Homes Not Even Built Draw O.C. Crowds

Nearly 2,500 hopeful home buyers attended a hoopla-filled sales event Saturday in Tustin, complete with hot dogs, balloon animals and plenty of information handouts.

The only thing missing were the homes.

The invitation-only event sponsored by developer John Laing Homes was meant to preview the first master-planned community rising on the grounds of the closed Tustin Marine base. It also illustrated Orange County’s superheated housing market.

Although workers have yet to finish even the model units at Tustin Fields I, as the first of the new neighborhoods is called, home-seekers were flocking to John Laing’s makeshift sales office, a large tent across the street from the project site.

Another 2,500 people are expected today. They will have little more to go on than floor plans and artists’ renderings.

“You kind of have to use your imagination,� said Brett Cakwak, 17, of Rancho Santa Margarita as he checked drawings with his father, Chuck.

“I like the shingled walls,� the elder Cakwak said. “They last longer.�

Around them, couples with children, newlyweds and others ate free food, perused brochures and completed questionnaires. In a corner, a costumed woman made balloon animals for restless children.

Inside the tent, lines snaked around several tables. Mortgage specialists helped people determine whether they could afford the townhomes and detached units, which start at $400,000. Potential buyers also learned whether they qualified for the 77 units designated affordable in the 376-home development.

The first houses on the 30-acre site are expected to be ready for occupancy this summer. The balance of the project, on the southeast corner of the former helicopter base, is expected to be completed by late next year.

The 1,600-acre base, which closed in 1999, will eventually accommodate 4,000 homes and about 9 million square feet of office, commercial and retail space. John Laing Homes is one of several builders.

The company’s vice president of sales and marketing, Marianne Browne, said informational events such as this weekend’s give potential home buyers a chance to plan. Those invited had registered in advance.

Joseph and Angie Lopes of Tustin said the excitement of previewing the site became bittersweet as reality sank in. They don’t qualify for the affordable units but don’t think they can afford a regular-priced house.

“It is discouraging,� said Joseph, 45, a computer technician and the family’s sole earner. “It is hard even for someone who makes a decent living to afford a home in Orange County.�

The median home price in the county is $450,000, up 22% from a year ago and the highest in the Southland, according to the latest figures.