irvinehomeshopper
Well-known member
@Akim, Look on the bright side the longer you stay in an IAC the more home buying credits you will receive. Hopefully There won't be any black out locations.
good bye West Irvine...
- Thread starter akim997
- Start date
The Motor Court Company
Well-known member
@Akim
Congratulations on escaping one of the Irvine ghettos. The two developments from William Lyon may be worth waiting for. Vista Verde and Alderwood. I don't have bad things to say about them yet.
Congratulations on escaping one of the Irvine ghettos. The two developments from William Lyon may be worth waiting for. Vista Verde and Alderwood. I don't have bad things to say about them yet.
WoodburyDad said:@akim997
Turning the page is never easy
At least you have your Lakers Playoff tickets, which they just conveniently billed us for, to fall back on and get you thru the transition period
i did pay as you go... last year i ended up givin an int free loan to the lakers.... right now im mad as my kings just blew it against SJ....
WoodburyDad
New member
akim997 said:WoodburyDad said:@akim997
Turning the page is never easy
At least you have your Lakers Playoff tickets, which they just conveniently billed us for, to fall back on and get you thru the transition period
i did pay as you go... last year i ended up givin an int free loan to the lakers.... right now im mad as my kings just blew it against SJ....
Good move, especially after they got rolled 4 straight by the Mavs last year.
How humiliating
irvinehusky
New member
akim997 said:
Congratulations!!!
irvinehomeowner
Well-known member
Oooo... can't wait for an update.akim997 said:
usctrojancpa
Well-known member
Don't keep us in suspense for too long. Looking forward to hearing all about it.....akim997 said:
I've looked for the right house in the right neighborhood for over 3 years now. I've seen prices plummet, then increase, then decrease, then stabilize. While I think that the market could soften, I just can't wait any longer. Our family is growing, and we've lived with a "this is temporary" mindset for the past 3 years. That means no pictures going up, no new furniture, and things of that nature. We are really wanting to plant our roots, and are spending our money, not on an investment, but a place to live...
More recently, we've looked at Northwood II, Northpark, Northpark Square, Turtle Rock, Northwood Pointe, and North Tustin. I will say the value just isn't there. What we've been looking at is USABLE square footage (the way we personally use our space). And for us, this means x-ing out the living and dining. We ARE the family TIC markets to when it comes to oversized great rooms and kitchens. I remembered walking into the Campanile models back in 2007 and thinking "this IS for me" (I wasn't even married then and kids weren't even in the picture). I found the offerings in Northpark (a neighborhood I LOVE) just didn't cut it. I don't like ANY of the floor plans in our price range, as there were just too many compromises. I also LOVE Turtle Rock, but am I the ONLY one who doesn't want to pay that much for a zero lot line house (i.e. Broadmoor)? Northwood Pointe is a great area, but homes just left something to be desired. For all of this, keep in mind my MAX price is ~$900K. Sad that 900K can't get you the perfect house... We did not see a single house that was even close to what we wanted, especially in taste. After going to open house after open house, putting in offers everywhere, we just weren't happy. So we decided to look at new houses.
For new homes, I went to Lambert. It just didn't do it for me. Granted, we can only afford Plan 1 or 2 in the Field. We just didn't connect with either home. We almost stretched for a Las Colinas 1, but the remaining homes didn't fit with us. Laguna Altura is a decent area, but the pricing and overall location relative to highways bothered us. This didn't really leave much else... except Stonegate. Specifically Maricopa. I never really liked Stonegate before, as it never felt as nice as Woodbury. Plus, it just seemed SO FAR. After living in Woodbury for the last couple of months, we've grown to really like the area (for its positives AND negatives). Here was OUR list of wants:
- Big kitchen with island that seats at least 3.
- Room to fit a table of 8.
- Nice sized great room.
- Efficient overall use of space.
- Traditional house WITH a driveway.
- Don't need a huge backyard, but a decent backyard.
- 4th BR downstairs. Upstairs loft not required, but a plus.
- Decent size master closet.
- Vanity in master bath a plus, but not required.
- Decent schools.
- Close to amenities (I'm lazy).
- House with curb appeal.
At the end of the day, the Maricopa 2 plan fit most of our needs. I will say that Maricopa has NO curb appeal, and that their elevations are tired and boring. That being said, I can live with it. We do like that Stonegate elementary is in short walking distance as our kids will be attending there in the future. Plan 2's layout with a large den/BR, open foyer, large great room, large kitchen with ample seating, good sized rooms and closets, and overall functionality was enough for us to pull the trigger. In addition, with a new house, we can pay for what we want, not what someone else thought was a good idea. People may be tired of the recycled floor plan, but its actually a floor plan we love. Stonegate isn't the best community, but that's a sacrifice we're willing to make. Another selling point is we have friends buying in the area, and its always nice to be near friends and family. Now I WISH we could get all of the above for $750K, but I just can't find it, and I'm willing to pony up the extra payments to end this search now. Maricopa, here we come...
More recently, we've looked at Northwood II, Northpark, Northpark Square, Turtle Rock, Northwood Pointe, and North Tustin. I will say the value just isn't there. What we've been looking at is USABLE square footage (the way we personally use our space). And for us, this means x-ing out the living and dining. We ARE the family TIC markets to when it comes to oversized great rooms and kitchens. I remembered walking into the Campanile models back in 2007 and thinking "this IS for me" (I wasn't even married then and kids weren't even in the picture). I found the offerings in Northpark (a neighborhood I LOVE) just didn't cut it. I don't like ANY of the floor plans in our price range, as there were just too many compromises. I also LOVE Turtle Rock, but am I the ONLY one who doesn't want to pay that much for a zero lot line house (i.e. Broadmoor)? Northwood Pointe is a great area, but homes just left something to be desired. For all of this, keep in mind my MAX price is ~$900K. Sad that 900K can't get you the perfect house... We did not see a single house that was even close to what we wanted, especially in taste. After going to open house after open house, putting in offers everywhere, we just weren't happy. So we decided to look at new houses.
For new homes, I went to Lambert. It just didn't do it for me. Granted, we can only afford Plan 1 or 2 in the Field. We just didn't connect with either home. We almost stretched for a Las Colinas 1, but the remaining homes didn't fit with us. Laguna Altura is a decent area, but the pricing and overall location relative to highways bothered us. This didn't really leave much else... except Stonegate. Specifically Maricopa. I never really liked Stonegate before, as it never felt as nice as Woodbury. Plus, it just seemed SO FAR. After living in Woodbury for the last couple of months, we've grown to really like the area (for its positives AND negatives). Here was OUR list of wants:
- Big kitchen with island that seats at least 3.
- Room to fit a table of 8.
- Nice sized great room.
- Efficient overall use of space.
- Traditional house WITH a driveway.
- Don't need a huge backyard, but a decent backyard.
- 4th BR downstairs. Upstairs loft not required, but a plus.
- Decent size master closet.
- Vanity in master bath a plus, but not required.
- Decent schools.
- Close to amenities (I'm lazy).
- House with curb appeal.
At the end of the day, the Maricopa 2 plan fit most of our needs. I will say that Maricopa has NO curb appeal, and that their elevations are tired and boring. That being said, I can live with it. We do like that Stonegate elementary is in short walking distance as our kids will be attending there in the future. Plan 2's layout with a large den/BR, open foyer, large great room, large kitchen with ample seating, good sized rooms and closets, and overall functionality was enough for us to pull the trigger. In addition, with a new house, we can pay for what we want, not what someone else thought was a good idea. People may be tired of the recycled floor plan, but its actually a floor plan we love. Stonegate isn't the best community, but that's a sacrifice we're willing to make. Another selling point is we have friends buying in the area, and its always nice to be near friends and family. Now I WISH we could get all of the above for $750K, but I just can't find it, and I'm willing to pony up the extra payments to end this search now. Maricopa, here we come...
irvinehomeowner
Well-known member
Maricopa Plan 2 is also our favorite of the current TIC recycling machine. We actually like Cortona Plan 2 better (because it does have the small loft/tech space) but they are essentially the same.
The Plan 2 is also the only one with an upstairs laundry. I realize opinion varies on this but once you own a home with an upstairs laundry... the convenience becomes very apparent.
I would still prefer 2 separate dining areas.
Stonegate is also a decent area... we've played at the Elem on more than a few occasions and the walkability is a plus for many.
Have you considered waiting to see what Mendocino is going to be like? Seems like that's a better area in Stonegate and the smaller square footage may prove to have a better price point.
The Plan 2 is also the only one with an upstairs laundry. I realize opinion varies on this but once you own a home with an upstairs laundry... the convenience becomes very apparent.
I would still prefer 2 separate dining areas.
Stonegate is also a decent area... we've played at the Elem on more than a few occasions and the walkability is a plus for many.
Have you considered waiting to see what Mendocino is going to be like? Seems like that's a better area in Stonegate and the smaller square footage may prove to have a better price point.
congrats akim - thanks for sharing
we liked maricopa 2 downstairs but preferred the upstairs of maricopa 3. i dont know why they seem to never have a perfect setup.
IHS or indie would say that you can have all your requirements if you live outside of irvine but like you, we are looking in irvine only. from a floorplan perspective, the KB new homes in lake forest have nice floorplans that meet a lot of your needs and the price points are much lower but its KB and its lake forest.
we liked maricopa 2 downstairs but preferred the upstairs of maricopa 3. i dont know why they seem to never have a perfect setup.
IHS or indie would say that you can have all your requirements if you live outside of irvine but like you, we are looking in irvine only. from a floorplan perspective, the KB new homes in lake forest have nice floorplans that meet a lot of your needs and the price points are much lower but its KB and its lake forest.
irvinehomeowner said:
I prefer the Cortona 2 as well. The price tag is, in reality, that stops us from buying that house. I think the exteriors are much better executed in Laguna Altura. You have to get used to the houses they have in orange. The actual model home 2 for Cortona (Italianate elevation) looks much nicer than the model 2 for Maricopa (Early California). Interesting enough, Cortona does come with things standard not included at Cortona. I didn't realize this until going through the upgrade center for both (long story). The additional sq ft upstairs also fills out the house. It makes the house look more square, but I kind of like it.
The Motor Court Company
Well-known member
make sure you frequently visit your new home when it is being built, I found that IPAC's construction quality is hit or miss.
Key stages:
bottom line: if it is something that will be covered after the final finish, don't expect it to be fixed.
Key stages:
- before they put the dry wall up
- before they put in the fixtures such as bathroom and kitchen area
- before they paint the interior house
- before they do the flooring
bottom line: if it is something that will be covered after the final finish, don't expect it to be fixed.
akim997 said:
usctrojancpa
Well-known member
Congrats on the purchase. What month will your home be completed? Let me know if you need any contractor referrals because we all know that some of the upgrade prices are nuts.
jamboreedude
New member
Cortona flooring upgrades are overpriced. Just to do upgraded tiling on the whole first floor and carpet on 2nd floor is almost $25K.
No flooring through builder. Our only options (right now) are going to be:
replace home management with cabinets
soft close drawers
rollout shelves
upgrade cabinets
stainless sink
uggrade appliances
recessed lighting in all rooms
commode over master toilet
kitchen counters
We decided to spend on things that are nominal in cost, and are harder to replace in the future.
We will need go outside for:
window coverings
floors and baseboards
cabinets
paint
bathrooms
replace home management with cabinets
soft close drawers
rollout shelves
upgrade cabinets
stainless sink
uggrade appliances
recessed lighting in all rooms
commode over master toilet
kitchen counters
We decided to spend on things that are nominal in cost, and are harder to replace in the future.
We will need go outside for:
window coverings
floors and baseboards
cabinets
paint
bathrooms
woodburyowner
Well-known member
Congrats akim997! I love the Maricopa floor plans as well (Plan 1 and Plan 2), but after factoring all the costs to "settle-in" the house, it blew my budget away. Are you able to move-in and get everything done (ie. landscaping) with 900k?