Some Ladera Ranch Questions (San Clemente, August: HOA fees, insurance, condos)

[VeronikaW]

So, my husband and I are going to buy a house in the next 12 months, probably June 2011. One of the places I'm enthralled by is Ladera Ranch, possibly because it reminds me of the neighborhood we just left in WA.

I have a question. I notice in some of the home listings that Internet is part of the HOA fee. Where we just lived every house in the neighborhood had CAT5 wiring in every room of the house, and the neighborhood had it's own private fiber optic network. Does Ladera have something similar? That would be amazingly awesome, because right now we have Cox and it sucks compared to fiber optic.

I also notice that almost every listing has 2 different sent of HOA fees. One is pretty consistently $165/month and the rest vary from another $150/month to well over $200/month. I'm just wondering if anyone can fill me on what those HOA fees cover. It looks like HOA fees can run about $400/month there which seem crazy high to me.

Lastly, can anyone tell me what the commute would be like from Ladera to the corner of Bake/Trabuco?

Thanks!

V. =)

[LakeForestResident]

Ladera Ranch dues of around $200 include internet, but Cox provides it. The condos have additional dues that include the insurance & maintenance on the condos. They differ by neighborhoods. The gated neighborhood of "Covenant Hills" is the $400 dues for single family homes.

Between the HOA dues and Mello-Roos taxes, Ladera Ranch is a pricey place to own, but it's sure beautiful!

Commute time to Bake & Trabuco will depend on traffic conditions. Anywhere from 25 minutes to about 45 minutes.

[VeronikaW]

Thanks for the info!

[stone007]

The HOA for every tract within Ladera seems to be slightly different, depending on the community area that the HOA covers to be maintained.

The HOA that is around $400 is for Covenant Hills and is pricey, BUT the Mello Roos is actually slighter lower than it is in Ladera in other tracts so that helps a tad.

Commute time to Bake/Trabuco - 25 minutes is my estimate..

[loveorangecounty]

I live in Ladera Ranch and love it. Our HOA fees are about $200 per month. I have heard that the condos have a separate fee and I'm not sure about Covenant Hills (gated community within Ladera). Our internet is hard wired into our homes, not sure about fiber optic, but it is fast.

[missionhome]

25-30 minute drive usually and you don't even need to take the freeway

I would recommend Crown Valley to Marguerite. Right on Marguerite. Left on Trabuco.

This way you avoid the bad congestion where Crown Valley meets the 5 freeway.

Marguerite and Trabuco don't have heavy morning traffic as they don't feed freeways.

[shadow42]

Condos there in Ladera have 2 HOA fees. Other homes will be charged an HOA dependent upon how much common area there is in your neighborhood. We lived in one of the smaller homes, but had large common grassy areas and we paid about $200. Larger homes with less common area can pay less.

[zirk95]

I live in the Covenant Hills part of Ladera which is the $400 HOA. We have a 24hr armed guard gate and a pool. Other than that we share all the other amenities as the rest of Ladera. To me, the HOA in Ladera includes a lot. Other than the pools, water park, skate park, and dog park you get concerts in the park, 4th of July fireworks in the sky, picnics, and other community events. It really is a wonderful place to live and raise a family.

[SoundsGood2]

Originally Posted by zirk95

I live in the Covenant Hills part of Ladera which is the $400 HOA. We have a 24hr armed guard gate and a pool. Other than that we share all the other amenities as the rest of Ladera. To me, the HOA in Ladera includes a lot. Other than the pools, water park, skate park, and dog park you get concerts in the park, 4th of July fireworks in the sky, picnics, and other community events. It really is a wonderful place to live and raise a family.

How much warmer/hotter is Ladera Ranch (or Covenant Hills?) than the Talega area of San Clemente?

Thanks.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by SoundsGood2

How much warmer/hotter is Ladera Ranch (or Covenant Hills?) than the Talega area of San Clemente?

Thanks.

If I were to guess, on a very warm day in August, if it was 90F in Ladera, it would probably be 85F in Talega.