When  it comes to luxury homes in a gated water ski community, this home is a step above the rest.  It is located in Crystal Point in Gilbert, just 20 minutes away from the airport in a ski lake community where 20 owners live lakeside and water ski from sun up till sun down.  This 5,435 square foot luxury custom home provides 165′ of lake frontage on one of the best ski lakes in Arizona.  Continue to see more pictures.

Upgrades galore in this water ski lake custom home

You enter this luxury home by passing through a 10′ beveled glass front door and are greeted with 24′ ceilings and an elaborate chandelier and versailles pattern travertine flooring.

The family room is strategically located providing a spectacular view of the back yard and ski lake.  A main focal point is the 2 way custom cantera stone fireplace.  The  motorized woven roman shades can dampen the western setting sun.

The kitchen also shares lake views through expansive seamless walls of glass.  Standard in this gourmet kitchen are granite countertops, 2 bosch dishwashers, Sub-Zero refrigerator/freezer, Dacor wall oven and convection microwave.  This is in addition to the breakfast bar and pantry, kitchen island with a 5 burner ceramic cook top and vegetable sink, and drinking water filter system.

The master bedroom features lake views from the second story with access to a balcony/deck. The custom his and her walk-in closets are second to none.  The master bathroom is equally impressive with a separate snail shower with dual shower heads, and a jetted tub, double sinks and granite countertops.

On the 13 acre private ski lake is your own covered dock and boathouse complete with ceiling fans, cable and satellite, high speed internest and a hydraulic boat lift.  The ski lake is 2,250 feet long with a tournament slalom & jump course.

Satellite View of Crystal Point

For additional information on this Crystal Point Luxury Ski Lake property, please e-mail me at gordonbaker@remax.net, or call me directly at 480-326-8571.  Serious buyers only.

If you would like to receive updated listings of homes in Crystal Point or other water ski lake communities, click on Receive ski lake homes via e-mail.   To search for waterfront homes, go to Advanced Waterfront Search.

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2012 Real Estate Market Trends

Sometimes a resale is just not what a waterfront home buyer is looking for. This leads to the question, “What waterfront lots are available?” There are two paths to go down.  Find a waterfront lot that allows a custom home or look for a newer lake community that still has lots available and find out  if the builder has any lakefront lots available to build one of their floor plans.

Custom Home Waterfront Lots

Waterfront lots may be located in a planned community that has reserved a portion of the community for custom homes, such as The Peninsula at Fulton Ranch in Chandler.  One thing is certain; there will be strict architectural guidelines that must be followed. These maybe found in the CC&R’s (Conditions, Covenants, & Restrictions) and or in a related document that details in the architectural guidelines.  Just about any waterfront lot or land will have rules that must be met when building a custom home. Common restrictions include minimum and maximum square footage, distance of the house from the curb, architectural style, etc.

Other subdivisions with waterfront lots for sale include Santan Lakeside Estates in Gilbert, Spring Mountain Ski Ranch and Lakeside Ski Village near Buckeye and Buchli Lake in San Tan Valley which are water ski lake communities.  Lakesfront lots on Paradise Lake in Arizona City in Pinal county are also avialable. Call me for updated information since not all available lots are on the MLS. 

The decrease in new home builders and even fewer lake communities has reduced the number of available waterfront lots for new build lakefront homes.  The City of Maricopa in Pinal county has two lake communities with waterfront property; Province, an active adult community by Meritage and The Lakes at Ranchco El Dorado by Meritage that may have waterfront lots where a new home can be built.

Phoenix area Waterfront Lots for Sale

Feel free to call me or request an update on Phoenix waterfront land and lots.

Related Posts:

Custom Waterfront Lots at The Island in Fulton Ranch

Lakeside Ski Village Lot for Sale

Water Ski Lake Property for Sale on Buchli Lake

Whenever you are able to search for homes, land or properties on a realtor website,  it is done through an IDX (Internet Data Exchange).  They all use the MLS listing as the source data.  However, they are not all presented or displayed in the same format. Each has its pros and cons.   After reviewing many IDX systems,  the search tool below is the best one I’ve seen.  The reasons and basic search procedures are listed below. Whether you’re looking for a waterfront home in Chandler or Gilbert, or a starter home in Mesa, this IDX property search will save you time and frustration.

One of the main reasons why this search tool  is so useful is it will filter out the short sale listings that are under contract.  I frequently get calls from buyers that will ask if a specific property is available. Unfortunately, the response is frequently “no”.  Then I hear, “Well on Realtor.com (or some other site) it shows as available!”  It is common practice to change a listing from Active to AWC (Active with Contingency) or Pending when a short sale offer is accepted.  Many websites do not differentiate between Active and AWC, so the property still appears as Active when it’s not.  Using the above search for active status listings will reflect properties that are indeed available.

Let’s get started on your waterfront home search

The search has already been set for waterfront lots in Maricopa and Pinal counties. If you decide later on that you also want to expand your search to non-waterfront properties, just click on the box or”Property Description” and it will open up a menu of other  types of properties, such as golf course lots, lots that border a common area, etc. and you can modify your search.

One of my favorite parts – Get rid of the AWC listings!

This part will save you countless hours of frustration.   Below the preset waterfront lot and Maricopa/Pinal county criteria there are various other criteria that can be used to refine your search.   Two of most important criteria are towards the bottom.  The third criteria from the bottom is “Status”.  This has been preset to Active which eliminates the AWC and Pending listings.  It is important this remains set as Active, unless you like to see other listings that are under contract.    If you’d like to eliminate shorts sale or only see lender owned foreclosure, go the “Special Listing Cond” line.  By clicking on the words, it will expand and you have even more control over the search of specific types of properties, such as short sales, lender owned, age restriced (retirement), pre-foreclosure, and previously approved  short sales. If you want to eliminate any specific type of sale, click on the “or” after the box and it will change to “not” thus filtering out that type of property listing.  One quick question; can you do all of this with Zillow, Trulia, or Realtor.com?

Now that you’ve become acquainted with some of the more powerfull features of this IDX search in a somewhat confined space, here’s the opportunity to see it in full screen.  Click on Advanced Waterfront Search to take advantage of the full width of your screen with this search tool.

Wait – There are more search tools to help you.

Once you pull up the full screen waterfront search , you’ll have a wider view of the map portion of the search tool.  At the bottom of the screen you’ll see a tool bar like the one to the right.   A handy tool is the one in the middle that looks like a turtle?, but if you put your mouse over it it says “measure”.  It’s great for measuring distances. Simply right click on the icon then place the crosshair over the beginning point and left click.  Then move the crosshair to the point you want to measure and left click again and it will show the distance between the two points.  You can continue adding and measuring segments and it will give you a cumulative distance in addition to the distance of each segment.

Another useful search tool on the bar are the three to the far right.  They are useful in defining the search area.  Let’s say you know the area you want but it includes parts of two cities but not the entire city  boundary. Or you want to search within a certain radius of your work.  The far right tool allows you to draw the area by left clicking the boundaries of the geographic search area.   To utilize the map tools you must be in the full screen display of the search.

As you  can see, this IDX search tool allows you to create the most refined and detailed search possible so that you can better identify potential properties.      If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call me at 480-326-8571.    As always if you’d like me to do the search , click on Send me waterfront property.

Related Links:

Boating in Phoenix Lake Communities

What’s Happened Lately in the Phoenix Real Estate Market

Things to do in Gilbert

Keys to a successful short sale listing

Pontoon Boats and Valley Lake Property

There are a variety of reasons why a waterfront property may not allow owners to have an electric pontoon boat or any kind of water craft.  One may be that even though the listing agent has designated the property as waterfront, a distant view of H2O on the golf course may qualify as waterfront in their mind but it just isn’t so.  There may also be a community sidewalk, walkway or common area that separates the property from the water, such as in Sun Lakes, Fulton Ranch, and Wellington Estates in Chandler.

Lake Communities that DO allow boating:

Tempe - The Lakes in Tempe, built in the mid-1970′s is said to be Arizona’s first man made lake community and features a community clubhouse and pool.   Tempe Town Lakes offers more contemporary  housing options.  While home owners do not have private waterfront access, there are public  and private boating options.  Tempe Town Lake is one of the major visitor attractions for the valley.  Condomiums such as Bridgeview, Edgewater, and Northshore provide fantastic views of Tempe Town Lake.

Ahwatukee /Phoenix  - Lakewood is located in the Ahwatukee foothills part of Phoenix.  One of the benefits of the location of this lake community is the Kyrene school district and the access to the I-10 freeway.

San Tan Valley & Buckeye The remaining waterski lakes are located in San Tan Valley and Buckeye.  Buchli Lake is the valley’s original lake community in the east valley.  There are two communities in the west valley; Lakeside Ski Village and Spring Mountain Ski Ranch.   Don’t hesitate to call me regarding homes or lots that may be for sale that are not listed on the MLS.

In any given month, distressed sales (foreclosures,short sales, or trustee sales) account for over 50%  of the total sales in most all of the Phoenix valley cities.   Ski lake properties have been somewhat insulated from this type of transaction,  but during 2010 distressed sales have increased in these unique waterfront communities.  Three of the Phoenix ski communities had no recorded sales of any kind in 2010.  All sales during the year ocurred in Gilbert ski lake communities; Crystal Point, Santan Lakeside and Playa del Rey Estates.  33% of those were distressed sales.

 Gilbert Waterski communities and 2010 sales

Crystal Point had three sales; one of which was a distressed sale.   A 18,000 sq.ft. waterfront lot sold at mid-year sold for $400,000.   A traditional equity sale of a 4,400 sq.ft. home ocurred in October 2010 for $1,050,000.   In the 4th Qtr., a 3,950 sq.ft. home was purchased at the trustee sale for $752,000.   There are currently two short sales and one traditional property for sale in Crystal Point.

Crystal Point Estates Homes for Sale

Just around the corner from Crystal Point is Playa del Rey Estates.  The main ski lake saw two sales during 2010.  One was a traditional equity sale of a 2,800 sq.ft. waterfront home for $418,000, while the other sale was a bank-owned foreclosure for $582,000 of a 4,500 sq.ft. waterfront home on the main lake.

Playa del Rey Waterfront Homes for sale

Santan Lakeside Estates located in south Gilbert registered 4 property transfers in 2010. The sales prices were $312,500, $277,500, $287,000, and $230,000, one of which was a bank owned lot.   The bank-owned lot sale closed escrow at the beginning of the year for $312,500.  The subsequent sales were traditional sales with the last one for 2010 in October for $230,000.

Santan Lakeside Estates waterfront lots for sale

For addtional information on available properties , click on receive water ski available properties, or e-mail/call me directly.

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Water Ski Lake Water Quality Levels

Phoenix area water ski community overview

In search of happily ever after with a short sale

Waterfront information can be found at Gilbert Water Ski Property.

Welcome to Phoenix’s most secluded and private tournament ski lakes, Buchli Lake.  This 1/2 acre waterfront lot is just one of  a few lots whose owners  have essentially unlimited ski time.  The east side of the lake has no lots or homes so the number of skiers is less than half that of a normal water ski lake community. With such a small number of lots, it is very rare that these waterfront lots come available.  From this lake community,  residents enjoy scenic views of the Superstition mountains to the northeast and the Santan mountains to the south.

Phoenix East Valley Water Ski Lot for Sale for $200,000

This 22,216 sq.ft. lot on Buchli lake enjoys approximately 100 feet of shore line and a boat house with a lift.    Electricity is available to the lot and water is supplied by a shared well.  Taxes are the lowest of any ski lake in the valley.  While the subdivision is in a rural settng, major shopping is only 8 miles away.

Satellite view of Buchli Lake

Visual tour of 8554 E. Lake Rd.

If you are looking for a quiet get away place to water ski or build a  home away from the city crowds, this may be the place for you.  For additional information, feel free to call me at 480-326-8571.

Let’s face it, if you are considering purchasing a home in the Phoenix area; whether it be Avondale, Scottsdale, Gilbert, or Gold Canyon, you will have to come to terms about buying a home that is part of a Home Owners Association.   When a buyer purchases property that has an HOA, they  automatically agree to abide by the governing documents which are the CC&R’s; Conditions, Covenants and Restrictions.   While many CC&R’s are typically very boiler plate, it is a good idea to review them and make sure there are no hidden surprises.  Even better, talk to your future neighbors and inquire about their experience.

If you are looking to speak out against HOAs, you’ll have plenty of company because at times they do some pretty dumb stuff and deserve the criticism.  At the same time, attend any of the regularly scheduled meetings and see how many residents come to participate, offer suggestions and be involved.  That number is in the single digits and I’m estimating on the high side. If residents are concerned or upset, they should get involved, contribute, and help shape the neighborhood.   I’ve gotten a little upset over a couple of letters I received that I thought were unneccesary, but I also remember being thankful when a neighbor’s mother came to visit for a while in her aged travel trailer that was definitely an eye sore!  I’m glad they did the dirty work of letting the neighbhor know that is not allowed.  Like I said, sometime you swear at them and sometimes you swear by them. For a more legalistic viewpoint, here’s a link to a website explaining homeowner’s rights.

How high is high for an HOA?

For most homeowners, the typical monthly single family HOA assessment ranges from $30 – $80/month.   But how high can HOA fees go?  Could the monthly HOA fee be higher than the mortgage payment?  Let’s take a look.

Imagine living in a community where there is no more than 21 lots and the homeowners have to take care of  at least one lake that is 13 acres that must meet specific water quality standards. Monthly HOA $520 – $590/month at Phoenix water ski lake communities.  And the CC&R’s are not boiler plate. This is the case in water ski communities such as Crystal Point, Santan Lakeside Estates, Lakeside Ski Village, and Buchli Lake.

That’s nothing when compared to some Tempe Town Lake condominiums such as Edgewater at Hayden Ferry Lakeside.  A 3,100 sq.ft. condo comes with a monthly HOA fee of $1,800/month.  The sister development, Bridgeview at Hayden Ferry at Lakeside has similar fees.

Where else could we find a pricey monthly HOA fee?   Let’s head north to Scottsdale to Scottsdale Waterfront Residences on Camelback Rd.  If you inherited a large lump sum of money and were able to pay cash for a 3,900+ sq.ft. luxury penthouse, you’d still have to deal with a $2,400/month HOA fee, but that does include underground parking and concierge service.

Now that you’ve seen how much some homeowners pay in monthly HOA fees, is your $60 – $80/month really that bad?

Related Posts:

Edgewater at Hayden Ferry Lakeside

Phoenix Water Ski Homes subdivisions

Santan Lakeside Estates in Gilbert

Crystal Point Ski community

Scottsdale Waterfront Residences

A Phoenix water ski home or lot is a unique type of Arizona real estate.  Man made with one of Arizona’s most precious resources there are only 6  water ski communities in the valley.  Ready for some Phoenix water ski real estate trivia?  How many waterski homes / lots are there in Phoenix?  See the answer at the end of this post.  Right now we’re going to look at a recap of the activity and sales of homes and lots during 2009 and year to date in 2010.

Sales Recap for 2009 and 2010 year-to-date

Lot sales of water ski property during the last 16 monts occured in four communities; Santan Lakeside, Lakeside Ski Village, Spring Mountain and Buchli lake.  Two of them were bank owned/REO.  In the west valley,  3 Spring Mountain Ski Ranch lots transferred ownership.  One of them in Spring Mountain Ski Ranch was a bank owned property that sold for $100K in April 2009.   Just down the road in Lakeside Ski Village,  there was 1  lot transfer at the end of of 2009 for an undisclosed amount.

Lots for sale in Spring Mountain Ski Ranch

Water Ski Lake Homes for sale in Lakeside Ski Village

In the east valley ski communities,  Santan Lakeside Estate and Buchli Lake each had lot sales.   The Santan Lakeside Estates lot 17, sold for $312,500 in March of 2010.   Further east, in the Queen Creek area at Buchli Lake, 1 lot sold for $250K in July of 2009.

Lots for sale in Santan Lakeside Estates

Homes sales in Phoenix valley Waterski lake communities

Two of the three water ski waterfront home sales were distressed property sales; one bank-owned and a short sale.   There was one sale each in Crystal Point, Playa del Rey Estates, and Santan Lakeside Estates.  In April, 2009, a waterfront short sale property in Playa del Rey Estates with 5,410 sq.ft built in 2006 sold for $750,000.   In November, 2009 , a 3,366 sq.ft. home in Crystal Point sold as a traditional sale for $1,000,000 to an out of town buyer.  The bank owned waterfront ski lake home  in Santan Lakeside Estates sold in November of 2009 for $1,010,000. It was 6,875 sq.ft. with a garage space for 6 cars.

Homes for Sale in Cystal Point

Playa del Rey Estates Homes for Sale

To receive updated information and property updates on water ski lake property, please click on receive updated water ski listings.  Or if you are a  waterski waterfront homeowner interested in selling and want maximum exposure for you listing, please e-mail or call me for more information.  

Water ski real estate trivia answer: There are 171 water ski waterfront homesites in the Phoenix area.

Additional information can be found at Phoenix Waterfront Property

Lot 17 on the west side of the ski lake at Santan Lakeside Estates just came on the market  the last week of February bringing the total lots for sale to 3. The other available lots are 3 and 17.   Many water ski enthusiasts and owners will be watching this specific  transaction as it will aid in determining the current market value of a Phoenix valley water ski lot.  So how did they set the list price for this ski lake lot at $340,000?  My opinon? You have to go back to 2009 when lot 13, previously a bank owned lot was initially listed for $480K.  After periodic price reductions that are consistent with bank owned property, the list price eventually reached $399K,  an offer for $340K was accepted and closed in August 2009.  When that is the only comparable sale, it makes sense to use it!  Getting back to lot 17;  a couple of early offers were received within days of  being listed, but considered too low by the bank.  Time will tell as the ski season approaches and the bank watches the days on market increase , and  periodically considers price reductions.  See sales update further down in article.

Another Way to Determine Market Value?

Can you impute the value of a lot by homes that have sold?  What is the relationship between a developed lot with a home and the price of the land it sits upon.  Obviously the bank did not consider this method when they set the price. The most recent sale of a house in Santan Lakeside Estates was a bank owned 6,875 sq.ft. house on lot 2 that sold for $1,010,000 in November of 2009.   If the cost of the lot as a percentage of the total property value including a house is 25% ( or use your own %),  would a more realistic value of a lot be closer to $250K?    As I mentioned, time will tell as banks are not like traditional sellers and they typically  make price reductions to reach true market value  instead of sitting on the property for an extended amount of time.  Also keep in mind that lots were selling in Santan Lakeside Estates for approximately $215,000 in 2001, and around $280,000 in 2002.  It will be interesting to see what this new bank owned property tells us about the market when it finally sells.  Watch the property listings below to monitor the progress, the address is 7345 E. Tatum Lane. 

Lot 17 in Santan Lakeside Estate under contract in 2 weeks

After multiple offers lot 17 in Santan Lakeside Estate water ski community sold for $312,500. Close of escrow was March 27, 2010.  This recent sale is a good indication of the value of a water ski lot in the Phoenix metro area.  An appraiser recently called me regarding the valuation of a water ski lot in another Gilbert ski community.  Much of our discussion centered around finding recent comparables, which is always a challenge for such a unique type of property.  

Satellite View of Santan Lakeside Estates

Related Phoenix Water Ski Property Posts:

Phoenix water ski property, land, and  community overview

Playa Del Rey Community Profile

Phoenix area water ski homes and communities are attractive and unique because they offer residents an opportunity to enjoy water skiing and wakeboarding in their own backyard.  When buyers are considering water ski homes for sale, they should understand the added cost and maintenance involved with maintaining a ski lake since it has to operate at a higher “full body contact” level.  The maintenance and upkeep of the lake are extremely important and any neglect could cause health problems for those that use the lake.  This ongoing task will  most likely be contracted out to a company that specializes in monitoring and maintaining urban lakes including ski lakes.

Ongoing maintenance and testing for water ski lakes

County Health Department standards require  weekly testing of ski lakes. Two important measurements  are the PH level and bacteria count. The PH level must fall between 6.5  and 9.0.  Bacteria count must not exceed 256/ 100 c.c.’s .    These correspond to state requirements for surface water that you would find in any lake or reservoir.  Ski lakes also have an advantage in that the water they use is well water or surface water instead of reclaimed water which is common to most residential lakes in Phoenix.

An often overlooked tool in maintaining the ecological balance in lakes is the use of  fish which is preferable to the use of chemicals.  In this case they are considered utility fish since they serve a specific utilitarian purpose instead of  sport fishing.  For example, Goldfish eat the larva that produce gnats and insects.  And White Amur eat weeds at the bottom of a lake.   Dyes are occasionally used in lakes to limit the sun and light penetration and therefore reduce  algae growth.

For more information on Phoenix area or Gilbert Az slalom waterski and wakeboard  lakes, please contact me or if you’d like to receive available homes for sale automatically, click on  homes in az water ski lake homes for sale, or call me directly.  Many thanks go out to Rick Amalfi at Aquatic Consulting and Testing for educating me on the details of water ski lake maintenance.