If you're in the market for a brand new house in South OC, your options are fairly limited unless you're looking in the $700k plus range. We recently dropped by three Shea Homes new developments in Aliso Viejo: Harbor Station and Vantis North and Vantis South.
Harbor Station is the "entry level" condo development alongside much more expensive homes near the golf course over at Glenwood. The Vantis neighborhoods are off of Aliso Viejo Parkway overlooking the Aliso Town Center.
We thought you might enjoy seeing recent price sheets for each. First, Harbor Station. These originally started in the $500s, but are now down to the $400s:
(Click on the image for a larger size)
Next, Vantis. Again, click on the image for a larger size:
For the record, we liked these Vantis units a lot better than we expected. But we don't get why more than half of these plans have tandem garages. Two-car tandem garages in the suburbs?!
In comparing these to William Lyon Homes' Ivy in Woodbury East - a fairly comparable condo-townhome development in Irvine - the biggest differences we noticed were the pricing (of course), and how the general layout of the units differed from those in Aliso.
The pricing for the Woodbury East condos is slightly below the Aliso Viejo condos, but the Aliso ones include many more standard features that feel like upgrades - granite and the option for stainless steel, black or white appliances in the kitchen; tile in bathrooms and entry ways; full size washer and dryer, etc.
We feel you'd need to spend at least double in upgrades at Ivy to get what you would want compared to what you would spend in Harbor Station or Vantis. In fact, we know this is true - a family we know is buying in Woodbury East, and we know what they're spending on upgrades. You get the Irvine address (and schools) with Woodbury East, but you'd be in a golf course community in Aliso Viejo. Both have mello roos.
The second difference is the general layout. Ivy models have smaller living space and bigger bedrooms (or they have a nice upstairs loft or office space), whereas many Aliso Viejo models have larger living space (check out the ridiculous kitchen in one of the Harbor Station plans) and they tend to have slightly smaller bedrooms. Which would you buy?
Saturday, October 03, 2009
Buy a new house
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3 comments:
I would buy neither. I visited these new developments in AV 2 years ago when they first came out. I thought the HOAs on all these 3 were outrageous. They were in the range of $500+ a month depends on the unit you are buying. The money is to maintain the "exclusive" golf course, pools for Harbor Station and the common park of the complex for the other twos. They had some deals with lower HOA for the first year you live there but after that...... they will raise as they need to maintain them(I think was the idea of the tiny clause). I thought that might be a deal killer. They are selling the life styles living in these places. The HOAs made me think of the Marquees towers in Irvine.
$500 a month in HOAs? Mello Roos? Mine as well live in Ladera Ranch cheaper HOAs and 3 beds in the $300Ks.
$500 HOAs would certainly be a deal killer. The rate they are quoting now is about $345 per month (assume it's because now that more people are moved in, there are more to support the HOA).
You'd be paying into three different agencies - one for Aliso Viejo, one for Glenwood and one for the development itself (much like Ladera). Those can add up quickly. If you buy one of the detached homes, there is no third association since you're taking care of the exterior and yard yourself. That at least reduces the HOA burden, but IMO those houses as a whole are still overpriced.
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