A master planned community is a community in which thought has been given to the lifestyle of the residents and their needs. For example, there may be an area with condominiums or townhomes, for those that enjoy a carefree, low maintenance lifestyle. Another section may offer larger homes and home sites for those that require more bedrooms and living space. These areas frequently will have parks, playground’s, barbecues, ramadas, and you may even find an elementary or K-8 school nearby. Another neighborhood could be designed for active adults, which would have an age restriction for homeowners and their occupants.
There are typically several different builders in a master planned community, providing a variety of architecture, floor plans, and prices. Amenities such as lakes, golf courses, walking/biking paths are also very common. Living in a master planned community often provides an immediate sense of "belonging."
Master planned communities typically have a Homeowners Association, or HOA. There may even be more than one HOA, one for the master association, and one for the sub-association or individual neighborhood. There might be optional memberships, for use of the country club/golf facilities.
In the master planned communities on the following pages, I’ve included an estimate of what the master association fee might be. The sub-association or neighborhood fee will vary, depending on what is included, i.e. gates, front yard landscaping, street maintenance, exterior maintenance, neighborhood pool, water, garbage, cable, blanket insurance policy, tennis courts, etc.
Don't be fooled by the fact that many of our master planned communities include the word "ranch" in their names -- very few cater to horses or cows!
A word before we get started. Why did I pick these communities to spotlight? Simply to provide examples of various types of master planned communities that you'll find all over the metro Phoenix area. These communities did not pay to be promoted here. While they are all lovely communities in good neighborhoods, there are plenty of others, and I provide some additional community names at the end of each profile.
Now, let's get to know some of the master planned communities of the Greater Phoenix area!
