PORTOLA HILLS LIVING by Kelly Turbeville

Who likes to really do laundry?  Do you think if your laundry room was beautifully designed,  organized  you would like the chore more?   I don't know about you but one of my least favorite things to do is laundry and my laundry room shows that I don't have much love this chore.     However, recently  while I was previewing homes with a buyer, a wife commented she loved this one house, but wouldn't buy it cause the laundry room was awful.   It didn't have anything to do with size, the style of washer and dryer it was all about the aesthetics. The next house we looked at was just the opposite, the house wasn't great but the Laundry Room was beautiful. Guess which house the buyer wanted to put an offer in on.. you got it #2.   Why was the room so important... she felt it was a task she didn't really like, but she said she felt much more calm and about it when the room was beautiful. When I work with sellers, I will be honest as I preview the home to mak

I don't know if you are as shocked as I am that we have officially closed the 1st Quarter of 2016.   We are just about mid-month into April and many have taxes on their mind.  Is a move this next year beneficial for tax savings? The first quarter of the year typically is a bit quieter up until tax time. Then we tend to see the spring surge in inventory come on the market.  Will that be the case for the rest of spring... The market certainly needs more inventory so I hope so Homeowners who chose to sell their Portola Hills home in this last quarter saw significant price gains.   Below is a look at the entire area along with the gains split out for attached and detached homes. Portola Hills 2016 Real Estate Sales Jan-March Portola Hills 2015 Real Estate Sales Jan-March Comparing 2016 vs 2015 the number of sales was down slightly with 23 sold in 2015 and 21 sold in 2016.   The median sales price in Portola Hills is up about 15% from 2015.  The lowest price

Spring in Portola Hills is probably one of my favorite times of year.  The weather is just perfect.  Cooler mornings and evenings, keep the green on the hills.  As well the sunsets this time of year are just beautiful. Of course one of the other aspects I like about spring is the real estate market starts to heat up after a couple of quiet months.   However, in Portola Hills march was still pretty quiet, but so was the rest of South Orange County.  Inventory overall is very low throughout the county. Below is a snapshot of the Portola Hills Market: As you will note there was a significant up tick in the median sales price.  It is always important to note the mix of homes sold during this time last year was a balanced mix of both condo's and single family residence. This March the mix was all single family residences.   The lack of condo sales is a true indication of the low inventory.  In Portola Hills the average condominium sells between $375,000 to $500,000.  

We just sold this lovely 3 bedroom Serenado Paired home in Portola Hills to our buyers.  Thought it would be interesting for our readers to understand why they picked this house...  Why our buyer liked it.... Great open floorplan, rare 3 full bathrooms, larger kitchen, office nook, 2 car garage and a great entertainers yard.  Were just a few reasons they liked it.   19532 Dorado Dr, Portola Hills The community amenities were high on their list as well.  Low HOA, Low Tax Rate and no Mello Roos.   This home in Portola Hills falls under the Portola Hills II Homeowners Association which includes a Pool, Spa, Clubhouse, Gym, Sauna, Tot Lot, Volleyball and much more.  In addition it located walking distance to Portola Hills Elementary School and Whiting Ranch. If you are looking for a similar home, make sure to contact us today to be put on our waiting list .  These homes are very popular and sell fast.  

Renting in Foothill Ranch, we can help!  When people think of Realtors they often do not think we also handle rental properties. The first thought is we Realtors just handle sales in real estate.  However a professional agent will handle rentals in several instances, i.e. buying investment properties for investors, handling the rental transaction with a tenant. Possibly even property management of the property, if licensed to do so. Even if agents do not handle rental transactions, it is important for agents to understand what the rents are in the area.   This week,  I took a quick look at the Foothill Ranch Rental Market.    Below is a snapshot by category of the average rents in the area.  It is important to note these are for properties owned by an individual and rented out not an apartment complex. Foothill Ranch Single Family Rentals 2015 In 2015 there were 33 Single Family Homes rented in Foothill Ranch with the average rent being $3064 for 1993 square foo

I was searching for a home in Portola Hills for a potential home buyer today and wow it is certainly moving along at a fast speed this month.  Currently there are only 3 homes available for sale in Portola Hills.    On average monthly there are about 10 homes for sale.  I put together this quick market snapshot video to give you an idea of what is happening in the market.    If you are thinking about listing your Portola Hills home this spring or summer you might want to move up that move... The low inventory is providing sellers the opportunity to receive top dollar for their home.   Now of course, today's home buyers know what they are looking for, so if homes are over market price and not presented well then home sellers may run into issues.  But homes priced right, presented well and marketed are bringing in multiple offers. Ever wonder why that home hasn't sold yet as you were driving down the street? The first step in making that move is understanding

Here in South Orange County, we have several new communities popping up. Locally we have  Baker Ranch ,  The Oaksat Portola Hills ,  Skyridge in Mission Viejo ,  Camden Square inFoothill Ranch  just to name few.   This is good, as resale inventory is very tight.   However, it is also an area that Home Buyers often do not think they can use a Realtor to assist them with finding a home or to negotiate terms.   Buyers often will pop in as they are driving around, fall in love and then maybe contact their local agent once they decided or have placed and offer.  The problem here is it is too late.   If you have already visited the property and registered most new home complexes will think of you as their client and will not let you use a agent.   Below are some tips of why it is a good idea to use an agent when looking at new homes: 1.   The Overall Real Estate Market:   Though new home pricing is going to be typically higher than resales, understanding the market trends is k