Developer touts affordability at Southern Highlands

The Villages at Southern Highlands, which showcases neighborhoods built by 15 developers, can provide first-time buyers with home prices in their range, according to the developer.

Beazer Homes, Southwest Homes, John Laing Homes and Woodside Homes are among the builders that feature neighborhoods at the master-planned community in the southwest, where prices range from the $130,000s to the $400,000s.

The Milan series at Bella Terra by KB Home begins in the low $130,000s and the neighborhood features 13 total floor plans, six of which are shown as models, that measure between 1,150 to 1,800 square feet. The builder's Venetian series starts at $149,900, and ranges from 1,560 to 2,972 square feet.

"The median price of a home in the Las Vegas area is in the $170,000s," said Wayne Laska, vice president of sales for KB Home. "So the homes in the Milan series start thousands less than the price of the average home in the area. It's a wonderful value for first-time home buyers."

Buyers can select individual features for their homes.

"We did a survey of home buyers in this area, and 85 percent indicated they don't want fireplaces," Laska said. "By not offering our homes with a fireplace initially, the buyers can put that money ... into something else they may really want, like a Corian counter top -- instead of the counter tops being an additional item and expense."

The 5-acre Goett Family Park is under construction at the master-planned com- munity and will open at the end of March. It features a playground; a fenced, full-size basketball court; a sand volleyball court; a soccer field; a picnic area; and a barbecue area and benches.

Also under construction is the 9-acre Linear Park Paseo, which features a tree-lined walkway designed for biking and jogging, and is part of a trail system planned to link neighborhoods throughout Southern Highlands.

More than 50 acres of community parks are planned at the community, as are private and public schools, fiber-optic communications, as well as retail, dining and medical facilities.

To visit, take Interstate 15 to the Lake Mead Drive exit and head west.

Models are open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Real Estate home