Getting your player ready...
Even two years ago, when a stronger market seemed a long way off, there were signs things were getting better when Oakwood Homes opened a new series of luxury models in a new area of Castle Rock, flanked by scenic bluffs and wrapped by trails and a new elementary school. During following weeks, The Overlook at The Meadows became a bellwether for better times – luring buyers from places like Highlands Ranch, but also a new set of buyers who were from out of state, coming for tech jobs in the Denver Tech Center and Meridian.
Right now, as Oakwood opens up some premium cul-de-sac sites in The Overlook beside 370-acre Ridgeline Open Space, 23 families have signed on to the neighborhood just since Jan. 1 – showing that same pattern, coming from Highlands Ranch or from out of town, working in south Denver or Centennial. “I send every buyer I get here over to see Castle Rock’s old-town shopping district with its restaurants and mom-and-pops,” says Laura Duhot, who’s sold four luxury Overlook plans, priced from the high $300s, over the past two weekends. “There’s something that resonates with them about having this scenery and that small-town feel, this close to where the Tech Center campuses are.” Oakwood’s Alisa Poncher says that Oakwood’s collections (you can also see a new, mid-priced Ranch House series nearby, from the mid-$200s) offer a delicate blend of luxury features that are included, along with a sense of freedom in making changes – something that resonates with people buying a more expensive home. “They like that we include so much – the granite and the hardwood floors and nicer appliances – but they also want custom options at an affordable price. They like that we don’t say ‘no’ to everything.” That works particularly well, she adds, on Oakwood’s St. Regis ranch (you’ll tour a model) – with a standard ‘smart space’ included that has guest bedroom suites and library area upstairs.Meanwhile, the newest area of The Meadows is luring its own attractions now, as Castle Rock Adventist Health Campus opens its emergency room and some preliminary services on Meadows Boulevard west of I-25. In addition to popular restaurants in old-town Castle Rock you’ll now find Crave Real Burgers (“the best burger in Vegas”), Taste of Philly, and Carlos Miguel’s, all opening about a mile from The Overlook. To view the models and new sites, from I-25 at the Factory Stores take Meadows Parkway west two miles to MorningView, turn left two long blocks to Foothills Drive, and left a half-mile to the school. WHERE: The Overlook at The Meadows by Oakwood, 3 luxury models to tour, 3,378-4,372 sq. ft. plus basements; 3-car garage; new sites opening today on cul-de-sac and beside open space; coffee & cookies. 1668 Avery Way, Castle Rock; exit I-25 at Meadows Pkwy; west 2 mi. to Morningview Dr., left 2 blks (past Carson models) to Foothills, left 0.5 mi. to school PRICE: From high $300s; new Ranch House Series from mid-$200s WHEN: Today 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. PHONE: 303-486-8705 WEB: OakwoodHomesCO.com
