Best HOA Bang for your Buck?

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NoSoup4U

New member
My coworker told me that he would buy a house in Irvine if it wasn't for the extremely high HOA fees.  I told him that the HOA prices in Irvine vary greatly and it got me thinking.  Where is the best bang for your buck HOA in Irvine?  I need your input bc I've only lived in a handful of places in Irvine.

Best:
Westpark I (SFR's, condos get charged a lot more)
$41/ month
You get access to 3 pools (i think) including a nice jr olympic sized one
Numerous Tennis courts
Close proximity to Bill Barber park
Playgrounds for kids.  Surprisingly, not all Irvine communities have this (think Canyon's Edge in Turtle Ridge)
Decent enforcement of neighbors who neglect exterior upkeep


Worst:
Woodbridge, esp those that live outside the loop.  I think they charge $300-400/ month even though you live really far away from the lake (not sure if SFR's are cheaper).  And some of the pools you need a haz mat suit to touch the water.
I was hoping to get a cash flow property there but the HOA's make it impossible.
 
For Woodbridge, it depends.

The main HOA, ~$75, is excellent as it gets you every single pool (some with diving boards and lifeguards) and BOTH lagoons. It's the secondary HOAs that can be steep but I don't think they are that high (if existent) in the SFRs.
 
The best HOA bang for your buck is not in Irvine, but in Yorba Linda, imho.

Ladies and gents, I bring you... East Lake Village!

Aeriallake.jpg


"East Lake Village is a fully established community of 2,240 distinctive homes, each quality designed to provide a peaceful, relaxing atmosphere. Centered around a 15-acre private lake offering fishing and boating and including a fully-staffed recreational and meeting facilities, these beautiful residences include private waterfront homes known as East Lake Village Shores and an overall, master-planned development of East Lake Village?s spacious, individual single-family residences on spacious lots. Nearly every imaginable sporting and recreational opportunity prevails, either immediately within the East Lake Village Community itself, or just minutes away. Our own facilities include a main, two-level clubhouse, 3 pools, spa, basketball, sand volleyball court and entertainment areas, for homeowners and guests to enjoy. The community also includes a second recreational site featuring a Jr. Olympic-sized pool and personal fitness facilities creating ideal centers of recreation and exercise, which, by it?s popularity within and beyond the community plays host to our own championship swim team. . For young families, nearby public and private schools are ranked among California?s finest, and retirees can enjoy a wealth of planned activities and a relaxing lifestyle."

Other things not listed there are:

- Saunas (steam rooms)
- Rental use of electric boats in several sizes including a large party boat
- Separate adult-only pool
- Pool-side / clubhouse cafe with full service snack bar
- Library
- Activities coordinator with events like Snow Days (just like the Great Park tries to do) and stand-up comedy nights

The dues are.... ready?... $65/mo.! (A modest additional fee applies for the homes just along the shore.) According to the homeowners I've spoken to, there have not been any special assessments. There are also over 2,000 homes in the association to absorb the blow if there was.

I hope to move here one day.
 
irvinehomeowner said:
For Woodbridge, it depends.

The main HOA, ~$75, is excellent as it gets you every single pool (some with diving boards and lifeguards) and BOTH lagoons. It's the secondary HOAs that can be steep but I don't think they are that high (if existent) in the SFRs.
Click to expand...

Yeah, if you're lucky enough to get into a SFR in Woodbridge, it's only $80/month.
 
SoCal78 said:
The best HOA bang for your buck is not in Irvine, but in Yorba Linda, imho.

Ladies and gents, I bring you... East Lake Village!

Aeriallake.jpg


"East Lake Village is a fully established community of 2,240 distinctive homes, each quality designed to provide a peaceful, relaxing atmosphere. Centered around a 15-acre private lake offering fishing and boating and including a fully-staffed recreational and meeting facilities, these beautiful residences include private waterfront homes known as East Lake Village Shores and an overall, master-planned development of East Lake Village?s spacious, individual single-family residences on spacious lots. Nearly every imaginable sporting and recreational opportunity prevails, either immediately within the East Lake Village Community itself, or just minutes away. Our own facilities include a main, two-level clubhouse, 3 pools, spa, basketball, sand volleyball court and entertainment areas, for homeowners and guests to enjoy. The community also includes a second recreational site featuring a Jr. Olympic-sized pool and personal fitness facilities creating ideal centers of recreation and exercise, which, by it?s popularity within and beyond the community plays host to our own championship swim team. . For young families, nearby public and private schools are ranked among California?s finest, and retirees can enjoy a wealth of planned activities and a relaxing lifestyle."

Other things not listed there are:

- Saunas (steam rooms)
- Rental use of electric boats in several sizes including a large party boat
- Separate adult-only pool
- Pool-side / clubhouse cafe with full service snack bar
- Library
- Activities coordinator with events like Snow Days (just like the Great Park tries to do) and stand-up comedy nights

The dues are.... ready?... $65/mo.! (A modest additional fee applies for the homes just along the shore.) According to the homeowners I've spoken to, there have not been any special assessments. There are also over 2,000 homes in the association to absorb the blow if there was.

I hope to move here one day.
Click to expand...

The MLS shows the HOA as $272 + $67.  This is for an attached SFR on the lake.  Very nice though.
 
NoSoup4U said:
SoCal78 said:
The best HOA bang for your buck is not in Irvine, but in Yorba Linda, imho.

Ladies and gents, I bring you... East Lake Village!

Aeriallake.jpg


"East Lake Village is a fully established community of 2,240 distinctive homes, each quality designed to provide a peaceful, relaxing atmosphere. Centered around a 15-acre private lake offering fishing and boating and including a fully-staffed recreational and meeting facilities, these beautiful residences include private waterfront homes known as East Lake Village Shores and an overall, master-planned development of East Lake Village?s spacious, individual single-family residences on spacious lots. Nearly every imaginable sporting and recreational opportunity prevails, either immediately within the East Lake Village Community itself, or just minutes away. Our own facilities include a main, two-level clubhouse, 3 pools, spa, basketball, sand volleyball court and entertainment areas, for homeowners and guests to enjoy. The community also includes a second recreational site featuring a Jr. Olympic-sized pool and personal fitness facilities creating ideal centers of recreation and exercise, which, by it?s popularity within and beyond the community plays host to our own championship swim team. . For young families, nearby public and private schools are ranked among California?s finest, and retirees can enjoy a wealth of planned activities and a relaxing lifestyle."

Other things not listed there are:

- Saunas (steam rooms)
- Rental use of electric boats in several sizes including a large party boat
- Separate adult-only pool
- Pool-side / clubhouse cafe with full service snack bar
- Library
- Activities coordinator with events like Snow Days (just like the Great Park tries to do) and stand-up comedy nights

The dues are.... ready?... $65/mo.! (A modest additional fee applies for the homes just along the shore.) According to the homeowners I've spoken to, there have not been any special assessments. There are also over 2,000 homes in the association to absorb the blow if there was.

I hope to move here one day.
Click to expand...

The MLS shows the HOA as $272 + $67.  This is for an attached SFR on the lake.  Very nice though.
Click to expand...

I used to know someone whose parents lived in one of the lakefront houses.  It was very nice!  I remember thinking they scored with the home.
If Irvine did something like that, the MR would probably be 10K a year, the association dues would be $700 a month with lakefront home prices starting in the low $2Mil for a 2200 sq. ft. home.

 
NoSoup4U said:
The MLS shows the HOA as $272 + $67.  This is for an attached SFR on the lake.  Very nice though.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that's for the homes on the shore, which also include a dock or boat slip. Most are not on the shore, though. (The pic I posted is a little misleading because the complex is much, much bigger than that and it doesn't represent the scope of homes there.) The other homes are all detached and don't have that extra hoa fee, just the $65/mo. The complex runs all the way from Bastanchury to the north down south to Esperanza and east-west is pretty large.
 
davenlei said:
If Irvine did something like that, the MR would probably be 10K a year, the association dues would be $700 a month with lakefront home prices starting in the low $2Mil for a 2200 sq. ft. home.
Click to expand...
There are lake front/back homes in Woodbridge... some detached, others attached and others are condo/townhomes.

I don't think HOAs are that high (on top of the $80 main one) but the homes are expensive and rarely hit the market.

TIC would never do that again... waste all that land to build a man-made lake... they won't even build pocket parks any more because of their density greed. On the website for Stonegate, they made it look like there was supposed to be some water feature like a lake (along with marketing text saying SG was different from the other 'hoods) but I didn't see one on the map. On flatland projects like Woodbury and Stonegate, they should build a massive pool resort (which they sort of did in Woodbury) to give you more for your lack of views/elevation.
 
irvinehomeowner said:
they won't even build pocket parks any more because of their density greed.
Click to expand...

HUH?? Seriously? What do you mean? I'm so out of the loop. I thought pocket pocks were their signature stamp.
 
SoCal78 said:
irvinehomeowner said:
they won't even build pocket parks any more because of their density greed.
Click to expand...

HUH?? Seriously? What do you mean? I'm so out of the loop. I thought pocket pocks were their signature stamp.
Click to expand...
I should say "build AS MANY pocket parks".

Stonegate and Altura are perfect examples, both had more pocket parks shown on their initial plans but have been redesigned to have less. Altura got the worst of it because they also made the neighborhood more closed off due to lack of open parks and trails.
 
Oh, I see. That's too bad. At this rate, really, who knows if there will be any green space left at future sites. As long as the buyers are okay with the increasingly skimpy space, TIC will be too. It's sad to see the direction Irvine has gone since I moved to the area 11 years ago. It was different then. It's still a nice place to live and can definitely understand the draws but is a deteriorating quality of life, imo, with a lot of the positive attributes that made it top-notch evaporating.  :(
 
I look at the Montecito II everyday in Woodbury, sad that Pear Tree Garden could have been there, and that the neighborhood didn't put up more of a fight. "TIC says single family homes instead of a park with detached condos around it. Its a win win for everyone right?"  SFH has to be an improvement right? WRONG. Who knew this would become Woodbury's biggest eyesore.

Gone are the innocent days when everyone thought they really knew what a single family home meant. Sidewalks with a landscaped median, front yards, and curb appeal no longer can be a part of our assumed definition. Anything that doesn't get translated directly into salable square footage is getting whittled away. This is becoming more of an accounting design with TIC rather than the architecture and planning to form a viable community. Cost/ sf doesn't account for pocket parks, shared community space, or even sidewalks. Evidence is becoming clear that planning is no longer of much substance with these new villages as they are revising them from their original designs to squeeze in more "living space". Woodbury was affected with a scar, Portola Springs has several more, and then the remainder are B-villages where they usually squeeze as much as they can out of land anyway based on the amenities they already placed in their A-villages. They are steam rolling over Irvine city planning.

I wish more residents in the City of Irvine could be at public meetings to observe, and voice their concern when TIC starts changing their approved plans or proposes new ones. In the end, I would  much rather see TIC hold off development rather than comprimise any integrity they still may have.

 
matchbox said:
I look at the Montecito II everyday in Woodbury, sad that Pear Tree Garden could have been there, and that the neighborhood didn't put up more of a fight. "TIC says single family homes instead of a park with detached condos around it. Its a win win for everyone right?"  SFH has to be an improvement right? WRONG. Who knew this would become Woodbury's biggest eyesore.

Gone are the innocent days when everyone thought they really knew what a single family home meant. Sidewalks with a landscaped median, front yards, and curb appeal no longer can be a part of our assumed definition. Anything that doesn't get translated directly into salable square footage is getting whittled away. This is becoming more of an accounting design with TIC rather than the architecture and planning to form a viable community. Cost/ sf doesn't account for pocket parks, shared community space, or even sidewalks. Evidence is becoming clear that planning is no longer of much substance with these new villages as they are revising them from their original designs to squeeze in more "living space". Woodbury was affected with a scar, Portola Springs has several more, and then the remainder are B-villages where they usually squeeze as much as they can out of land anyway based on the amenities they already placed in their A-villages. They are steam rolling over Irvine city planning.

I wish more residents in the City of Irvine could be at public meetings to observe, and voice their concern when TIC starts changing their approved plans or proposes new ones. In the end, I would  much rather see TIC hold off development rather than comprimise any integrity they still may have.
Click to expand...

When the city started allowing all those condo high rises to be built I knew it was a matter of time before it was all over.  Even premium SFR neighborhoods are not sacred anymore from the bean counter. 
 
matchbox said:
I look at the Montecito II everyday in Woodbury, sad that Pear Tree Garden could have been there, and that the neighborhood didn't put up more of a fight. "TIC says single family homes instead of a park with detached condos around it. Its a win win for everyone right?"  SFH has to be an improvement right? WRONG. Who knew this would become Woodbury's biggest eyesore.

Gone are the innocent days when everyone thought they really knew what a single family home meant. Sidewalks with a landscaped median, front yards, and curb appeal no longer can be a part of our assumed definition. Anything that doesn't get translated directly into salable square footage is getting whittled away. This is becoming more of an accounting design with TIC rather than the architecture and planning to form a viable community. Cost/ sf doesn't account for pocket parks, shared community space, or even sidewalks. Evidence is becoming clear that planning is no longer of much substance with these new villages as they are revising them from their original designs to squeeze in more "living space". Woodbury was affected with a scar, Portola Springs has several more, and then the remainder are B-villages where they usually squeeze as much as they can out of land anyway based on the amenities they already placed in their A-villages. They are steam rolling over Irvine city planning.

I wish more residents in the City of Irvine could be at public meetings to observe, and voice their concern when TIC starts changing their approved plans or proposes new ones. In the end, I would  much rather see TIC hold off development rather than comprimise any integrity they still may have.
Click to expand...

This is a great post matchbox, but it can't possibly be serious, at least not on this forum. I've never heard anything so rational being propagated to a more confused crowd of sheep. Voicing concerns? Questioning TIC integrity?  :D

I've been critical of TIC's new homes, anything built after 2000 is basically a stucco box planted on tiny lots, and some of them are going for $1m+. That being said, I can't fault their marketing and PR team, they deserve a raise, or promotion, and a big bonus. TIC is literally bending all of you over, and giving it to you raw, while extracting your hard earned dollars as you squeal in glee and happiness.

15 years ago, I never thought I'd see people fighting to get put onto "reservation list", packing into TIC design centers for "free" $1.85 hamburgers, only to walk out with a $680,000 mortgage for a house that is worth $480,000. I love reading this forum sometimes, it's a great study on the dimensions of human frailty, insecurity, and the quest for acceptance. When it comes down to it, maybe a kind comment here, and a pat on the back there, may have prevented this but it's obviously too late.

"If only I could pay $335 a square foot for a house in Quail Hill! Then, I'd be happy."
"Maybe if I could have that detached condo for $600,000, my life would be better."
$6,000 mello roos isn't that bad, look at Columbus Grove!

Irvine is different!
This neighborhood is different, foreign chindian entrepreneurs are buying all of the houses!

The sheep are lost! The sheep are lost! Who will bring them back?
 
Hey indie not trying to pick a fight here but just wondering if I'm not mistaken you said that buying a home should solely be a financial decision ... So if you are so sure prices will drop by 20%+...why do you continue to hold on to your house?  Why don't you sell your house lock in your gains, rent, wait out the impending crash and pick up your dream or preferred home in Newport or corona del mar or wherever you said you'd rather live in?
 
villagepeople said:
Hey indie not trying to pick a fight here but just wondering if I'm not mistaken you said that buying a home should solely be a financial decision ...
Click to expand...

Exactly.
 
IndieDev said:
I've been critical of TIC's new homes, anything built after 2000 is basically a stucco box planted on tiny lots, and some of them are going for $1m+. That being said, I can't fault their marketing and PR team, they deserve a raise, or promotion, and a big bonus. TIC is literally bending all of you over, and giving it to you raw, while extracting your hard earned dollars as you squeal in glee and happiness.

15 years ago, I never thought I'd see people fighting to get put onto "reservation list", packing into TIC design centers for "free" $1.85 hamburgers, only to walk out with a $680,000 mortgage for a house that is worth $480,000.
Click to expand...

I agree with this. It is unbelievable to me that people will pay SO MUCH MONEY to live in the newer developments in Irvine. Driving by Carmel in Woodbury recently--and realizing those homes are around a million dollars--it just boggled my mind.

I've been swearing up and down here on TI that this "Irvine brand" stuff that people talk about is nonsense, that Irvine is a nice, regular, suburban city, but nothing prestigious. I guess I was wrong. I don't see the big deal or prestige, but I guess other people do...because how else could you explain the new TIC developments selling like hotcakes? Or selling at all at those prices?

Although I must admit, I have been known to let free food sway me into making an appearance somewhere. :)
 
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