Pepperwood community? (neighbourhood, middle school, gated)

[jensi22]

sazmad,
There are tons of younger kids in this area. Are you from Utah? Utah is known to have a zillion kids under the age of 5 in one family eerywhere! Lol!
Yes, Pepperwood pool is filled with swimmie diapers all summer long. ;-)
If you drive around during school hours on a nice day you will see lots of strollers, big wheels, tricycles etc walking down Pepperwood drive sidewalk. But there are kids of all ages. There are 500 homes here so you have everything.
And TONS of dogs! Lol!

[dcisive]

LOL you described the place that is 180 degrees out from where I'd want to be. Glad someone is enjoying it

[jensi22]

Hi Icj2011,
I was sent an update on this post (not sure why because it's old now but) was wondering if you ever moved to Utah, where you ended up living and if you are enjoying it? We are in Pepperwood and I have two boys that attend St. John's. Hope you found a great place that your family is enjoying!

Jen

[18rdz]

Anyone know if there are houses for rent in the community? Looking to move in early July and this seems like a desirable place.

[jensi22]

Sometimes one will come up for rent but its not a high rental community. The ones that are for rent are usually less desirable. You will need to check with a realtor. Moderator cut: cannot post realtor names I don't know her personally but her signs are everywhere and I've heard she knows the pulse of the neighborhood.

[bigbadw0lf]

Hello to everyone who has posted in this thread, I know it's old but maybe someone will respond. My family and I are contemplating a move to SLC within the year are we are starting to do our homework. I spent 3 days there driving around and visiting schools, it is a lovely place.

Could someone please post back your impressions about Pepperwood, if you ended up moving there? We lived in Denver for 15 years, in Dallas now for 2 and ready to get back to the inter-mountain west. TIA!

[jensi22]

Hello BigbadwOlf,
We did move to Pepperwood and ended up living there for 8 years. We just recently moved to Toronto last January. We LOVED Pepperwood. The views are by far the best around as neighbourhoods go IMO. If you have children, again it can't be beat. There are tennis courts, basketball courts, Olympic swimming pool, sand volleyball court, and a playground as well as bike paths connecting all Cul de sacs. There are TONS of kids in Pepperwood. As for adults, walking the neighbourhood for exercise or with a dog is so beautiful and serene. There is a waterfall hike right out the back gate of the neighbourhood so for a short walk you get even more beauty right in your backyard! I often said when we were living there that it's like living in a resort every day! We loved it so much that we decided to keep our house there. We have fantastic renters in there for two years otherwise I'd offer it up to you. If you're Mormon, there are two very active wards nearby. If you're not (we aren't) there is a pretty active wine group in the neighbourhood. Lol. It's the kind of neighbourhood where everyone looks out for each other, everyone waves to each other and people are fairly active. The tennis courts are constantly in use.
With all of that said, you can get newer more updated homes all over the Salt Lake Valley for less than a Pepperwood home. You are paying for the amenities, the views and the fact that it's a gated community. Unlike most neighbourhood's Pepperwood has large lots so you are paying for that also. Pepperwood has established trees so you have more privacy. But as far as the interior of the home, many in the $600-$850k price range will have slightly dated bathrooms and kitchens. In the $800k range you get updated kitchens and baths but still not what you would get in a brand new home in other areas. Anything over $1m you are getting more updates but you are looking at $1.3m for all of the bells and whistles. My girlfriend lives in Dallas. Utah is more expensive cost per square footage. But the taxes are lower! Pepperwood has character. That's probably how I would describe it.
There are tons of neighbourhood's in the Sandy/Draper/South Jordan/Herriman area. Depends on what exactly you are looking for as far as community amenities, price range and personal preference on interior updates.
Good luck in your search!

[Coffeequeen]

I would never have looked there to live as it is HOA and gated, but I did drive through it the other night and the lot sizes, trees, set back nature of the homes. are really appealing attributes, I was surprised that the houses were so reasonably priced. Plenty of homes in more desirable areas are older (like 80's LOL), so compare like with like. It is worth a look if you like gates and don't mind HOAs. I think it is an error to compare PW with big new mcmansions on smaller lots in Draper and certainly anywhere west of the freeway is not comparable for location.

[jensi22]

Yes, keep in mind the HOA fees are $1,900 annually. This takes care of the snowplowing and the maintenance of all the amenities, including landscaping, pool cleaning and lifeguards, plowing including all sidewalks and bike paths, gatehouse and guards and overall beauty of the neighborhood. The maintenance guy is awesome and even turned on my sprinkler system one year for me when every landscaper was too busy. It's a high cost and has gone up $500 in 8 years but they do keep Pepperwood beautiful. Still, you have to factor that in and decide if it's worth it to you.
If you're wondering cost etc - taxes on a $850K home would be approximately $6000/yr. Due to Pepperwood's large lots, people forget to budget for the water bill. Our summer water bill was approximately $350/month, sometimes over $400. And air conditioning can run you up to $600/month for the summer months in the larger homes. Everything adds up and people don't always think about that when they look at these homes. Then they move in and can't afford to keep their lawn green. You can be assessed a fine for having an undesirable lawn - I'm not sure it's ever happened, more like a warning, but it is in the bylaws that they can do so. Of course in most of your desirable neighborhoods such as Steeple Chase in Draper and the newer McMansion neighborhoods you will have the same costs.
Draper has new public schools that are beautiful. I'm not sure if their taxes went up but I'd assume so. The schools however have gotten quite crowded - everyone loves free and beautiful - so you may want to check that out if you're considering public schools (if you have children).

[Tspoon]

Hello,
Thank you for the info. My wife and I have toured several times in Pepperwood and are now under contract on a house there. Moving from NC your comments put my wife a bit at ease. Thanks!