There's No Place Like Home(s) for Co-Workers Who Buy First Homes, all at Laurel Park at Fair Oaks Ranch, Southern California Master-Planned Community by Pardee Homes

    SANTA BARBARA, CA, May 29, 2010 /24-7PressRelease/ -- For three young families seeking home ownership for the very first time, the search took three years and fanned out to Thousand Oaks, Moorpark, Simi Valley, Valencia and Santa Clarita. Location, design, price and builder--all were scrutinized. Still, why did it take them so long?

"Simple," said Dhiraj Jain. "We didn't like the houses we could afford, and we couldn't afford the houses we liked. Then we found Laurel Park, which was the perfect blend of the homes we dreamed about at a price we could afford."

From the mid $400,000s, Laurel Park designs provide approximately 1,830 to 2,432 square feet of living space with 3 to 4 bedrooms and up to 3 baths. Part of Fair Oaks Ranch, the popular master-planned community by Pardee Homes, Laurel Park is nicely situated across from Fair Oaks Ranch Park. Its pricing, selections, location and amenities filled the bill for Dhiraj and his wife Anita; for Asif and Anisa Tambe and for Shyam and Poonam Agrawal, all of whom had banded together in the new home search.

Why were these three unrelated families shopping together? It started at work.

Asif, Dhiraj and Shyam are employed at B of A in Simi Valley, and figured their commutes would be a lot easier with a built-in carpool. Also built in would be kids for their kids to play with, kids who include five boys and girls, who range in age from six months to 10 years.

"Our families can get together easily and often," said Asif. "We can share resources. Our kids will go to school together and we can share the tasks of taking them here and there. It just made sense."

Searching as a collective also meant the trio could pool information, compare notes and bolster their confidence--perhaps the most important advantage in facing the understandable anxieties of the first-time home buyer.

"I'm not sure I would have bought the house had it not been with friends," said Shyam. "This gave me confidence and reduced the workload of buying and moving."

Dhiraj agreed, adding, "One of the most difficult parts of moving is creating new friends; you don't know who your neighbors will be. This gave us a comfort level initially, and that has helped us widen our circle in our new neighborhood."

Part of this wider circle is Srinivas Pulipaka, who met the B of A trio when he, too, became a Laurel Park buyer. "It was pure coincidence that we purchased close together and thus became neighbors," said Srinivas, who commutes to El Segundo for his work with Glovia Software. "Now, it's a big plus for my wife Suvarna, our two boys, Rohit and Rishik, and me."

Floor plan designs were critical to all. Asif and Anisa picked the Plan Four, in part because of its yard. "We wanted a good-sized backyard for our daughter to play in, and we got it," said Asif.

Plan Four's separate family and living rooms scored with Dhiraj and Srinivas. "Sooner or later, gents and ladies like to talk their own subjects in their own spaces," said Srinivas. "We can do that in this home, still stay connected and with the kitchen close by, which is also very convenient."

A downstairs bedroom was the priority for Shyam and Poonam, making Plan Two their pick. "It gives us a great guest room when parents or other family members come from India for a visit," Shyam said. "I also like the upstairs; all the rooms are spacious and well-planned."

Although they considered re-sales and foreclosure homes, new construction won out easily with these buyers. "We really were most interested in new homes," said Shyam. "Partly this is because this gave us more choices and a warranty, but also because buying new meant we could live in the same neighborhood."

"And pick the lot we preferred," added Asif. "This flexibility was important to all of us."

These buyers listed plenty of additional advantages at Laurel Park, including the convenience of being close to freeways and Metrolink. They also cited proximity to the shopping of The Plaza at Golden Valley. They like being part of a good school district and having the parks and open space of Fair Oaks Ranch close at hand.

Energy savings and other green measures were also welcomed. "When we heard about Pardee's green features we felt they would certainly add more value to our homes and community," said Srinivas. "Then we attended an open house program at Oak Crest Couple on water-saving tips for landscaping, and now we are saving more water. We also like the motion sensors for bathroom lighting--kids sometimes forget to turn off the lights!"

Shyam said living with Pardee's green features proved their value to his family. "Energy efficiency is not something I gave much attention when buying my home," he said. "But now, six months after moving in, I am feeling the benefits, especially now that summer has started. I can feel that the insulation is keeping the heat out and the appliances, fixtures and faucets are all energy efficient and saving me both water and energy consumption." www.pardeehomes.com/living-green/

Yet while all of these benefits helped convince the families that Fair Oaks Ranch was well worth considering, the people of Pardee Homes made them even more confident they had chosen wisely. It started with the always-important first impression, made by sales representative Mike Maimes.

"He took care of us like a guardian at every stage, which we never expected, since so many people in sales push things at the customer," said Srinivas. "He is knowledgeable, a pleasure to talk to and just a great person. In fact, we still go to see him during our weekends and enjoy the chance to visit with him again."

"Buying a home takes a while, especially for first-timers like us," said Shyam. "We had interactions with Mike for about nine months, and he never let us down. Everyone was a great help--all my good wishes to you!"

From Mike Maimes through construction, lending, options and customer service, Pardee Homes continued to rank high with these buyers, who praised everyone on the Pardee team: Mike Carrillo, Jennie Rickert, Ed Hadvina, Scott Powe and Dennis Donohue from Wells Fargo. "Frankly, I did not expect such a good sale or after sale experience," said Dhiraj. "Keep it up Pardee!"

Moving into their new homes last winter, these friends and neighbors feel well settled at Laurel Park. "Now we have so many new things to do at home," said Srinivas. "Especially in our nice and big backyard, where we are growing some of our favorite plants and watching our children having a great time."

Yes, the mix was right for these first-time buyers and so is Fair Oaks Ranch. "The pleasant feeling one gets when entering Fair Oaks Ranch is the best way to say it," said Shyam. "This is the place for us."

To reach Fair Oaks Ranch, take the 5 Freeway to the 14 Freeway North and exit at Via Princessa; turn right to enter Fair Oaks Ranch. Turn left at Lost Canyon Road and follow signs to model centers, which are open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays and 1 to 6 p.m. on Mondays.

Home shoppers who come to Laurel Park can also review new home selections at Oak Crest. Priced from the upper $500,000s, Oak Crest homes range from approximately 3,211 to 3,960 square feet of living space, with four to six bedrooms and two and one-half to four baths.

Pardee Homes offers generous broker co-op at both neighborhoods. Brokers must accompany prospective buyers on the initial visit to a Pardee Homes neighborhood. Call Laurel Park at 661-299-5409 and Oak Crest at 661-252-2394 and also see www.pardeehomes.com/fair-oaks-ranch/oak-crest/.

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