December 26, 2024
All single-story...
Out on the east side of Maricopa, K. Hovnanian is building an all-single-story community called Rancho Mirage. I walked their two model homes — the Jerome and the larger Sedona — and then sat down with the rep to get the part that matters most: how the incentives actually work.
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Rancho Mirage sits on the east side of Maricopa, where a lot of the new building is happening — off the 347 to Smith-Enke, then down toward White & Parker Road. The whole K. Hovnanian section is single-story, which a lot of buyers love. Amenities are genuinely nice: tot parks, pickleball, and a catch-and-release lake open to everyone in the community.
The HOA was about $103/month when I toured — and it includes cable and internet (fast fiber through Orbitel), which softens that number since you'd be paying for internet anyway. When I filmed (December 2024), they had around 90 lots left, so there was still plenty of room to pick a homesite.
The Jerome is a 4 bed / 3 bath, 3-car garage home (around $610,000 when I filmed (December 2024), depending on upgrades). The secondary bedrooms are a good size (10×13, 12×13) but don't have walk-in closets. I liked the little mudroom nook feeding into a laundry room with a sink, the island kitchen with double ovens and a gas range, and the 10-ft ceilings (a step up from the typical 9-ft — it reads more high-end).
One thing I always point out: the bars on the windows are decorative and part of the window itself, so they don't trip the FHA-loan issue that removable security bars can. The third garage bay has a door to the backyard — handy for a mower or the kids' gear even if you can't pull a vehicle through.
The Sedona is about 500 sq ft bigger (roughly $30–40K more), a 4 bed / 3.5 bath, 3-car garage — the extra half-bath gives them room to spread things out. It's just a notch above: an “activity room” hub around the secondary bedrooms, walk-in closets in the secondary bedrooms (which the Jerome lacks), one secondary bedroom with its own bathroom, and a flex space set off by pillars that works as an office, dining, or game room while staying open to the living area.
The primary is big and bright (about 18×15.5 ft) with a large two-pane glass walk-in shower, a more spaced-out double vanity, and a noticeably bigger walk-in closet. For the relative price difference, the Sedona felt like the more generous, livable plan to me.
After the tour, I sat down with the rep. The headline for any new build is the incentives — builders use them to get you in the door. When I filmed (December 2024), K. Hovnanian was offering things like a mortgage rate buydown or paying up to $10,000 of closing costs (with an earnest/down-payment requirement and conditions). Those exact terms have long expired — incentives shift constantly — so treat them as an example, not a quote, and ask me for what's actually on the table today.
If you'd rather customize, their Design Center lets you choose finishes on roughly a 6-month build, with your selections swinging the price (I was told a $40K–$60K range). Ready-made homes already come with the upgraded look in the models. And the rule that never changes: bring your agent into a new builder on the first visit — for negotiation and so nothing slips past you. New here? Start with my new-construction guide or compare with Richmond American and the most-affordable new homes.
In the Rancho Mirage community on Maricopa's east side - the direction most new-build development is heading right now. I get there off the 347 to Smith-Enke, then down to White & Parker Road (a bit quicker than going via Honeycutt). The whole community is single-story.
Yes - the entire K. Hovnanian build at Rancho Mirage is single-story, which is a real perk if you want to skip stairs. When I toured, they had two models: the Jerome (~2,765 sq ft, 4 bed/3 bath) and the larger Sedona (~500 sq ft bigger, 4 bed/3.5 bath), both with 3-car garages and 10-ft ceilings.
The HOA was about $103/month when I toured, and notably it includes cable and internet (fast fiber via Orbitel, which expanded into these neighborhoods). Since you're paying for internet anyway, bundling it helps offset the dues. Amenities include tot parks, pickleball, and a catch-and-release lake open to all residents.
Both. Ready-made homes already come with the upgraded look you see in the models. If you want to choose finishes yourself, they have a Design Center - figure roughly a 6-month build time, and your choices can swing the price meaningfully (I was told something like a $40,000-$60,000 range depending on upgrades).
Often yes - things like a mortgage rate buydown or a credit toward closing costs. The exact terms change constantly with the market and the builder's goals, so the numbers I heard on camera are already out of date. The real takeaway: always ask what's being offered right now, and bring your own agent so someone's checking the fine print for you.
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