During the height of the housing market a few years ago, the most successful new metro Denver housing developments offering homes on alley lots were at infill locations such as Stapleton and Lowry in Denver or in Boulder. Production builders generally shied away from alley lot locations in the suburbs, preferring standard front-loaded lots where they could offer tried and true floor plans.
But today, four national homebuilders are offering single family homes on alleys in suburban locations where nearly all the homes built to date have had front-loaded garages. What gives?
Since the financial market crisis of late 2008, metro Denver area builders have been focusing primarily on affordable price points where they achieve an acceptable sales rate. Through this sometimes painful process, we have been (re)discovering the critical elements that must be present to appeal to this market segment, and today these builders are offering new floor plans designed for alley-load lots. These offerings reflect reflect some of these lessons learned.
- Value pricing – this doesn’t necessarily mean low pricing, but rather that the homes must be priced to compete with conventional competitive offerings in both the new and resale market.
- Functional, livable plans with creative exterior architecture – builders have been busily designing smaller homes to appeal to today’s buyers, and the best of these new plans often vary significantly from the plain vanilla exteriors and routine floor plans you probably remember
- A balance of private outdoor spaces and maintenance – large yards provide big play areas for pets and kids, yet today’s buyers, young and older value their free time for other pursuits than taking care of landscaping.
- Location – location in an established master plan with great amenities is a big plus for some projects, while others benefit from a closer-in suburban location where new housing is simply hard to find at an affordable price. Either way, the appeal to the home buyer can be compelling.
So which are these projects? Check out the list.
1. Upland Park in The Meadows by Richmond American Homes– opens with the first model available for showing tomorrow (December 4). Located west of I-25 in Castle Rock, plans will range from 1,600 to 1,850 square feet at base prices from the low $200s. Click <here> for more info.
2. Spaces at the Ranch by Shea Homes – If you stop by the sales office in Highlands Ranch this weekend you can arrange to tour one of the four homes which will open as models next month at base prices from $225,900 to $308,400. Click <here> to check it out.
3. Idyllwilde by KB Home – visit the sales office in south Parker to learn more about the homes in this highly-amenitized master plan, or click <here> to visit the website. Two models are nearly completed, and homes ranging from 1,245 to 2,082 square feet are offered at base prices from $219,995 to $289,995.
4. Tuscany Trails by Standard Pacific – Located near 95th Avenue & Westminster Boulevard in Westminster, homes from 1,805 to 2,502 square feet will be offered from the upper $200s to low $300s. Two models will open in January with four plans available with prairie-style elevations including front porches and oversized garages. Click <here> for more info.
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