Laguna Niguel Neighborhoods

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davenlei_IHB

New member
What are peoples thoughts of Laguna Niguel? I know there are different 'communities' in Laguna Niguel such as Bear Brand, Laguna Heights, Rancho Niguel.



Specifically what do people think of <strong>Bear Brand</strong>, <strong>San Joaquin Hills</strong> and <strong>Rancho Niguel</strong>?
 
[quote author="davenlei" date=1250212421]What are peoples thoughts of Laguna Niguel? I know there are different 'communities' in Laguna Niguel such as Bear Brand, Laguna Heights, Rancho Niguel.



Specifically what do people think of <strong>Bear Brand</strong>, <strong>San Joaquin Hills</strong> and <strong>Rancho Niguel</strong>?</blockquote>


Places like Bear Brand... be careful because the freeway access is terrible. You got about 3-4 different ways to jump on the freeway, and they all involve driving for a while.



Delroy
 
We've owned and are now renting in LN. There's been some landslides around here so you need to do your homework. We had the Niguel Summit Landslide in 1998 which claimed more than 50 houses and condominiums. In March of 2005 three families were evacuated from their Beacon Hill condos because of the slipping slope (the city was recently working on it). On Oct. 6, 2007 unstable earth prompted officials to evacuate and yellow-tag three buildings in the Laguna Summit Apartments, which housed 48 units (I still don't think anyone is living there). Delroy is right about the freeway access being terrible. We checked out the San Joaquin Hills townhomes which were pretty tight and very pricey. The homes are nicer and we're starting to see some go into foreclosure. You might want to check out the Kite Hill developement by S & S. They're older but a least you have some room around you. There's also another track of S & S homes down the street from Kite Hill but I can't remember the name of them which are very nice. I've heard there are some poorly built homes in Rancho Niguel so check out the builders. We are also starting to see more and more foreclosures in Bear Brand so that might be a place for you to check out.
 
Bear Brand Ridge/Ranch and Ocean Ranch are all great communities. What's really nice about Bear Brand Ridge is that it is surrounded by two other really nice neighborhoods (Ocean Ranch and Bear Brand Ranch), and it's always great for resale to be the least expensive house/neighborhood in the area. Only about 1 mile from the beach which is really evident in the summer when you feel the cool ocean breezes. The distance to the freeway is not as bad as people think. Takes about 7-10 minutes to get to about 3 different freeway access points. Plus, there are great schools in the area.



SJH doesn't have quite the same appeal to me, because it's far inland and surrounded by neighborhoods that are not as nice. Once you get to and beyond crown valley and Golden Lantern, it really gets hot.



Crest de Ville is also a nice neighborhood in Laguna Niguel.
 
I really like the Rancho Niguel neighborhood in and around Rancho Christiano and Rancho Grande. There are many lovely families and everybody is very neighborly.
 
Rancho Grande is pretty nice. We actually had an offer on a house there but the sellers (maybe influenced by agent) were asking way more than the property was worth and were not willing to budge or have a true negotiation to get to a deal. It is still on the market the last time I checked a few days ago.
 
[quote author="davenlei" date=1250315905]Rancho Grande is pretty nice. We actually had an offer on a house there but the sellers (maybe influenced by agent) were asking way more than the property was worth and were not willing to budge or have a true negotiation to get to a deal. It is still on the market the last time I checked a few days ago.</blockquote>


Is it the one that has the sign "By Aptt. Only"? It's been on the market for quite some time.
 
[quote author="Sunshine" date=1250320283][quote author="davenlei" date=1250315905]Rancho Grande is pretty nice. We actually had an offer on a house there but the sellers (maybe influenced by agent) were asking way more than the property was worth and were not willing to budge or have a true negotiation to get to a deal. It is still on the market the last time I checked a few days ago.</blockquote>


Is it the one that has the sign "By Aptt. Only"? It's been on the market for quite some time.</blockquote>


I did not look at the details of the listing but there is no sign in the front of the house. Our last offer to them before we walked was pretty good. We were about $20K between our offer and their asking price (around a 2% difference). Even with that small spread, their agent said to not resubmit the offer unless we were willing to strengthen it. Apparently it seems they were not willing to counter and wanted full price only. We were prepared to come up some if they came down some and my agent said he was willing to help close the gap with some comission. So if they just countered, I think we cound have had a deal but their agent just slammed the door by stating "Strengthen our offer before resubmitting. The sellers are pissy with all the buyers". It is a very nice house but I am not willing to pay top dollar for an older home when I can get a 15 year newer and larger home very close by for the same price. I am sure it will sell but probably not for what they are asking. I heard the other offers were in the same range as ours and none of them were willing to pay what they sellers wanted. Since it is still on the market, I guess they might have chased away the other 3 offers as well.
 
[quote author="davenlei" date=1250555642][quote author="Sunshine" date=1250320283][quote author="davenlei" date=1250315905]Rancho Grande is pretty nice. We actually had an offer on a house there but the sellers (maybe influenced by agent) were asking way more than the property was worth and were not willing to budge or have a true negotiation to get to a deal. It is still on the market the last time I checked a few days ago.</blockquote>


Is it the one that has the sign "By Aptt. Only"? It's been on the market for quite some time.</blockquote>


I did not look at the details of the listing but there is no sign in the front of the house. Our last offer to them before we walked was pretty good. We were about $20K between our offer and their asking price (around a 2% difference). Even with that small spread, their agent said to not resubmit the offer unless we were willing to strengthen it. Apparently it seems they were not willing to counter and wanted full price only. We were prepared to come up some if they came down some and my agent said he was willing to help close the gap with some comission. So if they just countered, I think we cound have had a deal but their agent just slammed the door by stating "Strengthen our offer before resubmitting. The sellers are pissy with all the buyers". It is a very nice house but I am not willing to pay top dollar for an older home when I can get a 15 year newer and larger home very close by for the same price. I am sure it will sell but probably not for what they are asking. I heard the other offers were in the same range as ours and none of them were willing to pay what they sellers wanted. Since it is still on the market, I guess they might have chased away the other 3 offers as well.</blockquote>


2% difference and they rejected the offer? That sounds crazy. If a property doesn't sell in the first few days of the listing or a price reduction, it's most likely not going to sell for 100% asking. 2-5% is most common. Have you checked the loans on the property? Maybe they just listed the property to meet the banks requirement to do a short sale.
 
[quote author="RobertLarsen" date=1250594327][quote author="davenlei" date=1250555642][quote author="Sunshine" date=1250320283][quote author="davenlei" date=1250315905]Rancho Grande is pretty nice. We actually had an offer on a house there but the sellers (maybe influenced by agent) were asking way more than the property was worth and were not willing to budge or have a true negotiation to get to a deal. It is still on the market the last time I checked a few days ago.</blockquote>


Is it the one that has the sign "By Aptt. Only"? It's been on the market for quite some time.</blockquote>


I did not look at the details of the listing but there is no sign in the front of the house. Our last offer to them before we walked was pretty good. We were about $20K between our offer and their asking price (around a 2% difference). Even with that small spread, their agent said to not resubmit the offer unless we were willing to strengthen it. Apparently it seems they were not willing to counter and wanted full price only. We were prepared to come up some if they came down some and my agent said he was willing to help close the gap with some comission. So if they just countered, I think we cound have had a deal but their agent just slammed the door by stating "Strengthen our offer before resubmitting. The sellers are pissy with all the buyers". It is a very nice house but I am not willing to pay top dollar for an older home when I can get a 15 year newer and larger home very close by for the same price. I am sure it will sell but probably not for what they are asking. I heard the other offers were in the same range as ours and none of them were willing to pay what they sellers wanted. Since it is still on the market, I guess they might have chased away the other 3 offers as well.</blockquote>


2% difference and they rejected the offer? That sounds crazy. If a property doesn't sell in the first few days of the listing or a price reduction, it's most likely not going to sell for 100% asking. 2-5% is most common. Have you checked the loans on the property? Maybe they just listed the property to meet the banks requirement to do a short sale.</blockquote>


They have owned the place for over 15 years and have over a half million in equity free and clear once they sell. They are fast approaching 90 days on the market. I think they have too much emotional attachment to the house and want to feel compensated for all they have 'put into the place'. They have already bought another place and are moving. It will be interesting to see what they do then. I am sure with their crazy low mortgage, they can carry the loan for some time if needed.
 
<a href="http://www.redfin.com/CA/Laguna-Niguel/28311-Rancho-Grande-92677/home/4926916">Is this the house?</a> This is the only listing I found on Rancho Grande and it is the one that I said is viewable by appt. only (according to the sign out front). Note that Redfin flagged the listing as a short sale. Perhaps the equity story is a big fat lie? Also, a house down the street sold for $820K in June. This may be contributing to the sellers' stubborness.
 
[quote author="Sunshine" date=1250601648]<a href="http://www.redfin.com/CA/Laguna-Niguel/28311-Rancho-Grande-92677/home/4926916">Is this the house?</a> This is the only listing I found on Rancho Grande and it is the one that I said is viewable by appt. only (according to the sign out front). Note that Redfin flagged the listing as a short sale. Perhaps the equity story is a big fat lie? Also, a house down the street sold for $820K in June. This may be contributing to the sellers' stubborness.</blockquote>


Yuck! 3 car frontal garage nastiness, and that means structural issues with that much living space above it. Even if it is less than 50%, it is still bad.



http://media.cdn-redfin.com/photo/46/bigphoto/970/S573970_2.jpg



To davenlei... tell those owners they are going to be fawked, if they don't take your offer once half these green and blue dots become red dots in the next six months...



http://i30.tinypic.com/keb71g.jpg
 
[quote author="RobertLarsen" date=1250231449]Bear Brand Ridge/Ranch and Ocean Ranch are all great communities. What's really nice about Bear Brand Ridge is that it is surrounded by two other really nice neighborhoods (Ocean Ranch and Bear Brand Ranch), and it's always great for resale to be the least expensive house/neighborhood in the area. Only about 1 mile from the beach which is really evident in the summer when you feel the cool ocean breezes. The distance to the freeway is not as bad as people think. Takes about 7-10 minutes to get to about 3 different freeway access points. Plus, there are great schools in the area.



SJH doesn't have quite the same appeal to me, because it's far inland and surrounded by neighborhoods that are not as nice. Once you get to and beyond crown valley and Golden Lantern, it really gets hot.



Crest de Ville is also a nice neighborhood in Laguna Niguel.</blockquote>


We have friends who live there and send their kids to Aliso Niguel, and are very unhappy. Schools seem to be declining big time in LN.
 
[quote author="Sunshine" date=1250601648]<a href="http://www.redfin.com/CA/Laguna-Niguel/28311-Rancho-Grande-92677/home/4926916">Is this the house?</a> This is the only listing I found on Rancho Grande and it is the one that I said is viewable by appt. only (according to the sign out front). Note that Redfin flagged the listing as a short sale. Perhaps the equity story is a big fat lie? Also, a house down the street sold for $820K in June. This may be contributing to the sellers' stubborness.</blockquote>






No, it is the same plan though! The address of the property I was talking about is:



<a href="http://www.redfin.com/CA/Laguna-Niguel/28262-Rancho-Pamelita-92677/home/4927466"> This house</a>



It just went into backup status today so I guess they either got someone to pay what they want or they took a lower price.



I do know they were in escrow before when someone offered a higher amount but when the appraisal came in the buyers backed out. I wonder if that is happening again. I guess we will see if it closes.
 
[quote author="graphrix" date=1250616035][quote author="Sunshine" date=1250601648]<a href="http://www.redfin.com/CA/Laguna-Niguel/28311-Rancho-Grande-92677/home/4926916">Is this the house?</a> This is the only listing I found on Rancho Grande and it is the one that I said is viewable by appt. only (according to the sign out front). Note that Redfin flagged the listing as a short sale. Perhaps the equity story is a big fat lie? Also, a house down the street sold for $820K in June. This may be contributing to the sellers' stubborness.</blockquote>


Yuck! 3 car frontal garage nastiness, and that means structural issues with that much living space above it. Even if it is less than 50%, it is still bad.



http://media.cdn-redfin.com/photo/46/bigphoto/970/S573970_2.jpg



To davenlei... tell those owners they are going to be fawked, if they don't take your offer once half these green and blue dots become red dots in the next six months...



http://i30.tinypic.com/keb71g.jpg</blockquote>


How concerning is the structural issue for having a 3 car garage with living space above it? Is the concern just for earthquakes or overall life expectancy of the home?



So many homes in SoCal are built like this so how much 'weaker' is the home to survive a large earthquake?
 
The majority of the neighborhoods in Laguna Niguel use 3-car frontal garages. I can see your opinion on curb appeal, but it's better than a 2 car garage door with a tandem spot. I'm also curious about these structural issues. I haven't heard of any issues in the 20+ years that the neighborhoods have been around.
 
[quote author="RobertLarsen" date=1250643150]The majority of the neighborhoods in Lag Niguel use 3-car frontal garages. I can see your opinion on curb appeal, but it's better than a 2 car garage door with a tandem spot. I'm also curious about these structural issues. I haven't heard of any issues in the 20+ years that the neighborhoods have been around.</blockquote>


Seismic forces move from left to right and back and forth. The weight directly above the garage will contribute to its failure when its top heavy moving its center of gravity higher off the ground. High center of gravity is the most dangerous for tall SUV subject to lateral forces. The house shown has virtually no shear walls and diagonal cross bracings to resist the lateral movement. We all have built those cheap metal shelving or Ikea bookcases and how all of them wobbled until we installed the shear backing or X bracing across the back.



The same idea must be applied to the front of the house for structural integrity. The big earthquake is long over due. There must be 2 shear walls on each side of the garage opening. Wall ratio must be a minimum width of 1/2 the height from ground to roof. For this house the first floor is 9' therefore there should be 2- 4-1/2 wide walls anchoring the openings. Many cities have relax standards and builders will only provide the minimum to satisfy the inspection but it does not mean that it is safe.



For those who plan to live in the garage you have no idea how un-safe it is when an earthquake hits.
 
[quote author="bkshopr" date=1250650215][quote author="RobertLarsen" date=1250643150]The majority of the neighborhoods in Lag Niguel use 3-car frontal garages. I can see your opinion on curb appeal, but it's better than a 2 car garage door with a tandem spot. I'm also curious about these structural issues. I haven't heard of any issues in the 20+ years that the neighborhoods have been around.</blockquote>


Seismic forces move from left to right and back and forth. The weight directly above the garage will contribute to its failure when its top heavy moving its center of gravity higher off the ground. High center of gravity is the most dangerous for tall SUV subject to lateral forces. The house shown has virtually no shear walls and diagonal cross bracings to resist the lateral movement. We all have built those cheap metal shelving or Ikea bookcases and how all of them wobbled until we installed the shear backing or X bracing across the back.



The same idea must be applied to the front of the house for structural integrity. The big earthquake is long over due. There must be 2 shear walls on each side of the garage opening. Wall ratio must be a minimum width of 1/2 the height from ground to roof. For this house the first floor is 9' therefore there should be 2- 4-1/2 wide walls anchoring the openings. Many cities have relax standards and builders will only provide the minimum to satisfy the inspection but it does not mean that it is safe.



For those who plan to live in the garage you have no idea how un-safe it is when an earthquake hits.</blockquote>


1) So does that same problem apply with two car garage homes that have a bedroom completely occupy the space above it? This is how most homes and Condo's are setup in Socal to reduce land used for a home.



2) If so, then we are going to see a similar pattern of structural failures after the big one where the front half of the house collapses into the garage and the back half is still standing just fine, correct?



3) Is there a way to brace a house like this to be stronger and not adjust the look and functionality of the house? An example is if the owner is not going to use the third car garage, can he just have a huge cross brace span the inside of the third car area behind the garage door to resist the side to side forces?
 
1) The more recent construction utilized a newer invention called the Hardi shear panel. It is a narrow 2 foot wide galvanized boxed wall attached to the foundation with massive hold down bolts. Most developments do not have room for a 4' end wall so the Hardi panel is ideal for the higher density development. Another method is to use a steel rigid frame but it is very expensive.



2) You can make sculpture by stacking a deck of cards. It will not collapse as long you don't rock the table or ground.



3) Some concerned homeowners have been retrofitting their pre-90's home to create a shear and moment resistive frame. The more weight sit on top of the garage the more dangerous it becomes. By loading on more mass and added height the center of gravity becomes higher off the ground. As lateral forces hit the vertical distance from the center of gravity to the ground is called the moment arm. The longer the moment arm the larger the torque and requires more rigidity to overcome the torque.



The picture depicted above is like a book sitting on a ruler being supported by 3 upright pencils. Even when the tips are glue to the ruler it will not overcome the force from a sudden jolt to the table.
 
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