irviniteeee
Active member
I thought the standard options were pretty nice as well. I also appreciate that TB adds a bit more detail to the exterior of their homes compared to Lennar (Serrano Summit).
The Meadows, Lake Forest by Toll Brothers
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NEW -> Contingent Buyer Assistance Program
Serrano Summit is in the middle of an industrial park and next to the brand new City Hall. The home designs are okay. The community is elevated pretty high up, so some of the community has nice views.
CalBears96
Well-known member
The exterior of the Evergreen model homes are the most impressive I've seen out of all the model homes we've visited. Don't know what the actual homes will look like, but those Evergreen model homes look beautiful on the outside.
irviniteeee
Active member
IMO Toll Bros usually uses higher end materials & finishes on the exterior than some builders which I can appreciate. Locally, Lennar and KB are the builders I see that do the bare minimum.
CalBears96
Well-known member
Yes, TB is known as a luxury builder, which is why we were willing to buy at The Meadows without having a chance to look at the models. Unfortunately, when we drove to the site, we were completely turned off by the fact that it was a pit and surrounded by industrial/commercial. We gave up on The Meadows after visiting the site. I'm sure that the community itself is going to be very nice, based on the promotional videos, but once you leave the community, it's not very nice.
sleepy5136
Well-known member
Unfortunately these phase 1 buyers are not going to enjoy the gains that they think they can get. Market is declining, interest rates are ~6%+ for jumbos and climbing, competing against TB for unsold homes, landscaping not done, and capital gains tax. Their 1.7m is base pricing and with all the upgrades it can be 2m at most. Homes have no views really. TBH these homes are probably not more than 2m WITH landscape done. And if you don't upgrade the interior, good luck selling it. Teresina is already having difficulties selling with a better location and some homes are upgraded as well.
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CalBears96
Well-known member
I really liked the Teresina homes. I thought they already sold out. There were only a few homes left, so they wouldn't even let me get on the waitlist back in Sept last year. They probably took too long to release the homes.
irviniteeee
Active member
I like those Teresina homes a lot. The location there was also interesting. Some of the streets were oddly set up, but overall it was nice.
sleepy5136
Well-known member
Teresina sold out besides one model home with view left. Then there are 3 resales in the market for Teresina that are overpriced.
potsticker
Active member
Nice floor plans for Teresina but no community amenities and a $260/mo HOA is a bit ridiculous.
The Meadows is intriguing. On the Pros side, it's Toll Brothers so the build quality and floor plans + community amenities will most likely make for an attractive/comfortable place to live. The downside is that the location is not great at all.
The Meadows is intriguing. On the Pros side, it's Toll Brothers so the build quality and floor plans + community amenities will most likely make for an attractive/comfortable place to live. The downside is that the location is not great at all.
sleepy5136
Well-known member
Yea $260 for no amenities is high. Though it’s 85 homes in that community. It doesn’t feel as dense as a lot of other new communities though. Every new community nowadays has 100+ homes. homes are decent size at 3200+ sqft.
irvinehomeowner
Well-known member
Wow... didn't even know Teresina and those other Serrano Summit homes existed.
How is that area? Seems like it's between older homes and industrial.
How is that area? Seems like it's between older homes and industrial.
irviniteeee
Active member
Teresina is placed in an already established neighborhood off of Trabuco in Lake Forest. It's all the way at the top of Peachwood by a sports park. It's an okay area, some of the homes just seem very close together with the way the roads loop and curve in the community. The HOA is way too high given that there are no amenities...
Serrano Summit is in the middle of an industrial park and next to the brand new City Hall. The home designs are okay. The community is elevated pretty high up, so some of the community has nice views.
CalBears96
Well-known member
Teresina is practically right next to Serrano Summit, but there's currently no local streets connecting the two communities. From Serrano Summit, you would have to go to Bake and then Trabuco to get to Teresina.
anteaterMD
Member
Teresina & Serrano Summit definitely take advantage of LF's elevation; the model homes at Teresina have some of the best views of Orange County overlooking its own private community park. The views are similar to Cetara at OH. However, the view lot premiums for Teresina & Serrano Summit are very steep (with models costing well over the 2 million+ range).
While the views aren't as good in the Meadows, it certainly makes up in other ways (eg, reasonable pricing, multiple community parks, better landscaping, etc). Proximity to In-N-Out Burger and Chic-Fil-A is always a huge plus too.
While the views aren't as good in the Meadows, it certainly makes up in other ways (eg, reasonable pricing, multiple community parks, better landscaping, etc). Proximity to In-N-Out Burger and Chic-Fil-A is always a huge plus too.
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potsticker
Active member
Being 15-20 minutes from a Trader Joe's is a bummer. Only nearby grocery store is Ralph's I think. Maybe they'll build more retail around there.
CalBears96
Well-known member
For us, 10 minutes to Trader Joe's and Ralph's and 15 minutes to Costco isn't too bad.
sleepy5136
Well-known member
Lake Forest is literally one 99 ranch away from having everything I need. Costco is super close but 99 is down at Walnut/Jeffrey. But maybe it's a good thing we don't have one. I like the diversity here in the new home communities.
irvinehomeowner
Well-known member
Lake Forest has a new asian grocery store, Island Pacific. It's closer to the freeway and not as large as 99 Ranch but it's a start.
CalBears96
Well-known member
That's good for LF, Island Pacific is farther than 99 Ranch on Jeffrey/Walnut for me.