Though the city of Fruit Heights, Utah is a difficult
neighborhood to gain access to, Henry Walker Homes
was able to find land and build its new community,
Mountain Splendor. By Dani Smith
Henry Walker Homes seems
to have a simple philosophy
when it comes to building:
Look for opportunities to
acquire attractive land and
build desirable homes on
it. Which is why when land opened up in one of
Utah’s most desirable neighborhoods, the Utahbased
builder did not hesitate to acquire and
build. Introducing, Mountain Splendor, Henry
Walker Homes’ newest community located in
Davis County’s Fruit Heights, Utah.
Mountain Splendor is a two-phase project, with
a total of 16 lots that enjoy unmatched mountain
views. It was built as a result of Henry Walker
Homes’ recent acquisition of land in a highlyesteemed
Utah neighborhood. “We’re pretty excited
about Mountain Splendor because within the last
couple of decades, supply of Fruit Heights has been
limited. Because the city is not very large, good
locations are hard to come by,” said Phill Holland,
land vice president, Henry Walker Homes.
The city is appealing for a number of reasons,
but Holland believes buyers are interested in the
land, and henceforth, Mountain Splendor, for its
suburban essence and property value. “It’s kind of a
bedroom community, there’s not a lot of commercial
development, which keeps it kind of a residential
city,” he explained. “When a buyer buys there,
they’re buying because there’s always a good value
in Fruit Heights and your return on investment when
you buy or sell later on. It’s great for a consumer.”
Moving rather quickly, Mountain Splendor was
originally developed in October, 2011, with the
first phase completed by December of the same
year. The second phase was completed shortly
after in May 2012. Though the development and
building of the project went smoothly, one of
the biggest challenges Henry Walker Homes
came across was pricing the Mountain Splendor
appropriately. “One of the biggest challenges was
pricing it right. What I mean by that is making sure
that we come in with our price not above where
a consumer is willing to pay,” explained Holland.
“As we’re overcoming the recession, who knows
what prices really are. We’re not into this land
cheap, by no means. So, we had to find a place
where it was marketable and people would still
come and say, 'this isn’t over priced.’”
To find an appropriate price for the homes,
the builder decided to look to one of its previous
communities for comparison. “We have a
subdivision in the same city and we sold out of
that pretty quickly… We were able to gage (a
price) based on that,” he explained. “And with
this community, we’re a little more conservative
on where we’re priced,” he added.
Starting in the low $300,000s, these homes range
in square footage from 2,465 to
5,295 square feet. The homes
are designed with a Craftsmanlike
architecture and come
in two styles: a rambler with
three elevation choices or a
two-story home, also with
three elevation choices. From
two- to four-bedrooms and
either two and one-half or
three and one-half baths, these
homes can accommodate any
type of homebuyer.
Though the homes at Mountain Splendor have
a lot to offer a lot to offer potential homebuyers,
Holland believes that the location itself is what
sets this community apart. As one of the most
affluent neighborhoods with quality schools and
close proximity to the conveniences of the city,
he believes that the neighborhood will draw in
buyers, but the quality of Henry Walker Homes
will make them homeowners. “The buyer has the
option to go to all sorts of areas around here but
the reason they choose Fruit Heights is just based
on it being a great city to live in,” he added. The
community sits on a rare east bench with nearby
access to city luxuries. “I wouldn’t call it a view
location, but you do have a pretty good view of
the valley on a lot of the lots,” mentioned Holland.
“It sits on the bench so its kind of a nice feeling. It
just feels good when you’re there.”
The community as a whole showcases the
quality craftsmanship that Henry Walker Homes is
known for married with the floor plan functionality
needed in today’s market for homes that desirable
and affordable.
Dani Smith is an editor of Builder and
Developer. She may be contacted at
dsmith@penpubinc.com.
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