Mountain View Estates - Aliso Viejo

[mogul]

Looking for opinions on this project.

Looks to be a project build in the early 2000s.  Pretty nice homes, nice size, smallish lots, great views if on right side of the street.

Shea Homes is the builder of this particular listing:http://www.redfin.com/CA/Aliso-Viejo/10-Prescott-92656/home/5859605

Pretty close to toll roads. Unfortunately, community has no pool/spa (big downside). There are mello-roos and a apparently 2 HOAs (not sure what for)...

So anyone liking this area?  How have prices changed lately?  Any other more interesting options in this price range (<$1M).

 

[iacrenter]

Wow, nice looking home--shows very well in the photos and I love that view lot. Wish we had those kind of properties in Irvine for that price point.

Sorry don't know much about that particular area, maybe someone else on TI can chime in.

 

[mogul]

IAC, I coudn't agree more!  I wish this was available in Irvine at a reasonable price point.

At some point, I want to become more realistic and see what are the options for South county...not optimal as we work in Newport/Irvine, but getting more house/yard can offset the commute (in fact Portola Spring isn't any closer to Jamboree/MacArthur) However, taking the toll road adds up to $2,500 / year / car..

 

[davenlei]

I lived in Irvine for 10 years and moved to South Laguna Niguel in 2009 (near Dana Point).  I work in Irvine (Near the airport) and have to say the drive on the 5/405 is not that big a deal at all.  Traffic usually gets bad in Irvine and that is where I take side streets which would be the same 'traffic' as when I was an Irvine resident to get to my destination in Irvine. 
Yes, the drive is longer because I am driving 18 miles rather than 3-4 miles to work.  I am happy with my decision because I am in a house that is unaffordable in Irvine and I love being able to take a quick 3 mile run to the beach from my house. 

I left Irvine a bit nervous about the extra 'time' needed but I am very happy I made the decision and now actually don't care to live in Irvine anymore.

 

[iacrenter]

IAC, I coudn't agree more!  I wish this was available in Irvine at a reasonable price point.

At some point, I want to become more realistic and see what are the options for South county...not optimal as we work in Newport/Irvine, but getting more house/yard can offset the commute (in fact Portola Spring isn't any closer to Jamboree/MacArthur) However, taking the toll road adds up to $2,500 / year / car..

Please don't show me too many of those great listings otherwise I might start looking at South County as well 

 

[irvinehomeowner]

I lived in Irvine for 10 years and moved to South Laguna Niguel in 2009 (near Dana Point).  I work in Irvine (Near the airport) and have to say the drive on the 5/405 is not that big a deal at all.  Traffic usually gets bad in Irvine and that is where I take side streets which would be the same 'traffic' as when I was an Irvine resident to get to my destination in Irvine. 
Yes, the drive is longer because I am driving 18 miles rather than 3-4 miles to work.  I am happy with my decision because I am in a house that is unaffordable in Irvine and I love being able to take a quick 3 mile run to the beach from my house. 

I left Irvine a bit nervous about the extra 'time' needed but I am very happy I made the decision and now actually don't care to live in Irvine anymore.

I struggle with this same decision.

But the homes I am looking at are in Misstion Viejo/Las Flores/Ladera and there isn't a good "side streets" option to get around the Y traffic.

The other problem is even if there wasn't traffic, the distance to/from work is great enough to prevent:

1. Going home during lunch hour
2. Making appointments with handymen
3. Making dr/dentist appts midday
4. Being able to drop/pick up kids from school

... and other things where being close to work is convenient. Plus I hate commuting and traffic so that doesn't help.

 

[davenlei]

I lived in Irvine for 10 years and moved to South Laguna Niguel in 2009 (near Dana Point).  I work in Irvine (Near the airport) and have to say the drive on the 5/405 is not that big a deal at all.  Traffic usually gets bad in Irvine and that is where I take side streets which would be the same 'traffic' as when I was an Irvine resident to get to my destination in Irvine. 
Yes, the drive is longer because I am driving 18 miles rather than 3-4 miles to work.  I am happy with my decision because I am in a house that is unaffordable in Irvine and I love being able to take a quick 3 mile run to the beach from my house. 

I left Irvine a bit nervous about the extra 'time' needed but I am very happy I made the decision and now actually don't care to live in Irvine anymore.

I struggle with this same decision.

But the homes I am looking at are in Misstion Viejo/Las Flores/Ladera and there isn't a good "side streets" option to get around the Y traffic.

The other problem is even if there wasn't traffic, the distance to/from work is great enough to prevent:

1. Going home during lunch hour
2. Making appointments with handymen
3. Making dr/dentist appts midday
4. Being able to drop/pick up kids from school

... and other things where being close to work is convenient. Plus I hate commuting and traffic so that doesn't help.

Yes, your routine does take some adjustment.  to your points:
1 is impossible
2 is a work from home day or an early go home day for me
3 I still have my DR. and Dentist in Irvine so it is not an issue
4 this was the biggest adjustment since I have to get going in the morning a little earlier and must leave work at a specific time to drop off the kids and pick them up. 
My kids situation is a bit tougher since the older goes to school in Laguna and the younger goes to Montessori in Irvine.  So it is two drop offs and pick ups each day.  Now that I have the routine in place, it is not bad.
I am happy to take that little extra inconvenience to live in a house I want and save $300K-$400K in price difference over a comparable Irvine house. 


We looked in Mission Viejo, Wagon Wheel, Coto and Ladera a lot and here are my opinions of those areas:

1) Mission Viejo - Nice, but city is getting a bit 'dated' looking.  Lake privileges are cool and summer events are fun.  Location is decent but I just never got the 'this is home' feel (I lived with the in-Laws by the lake for three months when between houses).

2) Las Flores - No opinion here, I did not look very much in that city.

3) Ladera - Nice amenities.  Good schools.  Newer homes.  Hate the roundabouts.  Traffic on Crown Valley exit turning left to Ladera is stupid busy because of the mall traffic and few roads going to Ladera.  Mello Roos are crazy high! Ladera also has a dirty little secret.  You have to pay the city a fee separate from all the other fees for the right to be able to buy a house and then sell a house in the city.  If I recall correctly, it is one half of one percent of the selling price (.05).  So you get hit on both ends when buying or selling there.

4) Coto - Nice behind the gates.  Very nice homes.  Extra dues above the association dues to use the pool, tennis courts, club house.  Gets HOT during the summer.  Get the sense of 'I'm better than you' coming from some people  there.  Other people are cool though.

5) Wagon Wheel - Nice homes, same schools as Coto.  Lower prices than Coto but also HOT like Coto.

 

[davenlei]

I forgot to mention we looked around in Aliso Viejo very heavily as well.  We had put offers on a few homes there.  My impressions of Aliso:

1) Aliso Viejo-

The good: A lot of good communities with nice houses.  There are many homes with great views with a few streets that have breath taking views of the hills.  The city is pretty new so much of the infrastructure is in good shape (although they did cut some corners such as no street median green belts on many streets).  It is located close to Laguna and Irvine centers.  It is on the ocean side of the 405 so temperatures are good and you get an ocean breeze in many parts.

The bad: There is one major shopping area so it gets packed.  You need to be aware of which school the home is zoned in.  There are a couple of streets with soil slippage problems which would make me very afraid about my home sliding off a hill.  The 73 cuts right through it so you need to be aware of your proximity to the toll road.  Mello Roos for the new developments are crazy high (like new Irvine developments).  I read somewhere new cities get assisted funding from the county the first ten years to help them get started.  I believe Aliso Viejo is 10 or 11 years old as a city now so they would lose that funding.  If that is the case I don't know how that will affect city services to the residents. 

Overall when I finalized where I wanted to move, it came down to Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel or Aliso Viejo.  To show you how serious I was about Aliso, I was in escrow on an Aliso home but pulled out when I saw what became my current home in Laguna Niguel.

If my lists sound like I am bashing any area I looked at, I am really not.  I am just stating things I observed which bothered me when I was hunting for my 'move up' home.  No city is perfect.  Irvine is definitely no exception to that.

 

[mogul]

This is very valuable information. Thanks.

As my wife was pointing out, we have access to so many shopping centers where we live (in between District and Market Palce). I don't know how easy it is to access a Costco, Wholefoods, Target, BestBuy, Home Depot, etc. within 1 mile of where you live. 

As far as schools, where do you get your ratings from?  I know redfin provides some rating, but I am not sure if they are reliable or what are the other sources?

 

[davenlei]

Sites to look at for school scores:
http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/ac/ap/apireports.asphttp://www.greatschools.org/

Costco, Whole Foods, Best Buy, Target and Home Depot are not one mile from me but are within a few miles (no freeway driving) so they are still convenient.  The least convenient part is they are in different centers and not in one central place like the District.  Lately when I am in Irvine, I try to avoid the District as much as possible due to the never ending backups to get out of the parking lots there.
I have to take that back a little, Whole Foods is not too convenient since I have to drive to downtown Laguna Beach for that.

I live within walking distance to a Trader Joe's, movie theater, Aaron Bros, two banks, Ralphs, CVS, Game Stop, Restaurants, Block Buster, dry cleaners, etc. etc. which keeps things very convenient for me similar to when I lived in Irvine.

Let me know if you need anything else.

 

[RHMAV]

Sites to look at for school scores:
http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/ac/ap/apireports.asphttp://www.greatschools.org/

Costco, Whole Foods, Best Buy, Target and Home Depot are not one mile from me but are within a few miles (no freeway driving) so they are still convenient.  The least convenient part is they are in different centers and not in one central place like the District.  Lately when I am in Irvine, I try to avoid the District as much as possible due to the never ending backups to get out of the parking lots there.
I have to take that back a little, Whole Foods is not too convenient since I have to drive to downtown Laguna Beach for that.

I live within walking distance to a Trader Joe's, movie theater, Aaron Bros, two banks, Ralphs, CVS, Game Stop, Restaurants, Block Buster, dry cleaners, etc. etc. which keeps things very convenient for me similar to when I lived in Irvine.

Let me know if you need anything else.

--------------------

what about after school programs for elementary and middle school? I heard that irvine has a lot of private school that offer after school programs, vs there are very few in MV or LN or AV, pretty much ran by YMCA and only check school works briefly then is just free play time. Kindly of waste of time.

what's your after school arrangement for your kids?

 

[RHMAV]

Looking for opinions on this project.

Looks to be a project build in the early 2000s.  Pretty nice homes, nice size, smallish lots, great views if on right side of the street.

Shea Homes is the builder of this particular listing:http://www.redfin.com/CA/Aliso-Viejo/10-Prescott-92656/home/5859605

Pretty close to toll roads. Unfortunately, community has no pool/spa (big downside). There are mello-roos and a apparently 2 HOAs (not sure what for)...

So anyone liking this area?  How have prices changed lately?  Any other more interesting options in this price range (<$1M).

I was interested in the new homes in AV, the layout is very very nice. But, the MR is crazy, starting from 5666 a year, plus 2 HOA, and it ends up around 1.8% if include everything. in addition, there is nothing there in the community, no pools and parks, just nothing. So I decided to let it go after all these consideration.

BTW, Sheahome is doing a 4 day sales this weekend.

 

[davenlei]

Sites to look at for school scores:
http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/ac/ap/apireports.asphttp://www.greatschools.org/

Costco, Whole Foods, Best Buy, Target and Home Depot are not one mile from me but are within a few miles (no freeway driving) so they are still convenient.  The least convenient part is they are in different centers and not in one central place like the District.  Lately when I am in Irvine, I try to avoid the District as much as possible due to the never ending backups to get out of the parking lots there.
I have to take that back a little, Whole Foods is not too convenient since I have to drive to downtown Laguna Beach for that.

I live within walking distance to a Trader Joe's, movie theater, Aaron Bros, two banks, Ralphs, CVS, Game Stop, Restaurants, Block Buster, dry cleaners, etc. etc. which keeps things very convenient for me similar to when I lived in Irvine.

Let me know if you need anything else.

--------------------

what about after school programs for elementary and middle school? I heard that irvine has a lot of private school that offer after school programs, vs there are very few in MV or LN or AV, pretty much ran by YMCA and only check school works briefly then is just free play time. Kindly of waste of time.

what's your after school arrangement for your kids?

My son does do the Y after school which is pretty much what you describe.  There are several private schools in Laguna Niguel which I have heard good things about but have not looked into them myself.  My oldest is a self starter and reads beyond a 5th grade level even though he is in the 1st grade so I don't think the private school can keep up with him either. 
When I lived in Irvine, the Irvine schools (public) was pretty much the same setup with the Y.
I completely believe in the Montessori program (my kids had their foundation there) and those schools are everywhere.

 

[RHMAV]

Sites to look at for school scores:
http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/ac/ap/apireports.asphttp://www.greatschools.org/

Costco, Whole Foods, Best Buy, Target and Home Depot are not one mile from me but are within a few miles (no freeway driving) so they are still convenient.  The least convenient part is they are in different centers and not in one central place like the District.  Lately when I am in Irvine, I try to avoid the District as much as possible due to the never ending backups to get out of the parking lots there.
I have to take that back a little, Whole Foods is not too convenient since I have to drive to downtown Laguna Beach for that.

I live within walking distance to a Trader Joe's, movie theater, Aaron Bros, two banks, Ralphs, CVS, Game Stop, Restaurants, Block Buster, dry cleaners, etc. etc. which keeps things very convenient for me similar to when I lived in Irvine.

Let me know if you need anything else.

--------------------

what about after school programs for elementary and middle school? I heard that irvine has a lot of private school that offer after school programs, vs there are very few in MV or LN or AV, pretty much ran by YMCA and only check school works briefly then is just free play time. Kindly of waste of time.

what's your after school arrangement for your kids?

My son does do the Y after school which is pretty much what you describe.  There are several private schools in Laguna Niguel which I have heard good things about but have not looked into them myself.  My oldest is a self starter and reads beyond a 5th grade level even though he is in the 1st grade so I don't think the private school can keep up with him either. 
When I lived in Irvine, the Irvine schools (public) was pretty much the same setup with the Y.
I completely believe in the Montessori program (my kids had their foundation there) and those schools are everywhere.

my 4y old son goes to a M in MV and just as you said, it sets good foundation for the years to come. I guess there is no much we can do about the afterschool program, which choice 1 - the YMCA, choice 2- other private schools. For working couple like us, choice 1 is the only choice indeed as we can't leave off work early for choice 2.

We live in AV and are looking to buy so it's a hard decision to make in terms of where is the best place to raise family.

Irvine is a brand created mainly by Irvine Company, they are totally capable of controling the supply to drive the housing price, especially new homes.  We've looked at new developements such as Stonetree, stonegate, portola S, etc. and pretty much conclude that if someone wants to live in Irvine, pay for what IC asks.

I think MV and LN are better choices.

 

[davenlei]

Sites to look at for school scores:
http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/ac/ap/apireports.asphttp://www.greatschools.org/

Costco, Whole Foods, Best Buy, Target and Home Depot are not one mile from me but are within a few miles (no freeway driving) so they are still convenient.  The least convenient part is they are in different centers and not in one central place like the District.  Lately when I am in Irvine, I try to avoid the District as much as possible due to the never ending backups to get out of the parking lots there.
I have to take that back a little, Whole Foods is not too convenient since I have to drive to downtown Laguna Beach for that.

I live within walking distance to a Trader Joe's, movie theater, Aaron Bros, two banks, Ralphs, CVS, Game Stop, Restaurants, Block Buster, dry cleaners, etc. etc. which keeps things very convenient for me similar to when I lived in Irvine.

Let me know if you need anything else.

--------------------

what about after school programs for elementary and middle school? I heard that irvine has a lot of private school that offer after school programs, vs there are very few in MV or LN or AV, pretty much ran by YMCA and only check school works briefly then is just free play time. Kindly of waste of time.

what's your after school arrangement for your kids?

My son does do the Y after school which is pretty much what you describe.  There are several private schools in Laguna Niguel which I have heard good things about but have not looked into them myself.  My oldest is a self starter and reads beyond a 5th grade level even though he is in the 1st grade so I don't think the private school can keep up with him either. 
When I lived in Irvine, the Irvine schools (public) was pretty much the same setup with the Y.
I completely believe in the Montessori program (my kids had their foundation there) and those schools are everywhere.

my 4y old son goes to a M in MV and just as you said, it sets good foundation for the years to come. I guess there is no much we can do about the afterschool program, which choice 1 - the YMCA, choice 2- other private schools. For working couple like us, choice 1 is the only choice indeed as we can't leave off work early for choice 2.

We live in AV and are looking to buy so it's a hard decision to make in terms of where is the best place to raise family.

Irvine is a brand created mainly by Irvine Company, they are totally capable of controling the supply to drive the housing price, especially new homes.  We've looked at new developements such as Stonetree, stonegate, portola S, etc. and pretty much conclude that if someone wants to live in Irvine, pay for what IC asks.

I think MV and LN are better choices.

IrvineCo has a lot of power over the city including existing properties.  Didn't IrvineCo. push the landscape and lighting assessment through (with all their parcel votes) so all Irvine homeowners had to pay a ~$40 annual tax on their property taxes to pay for landscape and lighting maintenance?  I recall people were upset because homeowners were already paying for landscape and lighting maintenance with their HOA dues, so in essence making people pay twice for the same service. 
Gotta keep up the look of Irvine so you can sell those NEW homes for a premium! 

It's like Boss Hog bending the town to it's will.  Where's the General Lee?

 

[RHMAV]

You are right. At least, we have choices.
Do you know which elementary schools are good? From non-AIP perspective.