About Santa Rosa's Fountaingrove

Fountaingrove is a lovely part of  Santa Rosa, CA.  It's located in the hills with beautiful views looking toward the west county hills.  There are hundres of homes in Fountaingrove, and they enjoy a nice variety of city parks such as Rincon Ridge Park, Francis Nielson Park, and Nagasawa.

Rincon Ridge Park, is a City of Santa Rosa neighborhood park.  It's located on Rincon Ridge Drive right off Fountaingrove Parkway.  It has an expansive lawn, perfect for a friendly soccer game, or tossing the Frisbee.  There is a nice picnic area with tables, and a grill, all shaded by mature oaks.  There are 2 play structures one for younger, and the other for older children. 

                        

Francis Nielson Park, is another city neighborhood park.  Francis Nielson Park enjoys a nice picnic area with tables and grill, over looking a lake.  There is a large play structure, and small lawn for soaking up the sun, or reading a book.  The lake is small enough that a nice stroll around the perimeter only takes about 15 minutes. 

 

Fir Ridge neighborhood park .  Located on Fir Ridge just off Thomas Lake Harris Drive, this park is a quiet, intimate park that see's little use.  Donated by the Fountaingrove Masters Association, it is perfect for kids of any age.  There is small wooden train, a larger play structure, and a halff basketball court. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nagasawa Park is a large city park.  It is located right off Fountaingrove Parkway and enjoys a large recreational lake.  There is a boat ramp for small fishing and non power boats.  Outboard motors are not allowed.   Most of the users of this lake are either fishing, or paddling on the lake.  There is an unimproved trail that follows the perimeter of the lake which takes about 40 minutes to walk.  There is a picnic area close to the parking lot.      

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The Second Fairway in Fountaingrove offers elegant golf course living.  Built in 1995, the Second Fairway development consists of 26 homes most of which sit on the Fountaingrove golf course in a variety of sizes.

Second Fairway homes range is size from 1900 sq ft to over 3000.  They sit on a variety of lots as small as .12 acres, to over 1 acre.  I'd say that the average lot size is more like .20  The homes are wood costruction with stucco exterior, composite tile roofs, and a concrete perimeter foundation.  Most homes have natural gas central heat and air conditioning.  The neighborhood is served by city water and sewer.  Most of the homes have a similiar amenities such as high ceilings, hardwood floors, bedrooms with balconies, gourmet kitchens and 2 - 3 wood burning fireplaces. 

The Second Fairway has an additional homeowners association that residents must belong to in addition to the Fountaingrove Ranch Masters Association.  Call me for current information on dues.

Residents of the Second Fairway not only enjoy golf course living in upscale Fountaingrove, they also enjoy close proximity of world class wineries such as Paradise Ridge which is a short walk away.  Lake Nagasawa, and the Fountaingrove Athletic Club are also within  moderate walking distance.

A survey of homes sold in the past 12 months revealed that only one home sold.  It sold for 899,000.  This was one the larger homes in Second Fairway. It was 3400 sq ft on a half acre.  Currenly (as of Sept 2010) there are 2 homes for sale for $668,000 and $769,000.

Because of the complicated nature of the different Fountaingrove HOA's, and a local roadway bond, I recommend you contact an agent who is familiar with Fountaingrove before committing to buy.  I can give you sound, stable advice and help answer any question you have before making your purchase.  If you're interested in learning more about the Second Fairway or Fountaingrove, I hope you'll contact me.  I'd love to meet you and share with you what I've learned about Fountaingrove over the past 20 years.

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The Oaks in Fountaingrove offers a nice alternative to the more expensive custom homes found in this area.  Located on Thomas Lake Harris Dr, The Oaks consist of 46 large, single detached homes on small lots.  

The homes range in size from 1500 sq ft to 1990 sq ft.  Each lot averages  about 3500 sq ft.  Individually, the homes are mostly two stories, with wood burning fireplaces, central heat, city water/ sewer, and two car attached garages.  The homes are built with wood siding, tile roofs, and concrete perimeter foundations.   Although the homes are considered "single detached homes", some of the garages share a common wall with the neighboring home.  

Built in 1994, The Oaks consist of Kilarney Circle, Bally Bunion Lane, Lahinch Lane and Gullage Drive.  Some of the homes enjoy the privacy of backing to the dense wooded perimeter of the Fountaingrove golf course.  Other homes have beautiful sweeping views of the rolling hills around Fountaingrove.  All the homes have use of a private community pool available just for The Oaks.  The pool is on the east side of the development, and has beautiful views looking west over Santa Rosa. 

There are two homeowners associations that owners of the Oaks must belong to.  The Fountaingrove Ranch Masters Association and The Oaks HOA.  Call me for current HOA dues information.

 A short walk from the Oaks is Paradise Ridge Winery,  Nagasawa Park, and the Fountaingrove Athletic Club.  Major employers like Agilent, Kaiser Hospital and the County of Sonoma civic center are located within in few miles.

A survey of sales for the past 12 months shows 1 home sold for the period Oct 09 - Oct 2010 for $410,000. Call or email me for current information on homes for sale, and homes that have recently sold in Fountaingrove.

Because of the complicated nature of the different Fountaingrove HOA, subassociations, and a local roadway bond, I recommend you contact an agent who is familiar with Fountaingrove before committing to buy any home.  I can give you sound, stable advice and help answer any question you have before making your purchase.  If you're interested in learning more about the Oaks or Fountaingrove, I hope you'll contact me.  I'd love to meet you and share with you what I've learned about Fountaingrove over the past 20 years.

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For those of you who are interested, there is an exclusive neighborhood in the hills above Santa Rosa called Fountaingrove. Within this neighborhood is a combination of high end developments that were built within the last 25 years.

One of these developments is a neighborhood called Southridge. Southridge is a community of about 50+ custom and semi custom homes halfway up Fountaingrove Parkway. The lots range in size from 4900 sq ft up to half an acre, with the average lot being close to .25 of an acre. The homes, built in a wide variety of styles, also range in size from 2200 sq ft up to 4100 sq feet. These homes sit on a hill amongst beautiful mature oaks. Most homes enjoy a view looking over West Santa Rosa and toward the hills of Sebastopol and Forestville.

The streets that make up the Southridge subdivision are:

• Long Leaf Court
• Southridge Drive
• Tall Pine Circle
• Clearview Circle
• Blackhawk Circle
• Bluesage Court
• Bracken Court

The homeowners at Southridge all belong to the Fountaingrove Masters Association which (as of this writing) is $59 per month.  There are some special assessments for some neighborhoods, but not others so make sure you contact a knowledgeable real estate broker before committing to buy!

One question everybody wants to know, "what are the homes worth in Southridge?"  Well, that is a tricky question.  In the past 12 months only one home was listed, and it was taken off the market after 40 days.  It had been listed for $925,000.  So the next question should be "Jim, what do you think they are worth?"  Well, that's a tough question because the homes have such a variation.  If I were to pick a ball park figure, I'd say between $600,000 and 800,000 depending on the home and lot.  These numbers change very quickly, so call me for up to date comps.

Living at Southridge in Fountaingrove puts you with walking distance to Paradise Winery, Fountaingrove Athletic Club and golf course, specialty shopping at Fountaingrove Village, local and county parks.  Call me for more information about Southridge or Fountaingrove homes.

 

 
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Stonefield condominiums in Fountaingrove are luxury living, that's close to everything.  Located in a park like setting, Stonefield is situated adjacent to the Fountaingrove Country Club and Golf course.  The complex is shaded by large oaks and redwoods. Year round creeks meander through the development.  Stonefield is situated on a hillside giving almost every unit a beautiful view westward, overlooking the city of Santa Rosa.  The units that don't get a view over Santa Rosa, usually get a golf course view which is equally splendid.

Stonefield condominiums is a development of 122 units.  Stonefield was started in 1988 by developer George Michael Shipsey who ran into financial problems, which caused the development to stall.  The units were completed by the Morrison Karsten Group of Santa Rosa,  in 1992.  Shipsey was later convicted of embezzling $700,000 in construction funds from his Stonefield development. 

Although most units are built in a "townhouse style" each unit is actually a condominium which means the owner only owns the interior space of his/her unit.  The land and exterior building is owned in common interest with the other owners.  For more information on the differences between a condominium and a townhouse please read: Townhouse or condo.

As of this writing, Stonefield Condominiums fall under the authority of the Stonefield Homeowners Association which is managed by Focus Real Estate,  575-5171.  Currently the dues are $449. which pays for all building maintenance, streets, landscape, insurance, pool, spa, tennis courts, all other common area and management. There are CC&R's, by-laws, Rules and Regulations affecting an owner's interest

The units at Stonefield are both townhouse style, with some units being single level, stacked two units high.  The units all boast fireplaces in the living rooms, and master bedrooms.  Master bathrooms have tiles showers and separate over sized spa tubs.  The units vary in size between 1300 sq ft and 1900 sq ft.  The stacked units are similar in style in that they each 2 master suites.  The larger townhouse styleunits are either 3 or 4 bedrooms, and have dens off the living room.

 

There was a recent class action lawsuit due to faulty construction which resulted in a multi-million dollar award to homeowners at Stonefield as victims of faulty construction.  As of this writing, most units have been repaired, however buyers and sellers should be cautious to hire a real estate agent who is aware of these facts, and can properly represent them.

Owners and residents at Stonefield enjoy living in a beautiful area close to Nagwasa city park, Fountaingrove Country Club and Golf Course, and Paradise Winery.  Less than a mile away are Agilent Technologies, Kaiser Hospital, and the Sonoma County government center.   

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