Orchard Hills VS Hidden Canyon?
- Thread starter monekoko
- Start date
Villager said:
take into account other reasons you may have... i would say location, tax rate and weather are the still the 3 main criteria in considering buying a home. You can also add school as another criteria which HC also has the edge over OH based on objective API scores
The challenge for buyers with HC is that prices have gone up significantly since the first phase. There is no house in the community for under $2.4M anymore. If you want a new house in a gated high end community but can't or don't want to layout that kind of dough OH is really the only option.
Paris167
New member
eatthis said:
agreed. this OH vs HC debate would only be applicable to the Trevi buyers and maybe Plan 4 La Vita buyers. Most of the homes in the Groves were purchased below the 2 million mark. And personally for me the area around HC right off of a major busy highway seems very barren compared to the lush orchards nestled against the hills of OH. Again to each their own I suppose. Some of our friends looking in the +2.5 mil price range also have that sentiment that somehow for that price range HC does not feel as exclusive upon entrance into the community as Turtle Ridge and Shady which have a more private exclusive feel. Maybe HC may feel this way once built out and given time to mature a bit but only time will tell.
Paris said:
I'd be curious to see what OH looks like when fully built out. I like the community surrounded by nature with lots of trees. It's definitely unique. But, there are lots of parts of OH yet to be built. I hope they don't ruin it and crowd the community with a ton of homes. But, the OH master plan is a bit concerning.
Shady is in a category by itself since nothing starts below ~$3.4M.
Turtle Ridge is a great community but the home designs feel dated. The homes I've seen don't have 10 ft ceilings or open great room concept. It's also far more expensive per square foot when compared to HC and OH by a large margin.
usctrojancpa
Well-known member
Things must be slowing down a bit at Hidden Canyon because I got an email from Toll Bros that their broker co-op amounts have increased.
I think they are adjusting the co-op up to be more competitive with other new home communities. On a percentage basis the old co-op was just too low given the price point of the properties.
As a side note, I remember representing a buyer in Toscana across the street in 2012 and the Toscana co-op was virtually the same as the HC co-op . . . when Toscana was selling at less than half the price of the lowest price Capri home.
As a side note, I remember representing a buyer in Toscana across the street in 2012 and the Toscana co-op was virtually the same as the HC co-op . . . when Toscana was selling at less than half the price of the lowest price Capri home.
Paris said:
speaking of Trevi , i would say residents in Trevi would feel even less exclusive than HC sharing the same community amenities /gated entrances with thousands of residents living in the same area of different economic status ranging from condominium to 1 to 3000 square feet homes. The lots are also smaller than the Marbella lots in HC
Turtle Ridge is nice but there are no new homes to build and also it is further out from the major freeways. Commute to work maybe further for some people. To me, it is less convenient than HC. Although i like the ocean view over the city view. Around that area, I would probably pick Newport Coast over turtle Ridge.
HC is not prefect by any means (as mentioned by previous bloggers) but if you want to live in Irvine and in a new home/community and after you weight in all the pros/cons of each community, it is probably a better buy for your money if you can spare over 2.5 mil.
Paris167
New member
The only poor folk Trevi has to share amenities with are us Capella homeowners. No condos behind the gates. Capella is the smallest homes in the Groves (at least for now).
Turtle Ridge homes are outdated and not comparable to the nice functional floor plans of HC but the feel of the entrance into TR is so much nicer than HC. Up a beautiful tree lined hilly road with views on both sides prior to entering the grand gates. And some of the views from the top of TR homes are pretty amazing. I would sacrifice "convenience to the drug store" for those views.
Newport coast is much more exclusive but many of us with young kids bought in Irvine over Newport only for one reason: schools. Once my kids go to college we'll likely move that direction but that's about 14-15 years down the road.
Turtle Ridge homes are outdated and not comparable to the nice functional floor plans of HC but the feel of the entrance into TR is so much nicer than HC. Up a beautiful tree lined hilly road with views on both sides prior to entering the grand gates. And some of the views from the top of TR homes are pretty amazing. I would sacrifice "convenience to the drug store" for those views.
Newport coast is much more exclusive but many of us with young kids bought in Irvine over Newport only for one reason: schools. Once my kids go to college we'll likely move that direction but that's about 14-15 years down the road.
Ready2Downsize
Well-known member
Paris said:
Does Capella go to Irvine schools or are homeowners supposed to be sending their kids to TUSD?