New communities in Portola Springs

CalBears96 said:
Well, the prospective buyers on the Cielo priority list must be feeling extremely happy right now. These are nice lots, too, particularly Plan 3. Lot 41 is almost 9000 sq ft and there's barely any lot premium on it.
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I saw that too. The drawback is that it's one of those long shared driveway situations. Overall though, Cielo has nice lot sizes by Irvine standards.
 
irviniteeee said:
I saw that too. The drawback is that it's one of those long shared driveway situations. Overall though, Cielo has nice lot sizes by Irvine standards.
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It's not a share driveway, though. It's like a private road. We did consider getting lot 42, but it's slightly smaller lot. Lots 41 and 42 also have no neighbors in the front, so it'll be more nice and quiet.

And if whoever interested in Plan 3 doesn't like the private road, lot 40 is also quite huge with 6500+ sq ft lot.
 
CalBears96 said:
It's not a share driveway, though. It's like a private road. We did consider getting lot 42, but it's slightly smaller lot. Lots 41 and 42 also have no neighbors in the front, so it'll be more nice and quiet.

And if whoever interested in Plan 3 doesn't like the private road, lot 40 is also quite huge with 6500+ sq ft lot.
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Some people aren't a fan of SFRs that are located on those little mini roads because it feels like you're sharing a driveway versus being on the main road. They tend to sell for less or be on the market longer. But the lot size is something that might tempt someone to compromise.
 
Yoda said:
Wow, the Plan 1 is starting in the $2.5M's now! Shea has not gone insane with the pricing at Cielo like the New Home Co. has at Olivewood and the Cielo homes are much better than Olivewood IMO.
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They're probably auditing this forum as we speak and are going to raise prices now. :LOL:
 
irviniteeee said:
Some people aren't a fan of SFRs that are located on those little mini roads because it feels like you're sharing a driveway versus being on the main road. They tend to sell for less or be on the market longer. But the lot size is something that might tempt someone to compromise.
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10000% agree. It’s a driveway sharing situation and I do not want to share a driveway when I live in a SFH.
 
irviniteeee said:
Some people aren't a fan of SFRs that are located on those little mini roads because it feels like you're sharing a driveway versus being on the main road. They tend to sell for less or be on the market longer. But the lot size is something that might tempt someone to compromise.
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Maybe so, but this is not different from a cul-de-sac. It's really just another cul-de-sac within a cul-de-sac. It actually makes pulling out of your garage much easier as you don't have to worry about cars driving by on the main road, especially for lot 40.
 
I think it's pretty appealing with young kids but you are at the mercy of the other neighbor(s) on your private street.
 
sleepy5136 said:
Doesn't it take 15-20mins to the 5/405? "doesn't feel as cookie-cutter compared to other villages" is still cookie cutter right? Are you telling me you will spend 3.58M on a cookie cutter home?
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  • Woodbury Elementary to Kaiser Sand Canyon is 11 mins
  • Stonegate Elementary to Kaiser Sand Canyon is 15 mins
  • Portola Springs Elementary to Kaiser Sand Canyon is 16 mins. It's 1 extra minute to get to the 405/Sand Canyon w/o using the toll road
What are the 'other villages' you're referring to?

Portola is far less cookie-cutter compared to the flatter villages. The market will dictate the pricing, not the other way around.
 
Portola Springs used to be known as the "value village" when it was first built but I guess it is now on par with Orchard Hills given the $3M+ homes there now.
 
irvineblue said:
Both Shea's price and Olivewood's price are shocking, in a different direction
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If any of you have worked with Shea before you wouldn't be surprised. Shea is all about bringing the best product to market and not necessarily looking to maximize profits. There's a reason why they operate as a private company versus toll brothers. Shea salespeople hate working with IP and are only doing it to market their brand and their products. Unfortunately with Cielo they aren't able to really change the floor plans to Shea's liking. One can see their previous products like Cetara and Teresina and compare it with other tract home builders to see the difference.
 
sleepy5136 said:
If any of you have worked with Shea before you wouldn't be surprised. Shea is all about bringing the best product to market and not necessarily looking to maximize profits. There's a reason why they operate as a private company versus toll brothers. Shea salespeople hate working with IP and are only doing it to market their brand and their products. Unfortunately with Cielo they aren't able to really change the floor plans to Shea's liking. One can see their previous products like Cetara and Teresina and compare it with other tract home builders to see the difference.
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I'm actually not shocked to hear this info. I've always felt they priced some of their homes more fair compared to the competition, and tend to churn out seemingly higher quality products IMO.

I also agree with the part about their floorplans. Shea likes to add more unique aspects and smaller details that set their plans apart from IP for example. It's one thing I've always liked about them.
 
irviniteeee said:
I'm actually not shocked to hear this info. I've always felt they priced some of their homes more fair compared to the competition, and tend to churn out seemingly higher quality products IMO.

I also agree with the part about their floorplans. Shea likes to add more unique aspects and smaller details that set their plans apart from IP for example. It's one thing I've always liked about them.
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It's one thing to price the homes more fair compared to the competition, but it's ridiculous to price them below market price. Cielo are the biggest homes (and way bigger lots) compared to Olivewood and Azul, not to mention the time between phase 1 and phase 2 releases were longer than Olivewood/Azul as well, and yet they priced them BELOW those other two communities.

For comparison, Olivewood Plan 1 is 2870 sq ft, 4 BD/3 BA, sitting on a 4000 sq ft lot, is priced at $3.0M. Cielo Plan 1 is 3225 sq ft 4 BD/4.5 BA, sitting on 4470 and 5450 sq ft lots, are priced at $2.57M. Cielo is ridiculously below market price.
 
CalBears96 said:
It's one thing to price the homes more fair compared to the competition, but it's ridiculous to price them below market price. Cielo are the biggest homes (and way bigger lots) compared to Olivewood and Azul, not to mention the time between phase 1 and phase 2 releases were longer than Olivewood/Azul as well, and yet they priced them BELOW those other two communities.

For comparison, Olivewood Plan 1 is 2870 sq ft, 4 BD/3 BA, sitting on a 4000 sq ft lot, is priced at $3.0M. Cielo Plan 1 is 3225 sq ft 4 BD/4.5 BA, sitting on 4470 and 5450 sq ft lots, are priced at $2.57M. Cielo is ridiculously below market price.
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Makes me wonder if they're trying to play some sort of game with this.
 
Even if Shea didn't want to go overboard with price increases, I would have expected at least $50k to $100k increase, but no, no increase at all. That's just weird. The fact that Cielo is cheaper than Azul is insane, considering Cielo Plan 1 is bigger than Azul Plan 3.
 
irviniteeee said:
Homes in Hidden Canyon have sold for 7-9M recently...yeah HC is bonkers.
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HC home prices reflect the highest spin cycle on the cash laundry scale. Yes, this sold in 2023 for $7m, but looking at the historical photos and those of the present day, the best indicator is the "landscaping". No change since 1st build in 2017 and is something to behold. There are about 5-6 in the community in the same state as Scenic Crest. How the HOA has allowed these to go uncompleted for so long is a mystery.


Its often the case with new home builders that in early phases company insiders will have purchased a few of the better lots. Perhaps that is why the expected price increases haven't occurred. I know those who are looking to flip, no matter the phase, will have that $50-100k price increase built in for the next buyer to absorb.
 
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