CWH-RealEstate
New member
It has been really interesting to see the different approaches and unique challenges each builder has faced at this stage of development. All of them seem to be experiencing similar issues, with financed buyers proceeding more cautiously due to economic uncertainty and higher mortgage rates, and FCBs not showing up as strongly as they did in previous Irvine communities.
Shea:
Shea had a head start by opening their model homes to the public much earlier. In my opinion, they’ve done a good job with pricing, as both their interior and view lots are currently selling for less than comparable resale homes in The Groves and The Reserve. Their biggest issue so far is that demand for the view lots has been lower than expected, buyers aren’t eager to deal with the road noise from Portola Parkway. It will be interesting to see if their product continues to sell at a steady pace once they get through this initial wave of demand and move into the smaller interior lots.
Brookfield:
Brookfield has only allowed buyers to tour lots and view homes in the framing stage—no access to finished models yet. This has made it difficult for many buyers to feel confident enough to move forward with a purchase. They've also been pretty lot and floorplan-dependent, as many buyers are specifically seeking features like the extended living room or the multi-gen suite, which aren’t available in some of the early phase homes. It also seems that a majority of their priority list is holding out for the larger lots on "Peninsula," which won’t be available for some time. On the positive side, their build timelines are relatively fast, with the first homes expected to be completed as early as October of this year.
Toll Brothers:
Toll Brothers made a smart move by holding off on private tours until their models were ready to be shown outside of active construction hours. This strategy initially limited viewings to cash buyers during the first two weeks before releasing the first phases and is still limited to buyers pre-approved on their priority list. Even though the models aren’t fully complete, being able to walk through them has been helpful for potential buyers. However, it’s quickly become apparent that there's a strong bias toward certain models in both developments, as many of the remaining available lots feature the same floorplan.
Their Pinnacle product has seen slower sales, likely because its location lower on the hill gives the impression of being a lesser offering, even though it's quite comparable in size and pricing to Skyline. The biggest challenge for Toll Brothers is their timeline: buyers who put down deposits on the first homes likely won’t see them completed until May 2026. Adding to the issue is the required earnest money deposit of around 7%, which, on a $6 million home, amounts to $360,000, that is a lot of money to have sitting in their bank account for the next year.
Shea:
Shea had a head start by opening their model homes to the public much earlier. In my opinion, they’ve done a good job with pricing, as both their interior and view lots are currently selling for less than comparable resale homes in The Groves and The Reserve. Their biggest issue so far is that demand for the view lots has been lower than expected, buyers aren’t eager to deal with the road noise from Portola Parkway. It will be interesting to see if their product continues to sell at a steady pace once they get through this initial wave of demand and move into the smaller interior lots.
Brookfield:
Brookfield has only allowed buyers to tour lots and view homes in the framing stage—no access to finished models yet. This has made it difficult for many buyers to feel confident enough to move forward with a purchase. They've also been pretty lot and floorplan-dependent, as many buyers are specifically seeking features like the extended living room or the multi-gen suite, which aren’t available in some of the early phase homes. It also seems that a majority of their priority list is holding out for the larger lots on "Peninsula," which won’t be available for some time. On the positive side, their build timelines are relatively fast, with the first homes expected to be completed as early as October of this year.
Toll Brothers:
Toll Brothers made a smart move by holding off on private tours until their models were ready to be shown outside of active construction hours. This strategy initially limited viewings to cash buyers during the first two weeks before releasing the first phases and is still limited to buyers pre-approved on their priority list. Even though the models aren’t fully complete, being able to walk through them has been helpful for potential buyers. However, it’s quickly become apparent that there's a strong bias toward certain models in both developments, as many of the remaining available lots feature the same floorplan.
Their Pinnacle product has seen slower sales, likely because its location lower on the hill gives the impression of being a lesser offering, even though it's quite comparable in size and pricing to Skyline. The biggest challenge for Toll Brothers is their timeline: buyers who put down deposits on the first homes likely won’t see them completed until May 2026. Adding to the issue is the required earnest money deposit of around 7%, which, on a $6 million home, amounts to $360,000, that is a lot of money to have sitting in their bank account for the next year.
