Buying a home in Casta del Sol

With the exception of age, there's really nothing special to consider when buying a home in Casta del Sol ... it's pretty much the same as buying any Single Family Residence within a Homeowners Association.  All 1927 homes are Single Family Residences, so Title is held in Fee Simple, the most powerful way of owning Real Estate, enabling the community to qualify for all traditional mortgage programs.  Although most Buyers pay cash, we've had Clients use Conventional, VA and FHA financing (they're purchasing with a Reverse Mortgage when using FHA).

About 40% of our community is open space, consisting of parks, walkways and green open areas. There are 4 guarded gates, and 3 of them close at 10pm.  You can get out, but can’t get in.  Gate 1 is the primary gate, open 24 hours.

Casta del Sol is a PUD (Planned Unit Development).  That means the homes are Single Family Residences (SFR), located within a Homeowners Association (HOA).  But our PUD is very unique, because the HOA paints the outside of the homes routinely, on a regular rotation, and it doesn’t cost extra.  There isn’t another PUD anywhere that’ll paint your house as part of the HOA.

We even have our own neighborhood newspaper, The Casta Courier, delivered to your house the beginning of every month.

And Saddleback College offers several courses here, held in Rec Center 1 ... usually exercise and dance classes.

In additional to our HOA, our residents are members of Lake Mission Viejo, with full access to the private lake and all its amenities, including boating, fishing, swimming, sailing, beaches (with Lifeguards) and docking (www.LakeMissionViejo.org)

The Age Restriction - Qualified Permanent Resident (QPR)

The law doesn't care who buys the home or who's on Title … it’s only concerned with who resides in the home.  An 18 year old can buy the home and rent it to an age-qualified person (one of the residents must be at least 55). 

California law allows spouses or cohabitants who are younger then 55 live in the home too (they’re referred to as a Qualified Permanent Resident or QPR, and can be as young as 18. So the thirty-something-year-old who cohabitates or marries a 55+ QPR can reside in the home without restriction.  Also, relatives, friends or somebody renting a room can live in the property if they’re 45 or older, as long as a QPR also lives there.

California law allows spouses or cohabitants who are younger then 55 live in the home too (they’re referred to as a Qualified Permanent Resident or QPR), and can be as young as 18. So the thirty-something-year-old who cohabitates or marries a 55+ QPR can reside in the home without restriction.  Also, relatives, friends or somebody renting a room can live in the property if they’re 45 or older, as long as a QPR also lives there.

Oh ... and only two properties can be owned ... that's a limitation specific to Casta del Sol.

Our monthly HOA dues for 2021 are $444.00 for Casta del Sol, and $21.00 for Lake Mission Viejo.

Recreation

A primary reason many residents move to Casta del Sol is because of all the stuff they can do here.  We have two hugh Recreation areas, and a bunch of Clubs and Activities.

Enter Casta del Sol via Gate 1 (our primary gate, located off Margarite Parkway), take the first left at the break in the street, and you’ve found Recreation Center 1.  In addition to the Rec Center, the Management, Recreation and Maintenance Offices are located here.  Walk through the wrought iron gate and the following are available:

• Arts and Crafts Room

• BBQ area with built in gas BBQ’s

• Billards Room (with lots of pool tables)

• Bocce Ball court

• Ceramics Room

• Commercial Kitchen (residents can use for their private party’s)

• Fiesta and Garden Rooms (both are multi-purpose rooms)

• Firepits (one can be reserved for your party’s)

• Heath and Fitness Gym (with lots of state-of-the-art equipment)

• Horseshoe Pits

• Cornhole area (Raymond’s favorite)

• Lapidary Room (the Lapidary club uses this room)

• Library (managed by the residents – current books, DVD’s, puzzles)

• Locker Rooms (Women and Men)

• Shuffleboard Pavilion (one of the few indoor courts)

• Swimming Pool and Spa (heated all year)

• Vista Room and Kitchen (its hugh – this is where the big party’s happen)

Enter via Gate 2 and Recreation Center 2 is on your left.  If you’re going there from Recreation Center 1, make a left out of the driveway, and a right at each of the 3 stop signs.  The Amenities you’ll find there are:

• Fitness Walking Path (it’s about ½ mile, flat, without hills)

• Golf Chipping area

• Heritage Garden (lots of themed gardens, maintained by residents)

• Heritage Room (multi-purpose room with a small kitchen)

• Locker Rooms (Women and Men)

• Outdoor Pavilion with a Patio, Kitchen and Restrooms

• Paddle Tennis Courts (2 of them)

• Pickleball Courts (2 of them)

• Swimming Pool and Spa

• Tennis Courts (2 of them)

• Vegetable Garden (residents get their own plot)

Clubs

These are our Chartered Clubs.  If you don’t find one that fits, you can start your own.  Many of the clubs host party’s for the residents of Casta del Sol.  When that happens, most of Rec Center 1 is set aside and prepared for the party, and a small fee for the food, drinks and the Band is charged.  When you enter through the wrought iron fence at Rec Center 1, you’ll see all the party’s and field trips posted.  To join a club, make a right into the office area and to your right you’ll see the hanging folders consisting of all the clubs at the counter.  Sign up and you’re in.

These are the Chartered Clubs:

• Away Golf

• Baby Boomers (Valorie used to be President for a few years)

• Bible Study

• Billards

• Bocce Ball

• Bowling (Valorie is member – one year we hosted the Saint Patricks Day party for the club – we brought green hats and pizza for everybody)

• Bridge

• Canine Companions

• Ceramics

• Chippers (the chipping green is at Rec Center 2)

• Chorale

• Democratic

• Fishing (one of my favorites)

• Golf (one for Men and one for Women)

• Hand and Foot (played with 4 decks of cards)

• Health and Fitness

• Heritage Garden (each garden has its own theme)

• Italian-American (you don’t have to be Italian – they host awesome party’s)

• Lapidary (they create some incredibly nice jewlery)

• Las Damas (a Women’s club promoting friendship and unity for the women living in Casta del Sol)

• Las Flores (a Garden Club)

• Lawn Bowling (nice people … they love teaching others how to play)

• Mah Jongg Mavens (I’ve seen the club play in the Heritage Room in Rec Center 2)

• Military Veterans

• Original Mexican Train

• Paddle Tennis

• Pickleball

• Pinochle

• Republican

• Shuffleboard (Valorie is the Social Director)

• Tennis

• Variety

• Vegetable Garden (I’ve met lots of nice people in this club)

• Water Exercise (they’re usually at the pool in Rec Center 1)

• Woodcarver’s Guild

Activity’s – Unchartered Groups/Clubs

• ARMDI (The Raoul Wallengerb Chapter of American Friends of Magen David Adom)

• Bridge

• Bunco

• Crafts for Charity

• Cribbage

• Mah Jongg

• Pan

• Ping Pong

• Poker (Ladies)

• Quilters

• Strummers

• Texas Hold ‘em

There are no strangers here at Casta del Sol - only friends you haven't met yet.  You'll meet some of them when we tour the community - everybody will want to say Hello and meet you, telling you how much they enjoy living here.  Just give us a jingle and we'll introduce you to this wonderful community.