Laguna Altura in 2011

I've also been there on weekdays in the afternoon (before 4pm). No line up as well.

SoCal78 said:
bones said:
The lines are only bad at certain times of the day.  I've been there countless times on weekdays between 11am and 12pm, and there are no lines. 
Click to expand...

So, just like a doughnut shop or bagel place, would you say the lines are most busy right in the morning for people wanting breakfast? I'll take your tip and hit them up 11-12. Hope I don't get a lunch crowd.
Click to expand...
 
I liken it to when Krispy Kremes opened up in SoCal and made everyone curious. There were lines out the door but eventually everyone realized they're just donuts.

Although... the hype for 85? has probably lasted longer... I guess hip young asian eats is the thing nowadays (the Boiling Crab still gets packed).

Maybe TIC should put in an 85? in Laguna Altura in place of one of the pocket parks (what's one less after you've already removed a few?).
 
Seconded on Little Sheep hot pot - love that stuff.  Although I seem to remember one in Rowland Heights not doing that well and eventually closing, perhaps too much competition. 

This is veering WAY off-topic, but regarding 85C bakery and its crowds - IMHO there is this crowd mentality among young people, especially but not limited to Asians, that if everyone else is doing something, it must be worth doing, irrespective of the actual underlying value.  People rely on other people's opinions rather than forming their own.  Hence we get hour-long waits for cheap pastries, when you can get similar ones at J&J or even the Ranch 99 on Culver.  85C's goods are better than either of those, but not incrementally better to justify waiting an hour. 

I'm guilty of it myself - I will look at an Asian restaurant I haven't been to yet and judge it by how crowded it is.

The other aspect is branding - 85C is a more highly-regarded brand, like the LV of pastries.  And judging by the number of LV bags I see around Irvine, branding matters a great deal to the current generation of consumers. 

 
Should we move this thread to the Food and Dining section?

How can 85 streamline their operation?  Those long lines seem unnecessary and perhaps they keep it that way to create "buzz?"
 
I went to check out the broker co-op property of 33 Como at Toscana.  It's the only home that is painted red.  It was quite the eye sore.  Is this the main reason they are giving a 25k commission?  How much would it cost to paint it if the HOA even lets you do that?
 
NoSoup4U said:
I went to check out the broker co-op property of 33 Como at Toscana.  It's the only home that is painted red.  It was quite the eye sore.  Is this the main reason they are giving a 25k commission?  How much would it cost to paint it if the HOA even lets you do that?
Click to expand...
If they have a hard time moving it... I would recommend any buyer to request it to be repainted as part of the sale.

The colors are a bit strange at LagAlt... I guess they're trying to go with that Italian vibe...

burano_1.jpg

(Burano, Italy from goeurope.com... if you go there, you have to visit the island of Burano)

... although I haven't seen a blue one up at LagAlt yet.
 
NoSoup4U said:
I went to check out the broker co-op property of 33 Como at Toscana.  It's the only home that is painted red.  It was quite the eye sore.  Is this the main reason they are giving a 25k commission?  How much would it cost to paint it if the HOA even lets you do that?
Click to expand...
The broker co-op for all of the homes at Toscana are $25k.  But yeah, I'd tell them to repaint the exterior of the home before buying it. 
 
I went over the weekend to LA. Cortona is sold out for phase 1. Toscana still shows the two sold pins since day one so even the price reduction did not move things. Why do you guys things are not moving in LA. Give my the reasons in the order you think are contributing to the slow sales. The equivalent floor plans in San Marion are at phase 5 now and they only opened 2 months earlier than LA I think what do you guys think and what would the TIC do about it. Is LA the next PS?
 
Chitown said:
I went over the weekend to LA. Cortona is sold out for phase 1. Toscana still shows the two sold pins since day one so even the price reduction did not move things. Why do you guys things are not moving in LA. Give my the reasons in the order you think are contributing to the slow sales. The equivalent floor plans in San Marion are at phase 5 now and they only opened 2 months earlier than LA I think what do you guys think and what would the TIC do about it. Is LA the next PS?
Click to expand...

Why do you think that LA is the next PS?
 
Chitown said:
Because there is almost nothing the TIC can do to make it move. I was just wondering.
Click to expand...
Sure they can, cut prices another 10-15% and/or buy back the Mello Roos bonds would do the trick. 
 
Chitown said:
Because there is almost nothing the TIC can do to make it move. I was just wondering.
Click to expand...

Seems like PS is moving just fine with the exception of one builder.

Perhaps I am mistaken, feel free to correct me.
 
kubert13, PS started with Woodbury almost but for some reason it was not moving. Maybe now they have reduced prices and made incentives that make it move much better. I have not been there in a while.

So you guys think it is mainly price reason that things are not moving in LA. Is there is other reasons? For some reason there is hardly any asians there compared to woodbury. The foot traffic is different and yet things are not moving.
 
Price
Price misalignment with Toscana's lot size (1.2M for 4400 sq ft lots)
San Marino lot sizes are slightly larger and price is cheaper
Schools, grocery, are a bit of drive to get to
No views other than your neighbors bedroom and the bunker hills
No community feel / front yard aesthetic
Mello Roos + High HOA + Higher price + tighter lending = less buyers than in 2010.
 
What happened to the days when builders would build 3 completely different floor plans for each of the models?  A tweaked wall here, add a bedroom here doesn't fix bad floor plans, it just multiplies the quantity of bad floor plans with more bedrooms.  Aye... iPac needs to get new architects or ask BK for help.  They need to think about building lasting communities and not maximizing homes per acre.  They did a great job pre-2004, so what happened?
 
Should we be taking bets on the following scenarios:

A) L.A. gets 15% price reduction and or Mello Roos buy out.

2) L.A. closes portion of the project, waiting for better market.

III) L.A. sells some of their lots to other builders, washing their hands of this project.

My guess is that they'll let the project twist in the wind (choice A), but the smarter thing to do would be to sell off to other builders IMHO.

Soylent Green Is People. 
 
Chitown said:
I went over the weekend to LA. Cortona is sold out for phase 1. Toscana still shows the two sold pins since day one so even the price reduction did not move things. Why do you guys things are not moving in LA. Give my the reasons in the order you think are contributing to the slow sales. The equivalent floor plans in San Marion are at phase 5 now and they only opened 2 months earlier than LA I think what do you guys think and what would the TIC do about it. Is LA the next PS?
Click to expand...

I agree with Irvine Renter:http://www.irvinehousingblog.com/bl...s-sit-on-the-sidelines-due-to-falling-prices/

The top three reasons homes haven't sold @ LA:
1) Price
2) Price
3) Price
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top