Getting your player ready...
Builder Ward Ritter isn’t sure what amazes him more: The number of ranch plans he’s sold at Erie’s Vista Ridge this new year, or at how much those buyers are opting for added space and more lavish options.
“People get to a place in life where they don’t want to take care of the yard, and they want to trade in the McMansion for something easier,” says R.D. Baker, who’s just taken over as sales manager for Latitude at Vista Ridge…processing nine new homes sold during January-February, plus another three probable sales since the first of March. He’ll show you exactly what those buyers are after today, two miles west of I-25 on Highway 7 to Mountain View Blvd.
But needs alone don’t explain the phenomenon that Ritter and his company, Chartered Homes, are experiencing at Latitude. “These sales are more than we had all last year,” he said, as we toured eight new foundation starts at Vista Ridge, close to his models of four fast-selling plans. “If we stay at this pace, we’re going to sell more homes in 2012 than during the last four years combined.”
Over that period, Ritter worked with the Town of Erie to refine Latitude’s low-maintenance master plan within Vista Ridge — smaller landscaped-and-fenced lots that get maintenance and snow removal for a modest HOA fee now at $127/month. Included are the amenities of Vista Ridge itself: the Colorado National Golf Club course with its clubhouse and attractive grille, plus parks, two big pools and tennis courts, all set against a panorama of the Indian Peaks beyond Boulder.
The low-maintenance, coupled with Chartered’s VERY cost-effective 2 & 3-bedroom ranch designs (they start at $229,995 and include finished basement space and attached garage), earned steady sales…but nothing like the pace since the first of the year. More amazing, Ritter says, is what’s happening on a tier of 15 premium sites he’s calling ‘Spyglass,’ overlooking the 9th, 10th and 11th fairways and a backdrop of snowcapped peaks. Three sales are on those premium lots, yielding finished prices into the high $300s and low $400s, well beyond what Ritter expected for his top prices. That’s sent him back to the drawing board to introduce a new, larger ranch (you can see plans) called the St. Andrews, with optional 3-car garage, at 1,840 square feet on the main plus over 1,400 more feet finished in the basement, with full main-floor hardwood floors, granite tops and alder cabinets.
Included in the mix at Latitude are surprising numbers of single buyers — some men, some women – all of them “right-sizing” from their previous homes, and taking advantage of Chartered Homes’ exceptional willingness to customize and make changes. “Whether they’re married or single, they’ve accumulated plenty of stuff over the years, and they need space for it,” Ritter added. They’re also feeling more confident about the re-sale market, encouraging some of them to buy non-contingent. Some arrive from Boulder (one Gunbarrel buyer saw a deal fall through on his older place, only to have two new buyers bidding for it the following week); some from Denver suburbs, and some from California and back east.
At Latitude, they tour four models that are for sale, ready for delivery now – one each of Latitude’s four ranches, not counting the new larger ranch. One of those is an ‘Augusta,’ three bedrooms plus study, just under 2,900 square feet counting finished basement, with hardwood floors, priced at $311,708. Baker and Theresa Barkley will show visitors Vista Ridge’s amenities included at the low HOA fee. Take I-25 north from 120th, seven miles to Highway 7; then west to Vista Ridge’s entry at Mountain View; or from Boulder, take Baseline east 13 miles.
If you go…
WHERE: Latitude at Vista Ridge, attainably priced single-family patio ranches, 4-fully furnished model, lock-n-leave lifestyle, golf-view sites, country club amenities, 4 ranches set for immediate delivery; coffee & cookies. 1944 Windemere Ln., Erie; Hwy 7 at Mountain View Blvd (Vista Ridge entry nearest I-25). Take I-25 north past 470 to Hwy 7, west 2 mi. to Mountain View; or from Boulder take Baseline east to Mountain View
PRICE: From $229,995, on golf lots from low $300s
WHEN: Today & Saturday 10 a.m. until 6 p.m.; Sunday 11-6
PHONE: 303-828-5442 WEB: LatitudeAtVistaRidge.com
