Hearthside Lane in Corona in default

Potential buyers beware

One of the new communities in Eastvale is in trouble. Irvine builder California Coastal Communities is in default on a loan that is secured by several properties. One of those is Hearthside Lane in Corona. They are currently negotiating with the lender to turn over these properties to them. So it you are currently looking at a Hearthside home you might want to hold off. There's no telling what will happen once the lender takes the project.

Here's part of the press release

Impairment charges of $29.1 million recorded during the third quarter of 2008 primarily reflect fair value write-downs for the Hearthside Lane project in Corona and Las Colinas project in Lancaster of $24.1 million and $1.5 million, respectively, and a $3.4 million charge related to our Woodhaven project in Beaumont. Subsidiaries of Hearthside Homes, Inc. are currently in default on the loans secured by the Hearthside Lane and Las Colinas projects and they are attempting to negotiate a consensual resolution of the loans which is likely to involve turnover of the properties securing these loans to the lender. Therefore, under GAAP the Company was required to reduce the carrying value of the Hearthside Lane and Las Colinas projects to their estimated fair values during the quarter ended September 30, 2008. After these impairment charges, the related debt exceeds the carrying value of these assets by approximately $18.5 million. If the Hearthside Lane property is transferred to the lender in full settlement of that loan, the Company will recognize a substantial gain as a result of debt cancellation. If the gain is equal to the amount that the recorded debt exceeds the carrying value of the assets, the $18.5 million pretax gain would result in a gain of $10.9 million after tax, or $1.00 per share. Both of these loans are guaranteed by Hearthside Homes, Inc.; however, they are not guaranteed by and do not otherwise constitute obligations of California Coastal Communities, Inc. There can be no assurance that the lender will agree to a consensual resolution of these loans.