irvinenoob,
County Recorder’s office would have this information.  Sometimes you can find this information on the website    http://tax.ocgov.com/tcweb/search_page.asp 
by entering the address.  Keep in mind some homes were bought with no upgrades or options, and some with all the upgrades and options; therefore, the prices are scattered.
Sounds like you want to negotiate with the builder.  That is very easy, builders have to deal with homes that could not close escrow at any market; so they are very motivated to negotiate on these ones.  They will not openly tell the public of the fell-out-of-escrow ones for fear of panics.  If you are a strong negotiator (or know someone to act on your behalf), then you can get great price from the builders.  Good luck.

I stopped in the other week, it was pretty dead.  With 8% prime loan rates on 30-year fixed, I can’t see how these prices can hold.

Here’s the latest pricing effective: June 21, 2007:

Residence        Price          Change

Residence 1 - $519,000 (+$4,000)

Residence 2 - $649,000 (-$11,000)

Residence 3 - $669,000 (-$18,000)

Oh and add $1,000+ onto your mortage with:

1.04% County Tax

$320 per month at build-out Master and Sub Association Fees

Community Facilities District (CFD) and Special Assessments = $??

checked it out today 9/9/07
Residence 1 - $495,000

Residence 2 - $624,000

Residence 3 - $644,000

From Anonymous:

Got some housing email spam from Lennar today
      Unwrap Homeownership Opportunities

New homes are priced to sell for November 21, 2007 closings.
Luxury townhomes are now available for November move-in at Meriwether at Columbus Square.
  Excellent location within the master-planned

   community of the Villages of Columbus 

  Included GE  stainless steel kitchen appliances

   and refrigerator, slab granite countertops,

   upgraded European wood cabinetry, and more

  Visit today! Homes are priced to sell!

Plan 2

Priced from the $500s

1,706 Square Feet

3 Bedrooms, 2.5 Bathrooms

2-Bay Garage

Plan 3

Priced from the $600s

1,922 Square Feet

3 Bedrooms, 3 Bathrooms

2-Bay Garage

 
For information on available inventory at Meriwether, please call 714-259-0478 or

Chat Now with an Internet New Home Consultant on Lennar.com.

 Meriwether at Columbus Square

Welcome Home Center

15229 Columbus Square

Tustin, CA 92782

714-259-0478

As of 10/1/07

Residence 1 - $494,000

Residence 2 - $599,000

Residence 3 - $624,000

Short sale on redfin plan 3 for $569,900
www.redfin.com/stingray/do/printable-listing
Tax records show value to be $712,806

JP-
Good find.  Anything else pop up in Columbus Square?
SCHB

anyone has any update on these homes… the plans look very nice and open…

As of 1/10/08 - no price change from the Oct 2007 poster

Residence 1 - $494,000 - Temporarily Sold Out

Residence 2 - $599,000

Residence 3 - $624,000

$25K Flooring incentive

Closing specials but varies on your credit, downpayment, etc.

~$1,100 total taxes, fees, HOAs

Just talked to one of the guys in lennar. There is Plan3 available for 599K with wood flooring downstairs except the bedroom. Prices seems to be nosediving. Will have to see if the plan3’s sell for 500K by the end of the year…..(:-))
This is phase 7.

does anyone have update or new pricing?

As of 2/5/08 - handwritten prices

Residence 1 - $494,000 - Temporarily Sold Out
Residence 2 - $569,000
Residence 3 - $599,000

don’t know about incentives… but you’ll be tsuck with the flooring they picked and installed, i think almost all open units are ready for move in

still over price imho.

how can they price their residence 3 at 599k when lyons is pricing their verndas SFR for 587k. the SFR doesn’t have a share wall and the HOA is less. it is in the same area.

Because verndas shakes several dozen times a day each time a train goes by.
 

so you are saying that shared walls are better then shaking walls?

i use to live next to a rail track and i mean less then 20 feet away up in the bay area and my whole apt use to shake. the good thing about it…..

1) you can tell time just by the schedule of the train.

2) you can put coins on the rail and get super flat pieces of metal.

3) after a while you just get use to it and not notice it at all.

shared walls….. also use to live in a townhouse that was poorly built…..  and the good things about it was…..

1) the wall are so thin i could hear the neighbor talking at night about their problems. juicy gossip. hahahahaaa

2) i had cool neighbors…. their kids would "get  stuff for cheap" and sell it to me for cheap. hahahahaa i am thinking stolen property but i will give them the benefit of the doubt.

3) there were soooooo much parking space that i would drive around the block to park just so that i can get some excerise.

IMO i would rather pick the SFR.

verandas are right at the train AND edinger ave (50+ mph)... and the layout sucks… i don’t get the SFR thing with a tiny little backyard locking at walls (and trains), but i guess each their own…

it all comes down to personal choice… pick what you like best

Real estate is all about LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION.  Verandas is the worst LOCATION in Columbus Square.  Even Cambridge Lane is a better buy than Verandas, and the price reflects that.

if location is so important then why are people buying in columbus square and not in columbus grove? Isn’t an irvine zip code better then a tustin zip code? example…. Savannah vs Cambridge lane? same type of build.

columbis grove has not much for sale right now and is overall priced higher with a lot of SFR homes and some don’t care about the zip that much.

yes zip is part of location, but so is noise, traffic etc… and at a certain point yes money does play a role too… i don’t think there is much below 600k in the grove

There is a foreclosure property Plan3 on Montgomery St. Great house with upgrades its a shame that it did not sell even on a short sale. They were asking 569 for it.
I think there is one plan3 available for 599K. Not sure about the other incentives. They used to give ~35K in incentives (HOA, Interest rate buydown etc). They are giving 4.88% APR for 30 years though.

i wonder how much the bank would put up that unit for once they take it back. 599k is alot of money plus you have to pay 1200 bucks on top of that for hoa/mello/tax. so if you put down 150k your monthly will be 2400 + 1200 = 3600 bucks a month. that is alot for a townhome with share walls.

Yikes, didn’t realize that was a foreclosure, i think i’ve jogged by and peaked in and hadn’t seen any furniture, was it ever occupied?  Attempted flip or did the tenants simply realize they couldn’t afford?

jbatzmaru,
Savannah is right next to the concrete factory, and right along side the ditch.  It is truly the worst location in all of Columbus Grove.  Whereas Meriwether is in the best location in Columbus Square, second only to the Gables.
 

Look at the fine print on that low interest rate.  Offered in Florida, but you have to close by the end of the month. . .virtually impossible.  Also, you need 10% down, which is reasonable, except how many have it?

Prices as of 2/23/2008
Res 1)  $494,000
Res 2)  $599,000
Res 3)  $624,000