The Home, the Place & the People - All the Pieces Fit for Hanh & Sergio Gonzalez at Fair Oaks Ranch in California's Santa Clarita Valley

    LOS ANGELES, CA, March 14, 2012 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Coming back to California after more than three years in the Chicago area, Hanh and Sergio Gonzalez had a detailed wish list for their new digs--including finding a place where they could happily stay put. That place is LivingSmart Homes Fair Oaks Ranch in the Santa Clarita Valley.

The well being of their three children was paramount in their decision-making. "It meant a lot to find a California Distinguished School right here in the community for our 6-year old daughter," said Sergio. "College of the Canyons is a quality community college for our 18-year old son. Now to find the right pre-school for our two-year old girl and we're set!"

Sergio is a sales manager for a major pharmaceutical company with Chicago headquarters and an LA territory, so while the Gonzalez' checked into various re-sales closer to the LA offices, they found the tradeoffs unacceptable. "Fair Oaks Ranch was one of the very first places we looked, but we also looked at older homes in Burbank, Glendale and Beverly Hills," said Hanh, a stay-at-home mom.

"Costs were outrageous, back yards were tiny. Or we would find a nice home in a school district that just was not up to par," she added. "Or great schools with 60-year old fixer uppers we really did not want to take on."

A three-month search combined Sergio's personal tours on trips out from Chicago with plenty of online and telephone time. "We just kept coming back to Pardee Homes and LivingSmart Homes and Fair Oaks Ranch," said Sergio. "The combination of pluses here became the standard for what we really wanted, and re-sales fell by the wayside."
Decision made.

"We made our deposit in July and moved into our new home October 30--"Just in time for trick or treating!" said Hanh.

The Home- Priced from the $400,000s, LivingSmart Homes offer approximately 1,846 to 2,432 square feet of living space, in varied and versatile layouts. For the Gonzalez bunch, Plan Four was top choice. It has approximately 2,432 square feet of living space. The Gonazalez' opted for this design's 4-bedroom, 2.5 bath configuration instead of a 3-bedroom plus loft layout.

"The plan's size and layout fit perfectly for our family," said Hanh. "We also were delighted to get the Spanish style elevation with red tile roof--this is really so much a part of the California look, and we are so glad to be back!"

Personalizing the new home, Hanh and Sergio added such special touches as wrought iron for the staircase, exterior speakers for the back yard and shutters for the master bedroom windows. "We got so, so much more home by buying new here at Fair Oaks Ranch, than we could ever have gotten with a re-sale," said Hanh.

Modern construction, especially the home's green features, provided significant extra value to the Gonzalezes over what they saw with older homes. At LivingSmart Homes, some 30 included and optional features provide advanced energy and water savings, enhanced air quality and resource-conserving materials and systems.

"Pardee's eco-friendly program was really huge to us," said Hanh. "Solar power, low-E windows, air quality features--it just makes sense. Why not save money on your heating and air conditioning and water bills?"

The Place- A family-friendly setting was critically important and Fair Oaks Ranch surpassed expectations. An established master-planned community, it features freeway-close location that has made Sergio's commutes very feasible. "With our new home in Fair Oaks Ranch, Sergio gets home at a reasonable hour every night," said Hanh.

Also close by are Metrolink, shopping, dining, entertainment and services. Within the community are Fair Oaks Ranch Community School and its playgrounds and sports fields, hiking and walking trail, Fair Oaks Ranch Park and hundreds of acres of open space. "We have everything at our fingertips," said Hanh. "Family-friendly restaurants, jogging and biking trails, shopping--all easily accessible."

The People- Community amenities have been more than matched by the Gonzalez' new neighbors at Fair Oaks Ranch. "We have made a ton of friends!" said Hanh. "We know our neighbors, our 6-year old has a friend from school, we have a real community.

"The park is the heart and center and it's bustling at all times," she added. "We meet there, we have lots of activities there, and we watch out for one another and all of the kids. It's great!"

Ethnic and cultural diversity has made this good place to live even better. "Sergio is Guatemalan and I am Vietnamese," said Hanh. "Diversity was extremely important to us, and Fair Oaks Ranch is amazingly diverse--this combined with the friendliness we have been welcomed with, is really wonderful."

The Builder- Buying a home from 2,000 miles away made for a few complications, yet Sergio and Hanh found the process amazingly smooth with Pardee Homes. "The distance made a good experience with our sales staff absolutely essential, and that's just what we had," said Hanh, referring to Lexi Perez and Robbin Heath. "Lexi texted pictures and info to us and always had time for the questions and helping us with important decisions."

Pardee's design center earned wholehearted praise. "Jennie Rickert spent hours and hours on the phone with us as we went through the upgrades book line by line," said Hanh. "Her patience is phenomenal and it's obvious she loves what she does--she is just an angel!"

Pardee Homes Loans (PHL) also met the long distance challenge, with Cory Featherstone and Justin Carlson earning full marks from Hanh and Sergio. "PHL's responsiveness and familiarity with all of the financing options saved us a lot of work," said Sergio.

Maybe best of all was the " inside information" on their house. "We saw the foundations, we saw the beams, we saw inside every wall, we know just how our home was made, and we even have a slide show of the build and our walk through," said Hanh.

Construction Superintendent Mike Carrillo was their constant guide in this new home journey. "He knows every bit and piece of our home, he oversees everything and he is one of the nicest guys we have ever met," said Hanh. "He handed our home over to us as his gift to us-he builds homes the way people expect them to be."

So for the Gonzalez family, this was one big decision that is absolutely the right one. "You have no regret--you love your home, you love your neighborhood, your kids are in a good school and you have peace of mind," said Hanh. "This is where we belong and this is where we are staying!"

To reach Fair Oaks Ranch, exit the 14 Freeway North at Via Princessa and turn right. Turn left at Lost Canyon Road and follow signs to LivingSmart Homes. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday - Sundays and 1 to 5 p.m. Mondays. Call 661-299-5409. Pardee Homes offers broker co-op; call for details.

Established in 1921, Pardee Homes is noted for superior master-planning concepts, quality homes, responsive customer service and dedication to the educational and civic goals of the communities in which it builds. See www.pardeehomes.com.

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