PORTOLA HILLS LIVING by Kelly Turbeville

Residents are moving in.. to where you might ask?  The Portola Senior Affordable Apartments!  This has been a long time coming and the final buildout of the IronRidge community in Portola Hills, Lake Forest.   A little behind the scenes of this development.  When zoning changed in Lake Forest the owner of the land had the opportunity to move from commercial properties to residential.  There was a small group of us Portola Hills residence to who started a steering committee to try and ensure the development followed the wishes of the residents and stayed within natural aesthetic of lovely Portola Hills.  That was not always an easy task between builders and the city and honestly the residents, me included had huge concerns about this development.    Two areas, I am proud of is the Portola Park Dog Park , which was a suggestion of mine and then agreed upon with the city. This was a four million dollar project. This was needed as we only had 1 park in the area, Concourse Park and it was

Have you taken advantage of the City of Lake Forest BOGO to support local businesses.  It is such a great program.  Check out details here! In summary it allows you to purchase a $50.00 or $100.00 gift card and get a second one at the same value!  So you are getting FREE money.   There are over 80 local businesses in the city of Lake Forest that you can use the gift cards at!  Such a great way to support local businesses as well save on your purchases! Lake Forest BOGO Businesses If you have a business you still have time to add your business and with the holidays coming what a great way to bring in some extra business! I haven't seen this program at any other local cities, so I applaud the City of Lake Forest for keeping this program going!

As fall hits the calendar, we typically see a seasonal change in the real estate market.  Generally speaking it can be the best time to buy a home has homes that did not sell over summer, will start to see price drops and the hot selling season is over. That really hasn't been the case since before the pandemic however. Even this year, though sales volume is down, home sellers are still receiving top dollar for their home and in fact often times over list price.  That is certainly the case here in Portola Hills. Below is a look at how the Portola Hills real estate market performed in September, as you can see very strong.  We had a total of 8 homes sell and 7 went under contract.  The average days on the market is just 15 days.    Are you thinking about making a move but not sure if it is the right time for you?   Are you wishing you were living closer to family.   Did you know the number 1 reason people are making a move right now is just that, to be near family.   Search Availabl

Maybe it is my age, but it is certainly a trend I have seen this past year with clients.  They are deciding to leave Orange County and following their family to new locations.  With over 700,000 people leaving California this is more than a trend, I fear. Have your kids or family moved out of state?  Are you considering following them so you can be close to the grandkids or perhaps you just feel it would be more affordable? Relocating to be near your grandkids is a significant decision, and there are several important factors to consider to ensure a smooth transition and a fulfilling experience for both you and your family. Here are some key considerations: Proximity to Grandkids: Determine how close you want to be to your grandkids. Consider whether you want to live in the same city, within driving distance, or even in the same neighborhood. Family Dynamics: Have open and honest discussions with your adult children and grandchildren about your relocation plans. Make sure everyone is

Did you know there are over 200 original owners here in Portola Hills.  The community was started in the late 80's so that is nearly 40+ years of equity growth for those homeowners.  Especially with the median price of the area nearing $1 million dollars.   Most of those homeowners have very low mortgages or the homes are paid off, which provides them with a wonderful opportunity to leverage their equity into other rental properties.  Perhaps the original home could become or has become their first investment property. With rising rents, right now is an excellent time to perhaps take the jump to become a landlord.   Check out these 3 Mistakes we see first time investors make in the real estate market. 1.  Not doing a cash flow analysis. 🤑 It is easy to say, oh my mortgage is this, I can rent it for that and do the math.  But it goes much deeper than that, understanding your overall cost is critical step in planning. 2.  Not working with a real estate agent. 💁‍♀️ Truth, having a R

When I decided to get my real estate license... 20 years ago, it was super important for me to help clients find a home in an area they are going to love. I can't imagine living somewhere and spending so much time in an area that I didn't enjoy. Of course, things change and moves are made. But when considering a move, I really work with my clients to ensure they feel the energy of their new community. When I look back at my why I selected Portola Hills, I realize I actually manifested this area to live. I had looked at the area about a year before I moved. After one of those lovely breakups we have, I had to find a new place to live. I remember thinking, oh I loved that Condo in Portola Hills. 6 months later, I bought that exact model, it was the first home I bought. 9 years later, I felt the need to change, but even being in the business of real estate II had questions about if that was the right time to make a move. I then walked into an open house and knew.. I found my next

Are you ready to downsize but concerned with how you can afford it?   Has the house become too large and you would love to have a single level?   Would you like to move to active retirement community and be closer to your kids?   Good news for our Portola Hills clients, is you have gained some great appreciation of the years and did you know you could use that equity to purchase a home with a Reverse Mortgage.  What a great opportunity to get settled in your forever home! Buying a home with a reverse mortgage is a unique option available to older homeowners who are 62 years of age or older. A reverse mortgage is a financial product that allows seniors to tap into their home's equity without selling the property or making monthly mortgage payments. Instead, the lender provides the homeowner with funds based on the home's value and the borrower's age, and the loan is repaid when the homeowner no longer lives in the home, typically when they sell the property or pass away. Wha

The summer heat has hit Portola Hills and that is impacting the real estate market in a couple of ways.  First the Portola Hills community continues to remain strong.  Pricing remains high, with the average price of a Single Family Home in Portola Hills is $2,013,000 in June.  The price for an attached home was $671,500.  Sellers slightly received over their list price.  Below is our full report! Portola Hills Available Homes Currently there are only 1.5 months of inventory available, which continues to drive pricing.  Especially in Portola Hills as the majority of homes available currently are New Builds in The Oaks or IronRidge.   As with the overall OC real estate market, Sellers are staying put, as they do not see a need to make a move and are loving their low interest rates.  Home buyer demand is there and buyers are getting use to the higher interest rates but affordability is starting to impact purchases.  Thus why we see less homes selling currently.  Sales volume is down 32% i

One of the reason's we love helping our clients expand their real estate assets is the tax benefits it provides to their families.  Let's be honest, no one loves paying taxes and in a day with inflation taking a portion of every dollar, having the opportunity to reduce, avoid or defer taxes is a huge benefit.  Good news owning real estate provides you a valuable opportunity to do just that!   Buying a home doesn't just provide shelter.. It is key asset to help you build financial security and help reduce your tax liability. Here are ten common tax benefits associated with owning real estate: ✨Mortgage Interest Deduction:  ✨Property Tax Deduction:  ✨Depreciation Deduction:  ✨1031 Exchange:  ✨Capital Gains Tax Exclusion: ✨Home Office Deduction: ✨Rental Loss Deduction:  ✨Tax-Free Exchange of Partnership Interests:  ✨Energy Efficiency Tax Credits:  ✨Real Estate Professional Tax Benefits: Here is a bonus one you may not be aware of,  is to eliminate/defer capital gains is throug

It's that time again.  Each year we host an Annual Food Drive in the Community of Portola Hills to support the local community and the efforts of South County Outreach! It is super simple to participate.  See the list below of needed food items, simply text us with for pick up. We are picking up food the week of May 6th.  Last year we collected over 930 lbs of food!  We hope to beat that this year!  Reach out direct to Realtor Kelly Turbeville with any questions. FOOD DRIVE UPDATE:  THANK YOU PORTOLA HILLS, WE COLLECTED OVER 1000LBS OF FOOD TO SUPPORT SOUTH COUNTY OUTREACH!!   We couldn't have done it without your support! 

What a crazy year... the 2022 real estate market in Portola Hills started out insanely!  About mid-year, we started to see a shift in the market. Right before rates increased to 7%.  The market slowed, homes began to stay on the market longer but the average days on the market for the year was 23 days.  Homes that came on the market after July, sold but traffic and offers was certainly less, requiring sellers to be a bit more flexible with buyers. Comparing 2021 to 2022, there was 13% increase in value.   Sales Volume was down from 2021 with only 145 homes selling vs. 2021 where we had 184 closed sales, that equals a 22% decline in Sales. Portola Hills Homeowners equity position remains very strong in the New Year.  What is the Value of My Portola Hills Home Below is an overall summary for the community.   2023 is also starting off very strong.  Buyer's who missed out are still looking.  I had 11 people through my open house last weekend and we have several qualified buyers, search

Wondering how the Portola Hills real estate market has done so far in 2022.  Well, April was a record breaking month!  But are we at the height of the market?  We are certainly in a shifting market.  What is shifting?  Interest rates have increased to about 5% and projected to be be higher by years end.  Plus we have seen an increase of new listings, but we are still below "normal" levels.  As we enter the summer months (which is typically the slowest months in real estate) opportunities will improve for the home seller who is looking to move up or downsize.  As demand (buyers) are away and listings increase through May, this offers you the home seller the opportunity to sell at top of the market and buy with less competition.  We are starting to see more Seller concessions. Below is a look it how the Portola Hills real estate market performed in April. Search Available Portola Hills Homes As you can see from the above numbers, the community of Portola Hills had some record b

As we enter what is known as the "Selling Season" we are getting lot's of questions about what is happening in the overall market.  Is the market going to crash? How are Interest Rates impacting the market? Will more homes come on the market this year?  These are all good questions to ask, especially right now as we are starting to see a shift.  Yes, the sudden rise of Interest Rates has impacted buyers. But let's keep in mind, in 2018 the interest rates were about 5% and lot's of homes sold. Search Available Portola Hills Homes Let's take a look at how the Portola Hills market performed in March.  As you can see in the above report, the Portola Hills real estate market continues to remain very strong. Homeowners who sold in March, received about 10% over their list to sale price.  Homeowners in the Serenado Tract were pleasantly surprised to see this tract start selling over $1,000,000.   While pricing has certainly gone up, would it surprise you if  we tol

Congratulations to another KW client who just moved into the Portola Hills neighborhood of Serenado.  The Serenado community is a fairly small community of 166 homes and part of the Portola Hills II homeowners association. There are 3 floor plans: Rhapsody: 3 bedroom, 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 I wrote a blog back in 2015 with more details of this tract and since then homes have just about doubled in value.  Here is a look at the overall values today!  Right now, offers Portola Hills homes sellers in the Serenado tract and excellent opportunity to take advantage of their equity growth.  Whether you are thinking about selling and moving up or downsizing into your next home,  utilizing some of your equity to upgrade the home or leveraging it into an investment property, we are here. We will review with you if you can benefit from Prop 19, which allows you to take your t

 So have you heard the 22 real estate market is starting off with a bang!  Overall in Orange County we have the lowest inventory on record.  Currently there are about 1200 homes available for extremely high demand throughout the OC.  In Portola Hills, we have about a half a month of inventory available.  So what does this mean... In order for us to have a more balanced market for buyers and sellers, we would need to have about 6000 homes available.  For the market to turn to a buyers market we would need about 8000 homes.  As you can see with the current inventory of under 1200, listings are needed, which is an amazing opportunity for sellers.  Especially if you are looking to make a move up, because right now interest rates are still low and we know they are projected to increase throughout the year. RIGHT NOW, provides the opportunity to sell high and save $$ on your purchase! Below is a look at how the Portola Hills real estate market performed!  Enter our Valentine's Giveaway C

  We took a look at the current real estate market and we only have 1 wish for Santa this Christmas... More Listings please!!  Overall, in the OC inventory is at record lows.  We are entering unprecedented levels when it comes to the number of homes on the market and available to buyers.    So we anticipate the market to remain strong in 2022, but there are a couple of factors that you should be aware of... but first let's look at how the Portola Hills real estate market performed last month.  As you can see in the above report the Portola Hills real estate market is extremely strong.  Currently there are only 6 Active Listings and 27 properties under contract.  That means we have less than half a month of inventory for prospective buyers.  With the majority of those homes, being new homes in IronRidge and Portola Oaks. The 3 hottest neighborhoods that sold in November were: Montecido at an average price of $590,000 Serenado at an average price of $885,667 IronRidge at an average p

Are you wondering if you missed the height of the real estate market?  Are you hearing homes are not selling as fast and the number of offers has died down.  This is partially true, but it is not because the market is shifting to buyers market...  It is a seasonal shift.  Did you know July and August, typically are the slowest months of real estate in the OC.  Why, simply summer distractions!   For our monthly Portola Hills market recap, this month we looked at how the market performed the last 3 months, from July - September.  Take a peek at the numbers below:   As you can see in the above report, homeowners who decided to sell in the last 3 months received on average 103% to their list price.  Low Inventory and Interest Rates remaining below 3% is keeping the buyer demand high.  Homes priced right are still selling quickly for over asking price.  For our clients this year we are averaging about 112% of list price.   I would caution sellers to simply list their home over the last home

June was a busy month in the real estate market and Portola Hills was no exception;  Just in time, before we see the market begin to shift with summer distractions no less.  Ready for this figure, homeowners who sold in June, received an over $700,000 in extra profit.   That is amount of money they received over the list price.  Unfortunately not all seller's had these results, surprisingly there were sellers who sold below market value as well.  Below is a snapshot of the how the Portola Hills real estate market finished in June.   If the home was priced right, presented well and available to see, most homeowners should have received multiple offers.  However, we did see in June a few homes sell below market and/or reduce pricing.  With the low inventory and high buyer demand this makes me wonder how strong the negotiations were.  In this market it is critical to work with an agent who's strength is in negotiations and will ensure your best interest are being looked after.  B

 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 took a look at the Portola Hills real estate market and in one word, CRAZY! Sales volume is up, values are up, inventory of available homes is way down! Even at the new communities there is low inventory of available homes.  That means, Sellers can pretty much ask what they want for their home and if it is priced right, buyers are coming with aggressive offers.  As you can see from the above, values are up about 24% from the same time period last year.  That was right before Covid, landed on our doorsteps.  Who would have thought, we would see such strong growth during a pandemic.  Search Portola Hills Homes Buyer's have an insatiable demand for homes right now and want to take advantage of the low interest rates.  They are open to competing for the right home, and removing contingencies, etc. to ensure their offer is at least in consideration.  However, the offers are so strong, Seller's aren't even countering as they have a number of good offers to choose from. Ready