Southern Highlands home purchase adds to exciting year

Kimberly and Robert Fruland are having an exciting year. Robert Fruland just launched his own flooring company, they were married in February, and they recently moved into their first home at Cortona Hills by Pulte Homes, located within The Villages at Southern Highlands in the southwestern valley.

"I am very, very pleased with our home," Kimberly Fruland said. "The floor plan is open and functional, there is no wasted space, the square footage is great. When people come over and they see our home, they can't believe how gorgeous it is."

Sales agent Larry Mull said he hears that all the time.

"When people go through the models, they can see the quality of the construction almost immediately," Mull said. "It's as simple as how quiet the doors are when you open and close them."

Kimberly Fruland said her husband, a former architect, was impressed from the start.

The Frulands purchased the Venice floor plan, a 3,030-square-foot, two-story home with three bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths and an upstairs media/game room that can be an optional fourth bedroom and a den. The home is priced at $269,990.

Other floor plans range from 2,300 to 3,900 square feet.

Prices start from $233,990 to $333,990.

Mull said the homes are built for energy efficiency.

"We use Cocoon blanket insulation, which we blow into the walls instead of using Fiberglas. It makes a tremendous difference in your heating and cooling costs," Mull said. "We also use low-E glass windows, which helps keep the summer heat from coming into your home."

The Villages at Southern Highlands offers homes priced from the $130,000s to the $400,000s. There are more than 20 neighborhoods in the community.

The Goett Family Park, a 5-acre facility, recently opened. It provides a playground, basketball and sand volleyball courts, soccer field with three practice areas, shaded picnic tables, and a barbecue area with benches.

The Linear Park Paseo, a 9-acre park, features a tree-lined walkway.

The master plan also calls for more than 50 acres of parks, private and public schools, fiber-optic communications infrastructure, and commercial and medical centers.

To visit, take Interstate 15 to Lake Mead Drive, exit west and follow the signs. Models and sales offices generally are open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

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