PORTOLA HILLS LIVING by Kelly Turbeville

 It's our favorite time of year! We are hosting out Annual Portola Hills Food Drive to support South County Outreach.  Each year, the community does an amazing job collecting food for those who need it most.   We are super excited this year to coordinate the Portola Hills drive with our entire real estate team at Keller Williams Spectrum Properties in honor of Keller Williams Red Day.   Since May of 2009 our entire KW Family, from the U.S. and Canada to our family abroad, sets aside the second Thursday of the month to Renew, Energize, and Donate within the communities we serve.  GPS real estate group and Keller Williams Spectrum Properties took this a step further and are hosting a Red Month. From now through May 7th we will be collecting food to support the community.  Below is a list of food, we are collecting.  Donate Here If you would like to support the food drive, it is super simple.  Text me at the above number or you can click the donate here.  I will be collecting food Ma

We bet you're happy 2020 is behind us!  What a crazy year, is all we can say!  We hope that you and your families were not impacted to harshly by it.  We took a look at how 2020 impacted the Portola Hills Market and all we can say is, who would have thunk (yes thunk) the real estate market would have been so strong!  I guess all that time at home, sparked buyers ideas that it is now time to move!  Did you make a move, or think you would like to? Below is a snapshot of how the Portola Hills Real Estate market performed for the the entire year!   What is the value of my Portola Hills Home? Overall the Portola Hills real estate market was very strong with 18% in sales volume from 2019, with 172 homes sold in 2020.   The most expensive home sold in the community was for $1.8 million in The Oaks and the least expensive was $335,000 in the Canyon View community.   Home values were up in both single-family and attached homes, but we have to look at this with an objective eye, as many of t

The Portola Hills community has a variety of condominium and townhome  communities, ranging in price from about $400,000 - $575,000, these include Montecido, Bell Palermo and Canyon View.  In addition, in 2019 two new communities came to the community in the Ironridge community, Copperleaf  and SilverOak  that are priced from $600,000-$750,000.  Looking at what sold in 2019, this segment of the market in Portola Hills was strong,  but looking at pricing it trailed what is happening in other cities in the valley.  Below is a comparison of what homes sold for in the Portola Hills, Foothill Ranch and Rancho Santa Margarita and overall values. Community:           Style:                  Sq.Ft.           Price :            Days on the Market Portola Hills        2Bed/2Bath          1063          $443,589              54 Foothill Ranch    2Bed/2.25Bath     1124           $471,352              51 RSM                   2Bed/2.35Bath     1192           $479,822              55

How does the saying go, "that's it folks"!  2019 is over, as is the last decade, or is it? We took a look at the real estate market in Portola Hills for the year and below you will find a quick recap of how the market performed.  Overall the market was very strong with record breaking pricing.  The highest priced home sold in The Oaks community at just over $1.8 million. Below is a look at the overall market. Pricing and sales volume were up overall. While this price will help drive pricing up in the community, we are now competing with communities such as Baker Ranch, Irvine and Coto. Resale homes have a bit of a harder task when competing against new builds.  As buyers like pretty new homes.  So when they are up on the hill and looking at both, your home needs to be priced right, presented well and marketing to the right buyer to capture those buyers.  Certainly IronRidge and The Oaks brings buyers up the hill, so homes on the market should be getting very

I am super excited to introduce our newest team member and neighbor to Portola Hills, Realtor Nancy Bishay.  Nancy is a former teacher who has moved to the area and will be working with our team at GPS real estate group at Keller Williams in our new Lake Forest office. If you are thinking of a move, you will now have a successful team behind your home sale.  We have been selling homes in the area since 2004 and is the only Real Estate blog dedicated to our clients.   Our strength in understanding what Portola Hills home sellers and buyers want is unsurpassed.  We are happy to further build this strength with Nancy's help!! Contact Nancy direct at NancyBishay.kw.com

The Portola Hills community in Lake Forest has seen a huge change on the real estate landscape with the addition of several new home communities. The Oaks and Iron Ridge are in full sales, with The Oaks beginning to sale in late 2017 and the Iron Ridge early 2018.   These new additions are selling well.  The Oaks would be considered luxury properties with the square footage ranging from 2600 square feet to over 5200.  Comprised of seven distinct neighborhoods, all within a private gated community featuring tree-lined streets and premium views, outdoor recreational spaces within our community including a Central Neighborhood Park and Swim Club, a large 5-acre public park with recreation and sports fields and three neighborhood parks.  Iron Ridge , the newest community is comprised of six distinct neighborhoods, ranging from Townhomes to large Single Family, ranging in size from 1100 square feet to over 3800 square feet. Each residence offers superb craftsmanship and spacious e

Did you know June is recognized as Homeownership Month.   Do you remember that feeling when you bought your first home, or are you dreaming of such.   There is no doubt homownership offers an array of benefits both tangible and intangible.  It that why it called the American Dream!  Below is a quick look at some facts that about the benefits of Homeownership. • 86 percent of current renters want to own a home in the future. • Homeowners bring stability to neighborhoods. Homeowners move far less frequently than non-owners, and hence are embedded into the same neighborhood and community for a longer period. • The average child of homeowners is significantly more likely to achieve a higher level of education and, thereby, a higher level of earnings. • While both homeowners and non-owners may aspire to be engaged parents, homeowners likely live in neighborhoods with more opportunities for school involvement or participation in neighborhood activities. • Homeowners