Phoenix ... Blandford Homes or Monterrey (Meritage) Homes (Mesa, Scottsdale: house, neighborhoods)

[RLV]

We are relocating to Phoenix this summer from the Washington DC area. We have made several trips to look at neighborhoods and homes. We are fortunate that the DC market has recovered, plus we have owned our home 10+ years and didn't have to worry about being upside down. We are going to be able to get a great deal more for our money in Arizona. Our cap is $575,000 and we are looking for 4,000+ with some type of guest casita.

Anyway ... we are hoping to make a decision in the next few weeks about selecting a neighborhood and builder. We spent several months going through homes already built, but weren't able to find exactly what we needed. Although there were plenty of homes ... the larger homes seem to have tons of bedrooms and not "extra" rooms that we would like to have ... den and a game room with doors opening outside, master retreat ... etc. We have narrowed our choices to the new builds in Weston Ranch in Gilbert (Monterrey Homes) and Mountain Bridge (Blandford).

We plan to walk around the Mountain Bridge area and hopefully talk to some homeowners who may be at the park etc. We really can't get any "intel" from the Weston Ranch development since the homes aren't built yet. There are some homes currently in this smaller development that Amberwood built, but none since Meritage bought the remaining properties.

Both companies have lovely looking homes within our price range and floor plans that we like. The selling point for Meritage home is the new "net zero" energy efficiencies that come standard. The selling point for Mountain Bridge is that the community is truly resort like.

It is just a bit scary to have a house built without knowing the builder. We both grew up in the midwest and if we were to build a home ... we would know exactly who to call since they were locals building a few homes a year.

Anyway ... any info would be greatly appreciated. We love our realtor ... she has been great ... but it is always nice to hear opinions of others! Thanks!

[Captain Bill]

Blandford developed Las Sendas and has a good reputation. His newest development, Mountain Bridge is a good location.

[RLV]

Thanks so much ... good to hear that from a realtor who knows the area. We looked at some Las Sendas homes ... must be a high demand development because the prices were a bit higher than Mountain Bridge ... or much less square footage with the lower prices.

[Captain Bill]

Yes, Las Sendas is a highly desirable golf course community.

All but a couple of the sub communities within Las Sendas are gated, and the higher up the hill you go, the more expensive the homes get, up to several million dollars. The highest price Listed right now is $4.2 mil.

Here are some articles about Mountain Bridge and Blandford:

Mesa developer defies the downturn

A Meeting with The President of Blandford Homes « Arizona Bargain Homes Weblog

Resort Style Golf Course Living from the 150's - Jessica Sulliman

You'll see by the articles that his reputation is solid.

Many people are not aware of the beauty and desirability of this northeast corner of Mesa, with it's good Red Mountain school district, close proximity to hiking in the Usery Mountains, and quick commute to the airport, Phoenix, or Scottsdale via the 202.