OChomeshopper,
I would not buy Cortile if I were you. These plans are old and obsolete. There have been over a thousand of these homes sold in the last 7 years. It is like buying an old car. As a matter of fact, do not buy the other detached clondos like Decada and Vientos. When the builder unveils the new plans no one would want these old plans. The new plans have a better chance for price increase than the tired Cortile plans.

bkshopr-
While I don’t think Cortile or Decada knocks it out of the park, I don’t think it is fair to damn either one (though both are still overpriced right now).
One reason they’ve been used repeatedly is that they are well-liked.  If you want detached on a budget, they are a reasonable starting point.  And the builder only tweaks them slightly, so I think the threat of the builder "unveiling new plans" and noone wanting them is disproven right there.
To borrow the car analogy, Accords and Camrys are well-liked, there are many of them, and they have good resale.  So the three are not mutually exclusive.
SCHB

bkshopr, what new plans are you referring to? Or this just a generalization?
The houses at Cortile may not be the type of house that would suit our needs 10 years from now but they seem like a good starting point. Purchasing a home will require sacrifices which i think will be easier to stomach if living "detached", even if that stomach is filled with peanut butter and jelly and ramen. There is definetly some psychological appeal to the detached condos…
What does everyone think of the option to convert one the tandem garages into additional patio space in residence one? What is better for resale? The extra outdoor space seems better than the hassle of backing in and out with two cars…seems like a pain…

SCHB,
I agree with your analogy. Calif. Pacific has delivered many well liked projects just like Hondas and Toyotas. I have good faith that the new project Sienna listed on its website is a new and improved detached condos. Since prices is already high why not wait for the new design. Since the builder has a good track record then the new one would be just as good or better.
I would do the same for cars. Both Honda and Toyota change the body styling of their models every 4 years. I would only buy the last year of the styling when the dealer lower the prices drastically to get rid of them. The newer floor plans get better each generation just like car technology. In this economy the builder has to make the plans much better to attract the buyers.
All I am saying is to wait for the new project then compare before making a big financial committment. Cortile, Decada and Vientos will not move quickly that you will miss the chance of a lifetime. If you really like the older models then there are always some deperate resale.
 
 

Thanks for the heads up, we will check out Sienna.  We are not in a rush, just a little fixated on the process and amount of deicisions/options involved with the home buying process..hence the participation in this forum..
I’m a little unclear what how many homes constitute a "phase" at the aforementioned developments. The brochure from Cortile states that "phases 10-13 will be built in another part of Woodbury". But, I don’t know how that translates into time. Anyone know where this other part of Woodbury is?

bkshopr is correct. These floor plans keep getting recycled due to the fact that re-engineering plans cost too much money. Recycling in itself isn’t bad if the design is good but these floor plans are almost a decade old I believe. Just like electronics, higher-end designs and materials eventually trickle their way into affordable *scoffs* homes.

Personally, I enjoy the layout of Decada and wouldn’t mind living in one. But since we’re all waiting here, it doesn’t hurt to see what new stuff Cal Pacific has in store for us (if any).

 
OChomeshopper,
I personally do not like to buy the last one of a terminated series. Phase 10-13 will be on the south west portion of Woodbury. The Irvine Company deliberately scatters the future phases into different neighborhoods for interest and diversity. Sometime the streets and infrastructure are not in yet for the future phases. Sienna will be in Woodbury East across Sand Canyon. Check out Calif Pacific’s website.
The footage will be bigger than Decada. The prices I think should be around and slightly higher that Decada. Many of the bloggers like Irvine Renter has mentioned that space is important for the detached condos then these bigger plans would accommodate your family growth.
Although the Cortile plan one is the most clever 1,000 sf plan that I’ve ever seen I would not recommend it if you are thinking about kid(s). The bigger plans are much better for a growing family. Read my other posts on Town homes vs. detached condos.
Acpme bought the plan one. He is likely a single Asian guy or may be going to be a newly wed. This plan is perfect for a single with active social lifestyle and his or her dog which could live outside the yard beneath the opened tandem space roof. Most young Asian generation never learned to cook because Chinese parents did all of the food preparation. The compact kitchen is perfect for occasional cooking or microwave. The demographic of the plan one buyers mostly eat out and have extremely good taste for champagne and savvy electronics. The problem is this group is relatively young and just started in their career with high salary but no down payment. They are looking for uniqueness and cutting edge urban like settings. The plan one definitely satisfy the taste level of this group of buyers it is so different from any plans in the market but yet is one of the lowest price available.

All reasonable points, but in general, the life-cycle of a car is shorter than that of a home, so a car re-design every four years may approximate a 10-12 year shelf life of a home.
"If you really like the older models then there are always some deperate resale."
I’ve got a post coming up that will take a look at this.
SCHB

We wanted to move to Irvine because it was closer to friends, family, and work.  We currently lived in Ladera Ranch.  We looked at Columbus Grove, Woodbury, and Portola Spring.  Comparing the square footage of the homes and lot size, Columbus Grove was the cheapest, then Portola Spring, and then Woodbury.  Location has a lot of do with this, but they are within a few miles of each other.  We decided to buy in Columbus Grove.

If you’re looking for a deal, definitely ask the builder for incentives.  Make sure to bring an agent.  Many of the builders give commission and you can get a kickback from the agent.  Ask the builders for inventory homes.  These are the homes that were built or mostly built, therefore, the builder have selected some or most of the upgrades for the home.  Many builders will give large discounts on the home.  One of my coworker got a 15% off the listed price of the home.

Most of the builder doesn’t lower the price of the home from phase to phase, but since inventory is not moving as fast, they will give discount and incentives.  KB homes in Columbus Grove give $50K off listed prices and 50% off upgrades up to $25K.  Other builders such as Tarlor Woodrow give around $50-$60K off the Los Arboles in Portola Spring.  If you want to buy a home, this is a good time to look for bargains.

VOC is definitely a better buy. While the TIC communities are much more expensive. TIC also spent much more on the neighborhood infrastructures such as recreations, community centers, and landscape. The school district is a big deciding factor. You should evaluate all of the above before purchasing.
Another important factor is the land. VOC was a military base since 1945. The local city had no juridiction to regulate the toxic activities within the base. Years before the base closed black smoke from burning chemical and substances have occured periodicallyon the base. Although 10 foot of dirt has been replaced but the long term effect on people is too early to tell from the residual substance that is buried deep or leached into the earth.
Read the fine print regarding the environmental disclosure.

bkshopr,

its true… i love veuve cliquot and recently built my own battlezoid.

Acpme,
Did I guess correctly regarding your lifestyle? I do this all day long and enjoy my work very much. The best part is companies paid huge amount for these informations. Do you enjoy Warcrafts? Would you pay $14,400 for a laundry room with side by side appliances inside? So far none of the detached condo has laundry inside. I know most of your neighbors use the garage as storage and park their car outside on the street which is against the policy. Are you parking your car inside your 10’ wide garage? BTW, Are you able to open your driver side door and get out easily?
 

"So far none of the detached condo has laundry inside."

Stonetree has an inside laundry. 

Do you enjoy Warcrafts?

Hahaha.  You crack me up bkshopr.

bkshopr,

not bad…  i am single and relatively young (approaching 30 but thats still young right?  right???)  i do enjoy cooking and do it more often than not.  and while i would love a kitchen that had space for an island, theres as much countertop space in the plan one as most homes.  where the detached condos are lacking is in the bathrooms.  they are like cruise ship bathrooms, hah.   however, like you mentioned, i also think the plan one is generally the smartest use of 1000 sq ft that i’ve seen especially considering the patio and attached garage.

i do not play warcraft and that sort of thing.  in other words im not one of those young asian males whose rooms consist of a giant gaming/pc terminal and basketball posters on the wall.  in my case i put 25% down but you’re probably right about many of the other homeowners.  i recall the sales rep telling me how i’d be happier in the long run since i made such a large down.  i said, large?  20-25% is average right?  apparently not.  so if mine was considered large i would say my neighbors have substantially larger loans.

regarding the laundry, i’ve never lived in a house that had the laundry machine inside.  they were always in the garage or separate area right next to the garage.  so when i was house hunting i thought the upstairs laundry next to bedrooms was sort of odd.  i can see the convenience factor but i worried about noise, heat, and potential water damage issues.  the tandem parking is the biggest downside of the plan one.  no problem with car doors if you have a sedan and i’ve seen neighbors park suvs in the plan one garages.  i can even move my trashcans in and out around my car in the garage.  not big deal for me but definitely is for my roommate but fortunately he doesnt care and parks outside.  i do see most of the neighbors garages filled with stuff which does bother me.  visibility is terrible when trying to pull out of the driveways.

obviously when you start trying to guess specifics about daily behavior and specific likes/dislikes you’re going to be more hit or miss but as far as the general demographics (age/race/general lifestyle/finances) you did a pretty good job.  if you were to go up and down my street i think it’s pretty much the same story for each type of plan.

plan ones are occupied by singles or young couples (late 20s-mid 30s)

plan twos are young couples or families although my neighbors have college age children

plan three and fours are more established families with children or empty nesters

rereading that, sounds like a pretty broad brush though.

i’d be interested to see you do similar analysis on others… new thread? how accurately bkshopr does profiles you!

".....the toxic activities ........black smoke from burning chemical…"

I was in the military for 10 plus years…l will never consider buying VOC. 

After visting Vientos for the first time we went back to compare the Cortile models.The optional "flex space" for residence 1 will tack on an additional $8K…Residence 3 at Vientos is the same price, less the $8K flex space, and has 200 additonal square feet. I liked the Vientos floor plan much better. But, there was something about Portola Springs that just did not feel quite right, and not as nice as Woodbury. But maybe that is because it is less developed? Even though it is just down the road Woodbury it felt much further away…

Visited here today.  Prices remain the same from the February and March numbers above.  According the sales person there will be one more phase after the current one—- which I believe is #12.  No Plan 4’s in the current release, but they will be available in the next release.  Her excited comment that "there is still going to be a lot of opportunity to buy here" gave me the feeling these last phases are not exactly jumping off the shelf. 
I think I will take a pass on all that opportunity.

They have about a half dozen residence 1/residence 2 to unload before the final phase. Move in for the available lots will be in November.

how many homes are stacked in each courtyard for vientos?  i thought vientos was more comparable to bowen court than cortile.

vientos = higher end version of bowen court

decada = higher end version of cortile

reason i ask is because of street parking is bad enough as it is with 6 houses per courtyard.  with 8 it could be realy ugly.  even if you dont park on the street, it causes visibility problems when you’re pulling out of the driveways.

Acpme,
Vientos ( 8 pack) is exactly like Bowen Court. The exterior stairs is gone and the plan two powder was replaced by a better 3/4 bath. The depth is deeper than Cortile but the width is the same. You can park exactly the same number of cars on the curbside as Cortile. There are 2 more guest parking stalls inside the garage alley between plan1 and plan2. This is the highest density.
Cortile (6 pack) is wider and deeper than Decada. Number of spaces on curb side are the same for both. This is the medium density. Extra curb side parking are picked up by the end units since the block depth is longer than Decada.
Decada is the biggest and the most luxurious of the detached condos. The curb side parking is the same as Cortile but has 2 less homes fighting for them.
Sienna is a project currently featured in the builder’s website. I heard it will be a much better design than Decada. This project with new plans incorporated most of the consumers’ comments over the last several generations : Wisteria, San Simeon, Arborel, Mericourt and Decada.

Came in the mail today (price sheet dated 12/3/07)
One: $524,701
Two: $557,264
Three: $588,202
Four : Sold out
No mention of incentives.

Blue Fire, 
In scrolling back up to the April comments, it appears the pricing hasn’t changed since then.  Wow.   I’m guessing there has to be incentives…

trooper-
Its definitely possible. If you make a direct inquiry to the sales office I would not be surprised if you’d be offered some incentives, though they are certainly not making any of them clear in their marketing mailers. Personally, this doesn’t seem like a good marketing strategy to me, but who am I to judge…

Maybe the builders don’t want to tell the current owners that they got a bad deal on their house.  But they are willing to whisper it to potential new buyers.

Also, it encourages the potential buyers to talk to the builder if they are interested.  It’s almost like buying a car—the dealer won’t tell you the actual price over the phone and will get you to visit their dealership.