A local builder is back on familiar turf as Vantage Homes opens a new model home in the El Rancho Grande planned community on the western outskirts of Albuquerque near 98th Street and Gibson SW.
While the homegrown company already has completed nearly 200 homes in the southwestern corner of the city in years past – and is also selling in two other nearby neighborhoods – Vantage Homes recently acquired an additional 36 lots when Beazer Homes pulled out of the multi-builder community. Vantage Homes wasted no time in getting started on a new 1,664-square-foot model that opens this week.
The company will offer updated floor plans in its Vanguard Series, both one-story and two-story homes that range in price from $129,990 to $188,990. Sizes range from 1,101 square feet (two or three bedrooms) to 2,612 square feet (three or four bedrooms). Buyers can choose between a shingled pitched roof style or a more traditional flat-roof Southwestern style.
ESTIMATED MONTHLY PAYMENTS: (includes estimated taxes and insurance) For $147,900 home (1,664 square feet): $934.88 Assumptions: 10 percent down; 4.625 percent, 30-year conventional mortgage - Source: Mace Kochenderfer, Stearns Lending |
STANDARD FEATURES:
2×6-inch stud construction on exterior walls
Vinyl-insulated, double-paned windows
Basic security system rough-in
Covered front entry
Block wall fencing
Xeriscaped front yard landscaping
Energy Star lighting and appliances
HEATING/COOLING:
Gas forced heat/refrigerated cooling
INSULATION VALUES:
R-38 in the ceiling, R-21 in the wallsThe model home is built with Vantage Homes’ affordable standard features, including laminate kitchen counters, vinyl flooring and oak kitchen cabinets.Builder aims forVantage designs offer choices including number of bedrooms, stories, roof stylesStory by Jane Mahoney For the Journal â– â– â– Photographs by Richard Pipes Of the Journal
“We’re excited to be opening a new community when lots of builders are shutting down,” said Jody Pauza, managing partner of Vantage Homes Southwest. “It’s especially nice to be part of an established community with neighbors right away.”
The model home, an open one-story floor plan, is built with the company’s affordable standard features, including robust materials such as laminate kitchen counters, cultured marble vanities, vinyl flooring and paneled oak kitchen cabinets. There are some standard amenities that add some spark along the way, however, such as 9-foot ceiling heights on the first floor, rolled edges and backsplashes on the countertops, and arches and nicho details.
Vantage’s “Advantage Package” comes with mini-blinds and Energy Star appliances such as a gas range, dishwasher, over-range microwave oven, an 18-cubic foot refrigerator, and large capacity washer and dryer.
“It’s livable from Day One,” said Pauza. “A buyer can move in, make the bed and they’re ready to go. It has everything you need and nothing you don’t. Really, buyers have all the essentials, and won’t have to go out and spend $2,500 buying appliances.”
While upgrades are available – such as fireplaces or flooring choices – most buyers are content with the standard features, Pauza added. The neighborhood, which features several cul-de-sacs, has attracted families as well as retirees, he said. Because the project is in its early stages, clients are still able to secure oversized or corner lots, he said.
A second package offered by Vantage Homes at El Rancho Grande is its “Eco Value” package, which includes energy efficient components and green building practices that meet bronze level specifications outlined in the Build Green NM code. Features include insulation values of R-38 in the ceiling and R-21 in the exterior walls, double-pane windows, a foam air filtration package and programmable thermostat. Third-party certification of the home’s “green” level is optional and entails blower door tests, duct tests, thermal bypass testing and a HERS rating. Higher level certifications can be achieved if the seller and client work together toward that goal while the house is in its planning stages and throughout construction, Pauza said.
The new model home will be open from noon to 6 p.m. Sundays and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. the rest of the week. Special appointments can be arranged through Sonia Briceño, Vantage’s sales professional at 400-7148. The model is located at 2201 Garland Court SW, about a mile west of the intersection of Gibson and 98th Street. The development is accessible (and well-marked with Vantage flags) north on Mesilla from Gibson. Access to Interstate 40 is about five miles to the north.
The new model illustrates some of the flexibility that goes into Vantage’s floor plan design. A breakfast nook on one side of the kitchen, for example, may provide adequate space to forego a more formal dining area sharing space with the living room. A fourth bedroom near the front door might be used instead as a den or home office. All homes in the Vantage series will have two-car garages.
