Is Tustin Fields getting killed?

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I agree with Graphrix on the train noise. I am pretty far from the tracks. Like miles away. Yet in the dead of night I can hear the train whistle. So I can just imagine how loud it can get if you live near one.
 
I live in TF2. I can sometimes hear the train, but only when I have my windows open and the conductor is blowing his whistle (it's loud enough to notice but not a nuisance) -- Maybe on the TF1 side, that would be a problem since those homes border on the tracks. For the most part, it's a non-event. I'd worry more about parking within TF2. I would say 50-60% of the streets,

especially the perimeter street of Voyager (parallels Harvard, Edinger and Moffett). These are deemed firelanes -- so you can only park on 1-side of the street. And they enforce with towing on a nightly basis.

The Loran property is owned by a guy who has a new S550 with a mortgage/finance company logo on his plate holder (there's irony there somewhere). If the balance is $992K then he must of did zero down since the Bennetts Place homes sold for about $950-975K new. I spoke with the owner about a year ago, and he said he was planning on trading up to a bigger house in VOC after he sold. I think when he first listed, it was something like $1.3M -- I was like, dude you're gonna get smoked... just dump it for $1M and get out of Dodge. Now, that house will be lucky if it sells for above $800K. There are better models: larger and aesthetically more pleasing (Ellyson Pointe) selling for low to mid 800's. There's another bank-owned home that had an open house last weekend, and it's listed for $879K.

My guess is the Ellyson Pointe homes will sell in mid-700's and the Bennetts Place will go for high 600's somewhere down the line. Speaking of rental equivalent. If you pick one up for $800K (20% down).... you probably can get rent = mortgage. My neighbor rents for $3800 and another for $4100. Of course, the additional $13K tax/mello roos will kill ya'.

TF2 also has about 60-affordable housing units within the community. These homes drag the value down even further. Imagine you buy for $800K while the guy across the street paid $90-300K (yes, it's that low -- albeit a smaller house at 1700 SF). The ironic thing is that the affordable home values are catching up to the bigger brethren.

http://www.tustinfield.com/new-home-developments/
 
almost there,

Thanks for clarifying TF1 and TF2. 2 years ago, I visited an open house. And as I was asking the RE agent about the train noise. She replied, "Oh, you can hardly hear it." (Mind you this house was literally next to the track) So right after she finished her reply. This freaking train sped right pass the living room window and it was the scariest sight. So that must have been TF1.

As for parking. That was a major turn off for us back then. Actually, the street parking is the norms now. But it's the narrow streets. If you have cars parked on both sides, it was hard for 2 on-coming cars to pass each other.
 
I think that Irvine is running out of good locations to build new homes. Portola Springs and Woodbury are on the edge of civilization. I think Columbus Square, Columbus Grove, and Tustin Field are much more desirable locations. But I have to say... the Irvine Company does know how to design its streets and provide lush landscaping. Between Woodbury Town Center and the District, the WTC looks very lush and affluent. Between Portola Springs and Columbus Square, PS sure has wider streets and more fully grown trees. I think new Irvine developments are in horrid areas. But thanks to the monetary clout of TIC, they sure know how to make the neighborhoods look lush and beautiful. I think location-wise, the new Tustin homes are much better situated. However, they would look a lot nicer if the developers plant more mature trees. If you have a big family, I suggest you move to Irvine for the extra land/space. But if you are a young family, I think Tustin is closer to local amenities.

My order of preference is:

1. Turtle Ridge - amazingly close to Newport

2. Columbus Grove - great access to Jamboree (probably the most valuable boulevard in Irvine)

3. Tustin Field - a younger Westpark.

4. Columbus Square - should be great in 5-10 years.

5. Woodbury - very beautiful, but very far.

6. Portola Springs - bring a big family to kill the void.

I definitely favor the Newport, then Tustin borders in Irvine.
 
hs - I'm with you on Portola Springs...I do not like the prospect of how far it is, and also assume that (one day) there will be more people living in both Woodbury East and the Great Park area, which would add to extra congestion on the surrounding streets. Plus, the quickest freeways out are all toll roads. I can understand if you want to feel away from it all and live there...but if you're going to do all that driving (and have to use toll roads anyway) you might want to look at South County since you're not that much farther away. Granted, though, PS is new.

I'm a huge fan of Woodbury and don't think it's location is as much of a problem as you do. It's perfectly located if you work at the spectrum area, and it's also pretty convenient to both the 405 and the 5 - if you need to get to the 405 take the 5 south at Sand Canyon to the 133 to the 405 - no problem at all.
 
Is there anyone living in Tustin Fields or Columbus Square that can comment on the metrolink/amtrack? I feel like I get told something different by each different person..."I hear no noise.." vs. "My house rattles." I'm specifically interested in Gables or Verandas. I love the location, close to everything but the train and the possible contaminated land scares the crap out of me. It's not worth it to buy a house and end up with freaking lymphoma or a humongous sarcoma in 20 years. Current homeowners, please chime in! :)
 
gyoza said:
Is there anyone living in Tustin Fields or Columbus Square that can comment on the metrolink/amtrack? I feel like I get told something different by each different person..."I hear no noise.." vs. "My house rattles." I'm specifically interested in Gables or Verandas. I love the location, close to everything but the train and the possible contaminated land scares the crap out of me. It's not worth it to buy a house and end up with freaking lymphoma or a humongous sarcoma in 20 years. Current homeowners, please chime in! :)
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People who say they can't hear the train, especially at Tustin Field, are full of crap gyoza. I live in West Irvine and I can hear the whistle blowing and I'm two miles away... One of my staff recently moved out of her Tustin Field rental because the train noise was overbearing. She said her condo actually did shake and rattle.

VoC CS might not be as bad, although the Gables is pretty close to the intersection of Edinger and Red Hill and I imagine the train has to blow the whistle like crazy there.
 
Location wise, I think Tustin Ranch, Northpark, and West Irvine are the same. Due to the larger homes and higher prices, I think these areas are intended for well-established families.

Tustin Fields and Villages of Columbus are more centrally located. There sure must be a lot of renters at Tustin Field because parking is horrid. I think it's definitely a place for college students or young professionals. As for VOC, I would pay a premium to live in Columbus Grove over Columbus Square due to its better location.

Don't know why I hate Westpark. Maybe because I used to rent at San Marco and that place was just so stale.

I'm trying to show my friend some neigborhoods in Irvine this weekend. I'm going to see if he likes Columbus Grove.

But no, the train doesn't bother me at all.
 
I like how the people who actually live there say the train is not an issue, but one person who doesn't live there keeps saying the train is an issues. Who would you believe?
 
asianinvasian said:
I like how the people who actually live there say the train is not an issue, but one person who doesn't live there keeps saying the train is an issues. Who would you believe?
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The person who camps out overnite and responds :)
 
the train is not an issue in the communities that do immediately border edinger. I don't see how it can not be an issue with the homes along edinger. Such poor planning putting high end nearest the train trackes.
 
My friends live on Madison in VoC which is the closest street possible to Edinger. My wife and I were over there a few months ago and around 8pm or 9pm, I heard the train go by. I definitely could feel the windows shaking and the deep rumble of the train. Obviously, I didnt want to bring attention to it in front of my friends so waited until we left to ask my wife if she could deal with that train. Her response.."What train?"...

Point is that whats obvious and bothersome to some might be a non-issue to others. I really believe that my wife could live there and not be bothered but not me. My recommendation, get a train schedule and go park on the street you are potentially interested in and listen for yourself. Now if it really doesn't bother you in the car, then it definitely wont bother you in the house.
 
Here's a nice indicator of the on-going carnage in Tustin Field... This house on Sun Dial is a recent listing (REO) that just got into escrow. The exact same model a couple streets away closed for $729K just this past October.

Betcha those buyers are a little pissed they are down $100K in a matter of months...
 
only $600k for a 2400sf 4/4.

too bad you don't own the land, just rent it. its not even right next to power lines and train tracks.

oh wait, maybe you don't want to own *that* land, eh?
 
freedomCM said:
only $600k for a 2400sf 4/4.

too bad you don't own the land, just rent it. its not even right next to power lines and train tracks.

oh wait, maybe you don't want to own *that* land, eh?
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How do you tell if it is a land lease? On certain listings, you see "Land: Fee" is that an indicator?
 
gyoza said:
Is there anyone living in Tustin Fields or Columbus Square that can comment on the metrolink/amtrack? I feel like I get told something different by each different person..."I hear no noise.." vs. "My house rattles." I'm specifically interested in Gables or Verandas. I love the location, close to everything but the train and the possible contaminated land scares the crap out of me. It's not worth it to buy a house and end up with freaking lymphoma or a humongous sarcoma in 20 years. Current homeowners, please chime in! :)
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I live in Camden Place in Columbus Square. Although I am not as close to the train tracks as Verandas, Gables, or Meriweather for that matter (I am across Valencia from the Hangar) I can still hear the train. Does my house rattle? No. But in the summer when my window is open, I can hear the train horn, especially at night. But after 1030 or 11pm it's not really an issue.

Some days the noise is more faint than others, and even with my windows closed, sometimes I can still hear it from my bedroom. I think as you get closer to Kensington Park drive, say, Cambridge, you can hear louder noise and possible vibrations.

Between the train noise, planes flying overhead on their way to John Wayne, neighbor's dogs barking outside on the grass, and my neighbor's bass music blasting, it's definitely not a quiet neighborhood to live in. But would it keep me from living here if I had to choose again? No, probably not.

i think taxes, mello roos, HOA's, and extreme lack of guest parking in Camden are bigger issues than the train noise.

Just my two cents.
 
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