Home Architectural Design

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44 Belvedere Residence by Guido Constantino Posted: 06 Sep 2012 07:01 AM PDT 44 Belvedere Residence is a two storey black modern house in South West Oakville designed by Toronto-based studio Guido Constantino. The design focused on functional living space with design at the forefront. The floor to ceiling glass provides expansive views onto the backyard oasis and allows light to flood into the space. Designed for a [...] This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

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Irvine Housing Blog

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Open House Review: 34 Olivehurst Posted: 06 Sep 2012 05:00 AM PDT Holiday weekends generally don’t have as many open houses, so after driving around for awhile, I found myself at 34 Olivehurst in Northpark.  The basics: Asking Price: $580,000 Bedrooms: 2 + loft Bathrooms: 2.5 Square Footage: 1,500 Lot Size: not listed $/Sq Ft: $387 Days on Market: 6  Property Type: Single Family Home Year Built: 2001 Community: Northpark HOA dues are $271.40 per month and there are Mello Roos taxes. This house is situated on a corner lot, which the realtors refer to as a “prime location.”  However, it is on the corner of Spring Valley, one of the main streets that run through the community of Northpark, so it will be busy.  The lot is also tiny.  I can’t actually find the lot size listed anywhere, but the fully hardscaped backyard of this house contains a small table and chairs and there really isn’t room for anything else.  The garage is on the side of the house and has no driveway.   Downstairs, everything is very compartmentalized.  The small living room is to the right of the entryway.  The current owners have one couch and a large entertainment unit and it doesn’t really seem like there is much room to put in a second couch or loveseat.  The highlight of the room, and the downstairs in general, are the nice hardwood floors. The dining room is to the left of the entryway.  It has windows on two sides and is bordered by the staircase on a third side.  Like the living room, it has attractive wood floors.   The kitchen is on the other side of the stairway, so it doesn’t connect or flow into the dining room.  It is a good size, but lacks an island or breakfast nook.  The cabinets and appliances are all white (with the exception of a stainless steel fridge) and even the counters are a very light shade of gray, creating a very monochromatic and somewhat boring look.  There isn’t really a place to put a table, so the only option is to eat in the formal dining room for every meal.  The only access to the backyard is through a sliding door in the kitchen. Moving upstairs, there is an open loft overlooking the staircase.  It is a good-sized room with windows on two walls and a cutout area that could be converted into a closet.  It would be fairly easy to convert it into a third bedroom, but makes a nice office space the way it is now.  The secondary bedroom also has windows on two walls and a standard two-door sliding closet.  While the loft has hardwood floors, the bedrooms, staircase and common areas upstairs have a bluish-gray carpet.  It’s in fairly good condition, but I don’t care for the color.  The upstairs bathroom has tile floors, one sink and a shower/tub combo.  Like the kitchen, it is mostly white.   The master bedroom is also unremarkable.  It is on the smaller side for a master, especially in a newer home and doesn’t have space for a sitting area.  It has one large walk-in closet.  The bathroom counters are oddly high and you have to step over a very high wall to get into the shower/tub combo.  This bathroom is also all white. The house is in good shape with everything well maintained.  However, that is not enough to sell this house.  I really dislike the floor plan.  The downstairs is too closed off and the living room is too small.  The lack of anywhere to eat in the kitchen is a big turnoff.  The corner location isn’t good and the lot is tiny.  The price per square foot is much too high (higher than most other homes I’ve looked at), especially when you consider that Northpark has high association dues and Mello Roos taxes.  And, because it’s in Northpark, you don’t even get the benefit of Irvine schools.  I can usually see an upside to most of the houses I visit. This time, I cannot.  I’ll be very interested to see what happens with 34 Olivehurst.

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Home Architectural Design

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Miami Beach Residence by Luis Bosch Posted: 05 Sep 2012 04:01 AM PDT American-based home builder Luis Bosch has built luxurious residential in Miami Beach, Florida. This two-storey house was built in the edge of the sea with spectacular views of the coastline looking at Miami Beach. The lower floor of the house built in an open plan living space. In this way, kitchen, dining area and living [...] This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

G House by Paz Gersh Architects Posted: 05 Sep 2012 03:15 AM PDT The G House in Ramat HaSharon is a modern family house designed by Tel Aviv-based architecture studio, Paz Gersh Architects. The layout was arranged to blends to blend the interior and exterior living via a large balcony that connects all public areas. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

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Irvine Housing Blog

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Is the Irvine Company’s Rent Equity Program a Good Home Buying Strategy? Posted: 05 Sep 2012 05:00 AM PDT Do you want to buy a home in Irvine but aren’t ready to make the deal? If the answer is yes and you are also willing to rent from The Irvine Company (TIC) in the meantime, TIC  has a proposal for you: The Irvine Company’s “Renter Equity Program” allows qualified Irvine Company rental residents to accrue up to 10% of their monthly rent toward the purchase of select homes in the following Irvine Pacific neighborhoods: Laguna Altura Stonegate San Marino in Woodbury Here are more details on the program: Eligible TIC renters are automatically enrolled in the company’s “Renter Equity Program.” During the first year of renting, eligible participants accrue 5% of the monthly rent. During the second year of renting, the credit accrual rates increases to 7% of the monthly rent. During the third year, the credit accrual rates increase to 10% of the monthly rent. The maximum amount of rent equity that can be accrued is $5,000. So what do you think? Is this a good strategy for buying a home in Irvine? Is it enough to make you choose an Irvine Company rental while you are looking for a home to buy?

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Irvine Housing Blog

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Bel-Aires of Northpark Square Posted: 04 Sep 2012 05:00 AM PDT Three Bel-Aire properties with similar floor plans are for sale in the Northpark Square area. Northpark Square is the tiny area between Irvine Boulevard and Bryan, and Culver and toll-way 261. They are a walking distance from Beckman High School and Hicks Canyon Elementary School, and around a mile from Orchard Hills Middle School. Not to be confused with Northpark which is a guard gated community, Northpark square is partially gated, and none of the Bel-Aire homes are gated. 8 Rosenblum, Irvine CA 92602 Listing Price: $988,000 Previous sale: $714,000 in 2003 Beds/ baths: 5 beds/ 3.5 baths SF Area: 3,511 Price/ SF: $281 Fixed Monthly Expenses: Mortgage, 30 YR Fixed at 3.625%: $3605 Home Owner’s Association Dues: $98 Annual Mello Roos + Special Assesments: $2,956 Annual Property Tax: $10,468 Monthly expenses: $4,821 49 Pacific Crest, Irvine CA 92602 Listing Price: $949,000 Previous sale: $623,000 in 2002 Beds/ baths: 6 beds/ 4.5 baths SF Area: 3,511 Price/ SF: $271 Fixed Monthly Expenses: Mortgage, 30 YR Fixed at 3.625%: $3466 Home Owner’s Association Dues: $98 Annual Mello Roos + Special Assesments: $2,956 Annual Property Tax: $10054 Monthly expenses: $4,648 11 Ravendale, Irvine C A 92602 Listing Price: $998,000 Previous sale: $597,500 in 2002 Beds/ baths: 5 beds/ 4 baths SF Area: 3,537 Price/ SF: $282 Fixed Monthly Expenses: Mortgage, 30 YR Fixed at 3.625%: $3641 Home Owner’s Association Dues: $98 Annual Mello Roos + Special Assesments: $2,956 Annual Property Tax: $10574 Monthly expenses: $4,866 Recent comparative summer sales: 21 Amargosa Sold for $836,000 in June 2012 for $238/SF. 28 Thorn Hill Sold for $935,000 in August 2012 for $266/SF. 12 Ravendale Sold for $945,000 in August 2012 for $319/SF. Which one would you buy? None of them back high traffic streets, all of them were built around the same time, all of them were owned by the same owner for the last decade, and all are maintained and upgraded to keep with the current trends. Recent sales trend shows a wide Price/SF range, but all three properties are priced within the highs and lows of the summer.

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