Thanks for the detailed comments. Seems you are an existing homeowner in Meadows. How do you like living there? I have been considering Meadows, but my main concerns are the school and the gates. I am now considering ParkSide, as they are gated without MR and within my budget.
I'll neither confirm or deny where I live
I have some friends who live at The Meadows. From conversations with them and my own observations
1) It's a diverse neighborhood, in a good way. The residents include young professionals, families with children aged young to old, empty nesters, and multigeneration families. Plenty of English speakers and a fair mix of non English speakers.
2) I would guess it's more owner occupied than renter. Maybe 70/30 or 80/20.
3) The final phases sold are more frequently investors or non-English speakers, especially the most expensive units.
4) The clubhouse & pool are awesome. Plenty of spaces for groups to hang out together (or for people to have some personal space), 2 pools (one of which a "zero entry" pool), 2 spas, plenty of seating, and a large indoor multi purpose space that can be rented for a few hundred dollars.
5) A variety of small parks that are fun for young kids, especially age 5+. The Parkside play structure is a fun one. The Redwood play structure is almost always empty - kids & parents don't seem to like that one. I forget the name of the park at Brackens/Midwick, but that one isn't very popular either.
6) People are friendly. The social events have had pretty good turn outs. Lots of families there. There's a fair amount of residents that are socially reserved too. All kinds are welcome.
7) The access to commercial stores is convenient. Foothill Town Center has Ralphs, Target, movie theater, fast food of all kinds, casual dining, medical services, fitness centers. The Home Depot across the street comes in handy. There's plenty of preschools in all directions. There's a few good coffee shops (Bodhi coffee and Blue Hummingbird) nearby. Costco is about 10 minutes down Alton.
8) The access to walking trails is nice. Baker ranch has a nice park within driving distance. The Lake Forest Sports park is also just down the street.
9) It's not Irvine, which means you will find many unique family owned food to choose from nearby that don't have to charge Irvine prices (because they don't have to pay Irvine rent)
10) It's right next to Irvine, so if you want some of that Irvine stuff - like the Spectrum, Wild Rivers, Great Park, or Irvine restaurants, it's a few minute drive away. A few extra minutes during peak traffic though.
11) Access to freeways is okay - you can use the toll road if needed for a few dollars. Bake Parkway is fine for 5/405 access, though a bit congested during peak hours.
12) The one thing I would knock it for is the SVUSD. They seem a bit resource constrained and perhaps not managed as well as they could be. For example, class sizes, at least from what I've heard in lower elementary, can approach 30 kids, but some are in the low 20s. If afterschool care is needed, there are some programs that are oversubscribed, so some families are left with no afterschool care, while other programs have plenty of room for all students. I heard drop off and pick up can take 30+ minutes each. The SVUSD doesn't offer bus service (or they do, but only for some? I'm not sure of the specifics on this). If school is a major factor for you, this is an area where you have to do your research. There are good solutions! You have school choice which means you can choose any school in the area (except for foothill ranch elementary for some reason), there are charter schools to choose from as well, and of course private schools too. It's a personal decision that I won't pretend how to navigate, but it is one that requires some effort to resolve. The SVUSD is why these houses don't have Irvine prices.
13) Lastly, the Toll Brothers construction is a huge plus. They used the same construction management team as Laguna Altura (those are some flagship homes - I forget the original sales prices, but some of those are reselling for $8M) Honestly there are so many big and small details that TB did well in the Meadows. Toll is among the best quality tract home builders imo.
Edit:
Noooo I lost a bunch of edit because I pressed the back button on my mouse by accident. Going to retype them but with more brevity
Note that TB will be constructing the Sequoia tract for the next 2-3 years, which is right next to Parklands.
Remember to work with a great agent.
@usctrojancpa is one of the best. A great agent is worth every penny for such a massive and immensely important purchase
There are some bad listing agents in the Meadows (not nefarious or anything, just don't know what they're doing). Your great agent should help you navigate those.
Asking prices have softened in the Meadows. I think some investors were getting greedy with their asking prices. Some have cut their prices, others have pulled their listings and rented their house. Your great agent will help you make sense of pricing in the Meadows.
Parklands is close to the 241. Be sure to listen and smell for anything that bothers you when you visit. It might not even be noticeable after the Sequoia tract is finished, or maybe just from the top floor of certain Parkside houses when windows are open. There are some beautiful $3M+ houses next to the 261. It didn't deter those homeowners
Parklands can feel cramped. Land is expensive and so is construction. There's some give & take when deciding how to optimize the product at any price point. One thing that is nice about it is they actually get driveways, which you don't always get in an alley load tract. Some of those houses also approach 3,000 sqft too. There are some houses with no neighbors to the side or rear, which might feel less cramped when inside the house. For $2M, you get a nearly brand new house built by TB, a driveway, and around 3,000sqft of living space. Not bad!
