Consumer confidence, attractive pricing drive improved sales and traffic at Blackstone

Blackstone’s Hacienda Club House is situated on 18 acres between the ninth and 10th holes of the community’s private Jim Engh 18-hole championship golf course.
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The combination of greater consumer confidence and attractive pricing at Blackstone at Vistancia has generated more custom lot sales this year than total sales in the private community in 2010.

From January through August, eight home sites have sold compared to a total of six sold in 2010, and five in 2009. “While the 2011 year-to-date sales don’t seem significant, they are in comparison to recent years. It’s a good sign that interest in Blackstone’s custom property is gaining strength as the market improves,” said Bob Bambauer, vice president of Sunbelt Holdings, the developer of Blackstone at Vistancia.

He pointed out that not only are prices on custom home sites more affordable than in past years but buyers are more confident that Blackstone is weathering the economic storm better than some of its counterparts in the market.

Blackstone is a 540-acre gated golf community within the Vistancia master plan. Buyers include young families with children as well as empty nesters, retirees and second home owners.

“The majority of our buyers are moving up from surrounding communities in the west Valley, including Vistancia, as well as numerous buyers from Canada,” Bambauer noted. “They’re drawn to the club amenities, private gate and the prestige of living at a Scottsdale type of property that offers better value and less congestion.”

He explained that while some buyers are purchasing lots for the future, many are on the fast track to design their homes and begin building as soon as possible as the cost to design/build a custom home is also less than in past years. “Our custom builders are predicting that once the market recovers there will be a labor shortage that will likely drive prices higher.”

But during this slower construction time, even the principals of custom home building companies are in the field. “We have seen a significant confidence for new construction in the past six months, especially in the better planned communities,” explained Roger Williams, owner of Pinnacle Homes, a custom home building company.

“Land and construction values are driving the buy/build now movement,” he added. “In 25 years of building in Maricopa County, I have never seen such buyer opportunities.”

Architect Phil Schmidt of Phoenix-based Urban Inc., handling residential design review for Blackstone and other private golf communities in the Valley, has noticed that while building costs have gone down so has the size of a home. 

“Custom design trends are evolving from the days when bigger was considered better,” he said, explaining that although owners are opting for fewer rooms, those rooms are larger and have higher quality finishes than the typical finishes offered by luxury production builders.

“We’re also seeing larger outdoor covered areas that can become living room and dining room settings as well as outdoor kitchens. The biggest trend is toward energy efficient building to reduce the cost of maintaining the home.”

Blackstone at Vistancia offers custom home sites from the low $100,000s. Luxury homes by T.W. Lewis and K. Hovnanian Homes feature floor plans from 2,759-3,511 square feet and start from the low $300,000s. Within the Vistancia community, Rosewood Homes offers floor plans from the low $200,000s.

A property purchase is not required to become a member of the Blackstone Country Club. In a recent restructuring of the membership program, equity and non-equity golf memberships range from $7,500 to $15,000. Also, a limited number of social memberships, which allow members access to the clubhouse amenities with the exception of golf, are available for a $2,500 initiation fee.

Among the amenities available to members is access to one of the most talked about courses in the Valley. The Jim Engh layout was built around the land’s natural features resulting in wildly undulating fairways, cavernous bunkers and natural outcroppings.

The elegant yet unpretentious Hacienda clubhouse features a main dining room with an eclectic contemporary menu, three private dining venues for intimate gatherings and the outdoor Cantina.

Three pools cater to fitness swimmers and those seeking a resort feel. The lap pool has six wide lanes, the resort pool has private cabanas and the children’s play pool has a variety of water features. Members can also enjoy four lighted tennis courts and plush play lawns for picnics, croquet and social gatherings.

For more information on real estate, call 623.476.2923; for information on golf club and social memberships, call 623.707.8700; or visit Facebook or the website at
www.blackstonecountryclub.com.