THE ARIZONA REPUBLIC
F R I D AY , J U N E 2 , 2 017
NEWHOMECENTRAL.COM
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A S P E C I A L P U B L I C AT I O N C R E AT E D B Y R E P U B L I C M E D I A C U S T O M P U B L I S H I N G
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WHAT’S INSIDE
June 2017
DEVELOPING A NEW-HOME COMMUNITY
Karen Shell, Shell Photographics via K. Hovnanian Homes
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Maracay Homes
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TRENDS IN STONE
GRAND OPENINGS
• ASK THE EXPERT RE ESCROW
• DEVELOPMENT OF THE MONTH SEARCH
Mark Boisclair Photography via Blandford Homes
Home Locator Maps
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Visit NewHomecentral.com for communities, home listings, home tour videos and more.
SINGLE-STORY VS. TWO-STORY
See pages 7, 8 & 9 Mark Boisclair Photography via Maracay Homes
LIXIL/American Standard
Making a splash: hot trends in cool tub and shower designs From plain to posh, there’s a shower for pretty much everyone
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By Rhona Melsky
here’s plenty to be said for plain old functionality but there’s also something to be said for beautiful new designs and high-technology options that are taking the bathing space by storm — and stepping up the experience from merely functional to truly fabulous.
Pine Canyon
Very cool! Second homes up north no longer just the province of older buyers
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By Debra Gelbart
t’s no longer mostly Baby Boomers and retirees purchasing second homes in Northern Arizona, according to real estate professionals. “We’ve seen a measurable shift in recent years as more young families purchase in Pine Canyon (a luxury home community in Flagstaff),” said Deanna Keck, executive vice president for community development with Pine Canyon.
Kohler
Terrific tubs Across the country, people are moving away from whirlpool tubs and installing freestanding tubs. These types of tubs can be a show-stopping focal point while also giving the illusion of a larger bathroom. “They are so sculptural and beautiful and bring an upgraded style and look to a bathroom while often using less water,” said Gray Uhl, a brand education director at LIXIL, parent company of American Standard. LIXIL is a global company focused on housing and building materials, products and services.
“The goal is that the homeowner has a great experience and doesn’t realize they are saving water.” —Gray Uhl, LIXIL/American Standard
Another giant in the housing products industry, Kohler (headquartered in Wisconsin), now offers 17 models of freestanding tubs in different shapes and materials from acrylic to enameled cast iron to Lithocast to cast resin. “When we design bathrooms, [we understand that] many people are gravitating toward a simple and relaxing escape,” said Eric Moore, a senior interior designer at Kohler. Kohler tubs now feature more technology including bubble-massage (sometimes combined with VibrAcoustic) which has transducers on the exterior that send soundwaves to the water. “You can feel vibrations but once your ears get below the water, the music is crystal clear and you can drift away to a serene state,” Moore said.
Pine Canyon
Younger buyer demographic “Our family-centric activities extend to adventure camps, arts and crafts, and plenty of pool time, which is reserved for families on Saturdays,” Keck said. “We actually see about a 50-50 split among our owners between those who are over age The Rim Golf Club 50 and those who fall between the ages of 35 and 50.” “A number of our owners are younger and closer to prepre-designed luxury homes, as well as help with finding customretirement age,” said Jim Jones, designated broker at Talking home builders. At Talking Rock Ranch, the Ranch Cottages Rock Ranch Realty in Prescott, which sells homes at Talking series of home designs starts in the high $400,000s. Rock Ranch, a 24-hour guard-gated golf course community in Prescott. Second-home advantages Buyers in these communities can choose The Rim Golf Club and the Golf Club at Chaparral Pines either a two-step process (purchasing a Chaparral Pines in Payson are “a 75-minute ChaparralPines.com home-site first and then building a custom scenic drive from Scottsdale,” said Jennifer Pine Canyon home on the lot over the course of about Kiley, the designated broker for Rim PineCanyon.net a year) or a single step — buying a newly Country Real Estate. “We like to say we’re constructed home just like you would in a above the heat but below the snow because The Rim Golf Club RimGolf.com production-home community. we enjoy such a temperate climate here in Home-sites in Pine Canyon start at Payson.” Home prices start in the mid $500s Talking Rock Ranch Realty $150,000 for a resale lot where a buyer can at Rim Golf Club and in the mid $300s at TalkingRockRanch.com build a new home. Home-sites not previously Chaparral Pines. sold tend to cost more. Home-sites at Talking What’s great about these types of Rock Ranch start at around $80,000. A 2,000-square-foot communities, Keck said, “is that the luxury amenities and townhome in Pine Canyon starts in about the mid-$800,000s. services reflect those found at high-end resorts, so these Pine Canyon also offers cabins and getaways, while comfortable and relaxing, also feel upscale and lavish.” While owning a second home is a significant investment, “it will very likely involve a good return on that investment from both a financial financial and experience perspective,” Keck said.
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A strengthening economy Real estate pros are defi definitely nitely seeing more interest from prospective buyers at communities in Northern Arizona. “We’ve seen a notable increase in home-buying activity and construction which is encouraging and refl reflective ective of the strength of the market,” Keck said. A strong economy allows community developers, including Symmetry Companies at Pine Canyon, to offer new products such Chaparral Pines
(VERY COOL!, continued on page NH9)
Sensational showers Today’s showers take it up a notch with options that can include body-sprays, steam and other pampering possibilities. (MAKING A SPLASH, continued on page NH9)
Talking Rock Ranch