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TG – no worries about influencing the area piece. Not sure how anyone could compare MH to Anza, but that makes at least the second time he’s been wrong on this thread alone. I just tend to ignore that.

TemekuT – appreciate the PM & insight!

Hey if you MH people happen to see something not yet on the mls that’s ~3000sf and a lot with a yard that doesn’t look at another house behind, let me know!! We’re ready to act as soon as we can find a decent deal on a great house.

Thanks all for the insights – it’s been a huge help!!!

Rob

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Temeculaguy, you must be a brother from another mother. It sounds like a country song, “She’s a little bit Nordstrom, I’m a little bit Home Depot.”.

My wife is really pretty grounded, but even she agrees that she’s powerless to resist the catnip of the model home. 🙂

I actually already wrote an offer on that Silver Rose house, only to find out it was previously under contract. 🙁

Oh, well, the good news is that we decided we love Morgan Hill, and that if we’re patient we really think we can get a great deal in a neighborhood we really enjoy. I had a hold on one of the new homes, and today made the call to release that hold back to the builder.

Thanks guys for the help!! We’re hanging in there – hope something decent with a decent sized yard and some moderate privacy comes on the market soon!

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Thanks all for the advice. I’ve done a bunch of research on recent sales, what’s currently on the market, and what’s in foreclosure process in the Morgan Hill area. The problem is that I can’t see any economic justification for a $455k house w/3400sf, even on a 10,000sf lot.

Anybody think I’m wrong on this? There are certainly a number of people out there buying them, but from what I can tell it doesn’t make much sense.

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[quote=TemekuT]I just returned from a week in New Bern NC. What a friendly place. I don’t care for the weather though.[/quote]

Holy cow, TemekuT, you are right! I thought I knew what “hot” was, moving from Temecula, but we found out quickly that combining “hot” with “humid” can make things miserable there! It’s great in the fall / winter / spring, but there are about 3-4 months in the summer that are tough!

TemekuT, do you have any thoughts about Paseo del Sol v. Morgan Hill? I saw you had some input a few years ago on some of the older Morgan Hill threads, and would appreciate your perspectives. Even though I lived in the area, the last 6 years have been crazy and it’s way different now!

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Paramount – so after living for 5+ years in Temecula, I moved to Charlotte NC in 2005 for the next five years. To be frank, I’m not sure you understand what a “redneck” really is. Plus, I find your sweeping generalizations about Morgan Hill (or any other area for that matter) pretty amusing. Even in the South, the home of actual rednecks, I met some of the most amazing, professional, and grounded people I’ve ever come across.

You might be surprised how cool many of the people you meet are, whether it’s in Temecula, San Diego, Charlotte, or Boston. It really depends on your attitude. Just my $.02.

[quote=pri_dk]I can’t say much about Morgan Hill – haven’t been over there in a while (I live in Crowne Hill.)

One day I was on a bike ride with the kids and checked out the models of the new places at Paseo Del Sol, across Butterfield Stage. They were nice but seemed very pricey for what you get.[/quote]

We looked at those as well. We do like the lower tax rate in Paseo, and the fact that it still has an HOA to help ensure people keep up their yards, etc. Do you remember which builder you looked at in Paseo?

[quote=pri_dk]Don’t underestimate the additional costs of buying new. Window treatments, garage shelving, landscaping, etc., it all adds up![/quote]

I totally agree re: those “hidden” costs. Plus you’d have to include landscaping on this one, since they’re not doing the back. 🙁

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Wow, I think we’ve set a record for derailing a thread!

Appreciate any other thoughts or considerations in our decision-making process regarding the “Estates at Morgan Hill” or about buying from a builder in this market in general.

Thanks all!

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Lol – WW. I have two boys, so there are days that I think strategically placed pee buckets could be just the right approach!

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Thanks all, especially TemeculaGuy, for the awesome insights!!!

[quote=temeculaguy]Are you trying to decide on Morgan Hill vs. other developments or specifically Standard Pacific’s Estates tract vs. other tracts in Morgan Hill?[/quote]

Right now, kind of both. I wasn’t sure of the impression of Morgan Hill in general since we’ve been gone – I had heard that it stalled a bit during the 08 timeframe. I appreciate the encouragement, as it seems that’s no longer the case. Also, the “Estates” development specifically seems very new, but with most lots >10,000 sf, it’s nice to have a bit more of a back yard.

[quote=temeculaguy]Morgan has a clubhouse nicer than most Marriots, multiple tennis courts, clubhouse that is wedding quality, pool tables, foosball, air hockey, kids art rooms and full schedules, yoga classes, and on and on. It’s always staffed, they let you check out basketballs, tennis rackets, even the pool floating noodle things. You don’t need to haul stuff there. fingerprint biometrics to enter, full gym and a pool that is epic and never crowded. But you pay, taxes are 1% +3k/yr and $110 for HOA…[/quote]

I don’t mind the HOA, and actually appreciate with the amenities that are included. Heck, you’d probably pay that much for a gym membership anyway. And having a pool and other amenities is awesome, as we have two boys (10YO & 8YO).

[quote=temeculaguy]…I kinda like it because it has a low ratio of monster trucks, but the hoa places tend to be nicer and stay nicer up here because the dirt people avoid them because of the restrictions on their toys so that’s not unique to morgan.[/quote]

I’m totally with you here. I looked at a few neighborhoods with several trailers and the like. Some seemed to have a lower pride of ownership as well. Nothing against anyone, just not our areas of interest.

[quote=temeculaguy]I gave a friend and his wife a tour of the morgan tracts last weekend. The dropped me off and went to the models for a few of the new ones without me so I haven’t seen them. I spoke to them afterwards and the prices seemed a little high, in the 400’s for the size they wanted and those were about 350k in the 2005-2008 built tracts as repos or resales, so it seemed high to me. [/quote]

I looked at the Morgan Hill Villas and the Estates at Morgan Hill, both by Standard Pacific. I really loved the larger lot sizes at the Estates – the one I was looking at was about 3500sf, $455k w/o the backyard, and on a 10,000sf lot with a bit of a view. Does that seem somewhat reasonable, or do you think that’s way too high?

[quote=temeculaguy]So my assessment is why pay 350k for a new house with no view or landscaping when for 250k you can get a view. I just think the new ones are priced too high, but they are selling. And truth be told, that 250k went pending instantly, my guess is that it went for 300k, if not more, that was a bidding war listing price, it’s fair price is 300-325k, but still, the view is awesome and I know the 3000k sq ft resales are going for 350k, so what makes a 2100 sq ft unlandscaped one worth 350k? Now my buddy said the stan pac ones had big yards and views and he said they were nice, so I can’t give an opinion until I go look at them personally.[/quote]

These might be the ones I’m looking at as well. Any thoughts on a 3500sf unlandscaped house on a larger lot/some view @ 450K?

We’re thinking that Morgan Hill could be a very good fit, as long as we don’t significantly overpay to get there. Also looking at Paseo del Sol, as it seems like a similar type of neighborhood (but maybe not quite as “high end”).

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Wow, guys, thanks for the info! It’s nice to hear that we’re not completely crazy for thinking about the area or about new construction right now. And I agree about Wolf Creek, it felt a bit uber-burban to me.

Also, Does anyone have any thoughts about Standard Pacific as a builder? Another areas or builders we should be thinking about in Temecula?

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Thanks for the response!

I’ve seen the prices come down almost 50% in the time since we’ve sold in 2005 and the current pricing. I agree that there might be some additional downside, but am really considering the alternatives of buying from a builder vs. buying a resale / REO / short.

Any thoughts on how much of a price premium is generally applied to builder / new construction purchases versus resale?

Also, any thoughts regarding the Estates at Morgan Hill or the builder would be a HUGE help!! I’ve been kinda out of the loop! 🙂

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I use a Mac and have a 500GB Time Capsule (also available in a 1TB). It wirelessly backs up every hour my entire computer, and I always have the ability to go “back in time” to find any file, photo, and even email that might have existed in the past. It can back up multiple computers (although I just use mine – my wife’s is primarily just email that is already back-up via our IMAP account).

Best of all, I never have to think about backing up anything – it all occurs automatically and without interrupting whatever I’m doing.

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I use a Mac and have a 500GB Time Capsule (also available in a 1TB). It wirelessly backs up every hour my entire computer, and I always have the ability to go “back in time” to find any file, photo, and even email that might have existed in the past. It can back up multiple computers (although I just use mine – my wife’s is primarily just email that is already back-up via our IMAP account).

Best of all, I never have to think about backing up anything – it all occurs automatically and without interrupting whatever I’m doing.

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I use a Mac and have a 500GB Time Capsule (also available in a 1TB). It wirelessly backs up every hour my entire computer, and I always have the ability to go “back in time” to find any file, photo, and even email that might have existed in the past. It can back up multiple computers (although I just use mine – my wife’s is primarily just email that is already back-up via our IMAP account).

Best of all, I never have to think about backing up anything – it all occurs automatically and without interrupting whatever I’m doing.

[HeadedHome]

I use a Mac and have a 500GB Time Capsule (also available in a 1TB). It wirelessly backs up every hour my entire computer, and I always have the ability to go “back in time” to find any file, photo, and even email that might have existed in the past. It can back up multiple computers (although I just use mine – my wife’s is primarily just email that is already back-up via our IMAP account).

Best of all, I never have to think about backing up anything – it all occurs automatically and without interrupting whatever I’m doing.

[HeadedHome]

I use a Mac and have a 500GB Time Capsule (also available in a 1TB). It wirelessly backs up every hour my entire computer, and I always have the ability to go “back in time” to find any file, photo, and even email that might have existed in the past. It can back up multiple computers (although I just use mine – my wife’s is primarily just email that is already back-up via our IMAP account).

Best of all, I never have to think about backing up anything – it all occurs automatically and without interrupting whatever I’m doing.

[Author]

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