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View Full Version : The Refuge at Havasu



SoCalOffshore
02-16-2004, 07:27 PM
Well, finally after dicking around for several months. I decided to buy a lot at the Refuge. I have a nice river, mountain and fairway view. Has anyone else been out there??

TCHB
02-16-2004, 08:00 PM
I went and looked around at the lots. It is going to be a very nice place. How does the golf membership work?

SoCalOffshore
02-16-2004, 08:49 PM
max members at 362 or so. Initiall deposit about $32,000 and refundable when you sell. The club house should be open within 2 months. They are building some really nice houses out there now.

RJ Nordic
02-16-2004, 09:11 PM
We looked there toward the end of September. Personally I felt it was a little high for the area. Not sure Havasu property values and economy will support that kind of development.
What I saw had lots at 150K and up and homes in the 300K - 400 K so for that kind of $ for Havasu without a good lake view, high association dues, expensive buy in for golf ????

framer1
02-17-2004, 05:10 AM
I bought a lot there about 6 weeks ago, I think it's a great deal. I plan on building in about 2 years. Have a house in Canterberry estate now. Only thing I don't like is you have to use one of 6 builder to build your house. I have not checked it out personally but I heard the going price is 140 per foot. At that price there better be some major upgrades. The real estate lady show us a 3000 ft. house that sold for close to a million:eek:

Sandbar Mike
02-17-2004, 07:24 AM
Originally posted by RJ Nordic
We looked there toward the end of September. Personally I felt it was a little high for the area. Not sure Havasu property values and economy will support that kind of development.
What I saw had lots at 150K and up and homes in the 300K - 400 K so for that kind of $ for Havasu without a good lake view, high association dues, expensive buy in for golf ????
;) I agree
Where is the nearest launch ramp? We looked in there, the place looks very nice, Just too far of a drive to launch.

SoCalOffshore
02-17-2004, 07:45 AM
Windsor is about 2 miles away.
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/data/506/100lot3-med.jpg

boxscore
02-17-2004, 07:47 AM
We took the tour of the place as well. If it had a private marina/launch, it would be THE place to buy. too bad it doesn't. Heard a rumour another golf course devleopment is going in further north. I suppose their sellin' a lot of lots. Also, those builders who are authorized to build there have bought up gobs of the lots as well.

THOR
02-17-2004, 07:55 AM
How many golf course developments are there now? That is sweet. I would love to play a round early then hit the water.

Essex502
02-17-2004, 08:03 AM
We looked at the development and almost bought a lot until we did the math on the builders...by having to use one of their six builders the cost of the house itself is double or more than building in town. Average cost when talking to the builders themselves was over $150 sq/ft where in town very good builders are no more than $100 sq.ft. Of course the details like appliances used and fixtures and windows and whatever can be adjusted to lower or raise the $150 per sq. ft. figure but the reality is that the builders have a captive audience that has to use them...so..we bought another very nice lot for a little less and are in the process of looking at floor plans and models.
The typical house in The Refuge will be $500M or more to construct including lot.
Great looking development but not good value - yet. If you can buy and hold the lot for a couple of years you might make good money. But, if you want to buy and build immediately then be prepared for serious bucks. For a vacation home - not in my plans to spend quite that much.

SoCalOffshore
02-17-2004, 08:06 AM
Only about a dozen lots available. Although, I would suspect more will be available down stream as allot of people are sitting on them to "flip". I know of 1 lot where the owner was offered $600,000 and he turned it down.

riverracerx
02-17-2004, 09:12 AM
They are also putting 400 homes on the island if anyone is interested in that area. It has been approved and should start grading late this year. Prices are expected to be around 300-500K. Don't look for views though as the area is flat and the lake is quite a bit lower that the level building area. Maybe the home closest to the edge will have a view but that will be it.
And no they aren't dredging out keys for boat docks at each house, bummer!

AzDon
02-17-2004, 09:16 AM
The Refuge, Canterbury Estates, Lakeridge Estates etc. are in the vicinity of Desert Hills, which is outside of town and has classically been where the lowest paid workers in town generally live. Desert Hills is a mobile home area that began sales a couple of years before Lake Havasu City began development, and the areas nearest to the Reserve have the oldest mobiles. The local schools that are the closest are the poorest performing in the district. Neighboring facilities include the airport, wrecking yard, dump, several snowbird RV resorts, a rock quarry and a truss plant. You can credit those "estates" tracts with adding some class to an area that was desperately needing some!
Still, I can't see paying 200% prices to be in a questionable area that clearly isn't part of the community. If you like the walled, private infrastructure, HOA type environment, then maybe these places are for you. I believe that the values are being artificially defined and would not bet on appreciation rates that keep pace with property in town. The nearest launching is at Windsor and because the shoreline to the north is all wildlife refuge, there is no future possibility of any new launching facilities coming to that area

framer1
02-17-2004, 09:32 AM
From experiences in my home town of Paso Robles,CA the nice areas ( Canterbury, Refuge, etc) will drive out the bad areas. Money talks. The cranksters will get priced out as land value goes up, believe me it will happen it's happening already.

HTM4ME
02-17-2004, 10:19 AM
This is sad see all this development in our little vacation town.
I knew it was screwd when i saw a home depot all over from there. My first boating trip to LHV was about 6 years ago and because I own a very large home building company i am alkeeping my eyes open for new areas. Six years ago i could of bought ts of land for real cheap but i did not because i did not want to explode the place i love to go to get away from it. Oh well i guess it has to happen some time.

HOSS
02-17-2004, 02:04 PM
Are there any cacti out there?

hd&boatrider
02-17-2004, 02:15 PM
Originally posted by HTM4ME
This is sad see all this development in our little vacation town.
I knew it was screwd when i saw a home depot all over from there. My first boating trip to LHV was about 6 years ago and because I own a very large home building company i am alkeeping my eyes open for new areas. Six years ago i could of bought ts of land for real cheap but i did not because i did not want to explode the place i love to go to get away from it. Oh well i guess it has to happen some time.
If it was going to happen, which it was, **** it. Should have done what a developer does. It is sad but that is one of the reasons I prefer Mohave :) Of course the same thing is starting to happen out there. No problem as I want it to happen because of selfish reasons on my part. They just opened up a Home Depot last year out there. Land is plentiful in BHC but there are some major projects going in....3 golf courses at last count.

SoCalOffshore
02-17-2004, 03:16 PM
i looked at quite a few lots in Havasu for $150k and was not impressed. Nice home next to crap and so on. The Refuge was only a few grand more and you get what you pay for. :D

shadow
02-17-2004, 04:49 PM
Hey framer1 it appears as though we live in the ghetto.good to see you on boards. Congratulations on your lot in the refuge.Can't go wrong there.even though it is by the dump,municipal airport,wrecking yard and the schools suck!

SoCalOffshore
02-17-2004, 05:08 PM
Thank god it is a second home! :D

SoCalOffshore
02-17-2004, 05:09 PM
And I am gonna keep it, even if AZDon is a neighbor outside the gate. :p

framer1
02-17-2004, 05:34 PM
I'm already in that slum Canterbury estates. Thank God for the gates or I would be to scared to sleep. I plan on building at the refuge in two years. Trust me in two years that area around the refuge will change quite abit for the better. If only we could get AZDon to move to Needle:D

shadow
02-17-2004, 06:00 PM
Socaloffshore,cangrats to you also.there could be worse places.
can't think of any at the moment.just don't come out of those gates after dark and you should be ok.

framer1
02-17-2004, 06:18 PM

riverliver
02-17-2004, 06:27 PM
Originally posted by shadow
Socaloffshore,cangrats to you also.there could be worse places.
can't think of any at the moment.just don't come out of those gates after dark and you should be ok.
Hey shadow how are you doing ? I see your in here stiring the pot LMAO.. hope things are going good for you guys.. See ya in parker this summer (Parker home of the low life tralier trash )LMAO
BTW we are building a home in parker and the Sqft cost is apox. $150

beach gomer
02-17-2004, 07:00 PM
Hay riverliver stop your killen me. Don't forget your parker trash anyway.
Hay RRX I haven't seen anything that said they will be building 400 homes on the island. I know they would like to but the city
council I don't think has approved it as of yet. they say they need to have another way on and off the island and also herd the city is also tragging it's feet.

riverliver
02-17-2004, 07:21 PM
Originally posted by beach gomer
Hay riverliver stop your killen me. Don't forget your parker trash anyway.
Hay RRX I haven't seen anything that said they will be building 400 homes on the island. I know they would like to but the city
council I don't think has approved it as of yet. they say they need to have another way on and off the island and also herd the city is also tragging it's feet.
"tragging it's feet" OK Beach geek what the hell is tragging ??:confused:
BTW Get rid of that frickin Bayliner and buy a real boat. !!!!

SoCalOffshore
02-17-2004, 08:37 PM
Thanks for the congrats. I dont think anyone of us will recognize the area in 5 years. They are putting in a whole new development called Sailing Hawks just down the street. I think that Canterbury Estates is great. I would have got something there, but it was sold out.

TRIMDOG
02-17-2004, 09:18 PM
Many of the old mobile home neighborhoods in the north end and desert hills don't have home owners associations. It's just a matter of time until they are bought up and scraped. It's somewhat comparable to coastal property. Shacks are built and used as crash pads, then cheap rentals, and eventually scraped.
The tweakers will have to commute from somewhere else, because the property on the north end is between the water and the highway, which is a good location in general. The mobile home neighborhoods which are kept up and have HOA's will probably last quite a while longer, but won't be too much of a downer for property value on places like the refuge because tweakers don't live there either, old people and vacation home people do.
Those RV parks actually aren't too much of an eyesore, and their clients have money so they're no big threat. Plus, their owner's are just collecting the rent until they sell the whole 9 yards to a large developer anyway. The airport is nice, and unless they start flying in tons of boeings it won't be much of a factor either. The dump is way the hell on the other side of the highway, the shopping centers will be newer, the writing is clearly on the wall.