[quote=wanttobuy]Hi earlyretirement, thanks for sharing info. about Santa luz. I like the area too, but not sure of your budget. In my mind, the monthly fee is about $1000 and it takes at least 1m. Correct me if I am wrong.[/quote]
Hi Wanttobuy,
You’re certainly welcome. My budget is ideally $1.2 million or less. I know there are homes in Santaluz over $4 million on up but honestly I just don’t see the need to spend that much money on a home. I’ve been doing researching online for years and many of the multi-million dollar homes still have the 4 or 5 bedrooms…. it’s just they have huge living/dining rooms, kitchens on much bigger lots.
A huge lot is NOT important to me at all, especially because we can easily take the kids over to the Club at Santaluz. All of the houses we saw had decent sized back yards or better yet, interior courtyards that were really sharp looking and functional with fireplaces, fountains, etc.
The only house we saw in the area that had a fairly big lot was at Santa Monica. We saw a house with a 1/2 acre lot and it was really big for that area. I guess that was the biggest benefit of Santa Monica vs. Santaluz but again you have to think about the power line issue and how close your house is to it.
Yes, you’re right about the fees. With Mello Roos and the HOA we’re looking at around $1,000 a month. I don’t think it’s possible to go any lower than around $900 a month on the least expensive properties there.
So that’s the biggest obstacle for most people deciding against the area. They just can’t stomach that kind of monthly fee. Then on top of that you gotta figure the $12,500 to join the Hacienda Club plus at least $205 a month to use the pool, gym, tennis courts, etc.
The biggest thing that didn’t make sense to me was for them making homeowners pay for access to the restaurant and Spa. The restaurant was totally dead! I guess I’m always thinking from a business and income generating perspective. And I would have thought they would open the restaurant and Spa up to all the owners without making them buy a membership. They would have far more people going and would generate much more income.
Both the Spa and restaurant were packed with employees including 2 valet drivers. Receptionists, etc. I would think it makes sense to just open them up to the home owners and make more money that way. But it seems obvious they aren’t looking at that aspect so much from an income generating amenity vs. an amenity to “upsell” to the Spa Membership guests.
