Where in OC would you buy a new sfh $1M today?

O

oc-conservative_IHB

New member
<p>I'm in the market for a $1M sfh, preferably new or post-2000. I've been looking for quite a while, and there are some great areas in OC (ie. San Clemente) where new homebuilders are offering incentives and prices have come down over 20% from the peak.</p>

<p>So my question isn't one of timing, but more of location and better market and/or value. Where in OC would you buy today if these were your criteria and why?</p>
 
Definitely south county...not sure that I'd go Talega though, that's a bit of a commute for me, plus although it's advertised as being beach close, it's 6-8 miles east of the 5 freeway, and then you might as well be in Ladera Ranch . Check out the new development in San Juan Capistrano called Pacifica San Juan. The models are nice and a lot of them actually have an ocean view (you'll pay $1.5m to be on the view side, $1.2m across the street w/no view). Also check out the new Marblehead development in San Clemente -- I'm not sure when they will start selling or where prices will be when they do, but it is actually a beach close location, if that's something you want.
 
<p>Marty,</p>

<p>Thanks for the input.</p>

<p>That's a common misconception of Talega in comparing it to Ladera Ranch. It is less than 10 minutes from the beach (Ladera takes longer), and the weather is much cooler than Ladera Ranch. Several degrees cooler everyday, and over 10 degrees cooler on hot days. Ladera Ranch is also much "tighter" (narrower roads, smaller lots on average). I'm familiar with these specifics because I have friends in both locations that I visit.</p>

<p>San Juan Cap is nice, I agree. The HOA there is killer. I forget exactly how much but from what I remember something like $400. $1.5, or even 1.2M, is over my range, though.</p>

<p>Marbehead I expect to be comparable or maybe more since it's west of the I-5.</p>

<p>In Talega, the new bigger homes are going for as low as $270/sqft with incentives. Mid 3000 sqft homes could be had for under $1M depending on location. The mid 4000 sqft homes (huge!) are going for $1.3-1.5M.</p>

<p>Talega is definitely a commute for some since it's south OC and away from the bigger city amenities. But I do like it and it's on my list of considerations.</p>
 
OC_Concervative....my g/f and I walked through a couple of models in Talega about a month ago and they were very nice, think they were called Ravenna. It was quite a hike to get up to them and not much around them other than more homes. Have you thought about renting a Talega home or another home in San Clemente? they are all over Craigslist. I just couldn't see myself paying $1MM for a home right now unless it was in the Bluffs or something.
 
<p>I didn't realize that about the weather. We've been looking in south county and compared the Ravenna models in Talega with the Belle Cliff models in Pacifica (both by John Laing). With Ravenna you do get another 1000 sq. ft. or so for the same amount of $$$ (I think Belle Cliff started at $335/sq. ft. whereas Ravenna was $290/sq. ft.), but we felt the backyards were way too small and would have rather had a 3200 sq ft. house with at least enough room in the yard to play with the dog. We didn't venture into any other models out there except for Lucia, which were about a million dollars over our price range. Do you know what the Mello-Roos is in Talega? </p>

<p>Regarding San Juan, the HOA is half of that for the first 3 years -- I think something like $230 -- basically you're not getting the amenities (I think the pool is the only amenitiy, though I've heard they're considering a clubhouse and/or fitness center) for three years so they give you a break on the HOAs. And FWIW, it includes your high speed internet access (I'm guessing most new home communities include this but I was surprised b/c where I live now I've gotten used to paying HOAs of $200 for nothing more than a gate and some common area landscaping).</p>
 
<p>Mino2126 - We did look at Ravenna. I believe they are John Laing homes. Unfortuneately, there are still many homes priced over $1M even in todays market.</p>

<p>Marty - Ravenna is definitely on steroids. Small lots especially for a 4000+ home. I believe the MR in Talega comes out to around 0.4%-0.6% but I'm not positive. HOA is around $150 and doesn't include internet.</p>

<p>Stella Mare is another development in Talega, built by Standard Pacific. The homes are 3000-3700 sq ft. For the smaller lot without any view, you could get the 3,700 sq ft home for $950k, which comes with some upgrades already and an additional $40k towards their design studio. They lowered their prices quite a bit, once at the end of last year, and once again just last month. I believe they were trying to sell them for $1.15M+ (they were not moving at all) but are now pricing them at $950k+ (they are now selling well), so at least a $200k price reduction.</p>

<p> </p>

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<p>oc-conservative,</p>

<p>I lived in south county for years. There is no doubt the home values and beauties are better comparing to Irvine. </p>

<p>There are 2 factors that I strongly recommend you to investigate: 1. The culture. 2. Commute to everything in general. </p>
 
<p>oc-c,</p>

<p>I want to be politically correct; however, I want to be honest with my view. </p>

<p>1. Culture - racial discrimination was too much for me to be a part of it.</p>

<p>2. Traffic - Always a parking lot from Irvine to San Clemente during commute hours. If you work in central OC and If you have children, you can not predict on-time pick up. Other choice is have your children near work and commute with you. Oh, not to mention long distance to major shoppings and restaurants</p>
 
I hate to say it, and I'm sure I'll offend someone, but south OC is kind of the Bible belt of OC. Obviously there are exceptions to this, but I could never live there. I prefer the diversity of Irvine.





On the traffic. If you work anywhere from Irvine or north, seriously research the commute times. They can be a bear and they will likely only get worse with the addition of Ladera ranch 2, the Great Park, etc.
 
I am of Mexican ancestry, live in South County, and have not noticed any type of racial discrimination. But, I may be oblivious. I usually am.
 
<p>nirvinerealtor & irvine_native - The commute doesn't bother me, but your impressions of "racial discrimination" and "Bible belt" are surprising.</p>

<p>Do you guys have personal experiences to share? How did you get such strong impressions and where in south OC are you guys referring to specifically?</p>
 
Have you heard of Jim Gilchrist and the Minutemen? Only one of the most racist organizations of our time, and headquartered in south county.
 
<p>Marty - I looked up Jim Gilchrist and the Minutemen. I had never heard of them, actually. I was expecting to see some extreme white supremacist group. And though some accuse them of affiliating with them, it seems much of it is controversial based on their staunch position on illegal immigration. Admittedly, I agree on stricter border control and enforcement of existing illegal immigration laws. My parents are immigrants, but legal immigrants.</p>

<p>But alas, we are getting off topic. </p>

<p>Is there a pervasive underlying tone of racism in south OC that I've missed? Because I've never really experienced or realized this was a big issue.</p>
 
Wait . . . you call yourself an OC Conservative but haven't heard of The Minutemen? I can only guess that you don't read a newspaper or read any online news because they were all over the place off and on for the last two years. These are the vigilantes who were patrolling the border and performing citizen's arrests on undocumented people. Goodness, I live under a rock and know quite a bit about them.
 
<p>Eva - Your point is what? My handle is just that, an online handle. Get over it. And frankly, how is patrolling the border and making citizen's arrests a big deal?</p>

<p>Anyways, Thanks for contributing nothing to the thread.</p>
 
Marty McFly





<em>"Have you heard of Jim Gilchrist and the Minutemen? Only one of the most racist organizations of our time, and headquartered in south county."





</em>Uh how do you determine they are racist? Last time I checked they stop ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS from coming over the border. Their is absolutely nothing racist about it and if our elected officials in Washington had any ballz they would enforce the border security laws that were written, never implemented, when Regan was in office.





If you want to critique racist groups then do some research first these men are doing our country a service.
 
<p>It's not racist to want to protect the country's culture and job market, but the Minutemen are nothing more than a group of vigilantes who desire to keep foreigners (read: Mexicans) out simply because they are foreigners. You should do some research on the Klansmen and neo-Nazis that have signed on with the Minutemen organization.</p>
 
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