PORTOLA HILLS LIVING by Kelly Turbeville

Can you believe it, the calendar has hit April!!  That means we are officially into the second quarter of the year.  In real estate terms this is when the selling season really begins to take off.  Here in Portola Hills, the first quarter started off slow.. inventory remained light from the new year on, but as of this post it has started to pick up with 5 new homes listed this week. Take a look at what sold so far this year! Portola Hills Homes Sales Jan-March 2015 With 5 new listings active this week, it always makes me wonder why homes sellers wait to sell later in spring when the competition is more.  The rule of supply and demand certainly prevails in real estate.  Low Inventory and High Buyer Demand make early spring the best time to get top dollar on your home. The good news for Portola Hills, it is a sought after neighborhood, offering a great school, great selection of homes from condo's to estates and best of all it is tucked away close to the Saddleback Mountai

Are you thinking about selling your home this spring...  Below is a quick list of issues that home sellers run into during the process.. Either over estimating or in under valuing the list price of their home. Failing to disclose material facts about their home that adversely affect desirability or value. Not properly staging their home. Not making their home easily accessible to agents to show. Starting out with an inflated asking price, not understanding the negative impact of later price adjustments. Emotionally overacting to an initial offer. Thinking that subsequent offers will be better then the first offer. Excessive conversations with the buyers and/or buyer’s agent. Letting small things in the negotiations or transaction become big things, while losing site of the bigger picture. Not using Kelly Turbeville to represent them!   Gotta have a little fun right ! I would also have to add, not strategically looking at the market and timing as to when is the best ti

Spring is typically the "Real Estate Season"..  for home buying and selling but did you know typically February is a key month in that strategy...  Why... When list your home in early spring you have the best opportunity to receive top dollar for it.  Inventory is low... Buyers Demand is High and today we all know interest rates are still at historic low levels... Starting in April/May when real estate data starts to hit the market Sellers think it is the best time to list.. It's the herd mentality... Hey look my neighbors house is sold... should we list ours and the signs start to pop up. Currently in the market we are seeing busy open houses, multiple offers and price increases.  If you are considering selling your Portola Hills home,  let's sit and create a strategy to ensure you take advantage of the best timing the market offers. Below is a look at what sold in last month compared to 2014.  The exact number of homes sold but the price per square foot for th

Can you believe it.... we are already in the second month of 2015..  The holiday hangover is over and home buyers are anxiously waiting for spring with anticipation of new beginnings.. January home sales are typically quiet and this year was no exception.   The number of homes that sold in Portola Hills was a total of five, exactly the same for 2014.. Below is a quick look of the homes that closed escrow in Portola Hills from January 1 through the 31st, 2015. Portola Hills January 2015 Closed Sales Wondering how this compares to January 2014... take a look below.   Portola Hills January 2014 Closed Sales Did you notice the difference pricing... This is why January and early spring is always a great time to sell.  Listing inventory is low... Buyers are anxious to move now that the holidays are over and with the lower interest rates, buyers have the ability to buy more for their dollars. Inventory typically starts to increase between March and May.. so if home se

I finally got a chance to pop in and see the new townhomes being built in the former Auto Center area in Foothill Ranch.   The community is part of what is being called The Village of Foothill Ranch, which currently includes the El Paseo and Camden Square  communities and is designed to be a walk-friendly neighborhood near the Foothill Ranch Towne Center. The El Paseo community is a gated mobile court townhome community with six floorplans ranging from a 1-Bedroom Carriage Units to a 3-Bedroom 1795 sq.ft townhomes.  Prices start today at $371,800 for the 1-Bedroom up to about $570,000 for the largest 3 Bedroom model.    What I liked about the floorplans is they are open, light and bright with nice finishes.. Of course always remember when you are looking at model homes some of those finishes you fall in love with are all upgrades.  But the overall standard finishes are nice and meet today's energy efficient needs and trends the millennial home buyer is searching for.   O

Can you believe 2014 is over?   I am still having trouble with the idea it being over, where did the time go.... In terms of real estate we did see a 16% increase in the number of homes sold.  In terms of pricing Portola Hills saw an increase of 7% overall.  Below is breakdown of the details... Portola Hills 2014 Year End Real Estate Report As we enter 2015 the overall market in South Orange County continues to be sellers market but as spring approaches both inventory and interest rates are projected to increase... which means it will become a more balanced market for the remainder of 2015.

So today as I review the Portola Hills Real Estate market for November... I just ate a fortune cookie and it said... Allow yourself time.. you will reach success.. What a perfect metaphor for November real estate sales in Portola. Comparing 2013 vs. 2014 activity was certainly up.  In 2013 had a total of 7 sales and 2014 there were 13 sales...almost double. If you look at the price per square foot was slightly up at $309 per square foot overall. The Portola Hills market has overcome the negative effects of the downturn.. Portola Hills November Sold Properties 2014 Portola Hills November 2013 Sold Properties If you look at our recent sold property at 28476 Sassetta Way in Portola Hills this is a perfect example of how the market should be performing...  Homes that are priced right, available and present well are selling successfully today!! Kelly Turbeville Sold 28476 Sassetta Way If you are planning a move in 2015... let's grab a cup of coffee and review a