Willowalk - Perhaps Hemet's Premier Address
by John Occhi, Hemet REALTOR®
Hemet CA Real Estate
This afternoon I had the opportunity to preview several homes in the new subdivision found at the south east corner of Sanderson and Stetson - right across the street from the Super Wal-Mart in Hemet, California.
I remember when they broke ground on this development - there was much expectation DR Horton, the builder, had beautiful signs erected on the site, showcasing beautiful waterways and large magnificent homes behind a gated community.
I must admit, I never liked the concept from the very beginning - strictly for personal reasons. The fact is I lost 2 transactions to Willowalk. I was working with investors who decided that they might be better off buying new construction and making instant equity before the home was ever constructed and ready to habitat. I guess they were offering some pretty good deals, and after all it is right on Sanderson and Stetson, across the street from some major retail business.
In those days, very few builders were offering agent co-ops, like they are all desperately doing these days.
So, until today, I had never been in there. Today, duty calls.
Once I got past the gates (I only waited less than 2 minutes and followed a resident right in - isn't that secure?), we drove through the community, getting a feel for what is offered.
I was impressed on several levels. The houses are truly beautiful - and most of them are huge. Most of the homes are 2-story homes - I believe I figured out the ratio to single story homes is either 4 to 1 or 5 to 1 - maybes somewhere in between.
The ambiance of this Hemet CA Real Estate development of new homes really is very tranquil. It appears as if there is a main lake that everything revolves around. The lake seems to have many fingers so that a good portion of the new homes in the tract are "waterfront" or "lakefront" as I see them described in the MLS by my fellow Hemet REALTORS®.
The other feature that really struck me is not necessarily very positive. The homes are on top of one another. I don't think there is a home that I saw that has more than a 20 foot deep back yard. Tiny postage stamps. Certainly if you want to swim, you need to go to the clubhouse and enjoy the community pool - oh joy.
There are nice amenities, for a new home development in Hemet CA compared to some of the others, but with a $160 a month association fee, you better enjoy them. There are a number of small park areas as well as toddler parks. I saw a nice club house/recreation center where the swimming pool and sports courts are located.
Lets get down to the nitty gritty - because either you'll love this place or you'll get claustrophobia in your 5 bedroom 5 bath 3600+ square foot home.
It seems like the whole neighborhood is for sale. The sad part is when I went to the HSJAOR (Hemet San Jacinto Association of REALTORS®) local MLS there were only 6 active listings. Then I checked out the MLS used by the agents in Temecula and I found well over 30 listings (all different homes). However, in the past 6 months, the Temecula agents were only successful selling 5 of the new homes they listed for sale in the Hemet CA Real Estate market. The local Hemet agents sold the same number of listings as their Temecula counterparts with only having 4 active listings.
The reason for this is not because the Hemet REALTORS don't know how to get listings,, it's because the Temecula Investors who bought into the pre-construction are relying on their local agents instead of finding a agent local to the market where their real estate investment is located.
Live and Learn.
Now Have a Blessed Day,
John Occhi, Hemet REALTOR
http://www.johnocchi.com/
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