The newest on-hold development is Claridad, the townhome development adjacent to Rio Norte Junior High. These are the low-end homes for that area, but still have some nice features and floorplans.

People who signed up for pre-sales on these homes are now being offered the option to purchase in the Esperto development instead, one of the few of Lennar’s developments that is actually moving forward. Those who opt to transfer over to the Esperto homes will be looking at a September, 2008 move-in date instead of the April, 2008 date that they were originally promised. Buyers will apparently be able to keep all incentives that were offered to them in their initial negotiations for the Claridad homes.

Sales will also continue for the Artenati townhomes at West Creek Valencia. The Artenati homes feature up to four bedrooms, small back yards, and some have views overlooking the Santa Clara River. The Artenati townhomes are adjacent to the Albertson’s shopping center on Copperhill.

Looking for homes in the Santa Clarita area? Santa Clarita Realtor Linda Slocum specializes in both new construction and resale homes. Call her at 661.670.0349 or email her to set up an appointment, and be sure to check our Tips for Buying New Construction before you visit any new home sales offices!

Before you read anything else in this post, make sure you READ THIS:

The BEST DEALS happen when a buyer is accompanied by a Realtor who is well recognized within the local Lennar sales offices as being a professional who stands by her clients. More than just the list price can be negotiable, but you likely won’t know that if you attempt to negotiate on your own.

BE AWARE OF THE FIRST VISIT RULE: Don’t go wandering into the sales office on your own (without a qualified Realtor), or you may miss out on some exceptional pricing and other incentives that likely won’t be offered to you.

If you want the BEST representation as a new home buyer, call Santa Clarita Realtor Linda Slocum at 661.670.0349 or email her at Linda@SantaClaritaRealEstateBlog.com to set up an appointment to visit the Lennar sales offices and get a killer deal on your new home.

Available Homes in Lennar’s Valencia Developments

NOTE: The prices mentioned below are LIST prices, and are what Lennar is hoping will bring in the qualified buyers to take these homes off of their hands. Re-read the section "READ THIS" above before reading any further…

All Lennar homes come with "everything included", featuring granite counters, upgraded cabinets, upgraded tile and carpet on the floors, and either black or stainless appliances in the kitchen (most have stainless). Fridge, washer and dryer are included as well as a wireless network for your computers, so these homes are truly complete.

Rock-bottom pricing for Artenati at West Creek Valencia

Artenati’s Plan 1 with 1,384sf, 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, 2-car garage and a large deck is going for the rock-bottom list price of $348,000. The original price on this home was $420,000!

Other homesites are available with reduced pricing, with the highest price at $389,000.

Esperto at West Creek Valencia: Almost Sold Out!

Only one home is listed for sale at rock-bottom prices at Esperto, although there may be at least one other that could be sold as these prices as well. The Esperto Plan 5 has 1,601sf, 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, 2-car garage, and a balcony with a bargain-basement list price of $399,000. Esperto has been selling quite well, with its location away from the Albertson’s center and Rio Norte Junior High.

Castillo at West Hills Valencia: Only Two Left!

Castillo at West Hills Valencia has only two homesites left, starting at a low list price of $555,000. These are Plan 4′s, with 2,236sf, 4 bedrooms, 2.75 baths, 2-car garage, and decent-sized yards. One bedroom and one bath (with shower but no tub) are downstairs. These homes were originally priced at over $670,000!

Heirloom and Brookville at Valencia RiverVillage

Brookville and Heirloom at Valencia’s RiverVillage are an almost-exact duplicate of the Patina and Mosaic homes at Valencia West Hills. The only difference is location, and this shouldn’t be underplayed. However, if you’re looking for a stunning home and aren’t concerned with being within a Valencia zip code or as freeway-close as Valencia is, then these may be for you! Bargain basement prices on these homes start at $599,000.

Good News (and not so good news)

The good news about this Lennar blow-out sale is that they are working with buyers to negotiate much lower interest rates than they would be able to get on loans obtained elsewhere. This means a very low payment in many cases, with the reduced interest rate and the reduced home prices.

The not-so-good news is that these homes (and almost all other new homes in the Santa Clarita area) are subject to Mello Roos tax assessments. However, the interest rate buy-downs still mean extremely attractive monthly payments for most homebuyers.

The Bottom Line

Standing inventory (existing unsold homes) are a builder’s nightmare – it costs them money to maintain and finance any unsold homes that they have on hand. Lennar made a blunder in building too many homes in their first phases, in the hopes that they would be snatched up quickly like they were in the past.

Future phase releases will be much smaller, so it’s unlikely that Lennar will find themselves in this position again. And, therefore, it’s unlikely that potential home buyers will find themselves in such a strong negotiating position with Lennar at any time in the near future. This is also compounded by the fact that Lennar needs sales numbers to add to its year-end reporting to boost its ratings with investors.

DO NOT attempt to negotiate with Lennar on your own! Going to the Lennar sales office without an experienced Realtor will NOT save you any money, and will more than likely have you leaving money on the table where incentives (freebies and buy-downs) were available but not offered. Lennar pays the Realtor, so the Realtor’s services are absolutely free of charge to you as a buyer.

Having a Realtor who has a proven track record in representing buyers at Lennar sales offices is definitely in your favor, so be sure to call Linda Slocum at 661.670.0349 or email her at Linda@SantaClaritaRealEstateBlog.com to set up an appointment to negotiate a killer deal on your new home.

These townhomes range from 1,384 square feet to 1,941 square feet, and feature attached 2-car garages, fully-appointed kitchens with granite counters and stainless appliances (including fridge), laundry rooms complete with washer and dryer, living rooms with fireplace and media niche, and wiring for high-speed internet access.

Homeowners association dues are $250 per month, which includes insurance and exterior maintenance. Amenities include the nearby Terry Miller Memorial Park, three community pools and recreational facilities.

Here’s a breakdown of the available models:

• Residence 1
  • 1,384 square feet
  • 2 bedrooms
  • 2 baths
  • Deck (balcony)
  • All living is upstairs (downstairs includes only the garage and a small entryway).
  • Additional property tax assessment of $2,500 per year
  • Currently priced from $405,000 to $480,000
• Residence 2
  • 1,625 square feet
  • 3 bedrooms
  • 2 1/2 baths
  • Separate living and dining rooms
  • Traditional U-shaped kitchen
  • Additional property tax assessment of $2,625 per year
  • Currently priced from $455,000 to $525,500
• Residence 3
  • 1,941 square feet
  • 4 bedrooms
  • 2 3/4 baths
  • Traditional U-shaped kitchen
  • Downstairs bedroom
  • Additional property tax assessment of $3,000 per year
  • Currently priced from $495,000 to $549,500

What to watch for:

• Some of the secondary bedrooms are exceptionally small.
• All buyers must pre-qualify with Lennar’s in-house lender, but there is not a requirement to use this lender for your purchase. ASK YOUR REALTOR about your financing options.
• The property tax assessments noted above are IN ADDITION to the regular property tax of about 1.25%.
• On transfer (upon the sale of your home), a "donation" of .05% of the sales price must be made to Lennar’s Charitable Housing Fund. This is a deed restriction and cannot be avoided.

CAUTION: Buying a new home is a very complicated process, and although the builder’s sales team is generally highly qualified, they’re working for the builder and NOT for you, the buyer. Read our Tips for Buying New Construction and BRING YOUR REALTOR with you on your FIRST VISIT to any of these new home developments.

Call Linda Slocum at 661.670.0349 or email her at Linda@SantaClaritaRealEstateBlog.com to make an appointment to see these new homes, or any other new developments in the Santa Clarita area.

Homes in Valencia West Creek are expected to range from 1200 square foot townhomes to 3000 square foot single family homes. These homes will be located above the San Francisquito Creek and below Copperhill Drive. These homes are also adjacent to Rio Norte Junior High School and a neighborhood retail center that currently includes Albertson’s and Starbuck’s as well as Jersey Mike’s and others.

The first homes to be released in Valencia West Creek will be the Artenati townhomes, which will feature 2-4 bedrooms and 1384-1876 square feet of living space. The pricing for these homes is expected to start from the mid $400,000s.

Valencia West Creek will also include the Esperto townhomes, which will feature 2-3 bedrooms and 1219 to 1598 square feet of living space.

The Toscana single family homes will also be part of the Valencia West Creek development, featuring 3-4 bedrooms and 2287 to 2559 square feet of living space.

It is advisable for all buyers to bring a Realtor with them on their first visit to these new developments. Otherwise you’ll be left at the mercy of the builder’s sales staff, and that can sometimes create issues that unrepresented buyers cannot solve by themselves. It does not cost you any more to bring your Realtor, and the builder will not negotiate prices down if you leave your Realtor at home. Remember, this is a FIRST VISIT rule, so don’t go to the sales office alone!

Click here to request information and updates on the new Valencia West Creek development.