Estate: September 2012

Irvine Housing Blog

Closed Sales from 9/20/2012 to 9/26/2012

Posted: 28 Sep 2012 05:00 AM PDT

Date Sold	Address	Zip	Tract	Sold Price	Beds	Sq Ft
Airport Area
9/24/12	2323 Scholarship	92612	Avenue One	$300,000	2	1037
9/25/12	1168 Scholarship	92612	Avenue One	$455,000	3	1340
9/26/12	3040 Scholarship	92612	3000 The Plaza	$1,020,000	2	1930

El Camino Real
9/24/12	14881 Geneva St	92604	Greentree	$392,200	2	1700
9/26/12	10 Butterfield	92604	Deerfield Townhomes	$475,000	3	1700

Northpark
9/23/12	14 Apple Vly	92602	Evergreen	$690,000	4	2477
9/26/12	42 Chula Vis 106	92602	Monterey	$447,000	3	1500

Northwood
9/20/12	302 Streamwood	92620	Irvine Springs	$143,000	1	639
9/21/12	2 Carlyle	92620	Northwood Meadows	$590,000	4	2193
9/21/12	3 Delantera Dr	92620	Sundance	$365,000	2	1462
9/24/12	7 Christamon 7	92620	Square	$350,000	3	1383
9/25/12	54 Fillmore	92620	Courtside	$565,000	4	1958
9/26/12	10 Wedgewood	92620	Tremaine	$698,000	3	1561

Orangetree
9/20/12	37 Tarocco	92618	Orchard Glen OT	$300,000	2	995

Portola Springs
9/24/12	115 Silverado	92618	San Carlos COURT	$450,000	3	1756

Quail Hill
9/25/12	59 Reunion	92603	Ambridge	$496,000	2	1656
9/26/12	106 Reunion	92603	Sage	$450,000	2	1031

Rancho San Joaquin
9/24/12	4 Navarre 126	92612	RSJ Villas	$410,000	2	1144

Turtle Rock
9/20/12	3 Whitewater 2	92603	Glen Townhomes	$470,000	2	1648
9/21/12	5972 Sierra Siena	92603	Broadmoor	$915,000	4	2020
9/21/12	133 Starcrest	92603	Crest - Standard Pacific	$1,630,000	4	2987

University Park
9/21/12	12 Whitewood Way	92612	Park II (In Village Park)	$555,000	3	2303

University Town Center
9/20/12	147 Stanford Ct	92612	Princeton Townhomes	$365,000	2	978
9/24/12	2 Exeter 13	92612	Columbia Square	$248,000	1	768

Walnut
9/24/12	14692 Oak Ave	92606	College Park	$585,000	5	2231

West Irvine
9/25/12	17 SAGAMORE	92602	Andover	$460,000	3	1400
9/26/12	5 Easthaven	92602	Sheridan Square	$800,000	4	3250

Westpark
9/20/12	10 Andalucia	92614	Sorrento	$855,000	4	2450
9/20/12	105 Costero Aisle	92614	other	$349,000	2	900
9/21/12	4 Bahia	92614	Promenade	$707,000	3	1709
9/24/12	53 Festivo	92606	Cortina	$875,000	5	2600
9/25/12	166 Alicante Aisle 193	92614	Tiempo	$295,000	2	1000
9/25/12	17571 Wayne Ave	92614	Culverdale	$680,000	4	2350

Woodbridge
9/20/12	168 W Yale Loop 1	92604	Estates	$625,000	4	2155
9/20/12	24 Rockwood	92614	Parkview	$340,000	2	1130
9/20/12	3 S Springbrook 63	92614	Seasons	$520,000	3	1358
9/24/12	218 Greenmoor	92614	Stonegate	$290,000	2	978

Woodbury
9/20/12	49 Concierto	92620	Santa Barbara	$450,000	2	1850
9/21/12	59 Concierto	92620	Treo	$535,000	3	2026
9/24/12	61 Sable	92618	Woodbury East	$511,000	3	1782

architecture 4 us

Sustainable Design of Prefab Joshua Tree Desert Home by Blu Homes

Posted: 27 Sep 2012 08:16 PM PDT

Joshua Tree Desert Home is a part of Blu Homes‘ first SoCal project, built as prefab house with sustainable design in Joshua Tree/Palm Springs area. The sustainable features were provided for the house, especially to optimize the natural daylighting and protecting the house from overheating.

This sustainable home is owned by Tim Disney, great nephew of Walt Disney and a Blu Homes board member. It is composed of two Origin modules, with considering the angle and layout precisely to provide maximum daylighting and protection from overheating. A guest cottage module are also provided separately, near the house.

Prefab concept was chosen to minimize the land disturbances and maximize the resources used in the construction. It took 8 weeks for the production period, and the eco construction was then sent to the site completely with all appliances installed. Some features were chosen from sustainable materials, including bamboo radiant floors, ash cabinetry, etc. Sustainable energy source is also provided by photovoltaic panels over the carport. Outdoor living space is provided to create a strong connection with the surroundings.

This sustainable home building provides a good example for prefab concept. Blu Homes itself has done a great job in realizing the concept of green architecture prefab house.

Sustainable Design of Prefab Joshua Tree Desert Home 1 150x150 Sustainable Design of Prefab Joshua Tree Desert Home by Blu Homes

Sustainable Design of Prefab Joshua Tree Desert Home 2 150x150 Sustainable Design of Prefab Joshua Tree Desert Home by Blu Homes

Sustainable Design of Prefab Joshua Tree Desert Home 3 150x150 Sustainable Design of Prefab Joshua Tree Desert Home by Blu Homes

Sustainable Design of Prefab Joshua Tree Desert Home 4 150x150 Sustainable Design of Prefab Joshua Tree Desert Home by Blu Homes

Sustainable Design of Prefab Joshua Tree Desert Home 5 150x150 Sustainable Design of Prefab Joshua Tree Desert Home by Blu Homes

Sustainable Design of Prefab Joshua Tree Desert Home 6 150x150 Sustainable Design of Prefab Joshua Tree Desert Home by Blu Homes

Sustainable Design of Prefab Joshua Tree Desert Home 7 150x150 Sustainable Design of Prefab Joshua Tree Desert Home by Blu Homes

Sustainable Design of Prefab Joshua Tree Desert Home 8 150x150 Sustainable Design of Prefab Joshua Tree Desert Home by Blu Homes

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Irvine Housing Blog

Open House Review: 31 Iceberg Rose

Posted: 27 Sep 2012 05:00 AM PDT

If you are interested in 31 Iceberg Rose, you’d better move fast. While I was there for today’s open house, I saw two different people writing offers. This former model is a short sale and, with a reduced price, it is finally seeing some seriously interested buyers.

The basics:
Asking Price: $460,000
Bedrooms: 3
Bathrooms: 2.5
Square Footage: 1750
Lot Size: n/a
$/Sq Ft: $263
Days on Market: 110
Property Type: Condominium, End Unit
Year Built: 2006
Community: Woodbury

HOA dues are $325 per month and there are Mello Roos taxes.

31 Iceberg Rose is a short sale that the owners originally tried to sell on their own. With an asking price of $570,000, there weren’t any offers. The price has since been reduced to $460,000, bringing it in line with recent comps.

While this is an end unit, I found it awkwardly situated. Instead of facing either the street or another row of homes, the front door of this unit faces the garages from a perpendicular row of homes. When you enter through the front door, the garage door is to your left and a staircase immediately in front of you takes you up to the actual home, which is all on one level. A coat closet is situated partway up the staircase.

At the top of the stairs, the bedrooms are all to the right and the great room is to the left. The great room has tiled floors throughout the living room, kitchen and breakfast nook. A large wall of built-ins anchors the living room. The house isn’t currently furnished and I had a hard time imagining it as a cozy room. A balcony off the living room has space for a small table and a couple of chairs, but the view is of the neighbors’ garages.

The kitchen is narrow, with an island separating it from the living room. It has granite counters, stainless steel appliances that include a four-burner stove, and attractive mocha-stained cabinets. While it does seem to have ample cabinet space, the counter space is limited. Because it is so narrow and not really a separate room, it feels very small. There is a breakfast nook off to the side that serves as the home’s only dining area. Down a short hallway, I found a laundry room, half bath, and a pantry.

The first bedroom off the top of the stairs is the master, though I didn’t realize that when I first walked in. The room itself is comparable in size to most secondary bedrooms and it wasn’t until I saw the bathroom that I realized it was the master. The bath features a separate shower and tub, two sinks, and two walk-in closets. The bedroom has a view of a park and pool.

The other two bedrooms are average sized. One has a walk in closet; the other has a standard closet and a small balcony. They share a bathroom with two sinks and a shower/tub combo. All of the bedrooms are carpeted. The bathrooms have tile floors and counters.

This home is in good condition and clearly has interested buyers, but the small master bedroom and kitchen and the cold-feeling living room were big turnoffs for me. However, if it suits your style, I would get all of your paperwork in order and call the realtor ASAP.

UPDATE: 31 Iceberg Rose is now pending.

Irvine Housing Blog

Irvine House vs Condo Numbers: September 2012

Posted: 26 Sep 2012 05:00 AM PDT

According to Altos Research, Irvine’s single-family housing market is similar to what it was the previous month. Altos gives Irvine’s single-family homes a Market Action Index of 22.03, which Altos defines as a buyer’s market. (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 has been on the market for about 115 days as of September 14, 2012.

Altos Market Action Index for Single-family Homes in Irvine
Altos Research

According to Redfin, 221 houses were on the Irvine market in June, and 168 condos were on the market. Following is more data from Redfin on Irvine’s August 2012 housing market:

Type	List Price/# Homes Listed	Sold Price/# Homes Sold	List Per SF	Sold Per SF	% Chg Y-O-Y Sold Price/SF
Houses
12-Aug	$960K/221	$710K/125	$380	$345	-0.30%
12-Jul	$949K/226	$760K/95	$382	$368	7.90%
12-Jun	$890K/251	$735K/103	$384	$356	5%
Condos				`
12-Aug	$525K/168	$427K/141	$338	$306	0%
12-Jul	$509K/181	$425K/115	$342	$306	-1.60%
12-Jun	$498K/202	$430K/152	$336	$313	-1.30%
All
12-Aug	$736K/390	$536K*/267	$362	$328	3.50%
12-Jul	$744K/408	$545K/211	$363	$322	0.30%
12-Jun	$720K/456	$515K/257	$363	$327	0.9%**

*The August 2012 median selling price was down 0.6% from August 2011.
**The May price per square foot was down 4.6%.

The following charts show Irvine’s inventory, median price per square foot of houses, and median price per square foot of condos, respectively.

Redfin
If you would like to see some housing numbers for each of Irvine’s neighborhoods, see my previous post “Irvine Housing by the Numbers – September 2012 Update.”

architecture 4 us

Santa Ynes Valley House, a Sustainable Home by Fernau + Hartman

Posted: 26 Sep 2012 12:41 AM PDT

Santa Ynes Valley House is a sustainable home designed by Fernau + Hartman for a client, located in the hills of the Santa Ynez Valley. The client is a couple of an artist and a real estate investor, and they need a small and energy efficient house which can beautifully mixed with the beautiful rural environement.

The eco construction is nestled in a hillside, notched into a small bench. It provides good connection with the natural environment surrounded, from each space of the house, with beautiful view. The house has two bedrooms, with separated guest house/studio, outdoor rooms, pool and barbecue area. The main volume covers dining/living space, oriented to east-west direction. The kitchen and master bedroom pierce this main building and extend out to form protected courtyards on the north and south.

This green architecture house’s sustainability is provided from both exterior and interior. From the exterior, this house uses native plants mixed partially using seeds from the site, which requires less intense irrigation. Sun shades are used to protect the house from over sun exposed. The orientation of the sustainable home building also provides advantages, especially natural ventilation, and maximal sun energy capture for heating water.

From the interior side, this house uses sustainably grown cork flooring, reclaimed Douglas fir decking, resin paper composite for cabinets and ecycled sunflower seed biocomposite paneling. All of these sustainable materials are used to provide green aspect. The clean lines and the white walls of the interior provide contrast color with the exterior which is more rustic.