For a look at what is happening this year in the Irvine housing market, see the following. And for a snapshot of the Irvine housing numbers by neighborhood in 2012, see my previous post.

Area	List Price/# Homes Listed	Sold Price/# Homes Sold	List Per SF	Sold Per SF	% Chg Y-O-Y Sold Price/SF
Airport/IBC
13-Feb	$699K/35	$514K/22	$385	$342	17.90%
13-Jan	$694K/40	$440K/13	$398	$333	8.10%
Columbus Grove	n/a
El Camino Real
13-Feb	$445K/9	$472K/8	$364	$325	8%
13-Jan	$535K/17	$555K/12	$366	$380	42.30%
Northpark
13-Feb	$569K/19	$628K/22	$352	$347	23.90%
13-Jan	$722K/24	$466K/22	$351	$321	15.90%
Northwood
13-Feb	$738K/22	$725K/7	$353	$338	15.80%
13-Jan	$750K/23	$750K/25	$373	$305	4.50%
Oak Creek
13-Feb	$424K/14	$318K/10	$379	$333	26.60%
13-Jan	$362K/14	$331K/9	$362	$338	29.50%
Orange Tree
13-Feb	$307K/8	$208K/5	$373	$355	61.70%
13-Jan	$278K/8	$328K/4	$345	$332	33.30%
Portola Springs
13-Feb	$774K/8	$665K/5	$350	$274	-2.50%
13-Jan	$1,024K/8	$614K/8	$375	$329	12.30%
Quail Hill
13-Feb	$850K/10	$685K/7	$421	$396	29%
13-Jan	$790K/10	$600K/7	$414	$341	4.60%
Rancho San Joaquin
13-Feb	na/0	$493/3	n/a	$242	-28%
13-Jan	$564K/2	na/0	$333	n/a	n/a
Shady Canyon
13-Feb	$5,995K/15	$5,084K/2	$736	$665	10.30%
13-Jan	$5,700K/15	$6,675K/1	$736	$668	25.10%
Turtle Ridge
13-Feb	$2,355 K/11	$518 K/7	$617	$436	-1.10%
13-Jan	$2,302 K/10	$1,295K/6	$605	$532	49.90%
Turtle Rock
13-Feb	$1,050K/13	$1,135K/9	$542	$478	-15.20%
13-Jan	$949K/13	$946K/8	$434	$466	58%
University Park
13-Feb	$675K/7	$395K/2	$313	$318	11.20%
13-Jan	$625K/7	$570K/10	$330	$351	26.70%
University Town Center
13-Feb	na/0	$555K/3	n/a	$366	38.10%
13-Jan	$551K/1	$575K/1	$407	$377	19.70%
Walnut
13-Feb	$900K/3	$665K/4	$552	$363	17.10%
13-Jan	$430K/3	$657K/4	$350	$275	6.20%
West Irvine	n/a
Westpark
13-Feb	$585K/2	$610K/2	$486	$344	4.60%
13-Jan	$589K/4	$745K/6	$486	$340	-4.50%
Woodbridge
13-Feb	$584K/30	$648K/14	$381	$357	8.80%
13-Jan	$694K/22	$500K/22	$363	$357	30.80%
Woodbury
13-Feb	$662K/14	$590K/11	$374	$357	17%
13-Jan	$635K/11	$645K/17	$382	$331	13.40%

Woodbridge Condo in Windsor Estates

7 Firestone #8: $749,900

Turning off West Yale Loop and onto Firestone, I found a single family detached home that raises a few questions and comes with a mix of answers. The home is located in Windsor Estates in the South Lake area of Woodbridge.

Approaching the home from the rear entrance on Firestone, the area is quiet and well maintained. The main door of the home faces out onto busy West Yale Loop and is almost lost from view with the overhanging trees in front, which may absorb some of the traffic noise.

Significant Numbers: This single story 3 bedroom 2.5 bath condo was built in 1983 and has 1860 sq. ft. with a $/sq.ft at $403. It has been on the market about 60 days. HOA dues are $427.

CloseUp: As I roamed through this good sized, light, airy home I was mentally filling in the vacant spaces with furnishings and activities.

Some strategic staging might really bring the home’s assets to life, starting with the two sided fireplace with custom mantel that sits between the living room and family room. The fireplace uses both gas and wood.

The family room also has a vaulted ceiling and wet bar. Ceramic tile floors, partial carpet, and French doors accent the areas. There is a nice flow through the home and a good separation of space between bedrooms and the formal dining room, living room, and family room areas.

There is access from the garage to the kitchen, an inside laundry room and a sliding glass door to the patio. The wrap around brick lined patio has planter boxes and lattice cover, and could easily be a family retreat and party spot.

The remodeled kitchen has recessed lighting, maple cabinets, custom tile backsplash, corian counters, greenhouse window and breakfast area.

The 3 bedrooms include a master suite with walk in closet and large bath with separate shower and tub. There are 2 full baths and one half.

Specifics:

Bedrooms, 3

Baths, 2 full, 1 half

Detached, no common walls

Double Detached Garage

Two parking spaces

Forced air heating, central air.

Association pool and spa

What will be considered here? All of the draw of Woodbridge with its top schools and outstanding recreational facilities, paired with a roomy single level detached home, will be considered. The location fronting onto West Yale Loop will also figure into the discussion, along with the price and some of the special details within.

Who will move in? An active family looking for the Woodbridge location might choose this home. Others looking for a single level detached home with enough space to entertain and room for overnight guests or senior members might see the possibilities here.

Recent listings: 3 Willowgrove, $648,000; 128 West Yale Loop, $668,000.

Recent sales: 49 Rushingwind, $725,000; 59 Coral Lk., $760,000.

Discuss on Talk Irvine: http://www.talkirvine.com/index.php/topic,3643.0.html

Press release below

SOLARCITY SPONSORS LECTURE ABOUT SOLAR POWER AND PERSONAL ACHIEVEMENT

SolarCity, one of the country’s leading clean energy providers, will sponsor a free public lecture for Irvine homeowners by career and personal performance coach Bob Davies, titled “Identifying Your Path to Personal Achievement.” Davies will also present a special case study: “Converting to Clean Energy,” reviewing his personal experience about making the switch to better energy and converting his home to solar. It is an enlightened look at how the human mind is built to resist change. The Irvine Chamber Green Business Certification Program encourages homeowners to consider solar as a viable energy option. Utilizing renewable resources is part of the city’s ongoing goal of being one of America’s leading residential communities.

This program may help:

· Health and energy improvement

· Overcome procrastination

· Recovery and positive thinking during times of rejection and bad news

· Enhanced ability to “tap into” the talent you already have

· Accountability to improve performance

What: “Identifying Your Path to Personal Achievement,” lecture by Bob Davies

When: Thursday, March 28, 10:30 a.m. to noon

Where: Irvine Chamber of Commerce, 2485 McCabe Way Suite 150, Irvine, CA

Cost: Free

RSVP: http://www.SolarCity.com/seminars, or Tina Magana: (909) 618-6937

Sponsored by SolarCity: Bring a copy of your utility bill and receive a free $25 restaurant.com gift card.

Date Sold	Address	Zip	Tract	Sold Price	Beds	SqFt
Airport Area
3/8/2013	2303 Watermarke	92612	Watermarke	$315,000	1	726
3/8/2013	3131 Michelson	92612	Marquee at Park Place	$385,000	2	1580
3/11/2013	1248 Scholarship	92612	Avenue One	$200,000	1	725
3/12/2013	2233 Martin	92612	Metropolitan (MET)	$400,000	2	1269
El Camino Real
3/7/2013	7 Amberwood	92604	Smoketree (ST)	$509,000	4	1647
3/11/2013	5151 Walnut Ave	92604	Wildflower	$395,000	2	1142
3/13/2013	130 Oval	92604	Walnut Square (WS)	$330,000	2	1100
Northpark
3/8/2013	51 Burlingame	92602	Brisbane (BRIB)	$413,000	2	1475
3/11/2013	14 Pasadena	92602	Brentwood	$1,240,000	5	3250
3/11/2013	805 Terra Bella	92602	Terra Bella	$403,000	2	1167
Northwood
3/8/2013	3 Shadduck	92620	Courtside (CS)	$749,900	3	1841
3/11/2013	6 Night Bloom	92602	Mericort (MERC)	$608,000	3	1635
3/11/2013	28 Alondra	92620	Woodside (WS1)	$814,000	4	2392
3/11/2013	66 Secret Garden	92620	Camellia (CAME)	$905,000	4	2460
3/12/2013	7 Ensueno	92620	Park Place (PP)	$900,000	4	2600
3/12/2013	460 Monroe	92620	Timberline	$440,000	3	1376
Oak Creek
3/8/2013	10 Henna	92618	Kenwood	$978,000	4	3123
Orangetree
3/7/2013	67 Tarocco	92618	Orchard Glen OT	$370,000	3	1134
3/7/2013	110 Orchard	92618	Patio Homes (OT)	$460,000	2	1133
3/8/2013	37 Lemon Grove	92618	Patio Homes (OT)	$363,000	2	1133
Quail Hill
3/8/2013	209 Scarlet	92603	Sandalwood	$765,000	4	2300
Rancho San Joaquin
3/8/2013	21 Las Brisas	92612	RSJ Townhomes (JH)	$536,000	2	1437
Turtle Ridge
3/13/2013	129 Coral Rose	92603	Ashton Green (ASHG)	$581,000	3	1400
Turtle Rock
3/8/2013	18982 Racine	92603	Broadmoor (BM)	$890,000	3	1687
3/13/2013	10 Morning Song	92603	Ridge Townhomes Bren	$580,000	2	1740
University Park
3/8/2013	44 Gillman	92612	Chancellor	$725,000	5	2291
3/8/2013	52 Seton	92612	Village I	$535,000	3	1493
3/11/2013	9 Featherwood	92612	Terrace	$485,000	2	1185
Walnut (Irvine)
3/8/2013	3462 Pecan	92606	College Park (CP)	$600,000	4	1644
3/13/2013	151 Kensington	92606	Parklane (WN)	$455,000	2	1200
West Irvine
3/7/2013	66 Sapphire	92602	Mandeville	$515,000	3	1478
3/13/2013	46 Boulder Creek	92602	Heritage (HERI)	$715,000	4	2005
Westpark
3/8/2013	25 Tiara	92614	Promenade (PR)	$795,000	4	2026
3/13/2013	31 Giovanni Aisle	92614	Tiempo (TI)	$402,000	2	1032
Woodbridge
3/8/2013	31 Silkleaf	92614	Cottage Homes	$725,000	4	1910
3/11/2013	48 Ashwood	92604	Gables	$1,025,000	5	2461
3/12/2013	120 Greenmoor	92614	Stonegate (SG)	$370,000	2	978
3/13/2013	8 Amberleaf	92614	Seasons (SN)	$460,000	2	1211
Woodbury
3/7/2013	29 Dusty Rose	92620	Villa Rosa	$1,170,000	5	3000
3/8/2013	84 Costa Brava	92620	Santa Barbara/WDSB	$430,000	2	1200
3/12/2013	10 Nature	92620		$445,000	2	1165
3/12/2013	37 Spanish Lace	92620	Lombard Court (WDLC)	$345,000	1	1100

Discuss on Talk Irvine: http://www.talkirvine.com/index.php/topic,3632.0.html

“An ENERGY STAR qualified solar water heating system can cut your annual hot water costs in half…”—www.energystar.com.

If you want to learn more about the technology of, benefits of, and rebates for solar water heaters, attend one of the upcoming workshops that the Southern California Gas Company and Go Solar California will host at Irvine City Hall.

Two workshops will be held. One is intended for owners and managers of multi-family dwellings; the other is intended for homeowners. RSVPs are requested: socalgas.com/solar. However, I suspect that if you just show up, you will be let in.

Multi-family Dwellings Solar Water Heating Workshop

• Date: Tuesday, March 19, 2013

• Time: 9 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.

• Place: Irvine Civic Center

1 Civic Center Plaza

Conference and Training Center

Single-family Dwellings Solar Water Heating Workshop

• Date: Thursday, March 21, 2013

• Time: 7:30 p.m. – 9 p.m.

• Place: Irvine Civic Center

1 Civic Center Plaza

Conference and Training Center

Quotes from the ENERGY STAR website on solar water heater advantages:

“By using sunshine to heat or preheat your water, you can cut your water heating bill in half. …Large families with greater hot water needs can save even more.”

“ENERGY STAR qualified solar water heaters can cut your carbon dioxide emissions in half. Installing a qualified solar water heater will reduce the load of your electric water heater by almost 2,500 kWh per year, preventing 4,000 pounds of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere annually. This is the equivalent of not driving your car for four months every year!”

“The average life expectancy of qualified solar water heating systems is 20 years, much longer than standard gas or electric storage water heaters.”