LE MOT JUSTE: Aliso Viejo real estate...

LE MOT JUSTE: Aliso Viejo real estate developer Kathryn G. Thompson says interviews with first-time buyers (K1) show they’ll take homes with fewer windows, straighter lines, no inner track lighting or other amenities if it cuts the cost and lets them buy. But real estate folks don’t call them stripped-down models. . . . “We like to call it value engineering,” says Thompson.