Author Archives: Karen

Beacon Park: Opus Collection Review

Opus, the final neighborhood in Beacon Park, finally opened in early November. Built by Warmington Residential, five unique floorplans will comprise a total of 60 flats, each set in six-unit buildings. The neighborhood is on the western edge of Beacon Park, bordering Ridge Valley and surrounded on three sides by other neighborhoods. It is very close to the new K-8 school and a short walk to the community park, swimming pool, and meeting room. The five models range from1,820 – 2,452 square feet. Homes will have 2-3 bedrooms, 2-3 bathrooms, with options for a den and/or rooftop deck in some plans. Each six-unit building will have one home of every model, plus a second 1X unit. Models 1X, 2X, and 3X are always on the second floor; models 2 and 3 are always on the first floor. Each home has an attached, two-car garage that all come off a shared motor court in the center of the u-shaped building. Elevations include Spanish Colonial and Contemporary Spanish Interpretive.

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Orchard Hills – Varenna Collection Review

Two years after opening 11 new neighborhoods, Orchard Hills has opened its 12th set of homes. Varenna is a set of single family homes located in the gated enclave of The Grove at Orchard Hills. Built by TRI Pointe Homes, there are will be 71 new homes built now and an additional 64 built farther into the hills somewhere down the line. The Varenna neighborhood is already much farther into the hills than the rest of the enclave, located a mile and a half away from the entrance at Culver and Settler’s Way. There are three models, ranging from 2,476 – 2,682 square feet. Homes will have 4-5 bedrooms and 3.5 – 4.5 bathrooms, including a bedroom on the first floor. All homes have an attached, 2-car garage and a loft, as well as several options to customize the layout. Elevations include Formal Spanish, Provence, Tuscan, and Northern Italian.

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Cypress Village – Trellis Court Collection Review

Cypress Village’s third new neighborhood is called Trellis Court.  Located in the newest enclave, these homes are between the 133 toll road and Ridge Valley, south of Trabuco/Great Park Road. Built by California Pacific Homes, the collection consists of 125 detached condominiums. Homes are usually arranged in sets of four, with plans 1 and 2 on the street and plans 3 and 4 set behind them. There are four different floor plans, ranging from 1,718 – 2,070 square feet. All homes have a two-car, attached garage off a shared motor court. Plans have 3 – 4 bedrooms, including one on the first floor, and 3.5 bathrooms; most models also have a loft. Elevations include Early California, Santa Barbara, Italian, and Spanish Formal.

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Cypress Village: Tristania Collection Review

Cypress Village’s newest neighborhood, Tristania, open a few weeks ago. Located in the newest enclave, these homes are between the 133 toll road and Ridge Valley, south of Trabuco/Great Park Road. The Tristania collection is built by California Pacific Homes and consists of 150 attached townhomes with four different floor plans, ranging from 1,606 – 1,934 square feet. Residences 1 and 2 will always be middle units, while residences 3 and 3Z will always be end units. Most buildings will be four units – one of each model. All homes have 3 bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms, with all the bedrooms on the second floor. Each house also has a 2-car garage with a private driveway, rather than a shared motor court. While residence 1 has an optional loft in lieu of the third bedroom, there aren’t any other alternatives to the floor plans. Elevations include Early California, Santa Barbara, and Formal Spanish.

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Open House Review: 11 Bellezza

A few weeks ago, I checked out the open house at 11 Bellezza. The four-bedroom home is still on the market and has dropped $120,000 in price since its original listing, dropping it below $1,000,000.

The Basics:
Asking price: $929,000
Bedrooms: 4
Bathrooms: 2.5
Square Footage: 2,400
Price per Sq. Ft.: $387
Lot size: 5,000
Property type: Single family residence
Year built: 1978
Community: Northwood – Woodside
HOA: $120 per month / Mello Roos: No
Days on Market: 35
Schools: Santiago Hills Elementary, Sierra Vista Middle School, Northwood High (Irvine Unified)

The Woodside tract and neighboring Park Paseo have seen a lot of homes sell for over $1,000,000 in recent months. However, this home is a little smaller than those, so the original price point did seem too high. The house is painted a dull beige color, but has newer windows and a newer concrete tile roof. The vinyl front doors are new as well and have gold hardware.

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