Anatolia is cheap because the there is some nasty stuff in there ground here. They built this pumping operation behind my house and I went back there to check it out and they are pumping "klaraid" into the ground. Which when I looked it up online, it is a flocculation agent used for toxins. Hmmmm

Wed May 14 2008, 08:51

We're moving into the Lennar (Cazadero) section of Kavala Ranch in June, and have found, so far, that the price of the house completely offsets the lack of services and the living-in-a-construction-zone feel. Don't let the "Ranch Cordova" tag scare you-- the area will have a fine resale value once the market picks up. What we love is we're close enough to Folsom to go shopping, to the movies, etc, but we don't have to pay Folsom prices. We're also close enough to be in the EGUSD, which has a great reputation. Where else can you get a house that is practically in the country, over 2500 square feet, and for around $350K?

Mon Mar 3 2008, 10:57

Hi Julie,

We are also buying with Centex in Kavala Ranch, however, yesterday we learned that they are abandoning the project and will not be building any more houses for the time being.

Lennar will continue to build in Kavala Ranch and have already lowered their prices quite a bit. They may come down even further now that Centex is abadoning their small corner of Kavala Ranch. We, like you, had a smaller budget and felt that the Centex design and quality was the best we could find for the price in the Sacramento area.

The idea of buying this house was that we would live in it at least 10 years and wanted it to be large enough for a growing family through the housing downturn. Hopefully, that will still be the case and as soon as housing picks up again (although how long that will take, who knows) Centex will come back or sell the land to another developer who will fill in the neighborhood.

Good luck, it seems to be a bit of a jungle out there.

Thu Feb 28 2008, 12:00

These are all great responses below. I'm a Realtor and I live in Anatolia. The mello-roos is high but the low price more than offsets it. I'm looking 2 years in the future when the Raley's shopping center will be built. The area will be much more convenient (and therefore desireable). There are also talks of a private college by Grant Line and Sunrise... once we get past the housing slump, future development is heading in our direction.

Wed Feb 20 2008, 14:34

We are in the processing of purchasing the 2264 sq ft Centex at considerably less that 300K with some options. Now seems to be a good time to buy. The home is solidly put together and so far the folks at Centex are great to deal with. With the solar as standard that is a big plus on the SMUD bill as well. I think the Mello Roos is a bit pricey but the home value will offset that I think. I like the idea of the Elk Grove school district as well. Good luck in your venture. In my opinion, you are heading the right way.

Wed Feb 20 2008, 09:53

We are in the process of buying at Verano @ Kavala Ranch. I'm not sure what you might consider a low Mello Roos would be but at Verona its 194/ mo. We looked all over and unless you want to live all the way out in Roseville, Rocklin or Lincoln you can't beat the prices. Our biggest concern is what Aerojet has done to the water table in the area. Maps I've found on the internet are vague as to how large the contamination plume from solvents and rocket fuel is and how far it stretches into Anatolia toward Kavala. Granite countertops won't offset a higher rate of thyroid cancer -Something to think about. Google it, you'll see what I mean. See associated web link too-

Warren

Wed Feb 20 2008, 07:08

I live in Kavala Ranch. We just bought a 2700 sq ft home from Lennar for 350k. The school system is Elk Grove Unified School District which is leeps and bounds above Rancho. The house is wonderful and solidly built. The Solar pannels make the SMUD bill pretty nice as well. We take our kids and dog for walks along the parkway and enjoy naming the cows as we go. I would like more of an infrastructure though. The only shopping is Costco, and it's pretty difficult to find a reasonable daycare. They promise more to come. When? Who really knows? Oh, and we have to go to the post office on Olsen for the time being to pick up our mail. Not too fond of that minor detail.

Sat Feb 16 2008, 09:07

Dave's research is right on. I ran narrow searches on Folsom 95630, and Rancho Cordova 95670 and 96742 for homes that are 10 years old or less.

There was a 1997 home in Folsom priced at $340,000 at 1310 sq feet.
There was a 2008 home at $349,900 with HOA dues of $170 - at 1675 square feet.
All other Folsom was either older or smaller.

There were 2 listings in Rancho Cordova that were 2500 sf +/- that were priced under $350,000.

All else that was under $350,000 was either older or smaller.

Fri Dec 14 2007, 11:02

Carie,
I believe I could get ~2500 sq. ft. in Rancho as compared to ~1400 sq. ft. in Folsom. for ~350k. We don't have any kids and would probably upgrade to another house after 5 yrs. Considering this scenario, would you still recommend Folsom over Rancho?

Fri Dec 14 2007, 08:44

Hi Dave,

I'm a Realtor in Folsom and believe that the newer subdivisions in Rancho Cordova provide a lot more for your money, but I always tell my clients to think about future resale. The Rancho Cordova community hasn't been as strong as Folsom in real estate and many people from those newer neighborhoods are trying to move into Folsom. I had one client that came from the Bay Area and purchased a new home off of Zinfandel a few years ago, only to find out that the middle school and high school weren't up to their standards for their children.

There are a number of homes in the Empire Ranch area that are selling in the mid 300s, that were built in the last couple of years. Have you checked into any of those yet?

Happy House Hunting!
Carie

Fri Dec 14 2007, 08:21