PORTOLA HILLS LIVING by Kelly Turbeville

The Seranado tract in the Portola Hills community of Lake Forest is a great community of paired homes.  What's a paired home, you might ask?  A paired home is 2 single family attached homes on a lot, owned by 2 separate homeowners vs. a duplex where 1 homeowner owns the entire property.   The Serenado community is a fairly small community of 166 homes and part of the Portola Hills II homeowners association. There are 3 floorplans: Rhapsody: 3 bedroo, 2.5 bath, 1561 sq.ft. 2 car garage Concerto:  3 bedroom, 3 bath, 1771 sq.ft. 2 car garage Symphony: 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath, 1891 sq. ft. 2 car garage These homes offer a wide range of amenities, depending on the floorplan, including fireplaces in the master bedrooms, open and bright structures with high ceilings. Depending on the location, many of the homes offer amazing views of either the Saddleback Mountains or Pacific Ocean with nice size yards. Serenado in Portola Hills In addition, as part of the Portola Hi

We took a little stroll through the Bella Palermo townhome complex in Portola Hills this morning.  This community is located on the corner of Malabar and Saddleback Ranch Road in Portola Hills. Bella Palermo in Portola Hills It is a serene community with 198 homes offered in 6 different floorplans. Residence 1: 2 bedroom, 2 bath, 940 sq. ft. with a 2 car garage Residence 2: 2 bedroom, 2 bath 984 sq.ft with a 1 car garage Residence 3: 2 bedroom, 2 bath 1085 sq.ft. with a 2 car garage Residence 4: 2 bedroom, 2.5 bath 1105 sq.ft with a 2 car garage Residence 5: 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath 1205 sq.ft with a 2 car garage Residence 6: 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath 1305 sq.ft with a 2 car garage Home amenities, depending on the floorplan include:  Central Air Conditioning, Volume Ceilings, Cozy Fireplaces, Private Fenced Courtyards and Built in Wine Racks. Association Amenities include:  Pool, Spa, Fitness Room, 2 Tot Lots, Clubhouse and is surrounded by miles of hiking and biking trails.

When I am working with home buyers they are often surprised that Portola Hills currently has over 15 different neighborhoods.  The mix of the these neighborhoods include both single family homes detached and attached homes.  Below is a breakdown of the individual tracts: Tract Name # of Units Details Antigua 192 SFR neighborhood with 4 floorplans, featuring 3-4 bedrooms, sized from 1930-2494 sq.ft.  2-3 attached garages Alderwood 185 SFR neighborhood with 5 floorplans featuring 2-4 bedrooms, sized from 1138-2050 sq.ft. 2 car attached garages Canyon Rim 108 Townhome complex features 4 floorplans with 2-3 bedrooms sized from 969-1378 sq.ft. 2 Car attached garages Canyon View 225 Townhome complex featuring 2 floorplans, 2 bedrooms, sized from 873-1038sq.ft. 1 car garage attached/detached Canyon View West 84 Townhome complex featuring 2 floorplans, 2 bedrooms, size

Montecido in Portola Hills is a townhome community located in the community of Portola Hills , in the city of Lake Forest , California.   The community consist of 300 units split into four floor-plans. Montecido Portola Hills As a previous resident of this complex and as a top Realtor for the area, I find this complex to be very appealing for homeowners and potential home buyers. In general the community is very well kept, Accell Property Management does an excellent job maintaining the community and the HOA fees are very reasonable. Amenities include:   Pool Spa  Tot Lot  BBQ Clubhouse Workout Room   The four floor-plans are very well designed and whether you are a single home buyer  or a family, there is a good selection of styles for you to choose from. Below is a breakdown of the models: Masestro Carriage Unit: 2-Bedroom, 2-Bath, 1015 sq.ft with Balcony Yard Bellaza Townhome: 2-Bedroom, 2.5-Bath, 1052 sq. ft. with Patio Yard Terrosa Townhome: 3-Bedroom,

We are putting together quite the event for Portola Hills residents.   Mark your calendar for 6/13/15, so you can join us and hear direct from Irvine Ranch Water District about the new restrictions and what they mean to Portola Hills Homeowners.   In addition to IRWD, we will also have Tributary Landscaping speak about the drought resistant plans they have for the new Portola Hills Development. Of course with all our events we like to have little fun so some fun giveaways are also planned. Space is limited so make sure to contact Kelly  Turbeville to reserve your spot!

I recently helped a lovely client purchase his first home.. It was a 1-Bedroom Condo in Mission Viejo, California.  As we were searching for his home, and when working with other home buyers, the question often comes up, "Should I buy a 1-bedroom", my answer back is always "why not?" Especially when working with first-time home buyers the question really isn't should I.. In South Orange County. 1-bedrooms average pricing is around $300k-$350k in today's market, so the real question comes down to affordability and should you buy now or wait.  Another important factor to consider is the average rent for a 1-bedroom in South Orange County is between $1800-$2100/month. When working with first-time buyers, it is important to take special care to review all aspects of the real estate transaction:  Affordability,  Economic Factors and their current "Place in life"..  Are they single, starting a family soon, settled in a career, etc.   Once these

Do you want to have input on the planning of the new 5-Acre park as part of the Portola Center and Portola Hills Community?  Mark your calendar for June 3rd at 6:30pm-8:30pm and you can have input on the overall design and amenities for the future of Portola Park.    The proposed park site will be located on the south side of Glenn Ranch Road near the Saddleback Ranch Road Intersection.   Workshop will be held at the Lake Forest City Hall at 25550 Commercentre Drive, Lake Forest Ca. Concourse Park Portola Hills Hope to see you there!!

May 2015 has come and gone.. It's the unofficial start of summer and the end of the spring selling season.   So what how did the real estate market perform for Portola Hills? During May 15 homes closed escrow in Portola Hills that is up from 9 in 2014. The average sell price for 2015 was $618,679 up from $528,833.  This makes the average sales price up 15% from 2014.   An interesting note as well is the days on the market.  The average days on the market for this last month was 46 days down from 67 days, a 30% decrease in the days on the market.  What is interesting the overall inventory 2014 was slightly less then it is today, which should have indicated less days on the market.   However what it shows is the market today is Hot, Hot, Hot!  Homebuyers are ready to buy, but inventory is extremely low, thus pushing up prices. Portola Hills May 2015 Sold Homes If you want to take advantage of the strong market as these home sellers NOW is the time to list your home