Buyers Not Deterred By $2 Million Price Tag On Homes In New Santa Clara Housing Development
SANTA CLARA (KPIX) - A big new housing development in Santa Clara is getting a lot of attention from buyers, even though new houses start at $2,000,000.
Construction crews have barely started building Summerhill Homes "Nuevo" development, but they are selling fast.
"We've sold 20 homes since we opened the doors in 30 days, so it's the price point of what people expect in Silicon Valley," said Natalie Viviani a sales manager for Summerhill Homes.
Ranju Gupta Phelan came out with her family to look for a possible purchase. For her the location in central Santa Clara on Lawrence Expressway is ideal.
"It's near the employers, close to a lot of arteries going north and south," Phelan said.
The development is huge. Over a thousand homes, condos and apartments will be built providing badly needed housing all within a half-mile walk of a Caltrain station.
"Santa Clara was looking for a place to put housing and where it made the most sense for them was near transit," said Katia Kamangar, a Summerhill Homes Vice President.
Sales started up in January with price tags ranging from $1.2 million for a townhome to over $2 million for a single-family home which is practically wall-to-wall with its neighbors.
It's all built on what was an aging light industrial neighborhood now flipped to residential.
"We just don't see developments like this almost ever anymore because there is just frankly no place to put them," said Rick Smith, a long time Silicon Valley real estate broker.
Smith says compared to what two million buys in other areas, there are some compromises here.
"Some of the downsides are you are going to be pretty densely populated in that specific area," he said.
But that doesn't seem to bother prospective buyers, who are most interested in cutting their commutes.
"It's quality of life at the end of the day, if you are going to commute an hour-and-a-half each way, there goes your quality of life," said Ms. Gupta Phelan.
The development will include about 400 apartments, about 90 of which are set aside for below-market rate rents.