D AND S HOMES ON WAY TO BE INFILL KING OF THE VALLEY.Byline: GREGORY J. WILCOX WEST HILLS - It pays to think big, especially when the product is small. The strategy is paying off for D and S Homes Inc., which specializes in infill projects throughout the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. . Their latest project, West Hills Estates, is a prime example of small-is-big marketing. The name suggests stately manses fronting broad tree-lined streets in a gated community gat·ed community n. A subdivision or neighborhood, often surrounded by a barrier, to which entry is restricted to residents and their guests. . The reality is three new homes on the southeast corner of Shoup Avenue and Vanowen Street. Well the development is gated. West Hills Estates just hit the market and it's already 33 percent sold out. OK, it's just one house. But the math works out. Partners Stephen Bock Noun 1. bock - a very strong lager traditionally brewed in the fall and aged through the winter for consumption in the spring bock beer lager beer, lager - a general term for beer made with bottom fermenting yeast (usually by decoction mashing); originally and Darin Davis, classmates Classmates can refer to either:
first-time buyer n → personne achetant une maison ou un appartement pour la première fois first-time buyer and first-time move up market. West Hills Estates is fits the latter niche. The one priced at $709,000 has already sold and the other two are $729,000 and $749,000. They have hardwood floors and stainless steel stainless steel: see steel. stainless steel Any of a family of alloy steels usually containing 10–30% chromium. The presence of chromium, together with low carbon content, gives remarkable resistance to corrosion and heat. appliances and big yards. ``For just being a small, little three-home project, it's become quite famous because of that intersection and the corner lot,'' Bock said with a chuckle. That's because no one ever can recall anything ever being built there. Bock and his partner probably know where every buildable build·a·ble adj. Suitable or available for building: "The problem was finding a site that was well located, appropriately zoned . . . and buildable" Sam Hall Kaplan. lot is in the Valley area and they'd eyed the Vanowen spot for a long time. Like a lot of things in business, timing is everything. About 15 months ago, a broker stopped by a D and S project at Variel and Saticoy to chat with the superintendent. The broker mentioned that she knew the elderly woman who owned the Vanowen and Shoup property was ready to sell. Bock's phone rang. Was he interested? ``I said absolutely. Within a half-hour, I was standing on dirt, she whipped out a contract and I signed it. And 30 days later I owned it,'' he said. Business has been good, too. In the past year, Bock and Davis have tripled their work force and this weekend moved from Tarzana to a bigger office in Calabasas. The company's market area now extends to Mammoth. D and S recently completed an 11-unit housing project near the resort's new town center. They are priced in the $900,000 range and eight have already sold. Around the Valley, D and S has 75 homes under construction and another 100 in the planning stages. One of the bigger projects planned is a 31-unit tract at Roxford Street and Foothill Boulevard The following streets are named Foothill Boulevard:
And that's good news in this high-priced market. ``We also understand the need for first-time buyers and much more affordable housing and were trying to fit that need as well,'' Bock said. It looks like the nonprofit California Communities Housing Finance Agency has a hit with its lease-purchase homeownership program. After the story about San Fernando San Fernando, city, Argentina San Fernando (săn fərnăn`dō), city (1991 pop. 144,761), Buenos Aires prov., E Argentina. It is a district administrative center in the Greater Buenos Aires area. becoming the 19th city in the area to join the partnership, readers called every day seemingly inquiring about it. And the agency received enough calls to swamp the toll-free phone line, said program administrator Matt Callahan. ``It's been somewhat overwhelming,'' he said. The agency upgraded its phone system and suggests that anyone seeking more information call (877) 873-1988. The program allows successful applicants to lease their home for a period of time and then take over the mortgage. No down payment is required and there are no closing costs Closing Costs The numerous expenses (over and above the price of the property) that buyers and sellers normally incur to complete a real estate transaction. Costs incurred include loan origination fee, discount points, appraisal fee, title search, title insurance, survey, taxes, . Participants can live anywhere but must buy a property in a participating city. Gregory J. Wilcox, (818) 713-3743 greg.wilcox(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): box Box: LIST OF PARTICIPANTS Source: California Communities Housing Finance Agency |
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