My wife and I just faced the exact same decision and wound up buying a new home (not Marston) in Del Sur. For us, community trumps house; we have two kids just entering school, so–this time–we’re moving for them. Here are our views:
Home quality: Lakes wins. They’re just nicer, more luxurious homes than in Del Sur. That said, the Standard Pacific offerings in Del Sur aren’t bad either… they just aren’t on par with the Lakes.
Community: Del Sur wins, hands down, especially for a family. If you have two kids going to school (like we do), living in a place where they can walk to their friends, school, etc. is *very* nice. Plus we get to meet other parents with similar values, plus Del Sur has more parks and HOA amenities (Fall Festival, etc.). The Lakes has… a gate. Oh, and 24 hour security to make sure you don’t have any guests who park on the street, which you get for the bargain basement price of an extra 300-400 in HOA fees per month. Speaking of which, 500+ in HOA per month for a gate? The Lakes has literally *no* other amenities – no pool, no parks (okay, one small park and a short walking trail). You have to pay a lot extra to get access to the Crosby amenities.
Schools: Even – you’re on the same MR schedule in Del Sur and the Lakes, and have the same assigned schools. That said, I’m not aware of any overcrowding at Del Sur – if you pay the MR, you get priority placement, plus the brand new Design 39 school (K-8) is opening up.
Prestige: Honestly, I think this is a bit of a toss-up. I know, I know… it’s the Lakes “at Rancho Santa Fe” and it has a gate! But seriously, the Lakes is like the red-headed stepchild of Rancho Santa Fe. If you want prestige, buy in Santaluz, Crosby, Cielo, the Covenant, etc. I guess I’ll give this one to the Lakes, but not by much.
Price: FYI, Lennar at the Lakes is usually more than 1.2MM with options. That said, I think Marston is overpriced – 1.1-1.3MM for a yard that backs to a power line? Just doesn’t make sense to me… but, people keep buying them, so what do I know?
At the end of the day, I think it comes down to which you value more: community or house/prestige.
Disclaimer: We wound up buying a 2955 sq ft at Hawthorne… smaller than we would have liked, but 300-400k less on a lot that looks right down the canyon and isn’t anywhere near power lines. Not really the same market as Marston/Lakes, but it made a lot more sense for us.
