Homes you have toured/looked at/want/wish to have outside of Irvine (outside of OC is cool too)

graphrix_IHB

graphrix_IHB

New member
There tends to be a lot of chatter about homes in Irvine people have toured. Many times more than one person has toured the same home. Granted, that means most who are looking outside of Irvine will be all over the place, and discussions of why the plan 1 is better than the plan 3 will not happen as much... But, I am genuinely curious as to what kind of homes everyone else is looking at outside of Irvine. Cayci and I love going to open houses to get a feel for the hood, or to just check out a house. Some are possible with our future budget, some are not. But... you never know, those out of what we think are our budget may not be when it comes time for us to be seriously looking, and that doesn't just mean depreciation of home prices but possible income increases. Plus it is fun, we can get some design ideas and learn what we like and don't like. Two sinks in the master bath, got it. Windows must open and create a breeze in the master and most of the house, Cayci gets it. So on and so on...



So here are a few we have toured, some for sh*ts and giggles, some because we would eventually want to buy there.



<a href="http://www.redfin.com/CA/Orange/19941-E-Daniel-Ln-92869/home/18904662">This place in OPA where grandma died was interesting</a>.



http://media.cdn-redfin.com/photo/46/bigphoto/659/P695659_1.jpg



There is a bathroom that looks like the 80s threw up in it with the black tiles and floor, and multiple mirrors. It needed about $50k in work to make it "nice" and some serious landscaping. But... the agent was cool and kinda funny. He also grew up in OPA and told us about the hard as a rock you can't grow sh*t in this soil, and how we would need to build planters for our tomatoes, veggies, and herbs... add another $5-$15k to make it "nice". Also, many of the windows would not open, and the master bedroom was in a poor location to remedy that fact due to the design of the house/slope of the roof line.



<a href="http://www.redfin.com/CA/Santa-Ana/2033-Greenleaf-St-92706/home/3049711">This house if Floral Park was very cool and beautiful</a>.



http://media.cdn-redfin.com/photo/46/bigphoto/896/P689896_1.jpg



The detached garage is kind of a deal killer, but the home itself is awesome. Aside from the ridiculous price (sorry BK), the style of the home and how it has been kept up well including the time period of style, makes it hard to imagine furnishing it with our "modern" furniture. Really, a home like this makes you want to keep it real with the old school furnishings.



<a href="http://www.redfin.com/CA/Santa-Ana/19482-Martin-Ln-92705/home/4432049">This place in N. Tustin was a... well... that is why you go check them out</a>.



http://media.cdn-redfin.com/photo/46/bigphoto/960/P700960_1_0.jpg



I joked with the agent (kind of a douchebag) does the place include the artwork? I mean... there was a Picasso and Warhol serigraph in the place, plus some other great works. Turns out the owner used to have a gallery. Agents take note: Don't be such a douche when a perspective buyer compliments the owner's taste in art, the owner may take the offer from the one complimenting more seriously. Anyway... on with the criticism...



The deck was termite INFESTED!



http://media.cdn-redfin.com/photo/46/bigphoto/960/P700960_12_0.jpg



No... seriously, I think it might not pass code the wood it so weak.



I'd have to build some storage space in the bathroom.



http://media.cdn-redfin.com/photo/46/bigphoto/960/P700960_14_0.jpg



And gawddamn it... the Juliet balconies are cute and all...



http://media.cdn-redfin.com/photo/46/bigphoto/960/P700960_5_0.jpg



But they are the one source of natural air in the master. WTF? Now I need to add some screens or redesign the whole balcony to be a window. And then, I would want to knock down the walls to the left of the bed to create a true balcony over looking the pool, with more air flow, and that has stairs that leads down to the pool... Argh... add another $50k to this place to make it "nice". The other thing about this place is there was a huge crack in the drywall upstairs in the middle of the hallway. To me it looked like the wood beam had warped over time from being wet wood, but I would like to get a better opinion on the matter before I place my offer of $900k on the place. I know... I'd get laughed at now, but two years from now I know I won't, and it might be too high then.



So... please add to this thread. I have more if this generates some quality discussion.
 
Once we had kids the biggest factor in our home buying decision was/is the schools. What are the schools for OPA and Floral Park, unless you are certain you will not want children?
 
Don't hate on a detached garage until you've had one and then lose it. I miss mine very dearly, although I didn't when I first got it. You start to really appreciate it if you tend to stink up the place from time to time like I do.
 
[quote author="awgee" date=1253998061]Once we had kids the biggest factor in our home buying decision was/is the schools. What are the schools for OPA and Floral Park, unless you are certain you will not want children?</blockquote>


While I have the utmost respect for everyone's concern about the schools their children will attend and I believe that parents can and should consider these things carefully, I just have to address the underlying intention of your "question" (which I don't really think IS a question). While I cannot presume to speak for Graph, I have had some conversations with him regarding this and I do think that the two of us are on the same page.



1. A number on a test is not the measure of a good school.



2. I have taught for over 20 years in Santa Ana schools and I have had a large number of students attend and graduate from Harvard, Yale, Cal, UCLA and a variety of other universities and colleges deemed as "prestigious". The common thread among these students is loving, caring and demanding parents.



3. Some of us chose to live in Santa Ana and were very confident that we would find an acceptable school among our choices. In fact, I know now that my child could not receive anything near the extensive education he is receiving at our North Santa Ana public school in Irvine.



4. Many of us trust our parenting skills and do not need the extra assurance of a school with a "label" that supposedly means something. We know it is up to us.



5. Many of us have not planned our child's entire educational future yet. I am sure that my child will have the opportunity to attend OCHSA if he chooses, he could also attend Middle College High School if that works for him, if he decides that he loves to play water polo, maybe he'll go to Foothill, he will have choices based on who he is and we'll make those choices together when the time comes.



6. There are good things and bad things about every school. One person's or group's ideology regarding school choice is not the necessarily wrong or right. Many Irvine parents chose to live in Irvine because of the schools, more power to them. I chose to live in Santa Ana because I like it here, I'm glad that I didn't have to stress out about schools and I was able to choose a neighborhood I really like instead.



Sorry if this is construed as a hi-jack, but I really have problems with the innuendo that people who choose to buy in areas like OPA and Floral Park must not care about their kids or they have chosen to not have kids.
 
I haven't toured too many homes as of late. I've narrowed down where I want to buy to two streets. Those two streets are Jacaranda Place & Malvern Ave in Fullerton. The homes on these streets are modest. I am drawn to quaint neighborhoods & desire to have a small house free of pretentiousness. I also want a decent yard but I don't want to live in seclusion. Living in a place with lots of neighbor interaction is very high of the must have home buying list. The homes on Jacaranda and Malvern are designed to foster neighborliness. The large front yards not separated by driveways or fences, the front porches, the main living areas pushed to the front of the house all promote interaction with the neighbors. I have confirmed this through current residents and my own observations of the streets. I recently tour the below house. I really like this house. The only draw back in the design is I have to have a porch. I would buy it and add a porch but I don't think I'm going to get it for the price I want.

<img src="http://images1.zillow.com/is/image/i0/i0/i1304/ISzgobb27z9bqb.jpg?op_sharpen=1&qlt=90&size=330,225" alt="" />



<img src="http://images1.zillow.com/is/image/i0/i1/i6138/IStrrgzsfpqxsz.jpg?op_sharpen=1&qlt=90&size=460,300" alt="" />



<img src="http://images2.zillow.com/is/image/i0/i1/i6138/IS14axjisjg9603.jpg?op_sharpen=1&qlt=90&size=460,300" alt="" />
 
[quote author="graphrix" date=1253978539]

<a href="http://www.redfin.com/CA/Santa-Ana/2033-Greenleaf-St-92706/home/3049711">This house if Floral Park was very cool and beautiful</a>.



.</blockquote>


This house is the second oldest house in Floral Park. The owner did an amazing job restoring the interior and exterior. I don't like the Gable added to the porch. The porch has 3 equal bays with a simple shed roof. The imposing gable does not sit well within one structural bay and missed one of the post really annoy me. The biggest mistake of all neophyte is to overkill the entry with embellishment like gables, towers, and goops. Visitors are not retarded like they can't find the front door so lets make it complete stupid proof.



Good elevation composition is the key to leading the eye to a front door. In the case of this home the front door is very clear without the gable tacked on.. When an elevation is weak and the door is lost in the composition then designers compensate by pumping up their front door size thinking that is the way to satisfy the users.
 
[quote author="no_vaseline" date=1254006403]Don't hate on a detached garage until you've had one and then lose it. I miss mine very dearly, although I didn't when I first got it. You start to really appreciate it if you tend to stink up the place from time to time like I do.</blockquote>


You may want to cut down on the amount of beans you are consuming.
 
[quote author="Mcdonna1980" date=1254011114] I am drawn to quaint neighborhoods & desire to have a small house free of pretentiousness. </blockquote>


Are we related?
 
[quote author="awgee" date=1254019424][quote author="no_vaseline" date=1254006403]Don't hate on a detached garage until you've had one and then lose it. I miss mine very dearly, although I didn't when I first got it. You start to really appreciate it if you tend to stink up the place from time to time like I do.</blockquote>


You may want to cut down on the amount of beans you are consuming.</blockquote>


Trust me my gated community friend, this isn't a gastronomical-based problem. More along the lines of high test race race fuel (smells way worse than regular premium unleaded), lacquer thinner, high solids enamel paints, or my last nemesis - gear oil.
 
[quote author="tmare" date=1254010945][quote author="awgee" date=1253998061]Once we had kids the biggest factor in our home buying decision was/is the schools. What are the schools for OPA and Floral Park, unless you are certain you will not want children?</blockquote>


While I have the utmost respect for everyone's concern about the schools their children will attend and I believe that parents can and should consider these things carefully, I just have to address the underlying intention of your "question" (which I don't really think IS a question). While I cannot presume to speak for Graph, I have had some conversations with him regarding this and I do think that the two of us are on the same page.





Sorry if this is construed as a hi-jack, but I really have problems with the innuendo that people who choose to buy in areas like OPA and Floral Park must not care about their kids or they have chosen to not have kids.</blockquote>


What the ____ ?

So, if I tell someone about our situation and choice, I am making an innuendo about anybody who chooses differently?

Wow! If one tells of one's experience and how one arrived at that experience, they are making innuendo about others who have a different experience?

Seriously, I can not imagine more ridiculous and just plain moronic logic.

And if you <em>"cannot presume to speak for Graph"</em>, why do you presume to speak for me, ie. I am somehow making an innuendo.



Who in this thread said a child could not excel at a Santa Ana school?

Who in this thread said a number was the most important factor in choosing a school?

Why did you mention Harvard, Yale, and UCLA if you do not personally think that some schools may be better than others? Or do you think that all schools are the same until college?

By the way, my oldest daughter grew up in North Santa Ana and attended OCHSA. She just graduated from UCLA.

You are way, way, way too sensitive. No one said anything negative about folks who choose to live in Santa Ana, nor was anything implied.

Where is the world did that come from?
 
[quote author="awgee" date=1254020829]

Where is the world did that come from?</blockquote>


Two observations.



1. It wasn't from you.

2. Do you have your head buried in a bucket of sand? Did you just join the IHB and start reading the forums or something? Just because you're being obtuse doesn't mean T is wrong - because she isn't.
 
[quote author="no_vaseline" date=1254023649][quote author="awgee" date=1254020829]

Where is the world did that come from?</blockquote>


Two observations.



1. It wasn't from you.

2. Do you have your head buried in a bucket of sand? Did you just join the IHB and start reading the forums or something? Just because you're being obtuse doesn't mean T is wrong - because she isn't.</blockquote>
Actually she is right about everything except the part about me insinuating anything about other people's decisions for their children.







And my head is not buried in a bucket of sand. It was, but that was last year.
 
Okay... lets all just chill out.



Schools are a factor in our home buying decision. We may or may not have kids, but it could happen and we want to be prepared for that if and when it does happen. So let me address the school issue. IMO, I don't want my kids to go to a school like Uni because they will just get lost in the competitive shuffle and the school experience is more than just scoring high on test scores. Diversity is key IMO.



For Floral Park/Park Santiago I would have my kids go to public school K-8. Since the price point would be less than what we would find in a comparable home in N. Tustin, I would be paying less and have the ability to save for a private school as an option, such as Mater Dei. My first choice would be that they go to OCHSA, and now I know there is a loop hole to get into Foothill, it is another option. Too bad they don't have that option for golf and not just water polo.



For OPA, OUSD is an open school district and some of the kids that live there end up going to VPHS. Which isn't necessarily a great option, but it is there. Again, I feel the price point there is less than that of N. Tustin, so the saving for a private school could be an option. I also think that while Hell Modena has crappy test scores, I believe that they are skewed lower due to more poor performing students, much like the median home price gets skewed when lower priced homes are selling. Most of the kids from OPA associate with kids they grew up with from OPA. They associate with them because of all the extra curricular activities available in the area. A few months back I read an article in the Orange City news about two football players that were graduating with 4.0+ GPAs. One was getting a football scholarship to go to Berkeley, and the other kid who had the 4.2 GPA was going to Princeton (IRCC). They stood out at Hell Mo, whereas at Uni they would have blended in with the rest of the herd.



All that being said, yes, I have considered the schools and I want to buy a home that I love. Hopefully it will be in N. Tustin, but I would love to buy a home in Floral Park or Park Santiago too, and my kids will get the same level of education at either location, and maybe better education if they have tmare as their teacher. Kids who do well in school do well because of 1. their parents and 2. because of their teachers, not because the school has the highest API scores.



So I think awgee made a good point, and I think I have proven that I have considered the schools and have solutions in place for that very reason.



I also think tmare made a good point, and I think that it is clear that I agree with her.
 
Now... post up some links and opinions of houses you have been to. Maybe make your case for or against the homes because of the schools. If the schools debate continues without homes you have toured I will move the posts into the schools section where they belong.



Carry on...
 
[quote author="Mcdonna1980" date=1254011114]I haven't toured too many homes as of late. I've narrowed down where I want to buy to two streets. Those two streets are Jacaranda Place & Malvern Ave in Fullerton. The homes on these streets are modest. I am drawn to quaint neighborhoods & desire to have a small house free of pretentiousness. I also want a decent yard but I don't want to live in seclusion. Living in a place with lots of neighbor interaction is very high of the must have home buying list. The homes on Jacaranda and Malvern are designed to foster neighborliness. The large front yards not separated by driveways or fences, the front porches, the main living areas pushed to the front of the house all promote interaction with the neighbors. I have confirmed this through current residents and my own observations of the streets. I recently tour the below house. I really like this house. The only draw back in the design is I have to have a porch. I would buy it and add a porch but I don't think I'm going to get it for the price I want.

<img src="http://images1.zillow.com/is/image/i0/i0/i1/ISzgobb27z9bqb.jpg?op_sharpen=1&qlt=90&size=330,225" alt="" />



<img src="http://images1.zillow.com/is/image/i0/i1/i6138/IStrrgzsfpqxsz.jpg?op_sharpen=1&qlt=90&size=460,300" alt="" />



<img src="http://images2.zillow.com/is/image/i0/i1/i6138/IS14axjisjg9603.jpg?op_sharpen=1&qlt=90&size=460,300" alt="" /></blockquote>
Don't give up hope McDonna, a few months on the market without any offer will "soften" up that seller on his price.
 
I am glad for this thread because modest homes and neighborhoods not tricked up like Disneyland have eternal appeal and will never be dated. I was in San Marino earlier and nowI am in Sherman Oaks. The quaint neighborhoods are just beautiful.
 
Geez, my only point, and I mean my <strong>ONLY</strong> point was that our home buying priorities changed when we had children, and I wanted to know if Graph and Cayci had considered as much.



<strong>MY GOSH!!!!!!!!!!!!!</strong>
 
[quote author="awgee" date=1254025732]And my head is not buried in a bucket of sand. It was, but that was last year.</blockquote>


Okay, that was just too funny. I lol?d.



[quote author="awgee" date=1254031952]Geez, my only point, and I mean my <strong>ONLY</strong> point was that our home buying priorities changed when we had children, and I wanted to know if Graph and Cayci had considered as much.



<strong>MY GOSH!!!!!!!!!!!!!</strong></blockquote>


In that case, are you are choosing to ignore the couple of hundred thread responses that effectively read (I'm paraphrasing) "My kids will be a total failure (and, by extension, I'm a total failure as a parent) if all I can provide to live in a neighborhood where they attend University High in Irvine"?



Go do a search using ?Uni High? as keywords and feel the xenophobia for yourself...and I?m not saying your guilty of it! I?m saying it exists here on the IHB.



FWIW, my high school most recently had a API score of 687 and is radically improved since twenty years ago when I attended. You too can be somebody if you put your mind to it (and your parents care about you and act like, well, parents).
 
[quote author="awgee" date=1254031952]Geez, my only point, and I mean my <strong>ONLY</strong> point was that our home buying priorities changed when we had children, and I wanted to know if Graph and Cayci had considered as much.



<strong>MY GOSH!!!!!!!!!!!!!</strong></blockquote>


today, the part of awgee will be played by



<img src="http://ds.vggen.com/news/images/napoleon_dynamite.jpg" alt="" />
 
Back to the subject:



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<img src="http://media.cdn-redfin.com/photo/45/bigphoto/911/C09102911_2_0.jpg" alt="" />
 
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