Friday, August 30, 2013

Irvine Housing Blog

Irvine Housing Blog

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A Look Inside the City of Irvine: Fall Events and Activities

Posted: 28 Aug 2013 05:00 AM PDT

A city is more than a collection of houses, condos, apartments and businesses. It is also a community in which the residents are connected in numerous ways. One of these connections is the activities that are available. And as shown by the fall edition of Inside Irvine, Irvine has many. Inside Irvine contains information on upcoming special events, a catalog of class that residents and non-residents can register for, and a message from the city manager.

Some of the upcoming events that help to connect Irvine residents are the Northwood Community Park reopening ceremonies, which will highlight the new LEED-certified features, updated amenities intended to serve multi-generations, the Northwood Gratitude and Honor Memorial, and Irvine’s agricultural history; the Global Village Festival, the city’s annual festival  which features numerous multicultural activities, foods, entertainment, crafts, and exhibits—and is attempting to become a zero waste event; the Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon, which will feature a display at the Orange County Great Park of energy-efficient homes built by teams from national and international colleges as well as an XPO highlighting visionary businesses, products, and educational opportunities.

Do you see a trend here? Yes, all these events have sustainability aspects.  Perhaps I’ll write more on that in some future posts, but for now, on to a look at the classes that will be available in the fall.

To view the fall classes that are available for registration, see the online catalog of classes. And for an online look at all the information included in the fall issue of Inside Irvine including the city manager’s message, click on the links below. Note that you can also pick up a hardcopy of Inside Irvine at City of Irvine facilities such as city hall and Irvine libraries.

· Page 1: Table of Contents

· Page 2-20: Inside Irvine Editorial

· Page 21-52: Inside Irvine Activity Guide

· Page 53-91: Inside Irvine Map and Registration Information

· Page 92-96: Inside Irvine Map and Registration Information

· Entire Inside Irvine

Open House Review: 17 Ninos

Posted: 26 Aug 2013 05:00 AM PDT

17 Ninos

Asking Price:

$888,000

Bedrooms:

4

Bathrooms:

3

Square Footage:

2,549

Lot Size:

4,356

Price per Square Foot:

$348

Property Type:

Residential, Single Family

Style:

Two Level

Year Built

1977

Community:

Northwood

HOA Fees:

$85

Mello Roos:

No

The location of this home, at the end of the cul-de-sac and just a half block to the elementary school and Clubhouse, is great for any family.  Three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a large bonus room are located on the second level, while one bedroom and one bathroom are located on the first floor.

Upon entering, there is space for a small table which sits along the side of staircase. To your left are a small full bathroom and a bedroom.  To your right is the living room and dining room.  Behind the dining room wall is the family room and kitchen.


View of Entrance.  Living Room is to the left in this picture.


Front Entrance and Living Room


Living Room, Dining Room

This home, unlike some of the other models with the same layout, has a fireplace in the living room (in addition to the family room).  The living room has a sunken floor and French doors leading to the back yard.


Downstairs Bedroom and adjacent bathroom. 

The bathroom has original cabinets and lighting, but is clean and the shower looks newer.

Although the ceilings have the original popcorn texture, the vaulted height and large windows creates a light and open feel.  Apart from the carpeted bedroom, the floors downstairs are hard wood.  The sliding glass door and window facing the back are new, while the rest of the house has original windows.

The backyard has no grass but has a lattice patio cover on entry outside of the family room. 

There is also a sliding glass door for entry to the back yard from the family room.  The family room has built-in shelves that span the entire wall.


Angle from Entrance into Family Room.  The kitchen is behind the wall on the left


View from Sliding Glass door looking into Family Room/Kitchen.  Built-ins are along the left.

The kitchen has fluorescent lighting in the ceiling and original cabinets.  On the right is the oven and an open wall with overhead cabinets and counter for a couple of bar stools.

Garage entry is off of the kitchen.  Laundry hook up is found in the garage. 

Upstairs has vaulted ceilings as well.  The small landing comes with built-in cabinets running along the side of the staircase.  Note that the staircase has the original ballusters.  All bedrooms and the staircase have carpet, which may need to be cleaned or changed.  Immediately to the right are double doors leading into the Master Bedroom.  The windows face the back yard.  The bathroom is large with an open solution, not having a door separating it from the bedroom.


Upstairs landing with built in cabinets.  Entrance to Master Bedroom


Master Bedroom and entrance to bathroom sink/vanity area. Large mirrored closet.


More closets in vanity/sink area of bathroom.


Sunken bathtub/shower. Toilet located in own private area.


View coming up stairs into first bedroom.


First bedroom upstairs has a double door entry and appears slightly larger than the other upstairs bedroom. The larger bedroom also has more closet space with an extra third sliding door.


Second upstairs bedroom.


Hallway Bathroom upstairs.

Adjacent to the hallway bathroom and at the opposite end of the hall from Master Bedroom is a large Bonus room which faces the front of the house.  It sits above the entire garage.


View walking out of Master Bedroom.  Opposite end of hallway is the Bonus Room.


Bonus Room


View from Bonus Room

The house could use upgrades to modernize it. However, someone has the opportunity to add their own personal touches and choose how they want to re-model their own house.  Someone looking for a bedroom downstairs would like this model, especially considering the fact the house has the extra large bonus room upstairs that they can use as a guest room/office/playroom. 

The low HOA fee includes Park Paseo’s two tennis courts, walking distance to a large pool, baby pool and large Jacuzzi as well as access to the Clubhouse.

Open House Review: 11 Heron

Posted: 23 Aug 2013 05:00 AM PDT

Woodbridge Single Family Home with 3 Car Garage                    
11 Heron $1,199,000

Turning onto Heron, this property looked  familiar.  Several months ago I attended an open house a couple doors down and I remember the same package of very functional assets. At a glance this is a good sized single family home in a quiet spot near North Lake and Lagoon in Woodbridge with quite a few nice options.

Significant Numbers: New to the market, a little over 20 days, this 4 bedroom, 3 bath 2 level detached home has 2,350 sq. ft. on a 4,792 sq. ft. lot.  The $/sq. ft. is $510 and HOA dues are $82. The home was built in 1977.

CloseUp:  Stepping into the slate entryway, an open floor plan offers a sweep of light filled space that includes a formal living room with fireplace and vaulted ceiling, formal dining room, and gourmet kitchen with breakfast bar.  The crown molding, high ceilings, shutters and hardwood floors give the area unity and elegance.  The family room with fireplace and master bedroom and bath with glass block Travertine shower and dual vanity are also on the main floor. The master suite includes a mirrored door walk in closet.

The kitchen blends well in the open space with dark granite counters, and recessed lighting. There are Canadian birch cabinets, upgraded stainless appliances and a garden window overlooking the backyard, which has a large grass area, and large bricked patio.

The other bedrooms are upstairs. And the three car garage is attached.

Specifics:
Bedrooms, 4
Baths,   3
3 Car Garage
3 parking spaces
Detached, No Common Walls
Association Pool, Spa
Central furnace, central air conditioning
Irvine Unified School District

What will be considered here?  The size and location of this single family detached home near Lakeside Middle School and North Lake & Lagoon in Woodbridge will be evaluated along with the price.  The convenience of three garages, the overall layout and privacy and space within the home and in the outside areas,  will be part of the evaluation.

Who will move in?  A family looking for a great lake location with all of its attractions in Woodbridge, along with the community’s top schools will be attracted to this home.  The location on a quiet street and the open floor plan make this  home a great choice for a family and for entertaining.

Recent listings: 77 Nighthawk, $999,950; 30 Meadow Grass, $950,000
Recent sales: 71 Nighthawk, $1,149,000; 2 Mallord, $1,200,000

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Irvine Housing Blog

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Irvine Housing Overview: July 2013

Posted: 21 Aug 2013 05:00 AM PDT

According to Altos Research, the Market Action Index (MAI) for Irvine’s single-family housing market is 37.21. That is down from the 42.57 MAI that was recorded about this time last month. However, as defined by Altos, this still puts the Irvine single-family housing market in the seller’s market category. (Above 30 is defined as a seller’s market; below is defined as a buyer’s market.)  Altos also states that the average single-family home in Irvine has been on the market for about 80 days as of August 16, 2013.

As pointed out last month, the Irvine MAI was making a steady climb upward since the beginning of the year. However, this is the second month in a row that the Irvine MAI is trending downward. Is this the beginning of the end of the boom in the Irvine housing market, or just a temporary downturn? Time will tell.

Note: In spite of the downturn in the MAI for single-family homes in Irvine, the month-over-month asking prices are continuing to increase and the year-over-year selling prices are still increasing.

Following is Irvine’s July 2013 housing market data as provided by Redfin

Type List Price/# Homes Listed Sold Price/# Homes Sold List Per SF Sold Per SF % Chg Y-O-Y Sold Price/SF
Houses          
13-Jul $1,125K/210 $900K/122 $459 $435 16.90%
13-Jun $1,112K/186 $855K/99 $462 $414 16%
13-May $1,030/167 $890/113 $457 $411 21.60%
13-Apr n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a
13-Mar $1,020K/101 $904K/62 $443 $381 13.40%
13-Feb na/109  na/272 $415 $354 n/a
13-Jan na/113 na/274 $409 $357 n/a
           
Condos          
13-Jul $588K/295 $522K/135 $416 $394 28.80%
13-Jun $585K/235 $540K/130 $418 $391 24.90%
13-May $599K/177 $539K/144 $406 $386 30.40%
13-Apr n/a       n/a n/a n/a n/a
13-Mar $570K/111 $476K/88 $375 $344 21.60%
13-Feb na/100  na/301 $369 $325 n/a
13-Jan na/106 na/324 $377 $327 n/a
           
All          
13-Jul $709K/545 $659K/283 $423 $401 24.10%
13-Jun $734K/456 $638K/249 $422 $395 20.80%
13-May $750K/371 $659K/274 $416 $393 26.80%
13-Apr n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a
13-Mar $703K/219 $588K/151 $392 $359 18.90%
13-Feb na/209  na/573 $389 $334 n/a
13-Jan na/219 na/598 $389 $338 n/a

Monday, August 19, 2013

Irvine Housing Blog

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Open House Review: 31 Lucero West

Posted: 19 Aug 2013 05:00 AM PDT

This week, I looked at a single story home in Northwood’s Park Paseo neighborhood.

The basics:
Asking Price: $759,888
Bedrooms: 4
Bathrooms: 2
Square Footage: 1,748
Lot Size: 7,405
$/Sq Ft: $435
Days on Market: 7
Property Type: Single Family Home
Year Built: 1978
Community: Northwood, Park Paseo

HOA dues are $85 per month and there are no Mello Roos.

31 Lucero West is situated at the end of a cul-de-sac, with a lot about 3,000 square feet bigger than most others on the street.  It has large yards in the front, back, and side, and is adjacent to a greenbelt.  The neighborhood pool and tot lot are a short walk down the greenbelt; the community’s larger pool and clubhouse are not far in the other direction.  The house does back to Yale, which is its biggest downfall.

The home was significantly upgraded in 2012.  In addition to completely remodeling the kitchen, the owners added a fourth bedroom and moved the front door from the side to the front of the home, creating a nicer porch entry.

The entry leads directly into the living room, which has vaulted ceilings, skylights and new, hardwood floors.  Behind the living room are a small hallway area and a walk-in pantry that take the place of the home’s original front entrance.

A hallway to the left leads to the newly added bedroom.  Like the living room, it has hardwood floors.  It is bigger than the other secondary bedrooms and has a two-door, mirrored closet.  It doesn’t get much light, as its only window faces the side of the house next door.

The nicely remodeled kitchen is behind the living room.  It now boasts stainless steel appliances, including a five-burner stove, a large island, and granite countertops.  There are many cabinets, including two with glass doors flanking the sink.  There is space for a dining table between the kitchen and family room, as well as room for a hutch or china cabinet.  Sliding doors lead out to the side yard.  This house does not have a formal dining room.

The family room is at the back of the house and fully open to the kitchen.  It has high ceilings and French doors that open to the backyard.  The hardwood floors extend through the kitchen and family room.

The other two secondary bedrooms are fairly small.  One has doors on two opposite walls – one leading to the front hallway and the other to the back hall.  It is currently set up as an office, but does have a two-door, mirrored closet.  Because it’s in the center of the house, it doesn’t have any windows.  The other bedroom is a bit smaller and has one window facing the side of the house.  It also has a two-door mirrored closet, but it’s smaller than those in the other bedrooms.  Both of these rooms have carpet.

The bathroom off the hall is the only bathroom aside from the master.  It has a new vanity, with a single sink and granite counter, though there isn’t much counter space.  The shower/tub combo still has the original white tile.

The master bedroom has sliding doors that lead to the backyard.  There are two separate closets, both with two mirrored, sliding doors.  The master bath hasn’t been upgraded at all, aside from new faucets, but is clean and well maintained.  There are two sinks and a shower, but no tub.

The house is small, but adequate.  With four bedrooms and separate living and family rooms, there is plenty of space.  The large lot (relatively speaking, of course) is a huge selling point for this home.

 
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