PORTOLA HILLS LIVING by Kelly Turbeville

Today I took a stroll through the Crown Point neighborhood in the community of Portola Hills in Lake Forest, California.  This is a quaint community of 58 Single Family Detached Luxury Estate homes. Crown Point Estates in Portola Hills I like this community for many reasons, one reason, it's small and located on two wide culd-a-sac streets that offer amazing views of either the Saddleback Mountains or the Pacific Ocean.  Check out our quick video of the neighborhood.     The community was built in the early 90's by Richmond American Builders. Many of the homes have been updated to today's standards, they have four spacious floor plans and is part of the Portola Hills II Homeowners Association, which includes exceptional amenities such as Sparkling Pool, Spa, Playground, Tennis, Volleyball, Gym, Clubhouse and more.   Floor plan Details include: P lan 1:    5 Bedrooms, 3 Baths, 2 Fireplaces, 3 Car Garage and 2948 Sq. Ft Plan 2:    5 Bedrooms, 3 Ba

Rental market in Portola Hills?  You might be thinking wait there are not any apartments in Portola Hills, so how many rentals can their be.   Did you know there are over 280 rental properties in Portola Hills.  So far in 2015 33 residences have rented*. In 2014 a total of 38 residences were rentals, below is a summary of what has rented so far this year.. Portola Hills Rentals Breaking the above data down, shows the average rent in Portola Hills was $2477 and that was for 1463 square feet.  Overall the price per square footage is at $1.79 per square foot. This is 7% increase from 2014, where the price per square foot averaged $1.67.   This increase is pretty consistent with the rest of Orange County.  A report in the OC Register in July noted pricing overall in the County increased 6.9%. When working with tenants I find they are drawn to Portola Hills for the same reason homeowners are, it's a nice residential area, low crime,  centrally located within Orange County w

I was taking a stroll through the Portola Hills neighborhood this morning and I love seeing some of the new landscaping residents are putting in to deal with the drought.   This is certainly needed and the Realtor in me always smiles as curb appeal is key in your homes value. Curb Appeal by Kelly Turbeville Why is curb appeal so important to homeowners? We all know first impressions are everything.. right!  Doesn't it make you feel good when you walk up to your house and see how great it looks.  Have you ever walked up to a house with poor curb appeal? Now jump ahead and imagine that feeling if you were a home buyer... Does your home need a little updated curb appeal.... Here are 10 Low Cost and Quick Updates, you can do this weekend! Clear the way .. The path to your front door should be wide, think of two people walking shoulder to shoulder. Cut back any overhanging plants or encroaching shrubs. Lite the route.. Landscape lighting is a quick and easy wa

We have seen the grading and knew it was coming but we are getting closer to the new development, The Oaks in Portola Hills is becoming reality!!   The developer for The Oaks is Baldwin and Sons under the Portola Center project with the City of Lake Forest. Though homes are not expected to be released until early 2016, below is some basic information on the new development per my visit with their sales associates. This neighborhood includes 309 Luxury Estate Homes Home Square Footage ranges from 2692-5200 There will be 8 separate home designs with 1 single story design The community will be gated and will include a pool and basic HOA amenities. Initial HOA is $350 and at final build out is estimated at $250/month Tax rate is projected to be 1.2570% Property addresses will be Lake Forest Estimated 1st release early 2016 Overall this is a great addition to the Portola Hills neighborhood the current estate homes maximum size is 3700 sq.ft.  Upgraded homes with views are

This past July was a busy one for the Portola Hills real estate market.   Home sales were up 20% and hold on tight the median price for homes sold was up 35%. .  Plus in the last week of July, 6 homes opened escrow!! So why the craziness, you might Ask!  A couple of things!! Inventory is very low with all of Orange County only at 1.5 months! Buyer demand is extremely high and buyers want in before projected  interest rates increase later this year!  It's Portola Hills.. The community is sought after for not only its location, the schools are good, views are spectacular, etc. However,  the big difference here is the mix of homes that sold! This year more higher-end larger homes took advantage of their equity position and decided to sale!! Take a look at the mix of homes that closed escrow this year vs. last. July Portola Hills Real Estate Sales It will be interesting to see if this trend continues!! My crystal ball might be fuzzy.. But I would project with t