Westcott Homes’ Sales Pop Real Estate Bubble

If there’s been softening in the King County real estate market, you wouldn’t be able to tell it from the week a new housing development in Renton just had.

On September 12th, just hours after Westcott Homes introduced the first 12 homes from its Tuscan-themed, move up level community, VerCello, the Bothell-based builder had logged offers on seven of its homes. It sold 2 more units soon after bringing the total tally to 9. This is an amazing pace for homes that retail from $500,000 to $700,000. Some of homes had multiple offers on them. To top it off there is a fast growing ‘interested party’ list waiting for the next phase of releases. That’s not bad at a time when there are reports of soft sales through most of the country and worries about mortgage availability. In fact, more than 60 groups registered interest in the community on Westcott’s Web site early on and half had private showings before the weekend.

The development’s popularity can be attributed to its location and the quality of its homes. It may be perched on a hill at the edge of where urban Renton begi turning rural, but it’s still a short drive to Interstate 405 and less than 10 minutes to the eastside city’s downtown area. Although homes in the family-oriented community are near a high school, VerCello itself backs onto a native growth protected area filled with trees that can’t be torn down.The wooded area gives residents a feel that they have escaped the crush of the city when they arrive home, but aren’t completely removed from the rest of the world if they want to go back out for shopping, dining or entertainment at the end of the day. The Tuscan theme provides a touch of old world charm, but the 2,600 to 4,000 square foot homes are decidedly modern.

Most common features that home buyers upgraded in a house purchase are provided as a standard feature here including gas ranges, granite tile kitchens, white painted craftsman style millwork and so on. Careful planning has gone into creating the elevations for houses in this community to provide the home buyers with distinct elevations that stand out. The houses also come with energy efficient tankless hot water heaters that save homeowners hundreds of dollars.

VerCello has 3 model homes and offers seven floor plans. Its Northwest theme model has an urban contemporary feel while its Asian-themed model is designed as a tribute to the regions fast growing Asian home buying population. Its Tuscan-themed model feature wrought iron and other touches that evoke the feeling of Italy’s wine country.

All of the homes in what will eventually grow to be a 113-unit community are meant to appeal to sophisticated buyers and feature spacious kitchens with islands, master bedroom suites with fireplaces as well as fully landscaped and fenced lots. For more information on VerCello, click here.