Publication: Rio Rancho Journal Section;  Date: Jun 10, 2007;  Section: Real Estate;  Page: 7


It’s all in the DETAILS
 
Tijeras-based builder lets buyers customize their homes with lots of options
 
BY ROSALIE RAYBURN Journal Staff Writer
 



    Shopping for a home has never involved so many options. A flat or a pitched roof, vinyl or tile floors, laminate, tile or granite kitchen counter tops, jetted or non-jetted tubs — and, oh, the possibilities with lighting fixtures.

    Tijeras-based builder Joe Boyden has made home-buying an interactive experience. He’s even created a Web site where buyers can participate in the nittygritty decision making on details like faucets and door handles.

    Loma Piñon, Boyden’s 80-lot development in far west Rio Rancho, offers nine basic floor plans for buyers who want to start from the ground up. Each floor plan is the starting point for a buyer to create their fantasy home. Boyden will add skylights, stretch a two-car garage to accommodate three vehicles, add a covered patio, and make a room smaller or larger. Plain Jane bathroom fixtures can be gussied up with oiled bronze; formica counter tops can be replaced with granite. The permutations are endless.

    “We’re really hands-on with the buyer, and they are a partner with us,” said Sherry Wenz, on-site sales associate for Homes By Joe Boyden.

    Once a buyer signs a purchase agreement, Boyden gives them a password for their own page on the Web site. Boyden posts weekly video clips so buyers can monitor their new home room by room as it progresses from bare dirt to finished house.

    Floor plans range from the 1,842-squarefoot “Central Park” priced at $225,900 to the 3,071-square-foot “Plaza” priced at $314,900. Most lots are about 70 feet by 114 feet.

    Going wild with the added goodies can bump up the base price by tens of thousands of dollars. Most buyers typically add around 15 percent to the basic price through the upgrades they choose, Wenz said.

    Standard features mean formica countertops and vinyl flooring in the kitchen. Opt for granite and ceramic tile and you’ll pay more. If you want a fireplace, expect to pay between $2,300 and $3,800 extra depending on the style you choose. The extras can quickly add up, as in the Boardwalk model home pictured here, which includes more than $100,000 in upgrades.

    Boyden shared development of Loma Piñon with Wallen Builders. Each has about 80 lots. The development is a few miles west of Northern and Unser, about 10 minutes’ drive from the new Rio Rancho City Centre.

    Despite a sluggish home-buying market, Wenz is confident the lots and homes won’t linger long.

    “We haven’t priced our demographic out of the market,” Wenz said.

    So far, about 90 percent of the buyers have been people moving upmarket from other homes in Rio Rancho or Santa Fe, Wenz said.

    At present, the average selling time is between two and three months. Wenz, who has been selling homes for 26 years, considers this normal compared to the buying frenzy of recent years.

    Boyden has been around a long time, too. He learned his craft as a teenager and has been building homes for more than 30 years. He creates all the basic designs and builds about 80 homes per year. Boyden is involved in a renovation project on the plaza in Santa Fe and three residential developments, the Bosque del Rio Grande in Bernalillo, Loma Piñon in Rio Rancho and Windmill Ranch in Edgewood. On the Boardwalk

Tijeras-based builder Joe Boyden has about 14 lots and half a dozen finished homes ready for buyers at the Loma Piñon development near Northern and Eighth Street in far west Rio Rancho.

Standard features include: master bathroom with garden tub, walk-in shower and dual vanities, master suite with his-andhers closets, refrigerated air, Maytag kitchen appliances and solid oak cabinetry throughout. Phone service will be available from Rio Rancho cable provider Cable One.

Pictured here is the 2,508-square-foot, 4 bedroom, 2{ bath Boardwalk model, which includes more than $100,000 worth of upgrades such as granite kitchen countertops and fireplaces.

Boardwalk basic model price:

$274,900

Estimated monthly payments for 30-year fixed mortgage at 6.25 percent interest with 10 percent down: $1,524,05

COURTESY HOMES BY JOE BOYDEN ABOVE: Granite kitchen counter tops, like these featured in the Boardwalk model, are one of the upgrades available in Homes by Joe Boyden at Loma Piñon.
 



AT LEFT: This Homes by Joe Boyden Boardwalk model home at the Loma Piñon development in far west Rio Rancho features upgrades such as a multi-sided fireplace and extra ceiling vigas.
 



BELOW: Exterior of the Boardwalk model, one of nine floor plans available from Homes by Joe Boyden at Loma Piñon.