Woodside Homes’ bets in Las Vegas pay off.
Although prices in the Las Vegas housing market have become legendary, rising and falling like the fortunes of a high-stakes gambler, the region is now one of the hottest in the country as builders such as Woodside Homes enjoy success with master-planned communities like Summerlin.
One of the reasons for this success is Woodside’s approach to homebuilding, which places great emphasis on the buyers’ experiences as they navigate through the morass of decisions that must be made when purchasing a new home. What started as a unique process to help home buyers select interior finishes has expanded to all aspects of the company’s operations. “Our focus on making our customers’ choices easy has fed the whole company ethos. Everything we do is “Better By Design,” from helping customers find the right financing to selecting the right finishes and everything in between,” said Joel Shine, CEO.
The first step of the process involves taking a brief questionnaire (it can be accessed online or filled out in the sales office). The answers provide insight into stylistic preferences: Classic, Eclectic or Contemporary – which can then be used to guide home buyers’ choices throughout the entire design process. The product lines are coordinated by some of the most talented designers in the industry.
Woodside created these style profiles to best cater to buyers’ tastes, after thoroughly analyzing consumer research on the most favored design styles across the nation. From there, award-winning interior designers were brought in to carefully cull a selection of design options for each Style Profile.
In a Consumer Insights 2014 study, which surveyed more than 20,000 shoppers, home design rivaled location as the most important characteristic when considering a new home purchase, again beating out factors such as price, safety and accessibility. And perhaps nowhere is design more important than fabulous Las Vegas. Here, Woodside Homes truly puts the emphasis on a fresh approach to the designs and features buyers insist upon.
“Woodside Homes spends a lot of time on the design of our homes because we feel it says everything about the home owners who purchase them. We go to great lengths to ensure that these designs, not to mention the features, finishes and amenities, enhance our buyers’ lifestyles,” said Kent Lay, Division President of Woodside Homes of Nevada.
The Better By Design concept has been incorporated into all Woodside communities in the Las Vegas area and beyond. With new home construction again on the rise throughout Nevada, savvy builders are realizing that incorporating innovative concepts into their communities is becoming more crucial than ever. As construction picks up, so will competition. “Woodside Homes recognizes the importance of design in the new home industry,” says Lisa Kalmbach, Partner at real estate investment and marketing company New Montgomery Partners.
Selecting prime places to develop such as Nevada is another example of “Better By Design” since Woodside Homes is building communities in top markets across the nation, including Arizona, California, Nevada, Texas and Utah. As one of America’s top Western U.S. regional homebuilders, Woodside has almost 300 employees and has built and sold more than 40,000 new homes. Woodside focuses on designing and building innovative single-family homes and specializes in the move-up and entry-level markets.
Summerlin is a great example of Woodside’s niche. When Money Magazine included Las Vegas on its 2014 list of big cities offering value, one example cited was the master-planned community of Summerlin, which continues to be the most successful master-planned community in Las Vegas. The magazine enthused about the 150 miles of trails and diversity of lifestyle amenities (tennis, golf, playgrounds, and more). Woodside Homes offers a variety of compelling opportunities within the master-plan: Cielo de Estrellas, Cielo de Oro, and Belmonte. An additional Summerlin community, Cielo Diamonte, is coming soon with a grand opening date to be revealed in the near future.
The “Cielo” and “Belmonte” communities are in very desirable Summerlin locations. In addition to community amenities, the Summerlin master-plan offers views of the city, the strip, and the stark beauty of the surrounding mountains. The new home plans are designed for what Woodside Homes calls the “active” resident requesting features such as spa showers, indoor and outdoor recreation areas, and even real pizza ovens. Families that enjoy entertaining comment on the spacious living areas, gourmet kitchens with oversized food-prep islands and top-of-the-line appliances. Some designs provide a loft or den that may be selected as an optional extra bedroom. All Woodside Homes are built with modern features and smart energy-saving principles to keep utility bills down.
Homes at Cielo de Estrellas range from 2,296 to 2,621 Sq. Ft. Prices are from $329,490 to $343,990. Homes at Cielo de Oro range from 2,102 to 3,147 Sq. Ft. Prices are from $374,490 to $428,490. The very spacious Belmonte homes range from 3,202 to 3,934 Sq. Ft. Prices in this tucked away section, these magnificent homes have prices from $559,990 to $612,990.
Woodside Homes offers several 
communities in the Vegas area, including Cadence: At The Park, located in nearby Henderson. Cadence features 119 large new homes with high-end features and fabulous views. This community offers some of the most unique floor plans in Las Vegas today, boasts views galore, and is part of a master-planned community with extensive amenities. The homes are all two stories, offer abundant entertaining space both inside and out, and are “rear-loaded,” meaning the garage entrance is at the back of the home. They range from 2,500 Sq. Ft. to 3,000 Sq. Ft. Prices range from $395,990 to $432,990.
Emerson in Providence is a quiet neighborhood with a zero-down solar-powered utility system located in an ideally-situated master-planned community in northwest Las Vegas. Stetson Trails boasts an ideal location for those who want to be close to shopping, dining, and entertainment. These highly-flexible homes are “solar ready” and are built with the latest in design trends in mind. La Jolla at Tierra Santa and Geyser Peak are both gated communities in North Las Vegas. La Jolla at Tierra Santa offers a community pool, a park, and easy access to both parks and trails plus shopping and dining. Three stunning plans are available. The large home sites at Geyser Peak offer up to six bedrooms with plenty of space, including RV parking. The community is conveniently located near beautiful hiking, shops and restaurants.
Convenient locations are one of the main reasons why Woodside Homes has been able to achieve strong sales in Nevada. “The master-planners love to work with us and we’ve added to our land pipeline substantially in the last couple of years in Las Vegas. We believe it’s a strong market,” said Lay. “When it comes to locations, we’re very cognizant of where our buyers want to live and so these relationships with the developers allow us to be in these prime locations.”
AT A GLANCE
WHO: Woodside Homes
WHAT: Homebuilder and land developer operating in Arizona, California, Nevada, Texas and Utah
WHERE: Corporate headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah
WEBSITE: www.WoodsideHomes.com
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