PORTOLA HILLS LIVING by Kelly Turbeville

We recently had the pleasure of helping a resident find a new home....sadly it wasn't in Portola Hills.  But they found a lovely home in Laguna Hills that fit their needs perfectly and we wanted to share in case you are in the search for something similar.. The buyers criteria had two main must haves for their new home... First... it had to be a single level and second include a pool and of course priced in their price range of under $700k.  I will admit not the easiest task in South Orange County.  Single level homes with pools are hard to find and with the median price range over $727k, to find one as lovely as this was a great find.    The 3-Bedroom, 1742 square foot home was located on a private cul-de-sac street and recently upgraded throughout.   25011 Carol Ln. Laguna Hills Details included: Distressed Wood Flooring, Travertine Tile, Custom Lighting, Remodeled Gourmet Kitchen with Stainless Steel Appliances, Granite Counters, Farmhouse Sink, Fireplace in the L

If you haven't heard... El Nino is on its way to SoCal.  Actually it is already here, just the rainy part is projected to start and consistently happen from January through March and as you know Portola Hills and the Canyon areas of the South Orange County can get hit hard with rain and wind.   Personally I knew in the back of my mind, I needed to do some maintenance around the house.... but with no rain in site... yes I procrastinated.   Well today as I was having new satellite service installed, I looked up to see a lovely site (ugh) one of my eaves is having an issue.. Water, Termite, Clogged Gutter, not sure what... but what I know for sure... It is time to prepare for El Nino...   Over the last few years with the drought, things we didn't really have to worry about are about to hit us all. As I was thinking about my house,  I pulled together the following list of items to consider as you prepare your home for El Nino 5 Quick Home Maintenance Tips to do before El N

Are you crazy... we have too much going on with the holidays and such to put our house on the market, plus who would be out shopping for homes anyways..? Yes.. we often hear this sentiment when we are speaking to clients who know they want to sell soon but can't imagine it would be beneficial at this time of year.    But in reality, late fall/winter is a perfect time to sell your Portola Hills home. Check out our report on 5 reasons why listing your right now may actually be the best option for you. 1.  Demand Is Serious and Strong: The buyer pool is South Orange County continues to remain high and out pace supply. These buyers are ready, willing and able to buy.. and are in the market right now! 2.  There Is Less Competition:  Housing supply is still under the historical number of 6 months supply, currently less then 3 in Orange County, which means there are not enough homes for sale to satisfy the number of buyers in the market. This is good news for home pri

Portola Hills Sunsets We have officially entered into Fall in Portola Hills... Halloween has just passed and Thanksgiving and Christmas are just around the corner. But I have to say Fall is my favorite season in PH...  Why the weather begins to crisp up, the house is decorated cozy and I can put on a nice pot of soup or something else yummy.  It just feels "homey" time to me!!  For the real estate market, this is the time of year it starts to quiet down... Why? Well pretty much for the same reason I noted above, people tend to be connected to the home this time of year.   So how did the real estate market perform in the first month of fall 2015.   Seven homes closed escrow in the area. Take a look at the homes that sold below. Portola Hills Sold Homes October 2015 I am always asked how does this compare to 2014.   As noted, in 2014, the number of sales was one higher but the mix was much different.  Which is going to affect the average or median pricin

The Montecido complex located in the city of Lake Forest in the community of Portola Hills is a lovely townhome community that offers 2 and 3 Bedroom spacious floorplans. In addition many of the homes have good size yards with views. This is always a popular complex for condo buyers who are looking in the south eastern area of South Orange County. In terms of sales there has been 14 homes sold so far this year.  Below is a listing of the Montecido homes that have sold so far in 2015... Montecido Portola Hills 2015 YTD sales As you will note the lowest priced home was a 2 Bedroom, 2 Bath Carriage Unit which sold for $327k earlier in the year.   The highest priced home recently closed escrow at $467,500 and it was the largest model a 3 Bedroom, 3 Bath, 2 Car Garage plan. The median price per square foot is $337k, comparing this to 2014 it is up 1%. The median price for the Montecido complex was $333 in 2014 for the same time period and 17 homes sold. 

As I write this post the feeling of fall is in the air.  It's a cool 70 degrees out.  A welcome relief, I believe from the hot September we had.   It is also the perfect metaphor for the Portola Hills real estate market.   Don't forget to enter our Fall Door Decorating Contest!!  In September there were 12 homes sold in Portola Hills, that is up from 8 in 2014, which is a 34% increase in volume.   So you can say the market in September was pretty hot... just like the weather.   Below is a look at the homes that closed escrow in the community.  September 2015 Portola Hills Real Estate Sales As we enter October, we should certainly see the number of sales fall i.e. decrease.  This is typical for the fall.  Homes begin to stay on the market longer, though buyer demand is still strong, people tend to want to be settled in their new home before school starts and the fall/holiday festivities begin. That doesn't mean fall is a bad time to list your home. Homes

Who is ready for Fall!  With this week being the official start of Fall 2015, I thought it would be fun to put together a Portola Hills Community Contest to celebrate the season.  Well maybe secretly I am hoping it will bring some cooler fall weather along with it! It is simple.. Decorate your Front Door, send us a picture and we will randomly pick the winning entry just in time for Thanksgiving!! The grand prize is a $50.00 grocery card.   Contest runs from 10/1/15-11/30/15. Portola Hills Fall Door Decorating Contest - Sponsored by Kelly Turbeville Terms apply... Contact Kelly direct for directions on how to enter. Open to Portola Hills residents only.  Participants agree photo will be shared publicly.