Idyllwilde in Parker CO (Denver, Highlands Ranch: sales, real estate, 2009)

[coladafun]

My family may be relocating to the Denver area. We are looking for a subdivision that is very family oriented - good schools, pool, competitive swim team, walking trails, etc. Idyllwilde was suggested to me - anyone live in the area that could provide some insight on this subdivision or any other recommendations - home purchasing budget around $525,000. Thank you!

[almost heaven]

Go to the Village homes website for info on homes and pricing. I will be out there in two weeks visiting family and you could not make a better choice than Parker and that subdivision. I have been trying to get out of California but my career and wife keep me here. I will most likely be a neighbor in a few years though.

[mangymutt]

Parker was recently ranked #26 top small cities to live in by Money magazine. We just recently moved to Canterberry Crossing and like it quite a bit. Parker was a good choice for us, but we also liked Castle Rock and Highlands Ranch... just couldn't find the right house in those two towns. Idyllwide looks very nice (I pass it every day)... and it's so close to a pool, good playground and new High School. Parker is building like crazy... but up on the hill, everything is a 5 mile drive (at least) and it also can get quite windy. I end up going into Highlands Ranch quite a bit for shopping. We looked for our house in February - so we didn't have that many homes to chose from. You might want to also check out Pradera (Parker), and some of the new developments in Castle Rock if you are looking for a new home.

Good luck with your move and decision.

[NU97]

Parker is a great area. Idyllwilde is a beautifu subdivision and Village Homes has some great floorplans. There are several other subdivisons down that way that would be worth checking out. Parker is not all that far from Regis Jesuit High School, which seems to be a perpetual powerhouse when it comes to swimming. It is a private school (around 9k a year), so you'll have to weigh in that factor. There is also a lot of new and newer construction in that area (check Saddle Rock area). There is also a sudivision called Chenango nearby -- some of the homes are a bit older, but the lots are really large.

[idyllsloth]

My husband and I just bought a house in Idyllwilde and we love it. We looked at every new home community within 30 miles of Denver. We looked at Morrison, Richmond American, DR Horton, etc, etc. for the past year before deciding. Village Homes is truely the best company. They don't waste space in their designs and the houses flow well. And Idyllwilde is amazing. It has so many trails for our dogs and our neighbors are really great. If you decide to move there, make sure you talk to Carolyn at the sales office for the single-family homes, she is fabulous and honest (she helped an older couple the other day and even though it cost her a sale she took them to see the low maintenace homes because they didn't want to worry about yardwork). If you work with her, you know she will answer you truthfully and not just try to get a sale.

We love Village Homes and Idyllwilde so much that we are looking at buying a second home at Granby Ranch from Village.

If you have any specific questions, you can e-mail me and I would be glad to help you or anyone reading this out with more info. about Village Homes or Idyllwilde.

[Avoid]

Coloado Fun: It looks like I am be too late, but I want to provide a different view of Idyllwilde than that of idyllsloth. We have lived in this community for over two years now. I would strongly suggest before anyone purchases a home in Idyllwilde that you look at Village Home's website. There you will see that in November 2008 Village Home's filed for bankruptcy protection. The site provides you with up to date information on the filing. Also note the following:

1. I do not know of any community in Douglas County that does not have an HOA, that doesn't mean there isn't one, I just don't know of one.

2. Idyllwilde has two associations, the sub-association which consists of low maintenance homes and the master association. Both associations pays dues into the master association. The master association dues recently went from $60 per month in 2007 to $65 per month in 2008 to $108 per month in 2009.

3. Idyllwilde has a pool, grand hall, trails and parks. I would caution that the pool really is not meant for adults, there is no deep end or a place to swim laps. The deepest part of the pool is four feet deep. It's a fantastic kiddie pool.

4. Douglas County has some of the highest property taxes in the state.

5. Idyllwilde used to host events at it's grand hall for it's residents. This task is now being undertaken by a group of volunteers and thus far there has not been any new added events (as of February 2009). There is a book club that is mediocre at best, men's poker night which is extremely popular with the men, ladies night out which can really be hit or miss, Bunko club which appears to have about 8-10 women who regularly attend, Toddler Time which is a time for toddlers to gather with their mom's at the grand hall and have some play time and a snack. Other than that not too much.

6. Idyllwilde does have very nice walking trails.

7. The best selling point for Idylllwilde is that Douglas County recently completed a new High School (Legends) in front and construction is started on the new Middle School (Cimmarron) which will be next to the high school. This will provide the kids a chance to be in walking distance of their schools. However, High School football will still be played at Douglas County High School Field which is all the way up in Castle Rock.

8. Most Idyllwilde people are nice. However, the recent increase in dues has somewhat divided the community. The majority was for the increase in dues "because I don't want to see the value of my home decline", as one resident put it. Our real estate agent recently (January 2009) provided to us recent home sales and of the last five he gave to us only one was over the $400,000 mark. So, in my opinion, home values in this community have dropped.

9. Idyllwilde was suppose to be built out to approximately 600-800 homes, we are currently at 228 (as of February 2009). Village Homes can no longer afford to cover the shortfall funding and this is why our dues went from $65 per to $108 per month. The budget was really cut to the bear bones and only time will tell if the budget that was passed was enough.

10. Signature Management which is Idyllwilde's HOA management company is sub-par at best. Since our living in Idyllwilde there have been three managers servicing Idyllwilde. It's our understanding that Signature Management was started by Village Homes because they found most management companies did not service their communities that well. Signature Management DID NOT file bankruptcy with Village Homes. Signature Management has a difficult time enforcing the HOA rules and plays favorites within the community. If you tour the community you can see this by the fact that the fences have not been stained, as required by the rules that we all signed at closing, by all home owners. You are also required to finish your lawn in a certain period of time and many home owners are not compiling with this rule either.

Considering that it's now a buyers market (writing this as of February 2009) and if someone wanted to move to Douglas County. I would be looking at Castle Rock, Pradera in Parker, Lone Tree which is located right off of I-25, or Highlands Ranch. Idyllwilde is iffy at best. If one does purchase in Idyllwilde have the following put into your sales contract which will hopefully help you not get into the same bind that all of us who currently living there are in.

1. HOA dues cannot increase by more than 5% in any given year during the duration of us owning said home.
2. Special Assessments cannot be levied upon us, the purchaser of this home, by more than 2% in any given year and while we are the owner of said home.
3. My home warranty issues will be covered within 15 business days after notification and the contractor cannot put a lien against my home if the builder does not cover the cost for any work done on my home during this warranty period.

[charstephens2]

The Pinery which, as former Native Southern Californians of over 45 years, we LOVE!

The Pinery HOA is optional! We have never had a problem with the HOA, it includes our trash and snow plowing! In 4 years, our roads have never not been plowed by 5 am on any snow day!
Signature Management which is Idyllwilde's HOA management company is sub-par at best... If you tour the community you can see this by the fact that the fences have not been stained, as required by the rules that we all signed at closing, by all home owners... Fences... if your neighbors are far enough away 'you don't need no stinkin' fences'!

HOWEVER, if you have read this far... the borders to Colorado were closed to Californians just after we moved here! LOL

Colorado = God's Paradise!