Reasons to buy a detached property

[LookieLucy]

After being indecisive about buying a resale property versus new and a condo versus a detached home.

We have made up our mind!

We just had a slab leak.  :'(  A portion of our walls and carpet are wet. We live in a condo and luckily it didn't leak to our two neighbors! But thinking of the potential damage to the neighbors was nerve racking.

So I think we are going to buy NEW and detached for sure. 

Now which one? Casero? San Mateo? San Marcos? Las Ventanas? Primrose? Price range is ~600.

 

[qwerty]

I would go with Las Ventanas, Sevilla, Casero, Primrose

 

[irvinehomeowner]

With Las Ventanas out... you may be able to deal down on the other 3 Portola properties... but if you like Stonegate, you might want to look at the two detached condo projects there.

 

[usctrojancpa]

Definitely Las Ventanas...Portola Springs has the best chance of price appreciation in the future.  Stonegate is priced for perfection at this point.  Detached SFR > Detached Condo

 

[irvinehomeowner]

The lowest LV is $627k... her budget says ~$600k.

If she can stretch she might make it... but I don't recommend it without knowing what the financial situation is and how she came about the $600k budget.

 

[sonoma]

Definitely Las Ventanas...Portola Springs has the best chance of price appreciation in the future.  Stonegate is priced for perfection at this point.  Detached SFR > Detached Condo

You keep on saying this but it's not happening. 

 

[villiagepeople]

We just had a slab leak ...

So I think we are going to buy NEW and detached for sure. 

Now which one? Casero? San Mateo? San Marcos? Las Ventanas? Primrose? Price range is ~600.

just wondering... is a slab leak more likely with attached vs detached? 

we went with san mateo... never checked out casero or las ventanas...  but we seriously considered, and looked closely at primrose and sevilla.

san mateo pros:

location (easier access w/ jeffery and sand canyon)
low hoa/single hoa
layout

san mateo cons:

no incentives other than $1500 to go with their lender
unknown build quality?

primrose pros:

$/sq ft, only one of the three > 1700 sq ft. 
on mls, broker co-op and a larger incentive to go with their lender

primrose cons:

poor builder reputation
highest hoa and mello roos of the three
*at last check they jacked up the price by 5k... 534k base price now

sevilla pros:

good builder reputation
downstairs layout
on mls, but not sure about any other incentives

sevilla cons:

proximity to toll roads (air quality, not noise is our concern... deal breaker for us)
higher fire danger
master bath layout

we were looking at a lower price point than you are so i'm assuming you have a few more options... good luck.

 

[usctrojancpa]

Definitely Las Ventanas...Portola Springs has the best chance of price appreciation in the future.  Stonegate is priced for perfection at this point.  Detached SFR > Detached Condo

You keep on saying this but it's not happening. 

I mentioned that it would take years (3-5 years) after the area is built out with schools and the shopping center.  I still believe it and am willing to put my money where my mouth is.

 

[LookieLucy]

We have actually seen San Mateo, San Marcos, Casero, Primrose and Las Ventanas.

I wish one of them would pop out at me as being "the one". But after we saw all of them it just makes us more confused.

I like Primrose - plan 3. Like the loft area. The yard area didn't feel that nice. Noticed that everything in Primrose felt smaller than Casero. Casero feels grand.

San Mateo 1-3 (they kinda all looked the same). Like the open wide feel and windows in the great room. 3 had a walk in pantry! That's a plus.

We only looked at Las Ventanas - plan 1 since it was in our price range. We are willing to stretch a little. Like others on the board the great room didn't feel too great. But I like the little courtyard and den. My husband liked how the stairs were in the back of the home rather than in the front. Of course we like the driveway too. Seems a little too close to the 133 though. The upper enclave does feel neat and different while the lower encalve feels like all the other flat new Irvine communities.

We've seen Casero multiple times. Like 1 and 2. They have a narrow feel though. Prefer the San Mateo downstairs. But like the lofts.

So my ideal new home would have a pantry (just like IHO has mentioned in the Las Ventanas post), california room, a loft, 3 bed rooms, a driveway and super cool location.

We have a home so are in no rush. But the market the prices actually seem like they are finally in our range. Well and we've increased our range a bit.

New homes are charming and wouldn't mind having any of them. But 600k is a lot and don't wanna settle. 

Maybe new home collection 2012?

-ll

 

[usctrojancpa]

Don't underestimate the power of the driveway.  It is stronger than the 3-car garage power. 

 

[irvinehomeowner]

Don't underestimate the power of the driveway.  It is stronger than the 3-car garage power. 

Actually... I might go with a 3CWG without a driveway than a 2CG with one.

 

[davenlei]

We just had a slab leak ...

So I think we are going to buy NEW and detached for sure. 

Now which one? Casero? San Mateo? San Marcos? Las Ventanas? Primrose? Price range is ~600.

just wondering... is a slab leak more likely with attached vs detached? 

we went with san mateo... never checked out casero or las ventanas...  but we seriously considered, and looked closely at primrose and sevilla.

san mateo pros:

location (easier access w/ jeffery and sand canyon)
low hoa/single hoa
layout

san mateo cons:

no incentives other than $1500 to go with their lender
unknown build quality?

primrose pros:

$/sq ft, only one of the three > 1700 sq ft. 
on mls, broker co-op and a larger incentive to go with their lender

primrose cons:

poor builder reputation
highest hoa and mello roos of the three
*at last check they jacked up the price by 5k... 534k base price now

sevilla pros:

good builder reputation
downstairs layout
on mls, but not sure about any other incentives

sevilla cons:

proximity to toll roads (air quality, not noise is our concern... deal breaker for us)
higher fire danger
master bath layout

we were looking at a lower price point than you are so i'm assuming you have a few more options... good luck.

A slab leak is not related to the property being an attached vs. detached.  It is when the copper pipe is not properly 'insulated' from touching other materials that can wear a hole in the pipe wall or thin the pipe wall from touching a material that has a chemical/molecular reaction with the copper in the pipe.  (Sorry for the bad grammer and run on sentence.  I am a bit tired).
That is what I was told by a 'slab leak' specialist that looked at a SFR we were thinking about buying and discovered it had a slab leak.

Do you know if your slab is a 'tensioned' slab or not?  Usually tensioned slabs have a stamp in the concrete in your garage stating it is a tensionsed slab and to NOT CUT into the slab.

 

[villiagepeople]

We just had a slab leak ...

So I think we are going to buy NEW and detached for sure. 

Now which one? Casero? San Mateo? San Marcos? Las Ventanas? Primrose? Price range is ~600.

just wondering... is a slab leak more likely with attached vs detached? 

Do you know if your slab is a 'tensioned' slab or not?  Usually tensioned slabs have a stamp in the concrete in your garage stating it is a tensionsed slab and to NOT CUT into the slab.

i'm assuming the question was for lucy, but just wondering, the foundation for san mateo homes are tensioned slabs... do you know if that better?

 

[LookieLucy]

We just had a slab leak ...

So I think we are going to buy NEW and detached for sure. 

Now which one? Casero? San Mateo? San Marcos? Las Ventanas? Primrose? Price range is ~600.

just wondering... is a slab leak more likely with attached vs detached? 

we went with san mateo... never checked out casero or las ventanas...  but we seriously considered, and looked closely at primrose and sevilla.

san mateo pros:

location (easier access w/ jeffery and sand canyon)
low hoa/single hoa
layout

san mateo cons:

no incentives other than $1500 to go with their lender
unknown build quality?

primrose pros:

$/sq ft, only one of the three > 1700 sq ft. 
on mls, broker co-op and a larger incentive to go with their lender

primrose cons:

poor builder reputation
highest hoa and mello roos of the three
*at last check they jacked up the price by 5k... 534k base price now

sevilla pros:

good builder reputation
downstairs layout
on mls, but not sure about any other incentives

sevilla cons:

proximity to toll roads (air quality, not noise is our concern... deal breaker for us)
higher fire danger
master bath layout

we were looking at a lower price point than you are so i'm assuming you have a few more options... good luck.

A slab leak is not related to the property being an attached vs. detached.  It is when the copper pipe is not properly 'insulated' from touching other materials that can wear a hole in the pipe wall or thin the pipe wall from touching a material that has a chemical/molecular reaction with the copper in the pipe.  (Sorry for the bad grammer and run on sentence.  I am a bit tired).
That is what I was told by a 'slab leak' specialist that looked at a SFR we were thinking about buying and discovered it had a slab leak.

Do you know if your slab is a 'tensioned' slab or not?  Usually tensioned slabs have a stamp in the concrete in your garage stating it is a tensionsed slab and to NOT CUT into the slab.

Not sure. We don't have an attached garage. The plummers peeled up the carpet, and jack-hammered the concrete to get to the pipe that was leaking. They said it had to do with bad water and it should of last us another 25 years?

 

[davenlei]

We just had a slab leak ...

So I think we are going to buy NEW and detached for sure. 

Now which one? Casero? San Mateo? San Marcos? Las Ventanas? Primrose? Price range is ~600.

just wondering... is a slab leak more likely with attached vs detached? 

Do you know if your slab is a 'tensioned' slab or not?  Usually tensioned slabs have a stamp in the concrete in your garage stating it is a tensionsed slab and to NOT CUT into the slab.

i'm assuming the question was for lucy, but just wondering, the foundation for san mateo homes are tensioned slabs... do you know if that better?

Yes, it was for Lucy.  Sorry.

Post tensioned slabs allow builders to save costs by pouring less concrete (less thick) to make the foundation.  In addition, it makes the slab less sensitive to ground shift/movement.  They pour the thinner layer of  concrete with 'tendon' rods in it.  Once the concrete cures, the tendons are pulled to approx 30,000 PSI of pressure to create the 'strength' so the thinner slab will not sag under the weight of the building.
The danger is if you ever need to cut into the slab to repair a slab leak, broken sewer pipe, etc.  You need to hire someone that specializes in working with post tensioned slabs because if the person cuts into the tendon accidentally, the instant release of 30,000 PSI of pressure can easily kill someone or cause damage to the property.

So is it better?  I guess it depends on your view and where your house is built.  Since most of Irvine is in a liquifaction zone, maybe post tensioned is better since it may be less affected if the ground 'liquifies' under a portion of the home maybe?  I am not an engineer so maybe one can chime in.

 

[davenlei]

We just had a slab leak ...

So I think we are going to buy NEW and detached for sure. 

Now which one? Casero? San Mateo? San Marcos? Las Ventanas? Primrose? Price range is ~600.

just wondering... is a slab leak more likely with attached vs detached? 

we went with san mateo... never checked out casero or las ventanas...  but we seriously considered, and looked closely at primrose and sevilla.

san mateo pros:

location (easier access w/ jeffery and sand canyon)
low hoa/single hoa
layout

san mateo cons:

no incentives other than $1500 to go with their lender
unknown build quality?

primrose pros:

$/sq ft, only one of the three > 1700 sq ft. 
on mls, broker co-op and a larger incentive to go with their lender

primrose cons:

poor builder reputation
highest hoa and mello roos of the three
*at last check they jacked up the price by 5k... 534k base price now

sevilla pros:

good builder reputation
downstairs layout
on mls, but not sure about any other incentives

sevilla cons:

proximity to toll roads (air quality, not noise is our concern... deal breaker for us)
higher fire danger
master bath layout

we were looking at a lower price point than you are so i'm assuming you have a few more options... good luck.

A slab leak is not related to the property being an attached vs. detached.  It is when the copper pipe is not properly 'insulated' from touching other materials that can wear a hole in the pipe wall or thin the pipe wall from touching a material that has a chemical/molecular reaction with the copper in the pipe.  (Sorry for the bad grammer and run on sentence.  I am a bit tired).
That is what I was told by a 'slab leak' specialist that looked at a SFR we were thinking about buying and discovered it had a slab leak.

Do you know if your slab is a 'tensioned' slab or not?  Usually tensioned slabs have a stamp in the concrete in your garage stating it is a tensionsed slab and to NOT CUT into the slab.

Not sure. We don't have an attached garage. The plummers peeled up the carpet, and jack-hammered the concrete to get to the pipe that was leaking. They said it had to do with bad water and it should of last us another 25 years?

Did your homeowners insurance pay for it?  The quote I saw for the home we were thinking of buying (but walked away once the leak was discovered) was over $10,000.  I was wondering if that is covered by insurance.

 

[freedomcm]

for the $1M you spend for  the new irvine boxes, are they built on slabs, or with a real foundation?

 

[LookieLucy]

We just had a slab leak ...

So I think we are going to buy NEW and detached for sure. 

Now which one? Casero? San Mateo? San Marcos? Las Ventanas? Primrose? Price range is ~600.

just wondering... is a slab leak more likely with attached vs detached? 

we went with san mateo... never checked out casero or las ventanas...  but we seriously considered, and looked closely at primrose and sevilla.

san mateo pros:

location (easier access w/ jeffery and sand canyon)
low hoa/single hoa
layout

san mateo cons:

no incentives other than $1500 to go with their lender
unknown build quality?

primrose pros:

$/sq ft, only one of the three > 1700 sq ft. 
on mls, broker co-op and a larger incentive to go with their lender

primrose cons:

poor builder reputation
highest hoa and mello roos of the three
*at last check they jacked up the price by 5k... 534k base price now

sevilla pros:

good builder reputation
downstairs layout
on mls, but not sure about any other incentives

sevilla cons:

proximity to toll roads (air quality, not noise is our concern... deal breaker for us)
higher fire danger
master bath layout

we were looking at a lower price point than you are so i'm assuming you have a few more options... good luck.

A slab leak is not related to the property being an attached vs. detached.  It is when the copper pipe is not properly 'insulated' from touching other materials that can wear a hole in the pipe wall or thin the pipe wall from touching a material that has a chemical/molecular reaction with the copper in the pipe.  (Sorry for the bad grammer and run on sentence.  I am a bit tired).
That is what I was told by a 'slab leak' specialist that looked at a SFR we were thinking about buying and discovered it had a slab leak.

Do you know if your slab is a 'tensioned' slab or not?  Usually tensioned slabs have a stamp in the concrete in your garage stating it is a tensionsed slab and to NOT CUT into the slab.

Not sure. We don't have an attached garage. The plummers peeled up the carpet, and jack-hammered the concrete to get to the pipe that was leaking. They said it had to do with bad water and it should of last us another 25 years?

Did your homeowners insurance pay for it?  The quote I saw for the home we were thinking of buying (but walked away once the leak was discovered) was over $10,000.  I was wondering if that is covered by insurance.

HOA did not pay for it. It was considered the responsibility of the home owner. It cost ~5K. Sadly we don't have insurance that covers the inside of the house. Not sure if we were ripped off since we only had one quote and they sort of backed us into a corner by charging 500 to get a detailed review. Once we agreed to that they told us that if we tried to get a second estimate instead of rolling the 500 into the total they would charge us 500 on top of the total. We were desperate and wanted our water and hot showers. Oh well. We had to also pay for restoration services to come out to air out the damaged areas. It's a pain. But at least it didn't affect the neighbors. It would have cost us another 600 if it did.

 

[LookieLucy]

for the $1M you spend for  the new irvine boxes, are they built on slabs, or with a real foundation?

I'm curious too! How about if you only spend 600k? 

 

[davenlei]

We just had a slab leak ...

So I think we are going to buy NEW and detached for sure. 

Now which one? Casero? San Mateo? San Marcos? Las Ventanas? Primrose? Price range is ~600.

just wondering... is a slab leak more likely with attached vs detached? 

we went with san mateo... never checked out casero or las ventanas...  but we seriously considered, and looked closely at primrose and sevilla.

san mateo pros:

location (easier access w/ jeffery and sand canyon)
low hoa/single hoa
layout

san mateo cons:

no incentives other than $1500 to go with their lender
unknown build quality?

primrose pros:

$/sq ft, only one of the three > 1700 sq ft. 
on mls, broker co-op and a larger incentive to go with their lender

primrose cons:

poor builder reputation
highest hoa and mello roos of the three
*at last check they jacked up the price by 5k... 534k base price now

sevilla pros:

good builder reputation
downstairs layout
on mls, but not sure about any other incentives

sevilla cons:

proximity to toll roads (air quality, not noise is our concern... deal breaker for us)
higher fire danger
master bath layout

we were looking at a lower price point than you are so i'm assuming you have a few more options... good luck.

A slab leak is not related to the property being an attached vs. detached.  It is when the copper pipe is not properly 'insulated' from touching other materials that can wear a hole in the pipe wall or thin the pipe wall from touching a material that has a chemical/molecular reaction with the copper in the pipe.  (Sorry for the bad grammer and run on sentence.  I am a bit tired).
That is what I was told by a 'slab leak' specialist that looked at a SFR we were thinking about buying and discovered it had a slab leak.

Do you know if your slab is a 'tensioned' slab or not?  Usually tensioned slabs have a stamp in the concrete in your garage stating it is a tensionsed slab and to NOT CUT into the slab.

Not sure. We don't have an attached garage. The plummers peeled up the carpet, and jack-hammered the concrete to get to the pipe that was leaking. They said it had to do with bad water and it should of last us another 25 years?

Did your homeowners insurance pay for it?  The quote I saw for the home we were thinking of buying (but walked away once the leak was discovered) was over $10,000.  I was wondering if that is covered by insurance.

HOA did not pay for it. It was considered the responsibility of the home owner. It cost ~5K. Sadly we don't have insurance that covers the inside of the house. Not sure if we were ripped off since we only had one quote and they sort of backed us into a corner by charging 500 to get a detailed review. Once we agreed to that they told us that if we tried to get a second estimate instead of rolling the 500 into the total they would charge us 500 on top of the total. We were desperate and wanted our water and hot showers. Oh well. We had to also pay for restoration services to come out to air out the damaged areas. It's a pain. But at least it didn't affect the neighbors. It would have cost us another 600 if it did.

Ouch!  Well I think $5K is pretty normal for a slab leak.  Like I said the estimate for the leak in the home we were looking at was over $10K but that included black mold remediation in the walls (the wall had wicked the water for some time).