calling bkshopr...how are latest projects going?

NEW -> Contingent Buyer Assistance Program
A

almon_IHB

New member
even though we have never met, it was a pleasure reading your posts when you were more active way back when.





i recall you were working on multiple research projects at the time. is it possible to share your latest insights?





for the record, i appreciated your data very much. please just ignore those who attempted/will attempt to attach political correctness to them...
 
When i first started reading this site part of the reason i got hooked were Bkshopr's posts - PLEASE COME BACK!
 
<p>I believe he stopped posting due to a professional conflict of interest. I miss his posts, but not enough to pay his bills for him </p>

<p>BK, if you're still reading this, thanks for sharing your insight. Hopefully a day will come when you start your own blog.</p>
 
Funny thing. I was driving home the other day and it crossed my mind of starting a forum asking where the hell is bugershpr. Hahaha! ...I wonder if something bad happened to him.
 
I miss his posts too. I'm sure he's still reading though. Hi Bk!





Speaking of planning. . . I was at the county recorders office (is that what it's called?) in downtown Santa Ana, and I was looking at some old maps. Apparently, a dotted-line Sand Canyon was supposed to go through to PCH. Looking at a current map, it basically would have run though part of where it became Shady, go through the Shady Cyn tract and land right where Newport Coast Drive is. I'll bet BK would know about this. . .





Another interesting thing. . . the 5 fwy used to be the 101. I guess that change happened when the govt got the state and interstate freeway stuff ironed out.
 
I appreciate all your sentiments. My subject matters have been honest and candid and do not sit well with the political correct crowd. Over the years I have seen too many bad projects built. Because of the hot market desperate buyers bought them nonetheless. These badly designed homes are now in the resale market. Several dozens of same floor plan of the same tract are desperately seeking “knife catchers". I walk products from the coast of San Diego all the way up the Pacific coast line to Vancouver to analyze the west coast housing market. I have seen a lot of products pumped out from floor plan mill architectural farm in Irvine. I dislike most of the plans.







In avoiding professional conflict of interest I will not criticize residential and retail products in OC. I will only write about the one I see as project worthy of merit and unusual distinction.



I have been interested in architecture since I was child. Growing up poor as immigrant near Downtown Los Angeles my family resorted to only public transportation. I worked in a downtown Skid-Row sweatshop when I was a kid. I became extremely keenly aware of my environment for my own safety. I look at our built environment with a different perspective than most people. The bus drivers were my personal chauffer. They drove me to the unlimited beautiful neighborhoods with my $12 bus monthly pass. In the 70’s when America was entering into the phase of Post-Modernism I was enamored still by the faded warm of traditional houses. I dreamed of someday living in one the beautiful neighborhood I seen when I was a child.



In the 70’s as a kid I was freely allowed to travel to far places by myself and have seen other kids doing the same. It is sad to see children are growing up today without much of the same travel freedom when I was growing up. Has any one seen the traffic at Pioneer Middle School during the morning? All the kids are dropped off at the front of the school. As a good marketing person I began to take note. Out of 100 cars 65 were Japanese brand and 30 were German and 5 were others. Most drivers were Asian and other Asiatic minorities. The Caucasian kids were the only kids riding their bikes to school. Tustin and Irvine School seriously need to restudy their school site layout and give greater emphasis to how vehicular traffic driven by certain ethnic groups that could affect the traffic jam in adjacent neighborhoods. Residents also get frustrated by the bottleneck traffic every morning.



Some of the bloggers mentioned a restaurant Ting Tai Fung in Arcadia back in April so I have been going there. The success of this restaurant opened a second restaurant at walking proximity. Wells Fargo shares the same parking lot with the newer restaurant. Well Fargo’s lost many patrons due to the parking nightmare there also. Both Culver Plaza and Arbor Center in Irvine are facing similar dilemma driving away some of their Caucasian tenants. City planning could not mandate a higher parking requirement for Retail and Restaurants serving the Asian communities. I see this as a problem for all future facilities serving the Asian communities. Drastic measure must be revamp at the planning level. Very few strip retail has a successful second floor tenants. Diamond Plaza at the corner of Jamboree and Alton is quite daring with its design. I think it might work because of the entire center will be Asian business occupied.



1.5 generation is at their middle age and their parents are dying. The ABC generation is living the American dream that Irvine Renter wrote about. The responsibilities of the 1.5 generation are burden to provide for both ends. Medical expenses for aging parents, College tuitions and some living expenses while the ABC’s were in college and ABC’s home purchase because they can’t save enough down payment for a home purchase are critical factors to considered in consumer research in establishing a favorable pricing and product to satisfy one of the largest consumer segment out there. Most Asians are frugal and bargain shoppers like all of you bears. 1.5 generation would support their kids to purchase a home right now. The key is adequate down payment by the 1.5 parents for their kid and have the kid borrow $417K. The hypothetical price would be $617,000 for a detached home. From my survey the majority of the parents would support their kid’s purchase with 200K down payment. The catch is the house should be within the neighboring zip code of the 1.5 generation parent.



Of all the detached condo projects I have tracked since 1999 Sienna in Woodbury East IMO is by far the best designed. I secretly walked it and I was blown away by the improvement over the predecessors. All the units previously were designed to minimize windows along the courtyard paseo and the units now actively engage with the paseo landscape experience. I like the fact that there are more windows looking outward to avoid the Claus phobic feel of a compact house. The plan with the conservatory has wrapped around glass and allows excellent view into the paseo. The units located at the back of the paseo in the past were ok without much excitement and now the units has commanding view looking back the entire length of the paseo. The bedrooms are larger than bigger homes. The hallway is very efficient and minimized. Windows are staggered from the neighbors to insured privacy. Many builders would not put details for a small home because the profit is often too lean. I am surprised by the amount of details often seen associated with custom homes is evident in this small detached condo project. Judging from history these plans will be repeated for several more times and the risk of price drop would be highly unlikely. I also think this product would do well with especially with the ABC demographic if it aligns with the financial scenario I described earlier.



This market is lousy with home owners who are trying to sell their tract home when there are several dozens out there with the same floor plan competing for the one financially qualified buyer. I think new projects in the future will be smaller in quantity to avoid the repetition and probably look better if less cookie cutter homes are occurring down the long stretch of the block. Older homes with excellent curb appeal that are one of a kind are selling quicker. I noticed in my neighborhood several homes were sold over a million because most of them are one of a kind vintage home. I bought my house 14 months ago when the market was already sluggish. I was in a bidding war with 3 other buyers. I paid a lot for my vintage home because I seldom see a home that I liked and there is not a second one that looks just like it. It turned out the house that I bought was the house that Diane Keaton grew up in. I have several copies of her signed California Romantica. This is a book I highly recommend for those who appreciate the true Spanish Colonial architecture.
 
Diane Keaton used to live in? Are you referring to Floral Park? I believe she used to attend Santa Ana High school. Oh, you'd mentioned Sienna. I looked at cal pacific homes website. It's no longer on their list of new homes. Do you know if they're holding off on building these new homes?



Glad to see your post. Been awhile.
 
BK,





As one of the many fans of your posts, I am glad you are back. I look forward to your posts and your insights on design, even if it is only for designs you think are superior.





IHB is happy to see you posting again!
 
thanks bkshopr for the long post!





it's funny you mentioned the parking problem at culver plaza. my wife avoids it because "parking is a bitch"...arbor center has the worst parking situation i've seen in irvine -> cars are everywhere, it's a free-for-all, i recall seeing at least 10 cars parked in front of stores.





locally, do you see irvine ranch working with builders to introduce one-of-a-kind products to breathe some life back into new residential real estate? or is everyone content to sit things out until the economy goes through its inevitable bust?
 
Arbor center IS a "bitch"...I had enough just going to that Wamu there! Since there is no WAMU branch "next door", I am thinking about switching to Wells, which has a branch at the Woodbury town center.
 
bkshopr - your comments on parking interest me. my observations are this...



if you are a person that goes out and gets what you want NOW, you will fight the traffic and get it.

if you are a person that goes out and gets what you want eventually, you will wait till the traffic dies down and get what you want then.

if you are a person that doesnt care to get what you really want, you can blame it on the traffic? does that sound reasonable?



we can actually apply this logic to home shoppers on this blog.



some people want homes now, they pay the price.

some people want homes eventually, they wait till the price is what they want to pay.

some people dont really want to buy, they blame it on the price?



in summary, your observations on traffic at schools, shopping, etc have to do with overcrowding, there's only so much planning you can do...just take a look at our FREEWAYS!
 
<p>Wonderful to see you bkshopr!!!</p>

<p>Thank you for your (as always and much appreciated) well written and thought out posts!</p>

<p> </p>

<p>GITOC</p>

<p> </p>
 
Bkshopr,



I also recently ate at Ding Tai Fung. The second restaurant they opened was suppose to be finely designed and reflect a "high class" environment. For me it just felt small, cramp, and over the top. The owner of Ding Tai Fung (they also own the building itself) isn't satisfied with the end product. It's just dumplings for crying out loud.



Disclaimer: Being a 1.5 Asian, I would not fight through parking and wait in line for one hour just to eat there. We were only there for a business lunch meeting.
 
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