Pulte buyer commits to fourth home from builder

In 1996, John Moriarty decided to sell his most prized possessions -- two Harley-Davidson motorcycles -- to buy a home. He was immediately impressed with Pulte Homes, and purchased a home in the builder's Reflections neighborhood in Green Valley.

"I literally watched my first Pulte home being built, and was so impressed with the quality and efficiency that I bought another one nearby," Moriarty said.

In 1999, he purchased his third Pulte home, also located in Reflections, and set out to turn the purchases into investment properties.

"I refinanced all three of my homes with the lowest interest rates," Moriarty said. "They have appreciated faster than I have ever seen."

Moriarty, his wife Bridget and 7-year-old daughter Jessica are awaiting completion of their fourth home from the company in Cortona Hills, located in Southern Highlands.

The Moriartys chose the 2,561-square-foot Capri model, a single-level home with four bedrooms, a three-car side-loading garage, formal living room with a coffered ceiling and a courtyard.

The neighborhood offers four Tuscany-style single- and two-story floor plans ranging from 2,320 to 3,910 square feet. Floor plans provide three to five bedrooms with 10-foot ceilings, breakfast nooks, lofts and home management centers.

Prices start from $239,990 to $333,990.

Homes feature hardwood cabinets with crown molding, built-in ovens and cook tops, laundry sinks with cabinets, fireplaces, solid surface counter tops, two-tone paint, garage-door openers, soft-water loops, barbecue gas stubs, 75-gallon water heaters, patio covers, microwaves and finished garages.

The neighborhood features the builder's Platinum Series Environments for Living building technology, which is designated as energy efficient and comes with a two-year heating and cooling guarantee.

Floor plan options include a game room, library, exercise room, teen room, computer loft or wine cellar (per plan).

All home sites have been released.

Plans for Southern Highlands include a members-only fitness center, more than 50 acres of community parks, private and public schools, bike and jogging paths, nature and exercise trails, baseball and soccer fields, volleyball and tennis courts, a retail center, and business and professional parks.

In addition, there is a 220-acre private golf course featuring tree-lined fairways with lakes and streams.

To visit, take Interstate 15 to Blue Diamond Road, go west to Decatur Boulevard, drive south to Southern Highlands Parkway and follow the signs. The sales office is open from noon to 7 p.m. on Monday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Pulte Homes, the nation's largest home builder, offers 11 active subdivisions in Southern Nevada.

The company has operations in 43 markets across the United States, Argentina, Puerto Rico and Mexico, where it is the fifth-largest builder. The company has built more than 300,000 homes.

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