Florsheim News

By: Dennis Wyatt
Managing Editor

Don't look now but first-time buyers from Tracy are finding their ideal - and affordable - neighborhood in Manteca.

Florsheim Homes' twin neighborhoods - Valley Park and Valley Blossom - off of Woodward Avenue and west of Airport Way offers a new generation of homes for Manteca.

"We get most of our buyers from Manteca as well as Tracy," noted new home specialist Mattie Zedlitz.

They were envisioned as starter homes but when you walk through the floor plans, see what's standard and what you can add without breaking your proverbial financial back plus have Florsheim quality that has made the firm one of the leading regional builders for the past 25 years you'll think of anything but the term "starter home".

There is a reason why the two neighborhoods are catering these days almost exclusively to "local" buyers - those from Manteca and the rest of the Northern San Joaquin Valley.

First and foremost, dollar for dollar Florsheim is tough to beat.

"We have people who shop the foreclosures and come back here realizing they're getting a better value for their dollar," said Florsheim Homes President Joe Anfuso.

Valley Park - where 62 homes have been sold so far - has prices ranging from $279,990 for a three bedroom and two baths to $365,990 for four bedrooms and three baths. Valley Blossom starts at $274,900.

Florsheim is the only builder guaranteeing if the base price of the model you select and buy this year happens to drop in price before the end of 2008, that you will get a check back for the difference.

So why are the Florsheim neighborhoods beating foreclosures that are sometimes priced lower for the same square footage?

• The home is guaranteed with a warranty. Foreclosures are sold "as is."

• Everything is updated and functional.

• Homes have the desired features.

• Front yard landscaping and fences are in place.

• The neighborhood isn't riddled with foreclosures which means no blight and not a huge potential for rentals.

• Homes are in turnkey condition with follow-up service if needed.

And why are Manteca and Tracy residents showing interest in the Florsheim neighborhoods?

• There is a big 5-acre neighborhood park with amenities already in place.

• The neighborhood design avoids a cookie cutter look.

• It is close to the freeway, new retail, and recreation opportunities such as the Manteca Big League Dreams sports complex.

• You are going to be hard pressed to find any new homes that matches the value or location.

Home plans range from 1,107 square feet of living space plus a two-car tandem garage to 2,027 square feet (it expands to 2,358 square feet) with four bedrooms and three bathrooms.

That's just the start. The five standard floor plans have more than 20 configurations to vary the interior of the home to meet your needs. It's part of a Florsheim neighborhood's signature of avoiding the creation of cookie cutter homes. In most developments you could literally sleep walk in a home of the same floor plan you're living in and not hit a wall. The same dedication to making homes as individual as possible shines when it comes to the view from the street. Various elevations and treatment options does more than quiet an illusion of homes being different. It actually works. You can see it looking around the five acre park at the entrance of Valley Park where homes are already starting to line the street.

But the best example of what a finished neighborhood looks like with Florsheim's commitment to avoid cookie cutter construction is in the Rose Garden in Manteca south of Woodward Park off South Main Street. It is here that you can see 60 different, distinctive looking homes in terms of front elevations.

It has solid-sized lots with the added feature of somewhat narrower streets, setback garages and front porches to create a 1940s-1950s neighborhood feel. The objective of Florsheim's architects was to get people to live in their neighborhoods and not retreat behind shuttered windows and doors in big boxes. It has worked in a number of communities that Florsheim has built including in Turlock. That is why buyers who want to get a true feel for what a Florsheim neighborhood is like would be wise to ask sales associates for directions to other neighbors the firm with nearly a quarter of century of building in San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties has built elsewhere. You will also be surprised by the tender loving care given to homes in those neighborhoods - even those approaching a decade of being completed.

What about the actual floor plan and features?

Florsheim's designers have created homes where the warmth and the light of the day actually is brought into the home not just from the house's orientation but how banks of windows in the areas where people do their most living as families - kitchen, dining, and family rooms - are positioned to add to the warmth and openness of the plan.

The Fountain plan - it starts at 1,469 square feet and expands to 1,777 square feet - has an option that creates a "relaxation room" as part of the master suite. The relaxation room - as large as the master bedroom itself - is shown in the model with exercise equipment as well as the features one would expect in a master retreat. It is that spacious and practical.

The Greenbriar plan - which starts at 1,668 square feet and expands to 1,952 square feet - includes a unique study cubby option attached to one of the secondary that is a great escape for kids to study and use their imagination. It is the reason why many kids under 10 years of age fall in love with the home.

The models are open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Valley Park neighborhood can be reached by taking the Highway 120 Bypass to Airport Way and driving south toward the stop sign at Woodward Avenue. Turn right and travel to where the road widens to four lanes with a landscaped median. The entrance to Valley Park is on the right. The Valley Park models are on the far left of the large five acre park you'll see as you enter the neighborhood.

For more information, call 239-7414.