By: Jaren Reece
Photos By: Jaren Reece
Grand Junction is expanding at a rapidly growing rate, people from all over the country are racing to call the Grand Valley their permanent home and construction companies certainly have their hands full. Colorado itself has become a desired location for intrastate migration, California, Texas and Florida are the most abundant migrators that find themselves settling down here. In order to keep up with the demands, neighborhoods are constantly adding new properties and new neighborhoods are being created to fit in that new family from out of state.
As the housing market continues its trend of irregularity, it has been increasingly difficult for realtors, constructors and members of the city council alike to meet the needs of everyone in need of a home. There is currently a shortage of properties on the market and prices have only increased over the past few years. According to statistics from the Common Sense Institute, over 11,000 people have moved to Grand Junction since 2005 and the average home price has risen by 91% to over $394,000 for the cost of a home.
In order to combat such a daunting task, Western Slope construction companies have been hard at work day in and out to provide more options for the ever-expanding city. One of the most notable neighborhoods currently in the process of heavy construction is located on Horizon Glen Court. A plethora of new luxury homes are in the process of being created in one of the more desirable locations to live in Grand Junction. Located off of Horizon Drive and 27 Road, across the street from the new temple that will be dedicated to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, which in fact is also currently under construction, is the exact site of the new neighborhood. Village Center Way, a brand new addition of beautiful luxury homes. The new subdivision has been slowly expanding as the construction process continues. Although some of the homes have already been built and purchased, there are still plenty more to come.
One of the pieces of property that is currently listed on local real estate and property websites is 661 Horizon Glen Ct and is selling for $132,500 according to Zillow.
A variety of construction companies and private contractors have a share in building each of the properties, including Signature Homes, Conquest Construction, LLC and Synergy Homes. Katie Lewis, one of the builders and co-owners of Signature Homes Colorado said that Village Center is growing by the day and has an exciting new project that is nearly finished. “ ‘The Sanctuary’ is what we named the home that we’re working on and it’s been one of our favorite projects that we’ve had to tackle,” said Lewis. “It’s a two story luxury property scaling at 2963 square feet and it’s the ultimate dream home for the exuberant buyer.” When asked about the rest of the projects in the subdivision, Lewis was excited to see such an extravagant neighborhood being added to her hometown. “Horizon Drive and adjacent neighborhoods have always been some of my favorite parts of town; it’s gorgeous, and to see so many of these amazing homes being built is exciting! It puts just how fast the city is growing into perspective.”
As expected, with the sheer amount of buyers in the area, the homes are flying off the market as soon as they become available to the public. It’s been a frenzy for realtors who are receiving offers one after another at record speeds. Bray Real Estate is one such company who has a stake in the Village Center subdivision. Their company signs are certainly abundant at the construction sites.
One of Bray’s agents: Barrett Kendall, was able to give insight on the development of the subdivision and the stress of handling a bidding war between buyers. “When new neighborhoods spring up like the Village Center for example, the construction companies will get together and start the pre-approval process, and once they get approved, the lots will appear on the market. This is where realtors come in and start getting offers for homes that are about to be built” said Kendall. “This is why a lot of the new homes you see are already off the market, because someone bought the lot prior and had their home built for them.” Kendall also chimed in on how exciting it is for a realtor when a multitude of new properties become available. “These new houses fly off the market almost as soon as they’re listed, it’s so quick it’s hard to keep up with sometimes, especially if it’s an entire neighborhood all at once. We’ll get offers from so many different people on a house and at that point it’s just a tug of war to see who is willing to go higher.”
Certainly an exciting time for home buyers, realtors and contractors alike. The housing market works like a mutualistic relationship in nature, everyone will benefit. The new Village Center Subdivision will continue to expand and each project will gradually finish as the year goes on. Act fast and you’ll be able to be the proud owner of the dream home that you’ve always wanted.
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