Whitney Ranch (Rocklin) communities - opinions? (Sacramento, Roseville: cul-de-sac, for sale, real estate market)

[Marsh511]

I'm contemplating shifting gears and starting to look again for a home since we are now in our 6th month of waiting for the seller's short sale bank (Chase/WAMU) to decide whether they're going to sell us the home we picked out. At this point, we're willing to ride it out here in Las Vegas until the end of our girls' school year, and possibly move over the summer instead of sooner. We had picked a sprawling, 4700+ square feet home in West Roseville (Doyle Ranch), but reading more about Whitney Ranch and the amenities and the new elementary school opening in the fall (Sunset Ranch), that area has begun to look more and more attractive. True, the homes are not as large, the lots are smaller, and Rocklin is a little more "vanilla/midwestern" even than Roseville...but, with a 1st and 3rd grader, the idea of them being able to walk to school and participate in leagues and activities all within a mile of home is sounding more and more appealing.

That said, can anyone comment on the 'quality of life' (including the homes themselves and neighbors) in subdivisions like Remington (Standard-Pacific), Twin Oaks (William Lyon Homes), Caspian Run (Standard-Pacific), and Black Oak (Centex) within Whitney Ranch? Remington seems to have some wonderful, big homes (4500 sq ft), but may be a little out of our price range of under 500k. Twin Oaks looks affordable with very usable floor plans and a great location close to the new elementary school. Any comments/advice from those who know Whitney Ranch well would be appreciated. Eight months ago, I wrote off Whitney Ranch as being too "cookie-cutter", but as I watch my kids suffer from being too far from their school friends in our current location, I'm thinking I should place a higher value on having a very planned community environment, especially at their age. After all, that's the type of community I grew up with, and have great memories of being surrounded by friends all the time!

The only compromise would be the square footage - my wife and I truly enjoy having a home that has elbow room and extra rooms (we need 2 home offices), so we need to weigh that against the community amenities.

Thanks!

[edwardius]

Right now the housing market is pretty weak. Not many people are looking at new homes, so there may not be enough people who are actively participating here to give you useful feedback.

It might be worthwhile to search the archives to see if anyone previous has written anything about the communities you are interested in. It may also be useful to check back over the course of next week and possibly bump this thread during the work week when more people are paying attention to the forum.

[Supersonicblond]

Remington and Black Oak are both sold out, so you'd be limited to whatever resales you could find. We have friends in Remington, and their house has an extremely spacious and well thought out floorplan (+/- 4500 sf), especially for working from home (they do and there's still tons of space).

Twin Oaks (Lyon) and Caspian Run (Standard Pacific) are still building, so you could still get in, choose options, and take advantage of whatever incentives these builders are offering. We have friends on a cul-de-sac in Twin Oaks that has upwards of 30 kids. Twin Oaks would be my favorite of these two--large, open floorplans with multiple bedrooms to accomodate home offices. They have some pretty nice sized lots too--we're in Shea Homes and ours are postage stamps by comparison. You may also want to check out Wisteria by Christopherson Homes as well; huge floorplans pushing the 5000 sf mark.

Overall we're happy with the neighborhood. It's clean and safe and quiet with lots of nice people. I shudder at the HOA/Mello Roos we're paying--approx. $300.00/month on top of regular property taxes--but when I remember what it pays for, it's not so bad.

Hope this helps and good luck w/ your search.

[Marsh511]

Supersonicblond - appreciate your thorough response (still not as long-winded as my original post!). We're already working with an agent we're very pleased with, but any first-hand perspectives as you've provided are valuable. I've seen the floor plan for the 4500 sq ft model in Remington, and it does look desirable, though a little too much square footage seems to be taken by the Master Bedroom suite. What would make that home perfect would be a casita or guest room somewhat separate from the house - the ideal home office for me. I don't understand why builders think a home office should be open to the rest of the home (oftentimes without a real door). Don't they realize that being isolated from kids, pets, and general "household noise" is essential for a home office!?? Still, that Remington plan has many good things going for it.

And...the 3888 "Red Bud" model in Twin Oaks looks good, too, though I'm not seeing the large lots you mentioned. Most of the lots are around 8,000-9,000 square feet, which, to me are still pretty small. Remember, we're still in short sale contingency for a 4800 sq ft home with a lot over 11,300 sq feet down in West Roseville (Doyle Ranch). But again, Whitney Ranch really is drawing us in with its great community amenities and ambiance...and having a Rocklin district elementary school within walking distance next year sure sounds great.

We'll be viewing the neighborhood in person next week as we've set aside 2 days before Christmas to "catch up" on what's available in the market with a quick trip to Roseville/Rocklin.

Thanks again for your input!
Marshall

[Supersonicblond]

Glad I could help. Our lot is barely 6000 sf, so pretty much everything else in WR seems big compared to ours. Wouldn't mind even 10 more ft. of backyard depth, though it didn't seem like a big deal when we bought. Regardless, it's a great neighborhood, and I'm sure you'll be happy with whatever you find. Good luck!

[Rocketir]

Absolutely agree with Supersonics assessment of the area. I live in the MOD CUT community and one thing I like is the lot size. However living here for a little while, you really don't need that large of a lot. Its just more maintenance. This area really is set up for active families. There are multiple parks that are close, bike trails, the club house is fantastic and is always having activities. However with all of these amenities, the HOA's and Mello Roos are high. However with a 1st and 3rd grader you will get your money's worth, IMHO.

[westcoastperspective]

Can't go wrong in Stanford Ranch next door either; homes aren't as new, and the lots are generally bigger.

[Saving Your Money]

I would not buy in Rocklin, specifically in Whitney Ranch. Whitney Ranch is relatively new and surrounding it is more land. It just mean there are more homes for sale than families residing there. Also, when you think about resaling, who is going to buy your home back when the builders can give so many incentives (closing costs, yard, etc) on a new home. Furthermore, the decline in the real estate market caused the builders to cut cost especially in the framing of the house. So, if you buy a new home especially built from 2008 forward, you are taking a big risk of buying a "lemon". These Whitney Ranch homes are 50% off from when they were in 2007. Also, Whitney Ranch is very close to Thunder Valley Casino and it will only expand. If I was looking for a home, I would buy in E Roseville or Granite Bay. If I have money, Granite Bay. All the land spaces are allocated for, excellent proven schools with huge parental support, and just a terrificy community.

[mistermoose]

I rent in Whitney Ranch, and I definitely agree with your comments. We moved to this area because of the schools. However, the schools are mediocre at best. We regret moving to Rocklin. Also, it smells like a cow pasture.

[Marsh511]

On the flip side, since moving in to Whitney Ranch last August (night before the new school opened), we've been happy with our decision. That said, I'm generally dismayed by the way California schools are completely underfunded where teachers shamelessly send home notes and write emails almost daily asking parents to bring this or bring that. Similarly, there are few days when part of the teaching is not shared by parent volunteers. All this to cover for the fact that class sizes are too large for the teachers to effectively do their jobs (34 in my 4th grader's class). However, I don't think this is a problem specific to our schools or the Rocklin District. I can say that I'm happy that most of the parents in our school *care* and want to help out. I'm not sure if that's the case in all school districts. Smells like a cow pasture? I would say about one day every 2-3 weeks, we do get some foul breezes, but let's face it, the entire Sacramento Valley is smack dab in the middle of California's agriculture belt.

Originally Posted by mistermoose

I rent in Whitney Ranch, and I definitely agree with your comments. We moved to this area because of the schools. However, the schools are mediocre at best. We regret moving to Rocklin. Also, it smells like a cow pasture.