasons to choose Irvine over Levity.

Tustin Legacy is a much better location than Portola Springs IMO though. However, I think you'll be happier if you buy nearby like West Irvine or West Park.

If you must buy a brand new, then probably PS is a better choice.

 

[jamesKirk]

I think you already have listed enough reasons to choose Irvine over Levity.

Tustin Legacy is a much better location than Portola Springs IMO though. However, I think you'll be happier if you buy nearby like West Irvine or West Park.

If you must buy a brand new, then probably PS is a better choice.

We don?t have to buy new, we just haven?t found any resales we thought we?re better than the new homes in terms of price or value yet. We?ve been looking since about April and we?re probably going to have to speed up our decision because my wife recently started a new job and I don?t want her to commute so far for a long time. Kid in near future is second concern, but well off.

I agree about the area, we like the Tustin Legacy area although traffic may get worse in the future. We?ve gotten stuck before near the 5 freeway on Tustin Ranch multiple times. I just wish the design of the Levity community was better. It feels like a standard sort of cramped condo design you?d see anywhere. My wife really liked that Portola felt more open with some hills and vegetation. But even she admits being 5 minutes from Costco, Target and AMC is tempting. She also hates the look of the Levity homes from the outside. She says it feels like you?re living in an apartment when you come home or walk out your front door. Seeing that some of the models have people below or above you I get it. Price appreciation is lower on our list since we plan to live there for a while, 10+ years.

Are there any examples of homes, maybe recently sold, or specific developments you?d recommend looking at. The homes and condos we?ve been looking at are around 725-800k.

 

[Mety]

I think you already have listed enough reasons to choose Irvine over Levity.

Tustin Legacy is a much better location than Portola Springs IMO though. However, I think you'll be happier if you buy nearby like West Irvine or West Park.

If you must buy a brand new, then probably PS is a better choice.

We don?t have to buy new, we just haven?t found any resales we thought we?re better than the new homes in terms of price or value yet. We?ve been looking since about April and we?re probably going to have to speed up our decision because my wife recently started a new job and I don?t want her to commute so far for a long time. Kid in near future is second concern, but well off.

I agree about the area, we like the Tustin Legacy area although traffic may get worse in the future. We?ve gotten stuck before near the 5 freeway on Tustin Ranch multiple times. I just wish the design of the Levity community was better. It feels like a standard sort of cramped condo design you?d see anywhere. My wife really liked that Portola felt more open with some hills and vegetation. But even she admits being 5 minutes from Costco, Target and AMC is tempting. She also hates the look of the Levity homes from the outside. She says it feels like you?re living in an apartment when you come home or walk out your front door. Seeing that some of the models have people below or above you I get it. Price appreciation is lower on our list since we plan to live there for a while, 10+ years.

Are there any examples of homes, maybe recently sold, or specific developments you?d recommend looking at. The homes and condos we?ve been looking at are around 725-800k.

If you live 10+ years anywhere, it will appreciate for sure unless Trump ruins America.

I would highly recommend looking at Eastwood and Stonegate. Pick one where you don't have anyone above/blow. You can surely find one under $800k. They have much lower mello roos and HOA fees than PS or GP. Some examples:
https://www.redfin.com/CA/Irvine/233-Kempton-92620/home/58557340https://www.redfin.com/CA/Irvine/73-Overbrook-92620/home/58556115https://www.redfin.com/CA/Irvine/100-Canvas-92602/home/167416030https://www.redfin.com/CA/Irvine/61-Concierto-92620/home/7210851

The last one is Woodbury which is also nice. Some of them are kind of close to the big road so I wouldn't recommend buying, but just to give you ideas you can get Irvine condos at $700k range rather than some flats from Tustin with a neighbor downstairs. Also I believe most of them I listed are overpriced. You can surely offer at much lower prices.

 

[jamesKirk]

Thanks I?ll check those out. One looks familiar so we may have seen it.

The sweet spot for us right now would be a small 3 bedroom maybe 1400-1600?. Were ok with giving up a big master bedroom for a third separate room in case we have a 2nd kid.

We saw a few homes around 750k in that category we liked, but they already had full price offers and we didn?t want to come up or get into a bidding war since they weren?t dream homes by any means.

 

[Mety]

Thanks I?ll check those out. One looks familiar so we may have seen it.

The sweet spot for us right now would be a small 3 bedroom maybe 1400-1600?. Were ok with giving up a big master bedroom for a third separate room in case we have a 2nd kid.

We saw a few homes around 750k in that category we liked, but they already had full price offers and we didn?t want to come up or get into a bidding war since they weren?t dream homes by any means.

Alright. This is it. This is called Delano from Eastwood, the hottest village in Irvine. I didn't even know they had anything left. Looks like the last one. https://www.redfin.com/CA/Irvine/103-Henson-92602/home/160669036

Redfin price history shows they lowered the price recently after an escrow fell out. It might not be actually available if someone already snatched it, but you can give them a call. Never hurt to try to ask for even lower price.

 

[jamesKirk]

Our agent took us to Eastwood. Said it was hot. We liked the area, but didn?t like the home designs that much. I?m not sure if there was something available at the time, he was just showing us the main Irvine areas that were selling well at the time.

For instance that one, isn?t there someone living below you?

On our list we have pretty high also Kitchen/living room and Garage on the same floor.

Why is Eastwood wanted by a lot of people? Is it the area? Schools? Is it considered hip or prestigious there?

Thanks I?ll check those out. One looks familiar so we may have seen it.

The sweet spot for us right now would be a small 3 bedroom maybe 1400-1600?. Were ok with giving up a big master bedroom for a third separate room in case we have a 2nd kid.

We saw a few homes around 750k in that category we liked, but they already had full price offers and we didn?t want to come up or get into a bidding war since they weren?t dream homes by any means.

Alright. This is it. This is called Delano from Eastwood, the hottest village in Irvine. I didn't even know they had anything left. Looks like the last one. https://www.redfin.com/CA/Irvine/103-Henson-92602/home/160669036

Redfin price history shows they lowered the price recently after an escrow fell out. It might not be actually available if someone already snatched it, but you can give them a call. Never hurt to try to ask for even lower price.

 

[eyephone]

MR reasonable. Who cares about the floor plan. This is an opportunity that you can?t pass you by.

Our agent took us to Eastwood. Said it was hot. We liked the area, but didn?t like the home designs that much. I?m not sure if there was something available at the time, he was just showing us the main Irvine areas that were selling well at the time.

For instance that one, isn?t there someone living below you?

On our list we have pretty high also Kitchen/living room and Garage on the same floor.

Why is Eastwood wanted by a lot of people? Is it the area? Schools? Is it considered hip or prestigious there?

Thanks I?ll check those out. One looks familiar so we may have seen it.

The sweet spot for us right now would be a small 3 bedroom maybe 1400-1600?. Were ok with giving up a big master bedroom for a third separate room in case we have a 2nd kid.

We saw a few homes around 750k in that category we liked, but they already had full price offers and we didn?t want to come up or get into a bidding war since they weren?t dream homes by any means.

Alright. This is it. This is called Delano from Eastwood, the hottest village in Irvine. I didn't even know they had anything left. Looks like the last one. https://www.redfin.com/CA/Irvine/103-Henson-92602/home/160669036

Redfin price history shows they lowered the price recently after an escrow fell out. It might not be actually available if someone already snatched it, but you can give them a call. Never hurt to try to ask for even lower price.

 

[Mety]

Our agent took us to Eastwood. Said it was hot. We liked the area, but didn?t like the home designs that much. I?m not sure if there was something available at the time, he was just showing us the main Irvine areas that were selling well at the time.

For instance that one, isn?t there someone living below you?

On our list we have pretty high also Kitchen/living room and Garage on the same floor.

Why is Eastwood wanted by a lot of people? Is it the area? Schools? Is it considered hip or prestigious there?

Thanks I?ll check those out. One looks familiar so we may have seen it.

The sweet spot for us right now would be a small 3 bedroom maybe 1400-1600?. Were ok with giving up a big master bedroom for a third separate room in case we have a 2nd kid.

We saw a few homes around 750k in that category we liked, but they already had full price offers and we didn?t want to come up or get into a bidding war since they weren?t dream homes by any means.

Alright. This is it. This is called Delano from Eastwood, the hottest village in Irvine. I didn't even know they had anything left. Looks like the last one. https://www.redfin.com/CA/Irvine/103-Henson-92602/home/160669036

Redfin price history shows they lowered the price recently after an escrow fell out. It might not be actually available if someone already snatched it, but you can give them a call. Never hurt to try to ask for even lower price.

This particular one has garages downstairs. Being 3 homes attached, they are all under your unit but no one is technically "living" there. Some people don't mind, some people hate it. But given you were considering Tustin Levity flat, Delano is a much better choice IMHO.

The reason Eastwood is being wanted by many people are
1. The location. It has all the new plazas, markets and also 5 freeway close by yet far enough for pollution concerns.
2. It has no apartment complexes (although I'm sure 50% of residents are renters while the owners are at oversea).
3. It's one of the newest villages in Irvine built/managed by The Irvine Company East/North of 133 Freeway. Location issue again.
4. Much lower Mello Roos tax than other new Irvine homes.
5. Walking distance of elementary school.
6. Zoned to the highest rated high school in Irvine.
7. Clubhouse 

But if you guys prefer the garage and kitchen on the same floor, I would recommend that 73 Overbrook. Sure it's 2bed, but that den can be converted into a 3rd room if needed.

 

[jamesKirk]

I see. It?s a bit above what we wanted to pay. We can check it out if it?s still available though.

It?s a combination of everyday having to go up stairs just to come ?home?, lugging groceries upstairs, etc. We like the idea of having a ?normal? house setup with kitchen down and bedrooms up, but a flat would be just fine too.

I totally get the area thing. We don?t mind being out of the way someplace like Portola, but being close to ?stuff? is definitely appealing. I guess it?s a balance of what you want that we?re still deciding on.

The schools though, ehh not much of a concern to us as we are maybe 15+ years away from high school. Totally understand though Irvine culture and the whole school thing especially for resale.

Our agent took us to Eastwood. Said it was hot. We liked the area, but didn?t like the home designs that much. I?m not sure if there was something available at the time, he was just showing us the main Irvine areas that were selling well at the time.

For instance that one, isn?t there someone living below you?

On our list we have pretty high also Kitchen/living room and Garage on the same floor.

Why is Eastwood wanted by a lot of people? Is it the area? Schools? Is it considered hip or prestigious there?

Thanks I?ll check those out. One looks familiar so we may have seen it.

The sweet spot for us right now would be a small 3 bedroom maybe 1400-1600?. Were ok with giving up a big master bedroom for a third separate room in case we have a 2nd kid.

We saw a few homes around 750k in that category we liked, but they already had full price offers and we didn?t want to come up or get into a bidding war since they weren?t dream homes by any means.

Alright. This is it. This is called Delano from Eastwood, the hottest village in Irvine. I didn't even know they had anything left. Looks like the last one. https://www.redfin.com/CA/Irvine/103-Henson-92602/home/160669036

Redfin price history shows they lowered the price recently after an escrow fell out. It might not be actually available if someone already snatched it, but you can give them a call. Never hurt to try to ask for even lower price.

This particular one has garages downstairs. Being 3 homes attached, they are all under your unit but no one is technically "living" there. Some people don't mind, some people hate it. But given you were considering Tustin Levity flat, Delano is a much better choice IMHO.

The reason Eastwood is being wanted by many people are
1. The location. It has all the new plazas, markets and also 5 freeway close by yet far enough for pollution concerns.
2. It has no apartment complexes (although I'm sure 50% of residents are renters while the owners are at oversea).
3. It's one of the newest villages in Irvine built/managed by The Irvine Company East/North of 133 Freeway. Location issue again.
4. Much lower Mello Roos tax than other new Irvine homes.
5. Walking distance of elementary school.
6. Zoned to the highest rated high school in Irvine.
7. Clubhouse 

But if you guys prefer the garage and kitchen on the same floor, I would recommend that 73 Overbrook. Sure it's 2bed, but that den can be converted into a 3rd room if needed.

 

[AW]

Our agent took us to Eastwood. Said it was hot. We liked the area, but didn?t like the home designs that much. I?m not sure if there was something available at the time, he was just showing us the main Irvine areas that were selling well at the time.

For instance that one, isn?t there someone living below you?

On our list we have pretty high also Kitchen/living room and Garage on the same floor.

Why is Eastwood wanted by a lot of people? Is it the area? Schools? Is it considered hip or prestigious there?

Thanks I?ll check those out. One looks familiar so we may have seen it.

The sweet spot for us right now would be a small 3 bedroom maybe 1400-1600?. Were ok with giving up a big master bedroom for a third separate room in case we have a 2nd kid.

We saw a few homes around 750k in that category we liked, but they already had full price offers and we didn?t want to come up or get into a bidding war since they weren?t dream homes by any means.

Alright. This is it. This is called Delano from Eastwood, the hottest village in Irvine. I didn't even know they had anything left. Looks like the last one. https://www.redfin.com/CA/Irvine/103-Henson-92602/home/160669036

Redfin price history shows they lowered the price recently after an escrow fell out. It might not be actually available if someone already snatched it, but you can give them a call. Never hurt to try to ask for even lower price.

This particular one has garages downstairs. Being 3 homes attached, they are all under your unit but no one is technically "living" there. Some people don't mind, some people hate it. But given you were considering Tustin Levity flat, Delano is a much better choice IMHO.

The reason Eastwood is being wanted by many people are
1. The location. It has all the new plazas, markets and also 5 freeway close by yet far enough for pollution concerns.
2. It has no apartment complexes (although I'm sure 50% of residents are renters while the owners are at oversea).
3. It's one of the newest villages in Irvine built/managed by The Irvine Company East/North of 133 Freeway. Location issue again.
4. Much lower Mello Roos tax than other new Irvine homes.
5. Walking distance of elementary school.
6. Zoned to the highest rated high school in Irvine.
7. Clubhouse 

But if you guys prefer the garage and kitchen on the same floor, I would recommend that 73 Overbrook. Sure it's 2bed, but that den can be converted into a 3rd room if needed.

Really sounds like a btb/yf response... welcome back!

 

[eyephone]

Our agent took us to Eastwood. Said it was hot. We liked the area, but didn?t like the home designs that much. I?m not sure if there was something available at the time, he was just showing us the main Irvine areas that were selling well at the time.

For instance that one, isn?t there someone living below you?

On our list we have pretty high also Kitchen/living room and Garage on the same floor.

Why is Eastwood wanted by a lot of people? Is it the area? Schools? Is it considered hip or prestigious there?

Thanks I?ll check those out. One looks familiar so we may have seen it.

The sweet spot for us right now would be a small 3 bedroom maybe 1400-1600?. Were ok with giving up a big master bedroom for a third separate room in case we have a 2nd kid.

We saw a few homes around 750k in that category we liked, but they already had full price offers and we didn?t want to come up or get into a bidding war since they weren?t dream homes by any means.

Alright. This is it. This is called Delano from Eastwood, the hottest village in Irvine. I didn't even know they had anything left. Looks like the last one. https://www.redfin.com/CA/Irvine/103-Henson-92602/home/160669036

Redfin price history shows they lowered the price recently after an escrow fell out. It might not be actually available if someone already snatched it, but you can give them a call. Never hurt to try to ask for even lower price.

This particular one has garages downstairs. Being 3 homes attached, they are all under your unit but no one is technically "living" there. Some people don't mind, some people hate it. But given you were considering Tustin Levity flat, Delano is a much better choice IMHO.

The reason Eastwood is being wanted by many people are
1. The location. It has all the new plazas, markets and also 5 freeway close by yet far enough for pollution concerns.
2. It has no apartment complexes (although I'm sure 50% of residents are renters while the owners are at oversea).
3. It's one of the newest villages in Irvine built/managed by The Irvine Company East/North of 133 Freeway. Location issue again.
4. Much lower Mello Roos tax than other new Irvine homes.
5. Walking distance of elementary school.
6. Zoned to the highest rated high school in Irvine.
7. Clubhouse 

But if you guys prefer the garage and kitchen on the same floor, I would recommend that 73 Overbrook. Sure it's 2bed, but that den can be converted into a 3rd room if needed.

Really sounds like a btb/yf response... welcome back!

Yeah hah, Director or Marketing, He knows all the specs of Eastwood village like the back of his hand...

#iknewit

 

[Mety]

Just because we share common preferences on certain things, that doesn't mean we are the same person.

Those 7 lists about EW are things not just YF/BTB said but also shared by many others in TI. Inc and Happiness are some of them who said similar things also. Are they YF?

But if you guys want to think I'm him, then go on. It's kinda fun to watch.

 

[irvinehomeowner]

I'm pretty sure Mety is not Yelly.

Maybe his wife? (ok... kidding )

 

[akkord]

I see people on Nextdoor in Eastwood complaining about the asphalt smell.  I also see people in Northwood and Woodbury complaining about sound from the music in GP, but no one in the GP area hears it or complains about the asphalt smell, must be the way the sound moves or wind blows. 

I've never visited Delano, but if you live over a garage like Mety mentioned, it's going to be incredibly hot.  Imagine living over your garage the past few days.  Also you have to deal with the noise factor if you live over someone else's garage depending on layout, early risers or people coming back late at night using their garage.  Not sure if Delano is like that or you live over you own garage in all plans.  Either way there have been multiple TI members who have lived over garages and would never do it again. 

 

[jamesKirk]

We?ve been to all around Irvine and those areas and still haven?t been able to smell this asphalt. We keep hearing about, complaints from people selling at open houses mention it and say it?s barely noticeable so don?t worry about it. Maybe we need to go on a hot breezy day or something because we haven?t been able to smell it.

I never been put that together about living above a garage. Makes sense looking at the floor plans now. I?d probably rather have two shared walls on either side vs above/below someone.

Also at my parents the room above the garage is hotter than the rest of the house. Why causes this?

 

[irvinehomeowner]

Most garages don't have insulation so they get much hotter than the house. Heat rises, thus rooms above a garage also get hot.

Not sure how that is set up for condos above garages... may have more insulation and ventilation.

 

[misme]

We?ve been to all around Irvine and those areas and still haven?t been able to smell this asphalt. We keep hearing about, complaints from people selling at open houses mention it and say it?s barely noticeable so don?t worry about it. Maybe we need to go on a hot breezy day or something because we haven?t been able to smell it.

I never been put that together about living above a garage. Makes sense looking at the floor plans now. I?d probably rather have two shared walls on either side vs above/below someone.

Also at my parents the room above the garage is hotter than the rest of the house. Why causes this?

Residents who are complaining about the asphalt plant say it releases the gas in the middle of the night, so you're not going to smell it when you visit real estate listings during the day.

 

[Mety]

I see people on Nextdoor in Eastwood complaining about the asphalt smell.  I also see people in Northwood and Woodbury complaining about sound from the music in GP, but no one in the GP area hears it or complains about the asphalt smell, must be the way the sound moves or wind blows. 

I've never visited Delano, but if you live over a garage like Mety mentioned, it's going to be incredibly hot.  Imagine living over your garage the past few days.  Also you have to deal with the noise factor if you live over someone else's garage depending on layout, early risers or people coming back late at night using their garage.  Not sure if Delano is like that or you live over you own garage in all plans.  Either way there have been multiple TI members who have lived over garages and would never do it again.

There has been a discussion about living above garages noise issue. I've been to Delano model homes and tested the garage opener noise and it was fine. I also did live above garages long time ago and the noise was horrible but then the home was real old so I believe it's a little different now. However it was the Delano model homes I tested, so if anyone wants to buy, he/she should do due diligence to check the noise issue with neighbors.

Technically, everyone is living above garages if you live in 2 or 3 story homes with attached garages. The temperature of the home or rooms is totally dependent on the direction of the lot where it's facing. Your hot area is most likely facing the afternoon sun. That is northwest direction. Southeast direction usually gives bright and cool through the day.

Asphalt smell is really starting to sound like something GP's marketing came up with to compete against TIC. The smell might be from the new constructions and road builds, not from the factory that's miles away. Everyone knows villages that's much closer to such factories and they've been saying no odor at all.

Woodbury East could be affected by the concert noise since it's right next to GP, but hearing FivePoints concert from Northwood is a bit of stretch. Maybe it was a neighbor playing music loud. Wind travel to deliver noise to further villages but nothing on GP is not really an accurate analogy in terms of the sound frequency.

 

[akkord]

Go on ND, I'm not the one saying this, just relaying information from people that actually live in those neighborhoods regarding odor and sound.  I'm too lazy to provide screenshots.  I just glanced over the thread, PS, Stonegate ND users said they heard the noise too, but someone in a GP hood said they could barely hear it.  Music issue was started ~5 days ago by a Woodbury owner, Asphalt thread was started a couple days ago from an Eastwood owner.  So what you're saying is GP supporters moved into TIC neighborhoods (even the old ones in Northwood) to start rumors.  ;D

Asphalt smell is really starting to sound like something GP's marketing came up with to compete against TIC. The smell might be from the new constructions and road builds, not from the factory that's miles away. Everyone knows villages that's much closer to such factories and they've been saying no odor at all.

Woodbury East could be affected by the concert noise since it's right next to GP, but hearing FivePoints concert from Northwood is a bit of stretch. Maybe it was a neighbor playing music loud. Wind travel to deliver noise to further villages but nothing on GP is not really an accurate analogy in terms of the sound frequency.