Did you know that Johnson Brothers Xmas Tree Lot is right here in Irvine?

Not all Irvine homeowners know that the best place to get a Christmas tree is at Johnson Brothers Christmas Tree Lot, which can be found at 15500 Jeffrey Rd.

They're open daily from 9:00 am but they'll shut down for the holidays on December 23rd.

Among the Johnson Brothers trees are varieties like Douglas Fir, Grand Fir, Fraser Fir, Nordman Fir, Noble Fir and Scotch Pine, all of which are grown in the Pacific Northwest.

Whether your Irvine home needs a really small tree for a table-top decoration, or a huge large tree to fill up a formal living-room, you'll find the perfect tree at the Johnson Brothers Jeffrey Road lot.

Flocked trees are also available in traditional white or in pink, blue, purple, orange, or green.

While you’re checking out the lovely trees, remember to also get a wreath, centerpiece, or garland. And get a tree-stand installed prior to buying your tree, so all will be ready to go as soon as you get it home.

You can also get fire-retardant applied to your tree. Pick up a little bottle of preservative to keep your tree looking fresh for Christmas morning.

If you're too busy to get down to the Jeffrey Road lot in person, that's not a problem because Johnson Brothers can deliver to your Irvine property. Visit johnsonbros.net to see more options and choose your tree.

Take the Kids in Your Irvine Home to Pretend City

If you have kids in your Irvine home, check out Pretend City, a novel children’s museum. It’s easily accessed, just south of the junction of the 5 and 405 freeways at 29 Hubble. 

The museum has several interactive exhibits where kids can play and explore. The Imagination Playground is a favorite, with blocks that can be used to build a fort, a robot, or anything else a kid can dream up. 

There’s also Pretend City, with all the institutions and businesses found in a real city. Children can explore and learn about their world in the exhibits in Pretend City.

Pretend City is a great place to go when you need to get your kids out of your Irvine home. It’s open on Mondays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Babies up to 12 months old are free. Tickets for children and adults are $12.50.

Memberships are also available. Members can take advantage of members-only hours from 9 to 10 a.m. everyday. If you have a birthday boy or girl in your Irvine home, throw a party at Pretend City.

Learn more about this fun, child-oriented museum at pretendcity.org.

The Irvine Global Village Festival is tomorrow!

The 13th annual City of Irvine Global Village Festival will take place tomorrow Saturday, September 27, from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. at Bill Barber Park. 

Come hungry, and I hope to see you there!

Recognized as one of the best cultural festivals in Orange County, this day-long event features:

·       live entertainment

·       international cuisine

·       a kid’s village with crafts and activities

·       cultural and religious exhibits, and

·       an international marketplace. 

The festival is intended to promote meaningful cross-cultural interactions, and is a mosaic of food, music and dance performances representative of more than 50 cultures.

Festival admission and parking are free.

Food tasting tickets are available for purchase at the event with prices ranging from $1 to $5 for a sample-sized serving. 

Here are some things to do:

Walk for Unity (Pre-event Activity)

Join others for a pre-event “Walk for Unity" hosted by The Tiyya Foundation to bring Irvine’s community together in support of global harmony and celebrate cultural diversity. The 5K walk begins at the corner of Harvard and San Juan at 9 a.m. Check-in begins at 8:30 a.m. Please park your vehicle at the Woodbridge satellite parking lotand ride the shuttle to the Festival. The shuttle from Woodbridge drops off near the Walk of Unity check-in tent.

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Live Music & Roving Entertainment

Featuring artistic performances symbolic of Irvine’s diverse cultural community, the Festival’s entertainment line-up is a mosaic of music and dance from around the world. To keep up-to-date with Festival entertainment, follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, view and share images on Instagram (follow us at @irvinefestival).  

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Food & Drink

More than 50 local restaurants and gourmet food trucks serve up samples of regional and international specialties from Boba Smoothies, Miso Soup, Falafels, Mexican Fusion tacos and German pretzels to Japanese dumplings, Hawaiian shaved ice and the all American bacon-wrapped hot dog.    

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International Marketplace

Bustling with activity, the Festival’s Global Marketplace is overflowing with local, regional and international vendors offering unique gifts, crafts, artwork and textiles’ representative of Irvine’s cultural community and beyond.  

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Kids Village

The Festival’s Kids Village is a fanciful and vibrant destination for children, featuring kids-inspired music and dance performances, an inflatable play area, crafting, games and sports activities, plus “kid-friendly” food selections that appeal to our younger guests. 

Safety Suggestion: Free ID wristbands will be available at the Information Booth. include only your cell number on the wristband and NOT the child’s name. In the event you become separated, Festival staff will be able to contact you immediately.

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Demonstrations

Demonstrations Interactive, educational and entertaining – the Demonstration stage and the Martial Arts Arena highlights a diverse array of cultural arts and crafts, musical instruments, as well as dance and martial arts performances.       

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Exhibits

A showcase of cultural displays, the exhibitor area provides guests with an opportunity to learn about other cultures through interactive displays, costumes, artifacts, and art.   

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Tennis Demo

New in 2014! Visit tennis court #1 near the Kids Village to try your hand at tennis! Meet City of Irvine tennis instructors, learn about City leagues and lessons for juniors and adults, and bring the kids along for interactive demonstrations using the 10 & Under teaching method.

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Green Expo

Hosted by the City of Irvine’s Environmental Programs section, the Green Expo highlights sustainable and environmentally friendly services, products and practices for residential and business consumers. Stop by to view demonstrations and grab some free giveaways. Click here for detailed information about the Festival’s eco-friendly efforts.   

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World Religions – A Voyage of Discovery

The World Religions tent provides guests with an opportunity to explore, discuss and expand their spiritual knowledge through interaction with established faith-based organizations from the Irvine area. The focus of this attraction is educational – solicitation and/or recruitment of members are strictly prohibited. Click here to view a timeline of World Religions. 

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Community Partners

At the heart of the Festival is the Community Partners Pavilion, where non-profit, local community groups and government agencies have an opportunity to showcase their programs and services to the community.  

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Festival Welcome

Irvine is truly a diverse City and we are honored to welcome a number of consulates serving Southern California. Check the Festival program for "Welcome Ceremony" times and join us in greeting our special international guests.  

A car on fire outside my office window!

I arrived back at my office at Woodbridge Home Sales at about 9:00 am this morning, to see members of the Irvine Police Dept and the OC Fire Authority at work.

There had been a car fire literally outside my office window, and I had missed all the action! 

I spoke to the owner who said that the car had over 250,000 miles on it.

Imagine his surprise to get the call telling him to come downstairs....

One shouldn't expect to see many homes in "The Landings" on the market for sale, (usually they're snapped up pretty fast!), however, right now three are listed, (all in Landing I), including my listing at 12 Silverbreeze, a gorgeous home, priced at $1,375,000. 

Also Active are 4 Cottoncloud, an NOD listing, priced at $1,300,000, and 27 Earlymorn, still priced at $1,250,000, after 238 days on the market. This home failed to sell back in March 2006, (listed at $1,290,000, and it was relisted with the same Irvine real estate agent in May last year.

Just one Landings home is in escrow right now, and this is my latest Landing II listing at 20 Emerald. I listed this home on January 27th, and I sold it the next day! We close escrow at the end of this month.

Click on this photo to see some photos and info on 20 Emerald, Landing 2.

The prices of Woodbridge homes for sale right now, range from $286,499 for a 1 bedroom 750 square foot attached condo at 148 Echo Run, (standard sale), to $1,999,900 for a 4 bedroom 2,669 square foot detached LAKE FRONT condo at 12 Waterway, (also a standard sale). How nice that 148 Echo Run had a one dollar, ($1), price reduction on January 27th.

Right now, there are 35 Woodbridge homes listed for sale. There are 389 properties for sale elsewhere in Irvine.

29 Woodbridge homes are in escrow, (Pending or Backup Offers status), at a total list price a little under $18 million.

14 Woodbridge homes sold in January 2014, at prices from $360,000, (for a 2 bedroom attached REO condo at 152 Clearbrook), to $1,230,000 for 33 Foxboro, a 4 bedroom home in Landing II.

You need TWO stainless steel built-in BBQs in the back yard? No problem!

When I received the “swing by to discuss listing our house” call, of course I was excited. Not only because 12 Silverbreeze is in one of the most prestigious tracts in Woodbridge, Irvine, (The Landings), but also because I have a lot of experience in listing and selling real estate in both Landing I and Landing II.

My sellers spent about $100K upgrading their back yard alone... and it's gorgeous. Need TWO stainless steel built-in BBQs? No problem. And the outside fridge & sink are stainless steel too.

The rest of the outside area is just as appealing, for example, the outside fireplace, the brick, tile & slate hardscape, and the custom spa.

Like Brazilian Cherry Wood flooring? How about top-of-the-line appliances in a beautifully upgraded kitchen? Or stunning custom Travertine stonework in a master bathroom with a huge Jacuzzi tub? Well then, I think you’ll like this Landing I home for sale. See more at www.WoodbridgeHomeSales.com

This Woodbridge house is one of 46 Woodbridge homes for sale right now, and there are 496 properties for sale elsewhere in Irvine.

The prices of Woodbridge homes for sale right now, range from $308,400 for a 1 bedroom, 750 square foot attached condo at 148 Echo Run, (standard sale), to $1,999,900 for a 4 bedroom 2,669 square foot detached LAKE FRONT condo at 12 Waterway, (also a standard sale). Oh, by the way, 12 Silverbreeze, (above), is offered at $1,375,000.

29 Woodbridge homes are in escrow, (Pending or Backup Offers status), at a total list price a little over $16 million, and last month, (October), 26 Woodbridge homes sold, at prices from $329,000, (for a 2 bedroom attached condo at 17 Firwood), to $1,290,0000 for 23 Eastlake, (a 5 bedroom single family home).

Irvine market trends - biggest shift in 10 years

As a Woodbridge homeowner and Realtor, I’m excited to see that prices and sales activity have increased substantially. This is true in all areas of the Woodbridge market, including condo tracts like Lakeside and Seasons, and detached SFR tracts like Landing I and II.
These two Woodbridge listings of mine close escrow this month:

Speaking of the “Landings”, so far this year 11 homes have sold, (4 sides were mine), one is in escrow, and two are "active". That's up quite a bit from the 7 sales per year we saw each in 2012, 2011 & 2010. See details of Landing I and II activity here.

Many homeowners who were delaying listing their homes for sale a year or so ago, saw the improvement in the market, and are now cashing in!

Look at this chart. Active, (for sale), units have been climbing consistently in Irvine, (the green bars), but the Pending units have been dropping since May. “Pending” units are the ones that went into escrow each month. 

That said, unless the homes are marketed incredibly well, thereby maximizing their exposure, and the list prices are realistic, they will languish on the market.

You can see that 602 properties were active in September, and only 132 were in escrow. Just 210 sold in September.

The month of May saw the biggest market shift in 10 years!

Historically, as we enter the holiday season, many would-be sellers stall putting their homes on the market until the New Year. Savvy sellers are now seriously considering whether they want their house to be one of many on the market in January, (so they’ll have more competition), or whether to list in the last quarter of the year, when lower inventory creates more demand, which maximizes prices.