PORTOLA HILLS LIVING by Kelly Turbeville

Are you looking for a view home that is upgraded, in a great neighborhood with awesome schools.  You will want to stop in on Sunday August 2nd to check out this listing! Open House 19522 Highridge This Serenado paired home is an exceptional value, listed at $634,900 and offers 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, 2 car garage and did I mention the views!! Waking up to the sunrise over the Saddleback mountains is pretty special as is ending your evening with a glass of wine and enjoying the serenity of such a beautiful view! The Serenado tract is located in the community of Portola Hills in Lake Forest. Walking distance to the Portola Hills Elementary which is a noted distinguished school.  Low tax rate with Mello Roos and low association of $135/month, which includes access to the Portola Hills II association Pool, Spa,  Gym, Clubhouse, Tennis, Volleyball and access to Whiting Wilderness Ranch . Can't make open house, don't hesitate to give us a call to schedule a showing! 19

One of my favorite things to do in the summer time is to pack a picnic, grab a blanket, grab a friend and head out to one of the many Summer Concerts nearby and enjoy a variety of music..  Nothing fancy, just my favorite foods and friends and good music!! We have put together a list by area of upcomming concerts... Make sure to check with the individual cities for final dates, etc.  In many of the cities food trucks and other events are also scheduled during the show.. So it is great time to get out and enjoy the beautiful community South Orange County has to offer Aliso Viejo - Held at Grand Park Sunday, July 26th  -  Desperado (Eagles Tribute) Sunday, August 9th - Kelly Rae Bank (Pop/Country Rock Sunday, August 23rd - Flashback Heart Attack (80′s) Sunday, August 30th - Stone Soul (60′s/Motown) For more information visit the  Aliso Viejo Community Association Baker Ranch: Held at the Arbor Friday, Aug 21st - A peaceful Easy Evening - (Eagles Tribute) For mo

Summer is in full swing here in Portola Hills and so is the Portola Hills Real Estate Market.   Foot traffic at open houses has been crazy... buyers are out and about.. why inventory is low overall in Orange County averaging about 21% decrease in listed homes from this time last year!!  Below is a quick look at the homes that closed escrow in Portola Hills last month!! June 2015 Portola Hills Sold Homes As will note the lowest priced home sold for $335,000 and it was a 2 Bedroom Canyview Condo.. The highest priced home was a JM Peters Estate home that sold for $1,100,000.The median price for the area is $454k and the days on the market are less then 30 at 24!!  What does this indicate?  Portola Hills is a sough after neighborhood for home buyers!!    Homes priced at fair market value, presented and marketed well are receiving multiple offers.   I do see some price discounts happening in the market which is a bit surprising with the low inventory.  Honestly not sure why

I wrote an article earlier in the week about the Highest Priced Homes sold Year-to-Date in Lake Forest and wanted to share with my Portola Hills peeps a bit of the details.. I pulled a pretty basic search out of the MLS, homes sold over $900k in Lake Forest.  I was actually pretty surprised by the results.. Where was Foothill Ranch?   What about the homes sold around the Lake??  All good questions if you are familiar with the area...  The biggest surprise was highest share of homes sold for over $1 million were in Baker Ranch with Portola Hills coming in 2nd. Below is a look at homes sold. Lake Forest YTD Most expensive homes sold Baker Ranch is a lovely new community.  NEW is the key!  We all love to look at new homes; when you walk in you feel refreshed, inspired, wowed, etc.  Does that feeling account for a 17% increase in the price per square foot?  Obviously as this report suggest 6 of the homes sold were in Baker Ranch.  As well, overall in Orange County we find 2

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