Jan 5th, 2012
by Cubic Zirconia
Note by zovall: This post is written by an IHB regular, Cubic Zirconia. Her writing has been featured on IHB in the past. She has put together some information regarding what school districts (there are multiple!) serve the city of Irvine and some helpful links. We'd love to hear your comments on the schools as well as her post.
Hello IHB readers,
This is Cubic Zirconia.
I was introduced to IHB in 2008 during my house hunting days. The market was going through a major correction, and nobody knew where the bottom was. MLS listings for short sales would generate interest with a teaser price that wouldn’t be approved by the bank and equity sales would list at an exorbitant price, still in denial that the market was under correction. That was not all, MLS listings would be full of misinformation, like an incorrect school district, the wrong amount of HOA dues, and very vague contact information if it was a short sale. Living outside Irvine and finding a house in Irvine wouldn’t have been easy for us, if not for IHB posts, then written by Irvine Renter. From someone who would religiously read Irvine Renter’s posts every morning to writing a post on IHB, it’s been a huge transition!
The great California sun shines on all of Orange County, but many prefer to buy in Irvine more than other places for two reasons - safety and schools. The public school system is one of the best in Irvine, with test scores higher than the state average, and almost every school with a perfect ten API ranking and Great school rating based on performance (www.greatschools.org).
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On Monday I received an email from a reader who wanted to see a comparison between the monthly cost of buying a home to that of renting the same basic home. In this post I'm going to look specifically at the Plan 3 homes in the Sage tract at Quail Hill. Sage is a detached condo tract and the Plan 3 is a 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath, 1275 square foot home with an attached 2 car garage and a small private patio. These same, basically exact detached condo floorplans are also found in other villages in Irvine and in the future I may take a look at how pricing differs for the same plan across villages. Today, we'll see what it might cost to buy and rent a Sage Plan 3.
Currently, there are two Plan 3s for sale on the market:
103 Windchime at $529,000 - Listed on 1/2/2012
68 Duet at $450,000 (Short Sale) - Listed 6/20/2011
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Jan 3rd, 2012
by Wendy Larson
Note by zovall: This post is written by Wendy Larson. She toured the models at Siena and has provided her thoughts on the community and floor plans. We'd love to hear your comments on Siena as well as her first post.
The Laguna Altura community (Overview PDF) is located where the 133, 405 and 5 freeways meet in Irvine. Situated just off Laguna Canyon Road, the property is surrounded by stunning canyon views, and is removed far enough from the freeways to still have the ambiance of a quiet nature retreat. There are four tracts in this development: Siena, San Remo, Cortona and Toscana.
The neighborhood has something to offer almost any type of homebuyer—particularly singles, couples and families. The community is perfect for people who enjoy spending time outdoors. There are three parks, pools and plenty of places to take your pooch out for a stroll. Be aware that you are in the canyon and there may be coyotes around, so keep your pets on a leash and indoors at night. Having an outdoor cat would concern me in this neighborhood.
Laguna Altura is convenient to many recreational amenities such as Laguna Beach, hiking and bike trails. The Irvine Spectrum is minutes away from the community, but there is no grocery store “just around the corner.” The closest shopping center is Quail Hill which offers the typical grocery store, pharmacy, and bank amenities. If dining is important to you, you’re limited to the Irvine Spectrum and Quail Hill. Laguna Beach and Aliso Viejo aren’t a far drive if you’re looking to expand your palate.
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Happy New Year! I know many are wondering what's next for the blog. Over the past few years, Larry has been phenomenally creative in finding topics to write about. Now that he has expanded to Orange County, I think it's a great opportunity for the site to bring the focus back to Irvine real estate. Although it will be a challenge, I'd like to continue having a daily post. Some of the topics I have in mind are:
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Overviews of various villages and tracts
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Reviews of open houses
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Reviews of model homes
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Recent sales/trends
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Comparing what the same amount of money buys you in one part of Irvine versus another
What other topics would you like to see on the site? You'll see some new writing styles as I try out a few authors. If you are interested in writing a guest post, please drop me a line: omkar@irvinehousingblog.com
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Larry,
I've learned a great deal over the years from your posts and know that many others have as well. Your insights and analyses on the bubble and housing prices have been unique and a fantastic resource. I've also gotten quite the laugh from them (turnkey kangaroo courts and all). It is truly amazing that you're able to put out such detailed posts daily. Your efforts took IHB to a new level and for that, I am very grateful. From
Inventory Cholesterol to
Castle In the Sky, it has been quite the ride over the past few years - the thrill and attention when you published The Great Housing Bubble, the creation of the brokerage, the launch of your fund, standing up to bullies, etc. Thank you for partnering with me and helping to make IHB a trusted resource for our readers. I sincerely appreciate your dedication to this blog and I have no doubt you'll continue to put out great work.
All the best,
Omkar (zovall)
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Over the last few days, I wrote about my family history in Ancestral Call, my youth in Community of Elders, my teenage years in Coming of Age, and today I conclude with a little perspective on life and an expression of one of my deepest desires. You never know what will happen when you put something out in the Universe. Maybe my dream will come true.
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Dec 30th, 2011
by IrvineRenter
Having grown up in a community of elders with a long heritage, I have a deep connection to my old home town of Adams-Friendship, Wisconsin. I lived there throughout a blissful childhood until my family moved away when I was eleven years old. I struggled to adapt to my new environment always feeling like an outsider. In my Junior year of high school, I hatched a plan to go back to Wisconsin to have the high school experience I felt I was denied in Arkansas. I went home to come of age.
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