Submitted by Barb Lally for Rob Rice Homes
While this summer’s housing market is hot, the demand for quality Rob Rice Homes has come at a blistering pace.
Rob Rice Homes has experienced a 17% jump in sales in the 2nd quarter over last year. That increase is after a 46% year-over-year jump in the first quarter
As the area’s largest local home builder we have seen unprecedented sales in the Rob Rice Community of Kensington in Lacey, where we have sold out of all of our completed homes and, for the first time in our history, will not even have a model home to show there because it sold. Current showings in the community will now be by appointment only.
“This whole year has been very busy,” says Realtor and community manager Lucia Arroyo about the sales traffic at Kensington. “We have had a big wave of sales because people are truly drawn to our community with its beautiful homes, the lovely area and great accessibility to community amenities—parks, shopping, trails and so much more. They love it.”
In the Rob Rice Community of Chestnut Village in Olympia, we are seeing the same high volume of sales and in the Villages at South Hill in Puyallup, homes are being sold at a record pace with an amazing nine pre-sales since the opening of Phase II of the community just weeks ago. There, we are not able to sell our model home and move to a new one (something we typically do) because all the new homes we have built have been bought.
Why so much demand?
The Northwest Multiple Listing Service (NWMLS) that serves 23 counties in our state reported that this July is the best on record with closed home sales up 20%. In June, they had reported a double-digit drop in inventory in most of the counties.
That lack of current inventory is driving up home prices, especially in King County where it has dwindled down to a 1.18 months supply in July.
Nearly half our recent pre-sale buyers at the Villages at South Hill in Puyallup are homeowners choosing to moving south from King County because they are finding everything they want in a home and more, for much less.
Why Rob Rice Homes?
While the shortage of inventory and hot market conditions might explain some of the reason for our high sales volume, clearly there is more that has fueled the demand. Many have made us the number one choice for their new home and they tell us why:
- Selection of floor ideal plans – Rob Rice is one of the few local builders that have a wide array of rambler and downstairs master floor plans that are in huge demand. The Best of South Sound builder continues to add to his selections in response to the desires of his buyers, many of whom are repeat buyers of our homes.
“I was told that for quality and price you cannot beat a Rob Rice home. We have finally found what we have been looking for. Every small detail in the home is thought through. You can see it in the floor plans.” – Buyer at Villages at South Hill
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Premium features come standard in Rob Rice Homes. Premium features – Home buyers are frequently shocked when they find out that our homes’ luxurious features—granite or quartz countertops, hardwood flooring, designer backsplash tile and stylish lighting fixtures—are all standard. And, buyers who purchase a home in a pre-sale in many of our communities can make their own design choices by visiting our Design Center before their home is built.
“How much do these extras cost?” asked a recent visitor at Chestnut Village. “These are standard features, what you see is what you get. They come with the price of the home,” answered Vonna Madeley, Coldwell Banker Evergreen Realtor and one of the sales managers at the community. “Really?” the buyer asked again. “So these features don’t cost more? Because that’s what happens at other places.”
- Incomparable price – All of homes come at what many consider an amazing price, especially our many buyers from King County who find everything they have dreamed of in one of our homes. One of those homeowners recently shared her thoughts with us.
“Our current house is 2000 sq ft and we are selling it for just under $500K. We are buying the Spruce plan at Villages at South Hill with 2000 sq ft on the main floor alone and another 400 sq ft upstairs and a 3-car garage and it is all in the upper $350,000 range. We are getting much, much more for our money.” – Buyer, from Mill Creek
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Every built home at our community at Kensington in Lacey has been sold. There are still un-built lots available. Homes with lasting value – Rob Rice has distinguished himself as a local developer of 20 highly-desired communities and builder of more than 3000 quality-built homes since he started in 1985. Whether the first house or the 3,000th home, he puts the same care and attention to detail into each home. Rob Rice Homes is known for its consistent superior construction, expansive landscaping and green space and long-lasting home values.
“We have looked at other communities Rob Rice has built and they are still gorgeous.” – Buyer at Chestnut Village
Rob Rice is Thurston County’s largest local home builder and was voted the Best of South Sound for 2013 and 2014. He and his wife Helena live in Olympia with their two sons, Alex Michael and Carson. Rob is a graduate of Washington State University with degrees in construction management and architecture.
For more information about a Rob Rice Homes community please visit our website.
