With three fireplaces, in-law calls it a resort

After looking at more than 130 homes in three months, Bill and Candace Cain finally found what they were looking for in Foothill Ranch.

The 3,200-square-foot house they bought for about $470,000 met their two basic requirements: It was newer than their old home and it backed up to open space.

But finding the perfect house wasn’t easy for the couple, who moved from San Jose for Bill’s new job at an Irvine computer hard-drive company.

“We had a hard time finding a house we liked because the inventory was light,” said Bill, 35. “There were not a lot of houses on the market.”

The frustrating search is now forgotten in their four-bedroom, 3 1/2-bath home, complete with canyon views. Candace, 39, a marriage, family and child counselor, said she fell for the house’s floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room, separate formal dining and living areas, master bedroom suite and “definitely the view.” Their Mediterranean- style house, built in 1992, also includes a circular staircase and three fireplaces.

“My mother-in-law calls it a resort,” she said.