William "Bill" Gray
CA DRE #01346229
The 24 Hour Realtor: Toll Free (888)34-CASH5 or (877)520-5911
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It seems many areas of Irvine have been able to hold value better than most areas of Orange County. Some areas have even increased in value due to their location. The careful selection of a home or second home in Irvine must always take into account the Mello Roo tax rate, in addition to the traditional property tax structure. Homeowner Association fees can also spike your monthly payments. The key to selecting the right home in Irvine, CA, is to know your loan and monthly payment maximums. A good Realtor will keep the viewed properties within your price range, avoiding a situation where you may become overextended in your new home purchase.
Irvine Real Estate is one of the most desired areas in Orange County. Its primary appeals being the excellent schools, neighborhood safety, and proximity to major, upper echelon employers. The drawbacks of living in Irvine include: Restrictive Homeowners Associations (HOA) and higher tax rates via Mello Roos.
Irvine Planned Community
The layout of Irvine was designed by Los Angeles architect William Pereira and Irvine Company employee Raymond Watson, and is nominally divided into townships called villages.
Irvine Community Layout
The townships are separated by six-lane streets. Each township contains houses of similar design, along with commercial centers, religious institutions and schools. Commercial districts are checker-boarded in a periphery around the central townships. The design that ended up being used was based on the shape of a necklace (with the villages strung along two parallel main streets, which terminate at University of California, Irvine (UCI), the "pendant"). All streets have landscaping allowances. Rights-of-way for powerlines also serve as bicycle corridors, parks and greenbelts to tie together ecological preserves. The greenery is irrigated with reclaimed water.
Irvine Home Owners Associations
The homeowners' associations which govern some village neighborhoods exercise varying degrees of control on the appearances of homes. In more restrictive areas, houses' roofing, paint colors, and landscaping are regulated. Older parts of the Village of Northwood that were developed beginning in the early 1970s independent of the Irvine Company, have the distinction of being a larger village that is not under the purview of a homeowners' association. As a result, homeowners in the older Northwood areas do not pay a monthly village association fee; and its neighborhoods are generally not as uniform in appearance as those in other villages such as West Park and Woodbridge. However, the more tightly regulated villages generally offer more amenities such as members-only swimming pools, tennis courts, and parks.
Irvine Mello Roos and Assessments
In addition to association dues, homeowners in villages developed in the 1980s and later may be levied a Mello-Roos assessment, which came about in the post-Proposition 13 era. For homeowners in these areas, the association dues coupled with the Mello-Roos assessment may add significantly to the cost of living in the city.
The Villages Of Irvine
Each of the villages was initially planned to have a distinct architectural theme.
El Camino Glen
College Park
The Colony
Deerfield (mixed styles)
East Irvine
El Camino Real (Spanish/Neo-Eclectic)
Greentree
Irvine Groves
Irvine Spectrum (Contemporary/Moroccan)
Harvard Square
Heritage Fields
Laguna Crossing (under construction)
Northpark/Northpark Square (Spanish Mission)
Northwood (Bungalow, Craftsman)
Oak Creek (mixed styles)
Old Towne Irvine
Orangetree
Orchard Hills (Rural Craftsman/Spanish/Tuscan)
Parkside
Portola Springs (Spanish/Tuscan)
Planning Area 40 (Future Village)
Quail Hill (Spanish/Tuscan)
Racquet Club
The Ranch
Rancho San Joaquin (Shed style)
Rosegate (Spanish/Tuscan)
Shady Canyon (Tuscan Ranch)
Turtle Ridge (Tuscan)
Turtle Rock (mixed styles)
University Hills
University Park (California Modern)
University Town Center (mixed styles)
Walnut (Prairie Style)
West Irvine (California Modern)
Westpark (Italian Riviera/Mediterranean)
The Willows
Windwood
Woodbridge (Atlantic Coast)
Woodbury (Tuscan/Spanish/French)
Woodbury East (Spanish)
