Lennar Homes in Sahuarita AZ (Tucson, Catalina: transplants, sale, real estate)

[brrrinmass]

Hello out there and Happy Thanksgiving to you all. Anyone buy a home from Lennar Homes in Sahuarita. My wife and I are thinking of relocating to the Tucson area. We have been there twice and really liked the Sahuarita area. I work for a major defense contractor so the Sahuarita area would be a good fit for us as we are not city people ha ha ha. I am just wondering how you feel the quality of the Lennar homes are in the area. I really like the idea of 300 days of sunshine a year. Presently it is 20 degrees with sunshine here in Massachusetts. Brrrrrr

[michael krotchie]

Currently it's in the mid 60s and sunny (although was pouring early this morning).

From what I've seen, Lennar homes are typically well constructed. And by that I mean you can tell a difference when walking through a Lennar and a home by a lesser builder.

Sounds like you're already familiar with the Sahuarita area and if you don't like being too close too the city than it might be a good fit for you. The master planned community is a definite plus for a lot of homeowners, and Sahuarita is the epitome of that.

Take a look at this article that was in last week's Arizona Daily Star, will shed some light on the housing situation lately: Arizona, local housing numbers get darker | www.azstarnet.com ®

[brrrinmass]

Thanks Micheal. Yes my wife and I did notiice the quality of the Lennar homes. While in the Tucson area we looked at Lennar, Pulte, K.B. Homes, Meritage and a couple of other builders. We were impressed with Lennar and Pulte and from what I can see on-line these two builders are the top two in the area according to J.D. Powers & Associates. I guess I was looking to hear from people who actually have owned homes from these builders to hear about the quality after having been in these homes for several years. We were taken aback by the small lot sizes in the area. We are used to a typical lot size here in the east of about 1+ acres. Why so small out there. Don't want to hear my neighbors conversations ha ha ha.
Can you give me any insight as to how strict the HOA's are in the area with regards to flower beds, swimming pools, hot tubs, etc?

How flexible are the adult communities with regards to age as we are approximately 53 years of age?

Can anyone out there give us a "ballpark" figure as to the cost of having an inground pool and hot tub and typical landscaping of an unfinished back yard would cost?

How about typical utility costs as well as property taxes and HOA fees?

Thanks for all the help.

I am going to check out the website you suggested now Micheal, thanks again.

[brrrinmass]

OK Micheal I have another question. You are a real estate agent so I am sure I know the answer . Is there any advantage to my working with a real estate agent if I am going to buy a new home in Tucson. What type of incentives do they offer? And are the prices I see on-line for these homes negotiable? Thanks again

[michael krotchie]

Originally Posted by brrrinmass

Thanks Micheal. Yes my wife and I did notiice the quality of the Lennar homes. While in the Tucson area we looked at Lennar, Pulte, K.B. Homes, Meritage and a couple of other builders. We were impressed with Lennar and Pulte and from what I can see on-line these two builders are the top two in the area according to J.D. Powers & Associates. I guess I was looking to hear from people who actually have owned homes from these builders to hear about the quality after having been in these homes for several years. We were taken aback by the small lot sizes in the area. We are used to a typical lot size here in the east of about 1+ acres. Why so small out there. Don't want to hear my neighbors conversations ha ha ha.

I've got a friend who bought a Lennar home up NW in Gladden Farms (where I live), and I live in a Pulte myself. You'll find personal experiences run the gamut but for site built homes Pulte or Lennar have pretty good reputations.

Originally Posted by brrrinmass

Can you give me any insight as to how strict the HOA's are in the area with regards to flower beds, swimming pools, hot tubs, etc?

Ahh, HOAs.. Typically they just want to be informed before anything is done, a pool or spa shouldn't be an issue as many subdivision homes have them. Usually you just submit your plans to the association for them to give the stamp of approval before beginning. Typical things they look for are height restrictions, making sure any new structures 'match' the neighborhood (paint/decor), and foundational issues. With planter beds some HOAs require a barrier be put up (whether paint on or a physical roll) between the soil and wall to prevent damage to the integrity of the wall.

Originally Posted by brrrinmass

How flexible are the adult communities with regards to age as we are approximately 53 years of age?

In this market probably very flexible, a simple phone call should straighten that out for you.

Originally Posted by brrrinmass

Can anyone out there give us a "ballpark" figure as to the cost of having an inground pool and hot tub and typical landscaping of an unfinished back yard would cost?

I'd say for a decent pool/spa and landscaping it can run you $30k+ easily (not from personal experience, I'm sure more qualified posters will add to this).

Originally Posted by brrrinmass

How about typical utility costs as well as property taxes and HOA fees?

HOA fees run from $20 to $100+ depending on the community you live in. For Rancho Sahuarita the HOA fees are ~$55/month. Be aware that in RS the association charges a percentage 'fee' upon the sale of your home. Maybe someone who lives there could chime in regarding the fee (I think it's 1%)?

Originally Posted by brrrinmass

OK Micheal I have another question. You are a real estate agent so I am sure I know the answer . Is there any advantage to my working with a real estate agent if I am going to buy a new home in Tucson. What type of incentives do they offer? And are the prices I see on-line for these homes negotiable? Thanks again

I'll send you a DM regarding this so the city-data gods don't strike me down. But usually there is a some wiggle room for prices, especially in the current market.

One other thing. Have you looked into the Vail area? Sounds like it might fit your bill a little better in terms of having homes with some land that isn't too close to Tucson.

[CDL-A]

Originally Posted by michael krotchie

One other thing. Have you looked into the Vail area? Sounds like it might fit your bill a little better in terms of having homes with some land that isn't too close to Tucson.

I completely agree with Michael; definitely check out Vail prior to purchasing in Sahuarita. The land issue (not hearing your neighbor's conversations, as you say ) is a lot different, but also you won't usually be restricted by HOA's in Vail (at least not in a lot of Vail). Those can be two biggies as far as quality of life goes.

[brrrinmass]

Thanks CDL-A. We did look a little bit in Vail however we did really like the Lennar homes and did not see any available in Vail. I thought Vail was perhaps a more upscale area than we could afford. We would be in the $275,000-$300-000 price range. We would like to have 3-4 bdrms, 2 bath and 3 car garage preferrably single story (although 2 story would not be out of the question). We really need the 3rd car garage as I am a woodworker in my spare time and since the homes have no basement I would need somewhere to use as a workshop. We did look somewhere off of Sahuarita Road (I think I remember) at some DRHorton (I think) homes that were advertised as being on 3/4 acre lots. This was a little too far out in the middle of nowhere for my wife. She said she would be too afraid to live "out there". Is this the way Vail is? We didn't even go inside any of the model homes there because my wife said it was a little "too deserty" and I would have to agree with her, ha ha ha.

Micheal, What type of incentives are the builders offering nowadays. When I was there back in May of this year Lennar was talking about $40,000 incentives. They said they could not take it off the price of the house but could offer it as "incentives" such as finishing your backyard and such. Does that mean you could use that money for whatever you wanted such as installing the hot tub and swimming pool. Would this type of money be given at closing? How does this work?

We have a home to sell here in Massachusetts which is the major reason why I am not aggressively seeking to relocate at this time. I do work at Raytheon so a relocation at some point in the future would be feasible. The housing market here is so slow, I just wish it would turn around. People have suggested that I rent my house out here until the market turns around but that just sounds like a major hassle to me. Especially from 3000 miles away.

How does it work if the builder offers to pay your closing costs for you? Raytheon would pay my closing costs anyway so does that mean I could get that money taken off the price of the house? How much "wiggle room" is there when dealing with builders? Thanks for all the great information all and I hope to hear from more of you out there in "the land of sunshine".

[twojulybabies]

I'm chiming in kind of late here...Are you only looking at new construction? I do agree that Lennar and Pulte are my favorites. However, there are some absolutely beautiful homes in Sahuarita (and Corona de Tucson...and Vail) that are in your price range as well as being built by those builders. Also, have you looked at Rancho Del Lago yet? There is still a nice mixture of existing homes as well as new builds. Plus, your commute would still be small, you are in the desert, but still 'close' to shopping, etc. There are some amazing views of the Catalinas and Rincons.

Give it a thought.


-Good Luck, from another East Coastner who just LOVES Tucson!

[michael krotchie]

Originally Posted by brrrinmass

Thanks CDL-A. We did look a little bit in Vail however we did really like the Lennar homes and did not see any available in Vail. I thought Vail was perhaps a more upscale area than we could afford. We would be in the $275,000-$300-000 price range. We would like to have 3-4 bdrms, 2 bath and 3 car garage preferrably single story (although 2 story would not be out of the question). We really need the 3rd car garage as I am a woodworker in my spare time and since the homes have no basement I would need somewhere to use as a workshop. We did look somewhere off of Sahuarita Road (I think I remember) at some DRHorton (I think) homes that were advertised as being on 3/4 acre lots. This was a little too far out in the middle of nowhere for my wife. She said she would be too afraid to live "out there". Is this the way Vail is? We didn't even go inside any of the model homes there because my wife said it was a little "too deserty" and I would have to agree with her, ha ha ha.

Micheal, What type of incentives are the builders offering nowadays. When I was there back in May of this year Lennar was talking about $40,000 incentives. They said they could not take it off the price of the house but could offer it as "incentives" such as finishing your backyard and such. Does that mean you could use that money for whatever you wanted such as installing the hot tub and swimming pool. Would this type of money be given at closing? How does this work?

We have a home to sell here in Massachusetts which is the major reason why I am not aggressively seeking to relocate at this time. I do work at Raytheon so a relocation at some point in the future would be feasible. The housing market here is so slow, I just wish it would turn around. People have suggested that I rent my house out here until the market turns around but that just sounds like a major hassle to me. Especially from 3000 miles away.

How does it work if the builder offers to pay your closing costs for you? Raytheon would pay my closing costs anyway so does that mean I could get that money taken off the price of the house? How much "wiggle room" is there when dealing with builders? Thanks for all the great information all and I hope to hear from more of you out there in "the land of sunshine".

Sounds like you may not have looked in the right area in Vail. Twojulybabies is right on with Rancho del Lago. Rancho del Lago has plenty of opportunity right now and for your price range you can easily find what you are looking for. You're only a few minutes away from I-10 and from shopping centers at Rita Ranch. And also near Houghton Road which provides access to town.

Incentives are pretty much along the lines of what you mentioned, typically closing costs are paid for, if you buy new construction then they usually offer an options 'credit' to spruce up your cabinets/flooring/paint etc., or the pool/landscaping credit you mentioned. Those funds are usually held in an escrow account after close from which the pool company is paid directly for their work.

I understand your hesitation about waiting to move until your home is sold. I think a few other Tucson transplants on these boards were/are in the same situation you're in. The upside is that Tucson is one of the the markets that has experienced major price corrections since the boom of a few years ago.

As far as "wiggle room" with builder pricing, it all depends on their motivations. Most of the competent ones are playing ball with prospective buyers but you won't know until you ask. I still see new home pricing around town that makes me think the builders are out of their minds.

[sierraAZ]

Originally Posted by michael krotchie

I still see new home pricing around town that makes me think the builders are out of their minds.

Bah... They must be piling on the upgrades like crazy. It was long time ago when I found out the Corian countertops I paid over 5K for are now a standard feature... Yesterday took a look at a few houses that are at just-before-closing stage. All their garages had epoxy floor coating. I don't even recall this being offered as an upgrade before. It appears now they're doing it for free most likely because all of them were the same. They seem to throw all appliances in as well. The price of the house might be kept somewhat the same, but only God knows how many freebies are in there.