Well Worth The Wait: A Resident's Tale Of Finding Encanterra

Encanterra Country Club residents Steven Goldman and his wife knew exactly what they were looking for — a resort community that felt like a vacation. The one thing they weren’t sure about was how they’d feel about living in a typical age restricted community. Enter Encanterra County Club. Encanterra was the perfect blend of everything they wanted and their quintessential resort community.

Meet Steven, and find out why he knew Encanterra had to be his next ‘home.’

My wife and I started looking at properties in Arizona as early as 2000 – way before the real estate bubble burst.  We loved the weather, at least when compared to how it is in New York, and thought it would be an ideal situation for a second home.  We were still both working full time and not ready to consider retirement, so we wanted a place we could go and still get the feel of being on vacation.  A number of different options surfaced, and we spent a number of years and countless trips to Arizona exploring different neighborhoods.

Initially, we looked at Scottsdale and the surrounding areas northeast of Phoenix.  We looked at many different resales as well as some new construction options.  We looked at high rises, single family homes and condos.  Although many looked inviting, none seemed to possess the allure of a truly “vacation” lifestyle community feel for the home and development we sought.  We knew we wanted more than just a “home.”

House hunting from the East Coast

Part of the decision to purchase our Arizona property was predicated on the sale of our home in New York.  The plan was to rent property in New York, so as to still maintain a residence close to work, but create the flexibility in our life decision to move should we decide to do so.  Well – the real estate market crash put a quick stop to our plans.  Our New York home dropped in value so much that selling it for what was then the post-crash market value became unappealing, so we put our plans on hold. The years passed and we almost completely forgot about our plans for a southwestern second home.

In early 2010, we happened to be out to dinner with some dear friends who, in passing, mentioned they were relocating to Arizona – to a development in Peoria, Trilogy. They spoke in detail about the development, the builder and the community lifestyle where the home was located.  It sounded too good to be true.  They showed us the website where we got a chance to see the pictures and videos.  It looked great.  We learned however, that the Trilogy community was an age restricted community and combined with the fact that my wife and I were under 55 at the time as well as our desire to have an unrestricted community, called the broker they used to find a home with similar features and “feel.”  We explained to him that we thought we’d really love a community lifestyle and home in a place just like Trilogy, but without the age restriction and asked that he search for one and let us know.

We hadn’t held out too much hope and thought it would be quite some time before we’d hear from him again. My wife and I came to terms in 2010, near the bottom of the real estate crisis, that despite the selling market, we’d explore once again finding a place in Arizona. A week later, we got a phone call from the broker.  He indicated that there indeed was a sister community, by the same builders in another area of Arizona.  This one, called Encanterra, seemed to him to be what we were looking for.  He beckoned me to fly down and look at it.  A week later I did.  My wife could not take off from work at the time, and I decided to go myself and explore the properties at this new development.

Finding Encanterra Country Club

He and I drove to San Tan Valley. As we approached the gates I almost immediately got a good feeling about the community.  And as the gates opened and we made the slow drive along Encanterra Drive to the clubhouse, I could barely contain my enthusiasm. Having already looked at the website and seeing all of the model homes, I was able to narrow my search down to the 3 possibilities we thought would best serve our needs.  I kept taking pictures with my phone and sending them back to my wife for comment.  Each one looked more beautiful than the one before.  That said – the pictures couldn’t even do it justice.

The friendly sales staff showed the broker and I a few “spec” homes, and then we collectively discussed new construction options.  That afternoon I, along with my wife, felt that our time of delayed gratification had ended.  Despite not yet having sold our home in New York, we bought that day, with my wife’s distant, albeit reluctant, blessing. There was a 30-day contingency in the contract, so she could get a chance to see it too.  I am, after all, not crazy.

Needless to say, when my wife and I returned about a week later, we both felt that same sense that we had made the right decision.  The community had everything we were looking for.  It provided a welcoming sense of “community” coupled with the upscale lifestyle we had come to expect from a development we would ultimately settle on for our second home.  In the 3 years since, we have the same feeling we did when we drove through the gates for the first time.  The staff and the facilities at the La Casa community club provide for the exact thing we were looking for.  A beautiful home surrounded by a friendly atmosphere with a vacation feel.

Encanterra – A Family Tradition

My wife and I have two children. We have, since our purchase, tried to make it a family tradition to go to Encanterra together for the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.  We have already gotten used to the idea of carrying this forward as the years go on. Our daughter will be getting married in October 2013.  She’s currently in a hospital residency so her personal time is scarce. They love it so much too that she and her fiancé will actually be spending the week after her wedding at our home on a “mini-moon,” enjoying the amenities the development provides. Looking back, I wouldn’t do a thing differently.  We love our home!

At Trilogy, we don’t just build homes. We build a community centered around exploration and connection that you can’t find anywhere else. From our sales staff to the other residents at Encanterra, Trilogy is the ideal environment to embark on a new, exciting chapter of your life. Come join us! Visit Encanterra on our website for more details or call 1-800-685-6494 today.