Lifestyle Residences for modern living.
For 2018, Chapman Commons residences saw values increase in 2018 with slightly lower activity. The highest sale in the community was a 3 bedroom, 3rd floor unit for $492,500.
Chapman Commons owners can obtain a full report on their specific floorplan here.
When I reached out to my mortgage servicer to make a payment earlier this year, I heard the usual script from the representative on the phone:
“Has any of your contact information changed?” NO.
“Are you on active military duty and need assistance?” NO.
“I see that your address in in a FEMA disaster area. Would you like to hear more about mortgage assistance?”
Stop right there. What does that mean?
At first, I thought it only applied to homeowners who had their homes burned to the ground or damaged to the fires. NOPE — it also applies to homeowners who’s income was affected.
Just to be clear, FEMA does NOT give direct assistance to homeowners. The assistance and programs are done through Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (Government sponsored enterprises who provide a secondary market by purchasing mortgages). I currently don’t know if FHA loans are eligible. More on that later.
Here’s the details on assistance from Freddie Mac’s website:
Here’s the screenshot from Fannie Mae’s KnowYourOptions website:
How do I know if I have a Freddie Mac or Fannie Mae loan?
You can use the Freddie Mac or Fannie Mae lookup tools. Or — you can contact your lender.
What if I don’t have a Freddie Mac or Fannie Mae loan?
Contact your lender regardless. However, if you can make a payment, continue to do so as it can affect your credit and/or change your loan status and face possible foreclosure.
For FHA loans, they were a bit on the vague side on the HUD website.
DISCLAIMER: Never assume that you’re eligible for assistance. Make sure you check with your lender. Missing payments can have many consequences including negative credit reporting and/or foreclosure proceedings.
If you’re local to the Anaheim area, you likely have experienced first-hand the new parking policy of Downtown Disney which in short, pretty much eliminates all of us locals from just taking a quick visit and grabbing a cup of coffee, snack, or cocktail.
Understandably, the old parking policy which allowed all guests 2 hours of free parking (without validation) had many scenarios where Annual Passholders were better off skipping the $20 parking structure fee and using the Downtown Disney parking lot, even if they had to pay for an additional hour beyond their validation. This often resulted in an absolutely jammed parking lot and traffic on Disneyland Drive. Catching an Uber or Lyft ride in the area has become a nightmare as well: the new pickup spot for rideshare is beyond the parking booths — meaning Uber drivers (who are usually not familiar with the area) end up being delayed in their pickups. In my case, our drivers actually cancelled us after not wanting to wait in the mess.
Closed: Build-A-Bear, D23, Ride Makerz, House of Blues (relocated to Garden Walk)
New additions or coming soon: Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire, Black Tap Craft Burgers, Splitsville, Ballast Point, and an updated Naples which likely will have an outdoor patio.
I’m personally excited about all of the above additions and think DTD would now make one heck of a bar hop starting from Trader Sams at the Disneyland Hotel and ending at The Fifth across Harbor Blvd. These are all blog subjects for another day.
For now, I’ll share my thoughts on my first visit to Splitsville where my family and friends had dinner last Friday night.
We originally saw Splitsville on a prior visit to California Adventure and was pleasantly surprised. We recognized the name from their location at Disney Springs in Orlando.
The outdoor bar is really jaw dropping and I can only think of PF Changs in Irvine Spectrum and many of the outdoor bars in the Park Las Vegas to rival the great use of outdoor space and openness of many new restaurant designs.
We decided to invite some friends for dinner and expected your typical touristy pricing associated with the Disneyland Resort. We waited about 30 minutes for a table and had time for some cocktails in the patio. A vodka soda with Grey Goose ran $13 and Titos was $11. Not bad. The touristy, mixed drinks will run about $15-$18.
When we got our table, I was surprised we were being ushered inside. I figured the inside was going to be just as nice as the outside.
Well….it kind of is.
What we didn’t expect was that the indoor dining tables are literally in the bowling alley with no modern flare: just your typical red vinyl-covered chairs and cheap looking tables reminiscent of what you’d find behind your local bowling lanes — where you’d usually grab a hot dog or pitcher of beer.
When I browsed the menu, I expected a menu similar to a Yard House or Lazy Dog. It wasn’t. It was more typical of what you’d find next door at ESPN Zone. Burgers will run $22-$25. Pizzas about the same. There are a few entrees, but I’ve gone to my share of places that don’t specialize in fish or steak and know better. However,the pasta dishes might be worth a try.
Overall, while I was pretty disappointed with the food and indoor dining area, I would definitely visit again and go for a seat on the patio or do some bowling.
Grade: B-
As a society, we’ve been trying to design housing to provide the best balance of proximity with open spaces and quiet. As a result, some far-fetched ideas never make it and some are built with lofty expectations.
At the height of the housing boom of ’04-’06, investors were literally drowning in credit lines and cash and the housing market seemed like a no-brainer for growth. Since the new generation of buyers didn’t seem to mind about shrinking backyard spaces (or no backyard at all), builders started to think even bigger.
With successful rejuvenated Downtown areas like the Gaslamp District in San Diego gaining headlines, it became easier to pitch to investors that buyers have come full circle: Suburbs are out; downtown living is in. California freeways are getting slower and slower. Couples are getting married much later in life and having less kids or no kids at all.
After all, everyone longs for living like the characters of “Friends” and “Seinfeld” where they’re only a short elevator ride away from bars, subway access and, shopping, right?
Well….sort of. There are many factors that made these mid-rise developments immediate flops. For starters, the lifestyle would not be like Seinfeld because most would still need to commute to just about everywhere. Public transportation in Southern California has always been very limited due to our love for cars and freeways. Socially, Orange County has been notorious for being “snobs” that don’t even know who lives next door. Forget about the idea of going downstairs to the local bar or hangout where “everyone knows your name.”
While the fancy marketing and amenities were enough to get crowds to the models, buyers knew the idea was a contradiction on many levels.
Going Urban 2.0
After the countless price reductions and conversions to rentals, builders were able to learn many lessons.
Brookfield’s “The Domain” community is directly across the street from The Packing District of Anaheim.
No project was impacted by the flop more than Anaheim’s “A-Town” project that was supposed to take cues from San Diego’s Petco Park.
From the OC Register:
“Gone are the grandiose ideas to change Anaheim’s skyline with 11 high-rises, an urban village of 2,681 homes and 150,000 square feet of office and retail space near Angel Stadium….
Plans now call for building 1,400 to 1,742 condominiums and apartments, along with up to 50,000 square feet of shopping and office space grouped into eight neighborhoods spanning 43.1 acres, according to a revised development application submitted Thursday to the Anaheim Planning Department.”
After reading the article, most of the blame was placed on the housing market. I have a feeling the builders are in denial or just don’t get it.
