As the Denver area heads into its busiest homebuying months of the year, veteran sales reps for Shea Homes see homebuyers who are looking harder and wider to get what they need.
“As they see prices going up, they’re more flexible about looking beyond where they live now,” says Mac Orlady, senior community representative for Shea at Whispering Pines in south Aurora.
That shift turns up the heat for a pretty area like Whispering Pines, with a lower-density feel and plenty of ponderosa pines. Shea has already moved through over half of its available sites here, largely on purchases from families who were within 3 miles, who have kids in the Cherry Creek schools and already knew about the community.
Now, says Orlady, he’s getting buyers from Highlands Ranch, Castle Rock, even Erie, that are exploring this part of town for the first time, finding how commuter-friendly it can be and are liking what they see.
That includes two final streets that Shea has with lots that back to open space — some of them overlooking Whispering Pines’ core preserve of pines, accessed by trails that link to the new pool, playground and community center.
While those last, Shea could create a ranch for you, with a full wide three-car garage, for a price in the high $600s; and has interior lots where it can deliver in the high-$500s — a real price that will buy a home if you stick close to standard features.
Out the back of the community, the city has completed Sampson Gulch Way east to South Powhaton Road, making this a better location for reaching Cherry Creek Schools’ popular Cherokee Trail High.
Shea offers luxury-sized two-story homes with traditional appeal for those school-aged customers, but finds that ranches are still the fastest selling plans here.
You’ll tour a deluxe-sized ranch — over 2,700 feet of finished space, plus a full basement and three-car garage. And if you like its looks, you’ll hear about one of similar design that Shea has headed for August delivery, two bedrooms plus a study, priced now at $674,000. Part of the market appeal is to buyers who are “right-sizing” out of two-story homes they’ve owned for decades, wanting single-level living with plenty of storage space.
But Orlady says 45 percent of ranch sales at Whispering Pines end up with younger families, who like an open ranch layout, and take advantage of Shea’s flexibility for basement finish to take the bedroom count as high as six.
You’ll see how quick the commute is from here into Lone Tree and the Denver Tech Center, and you’ll find two family-sized two-story homes that can deliver as soon as June, one a five-bedroom Torrey Pine, over 3,100 square feet, with lots of upgrades, priced at $628,575.
When arriving from E-470 via Gartrell Road and Aurora Parkway, watch carefully for the turn east onto Irish Drive, then head east. Models are just before the new pool/clubhouse.
The news and editorial staffs of The Denver Post had no role in this postap preparation.