Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1409306
RiverIslands frompage1 Create a family retreat — and earn income, too Reading between the lines: Floor plans crucial to listings charterschoolsystem, theRiverIslandsAcad- emies,withtwoK-8 campusesopentoday, athirdnowundercon- structionforthefall 2022schoolyearand ahighschoolwhose firstphasewillopenin 2023. RiverIslandstoday countsamongitsame- nities13lakes,atrail alongtheSanJoaquin River,theprivateIs- landersFieldbaseball stadium,thelakeside Boathouserestaurant, parks,playingfields andopenspace.A TownCenterwithretail andrestaurantsiscur- rentlybeingdesigned. Thecommunityhasa FireStation,alreadyin service,andapolicead- ministrativeheadquar- tersbuildingisunder construction. Inthefuture,River Islandswilladdtoits existingplan13more lakes,foratotalof26 lakesthroughoutthe community.Fourmore schoolswillbebuilt.A seconddowntownarea willbedeveloped.The trailsystemwillextend over18miles,ringing theentirecommunity andofferingpedestrian bridgesovermajorin- tersections. Moresportsparks, communityparks and neighborhoodparks willbeaddedtothe plan, totaling160 acres. Overall, approxi- mately40%ofRiver Islands'totalacreage willconsistofopen space. Amongthemost recentopeningsat RiverIslandsarethe modelsatVeranda,a watersidecollectionof luxuryhomesbyVan DaeleHomes,anda previewshowingof CardiffbySignature Homes,whosemodels arebeingbuiltnextto thethirdandnewest campusoftheRiver IslandsAcademies,now underconstruction. TheNewHomeCom- pany,whoseTidewater homeswereamongthe firsttobebuiltatRiver Islands,willbestarting apreviewshowingofits all-newhomedesigns atWaypointe.That communityiscurrently openforinformation only,butisplannedto openforearlysalesby theendofSeptember. Alsoslatedforalate September-earlyOc- toberopeningisapre- viewshowingofAvalon byTrumarkHomes,in aparksidesetting. The Welcome Cen- ter at River Islands has reopened, and is open daily except Mondays from noon to 5 p.m. It is located at the corner of River Islands Park- way and Somerston Parkway. Price lists, tour maps and lists of all of the neighbor- hoods are available there. Most of the sales offices are still open only by appointment; for contact informa- tion for the individual neighborhoods, go to RiverIslands.com. The community website has all of the most updated information available, as well as floor plans and ren- derings of all of the homes currently being offered. Contentprovidedby RiverIslands TheycallitBigSky Country,butMontana's appealrangesbeyond itsnaturalbeautyand diversity. Yes,theWesternstate grabsyourattentionwith itsRockyMountains, GreatPlainsandincred- ibleopportunityforout- doorrecreation. Oneotherattraction? Space,thechanceto buildahomeorcreate afamilycompoundand livelifeatyourownpace. Withalltheworld'sbeen dealingwith,itmakes sensetofulfilladesireto buildavacationhome orpermanentresidence withroomforfamilyand friends. Imaginewakingup andseeingdeerandelk, takingthehorsesoutfor arideordrinkingupthe seasonalcolors. Thiscouldbeyour nextmove.Buildacus- tomdreamhomeor income-producingrent- alson20acresofprime realestateinHeron, Montana,for$590,000. Thetown,which sproutedupwhenthe NorthernPacificRail- wayexpanded,issmall butthereareneighbors onanadjoining20-acre parcel.Andyes,snow isplowedduringthe season. Thelandforsale featuresitsown25gpm well(gallonsperminute) andincludesthenew 40-foot-by-60-footshop builtinJunethatisgreat forRVparking. Thereareplentyof reasonstoactnow. "Youcandomultiple homes/buildingsasthere isnozoningorrestric- tionsontheproperty. Youdon'tevenneed buildingpermitsfor residentialbuildingsin Montanaunlesstheyare inacity,"explainsbuilder MarkGarber. LivinginHeron,on thewesternedgeofMon- tana,meansgreataccess tooutdooractivitiesall yearlong.TheSchweitzer ResortinSandpoint, Idaho,deliverstop-notch skiing,snowboardingand boasts"anaverageof300" ofannualsnowfall."Then whenspringandsummer arrivethebirdsarechirp- ing,thewildflowersare bloomingandthebike trailsarebeckoning.Sch- weitzerisabout40miles fromtheHeronproperty. Alsoagreatspotto visitinIdahoisLake PendOreille,which featuresparks,beaches, boatlaunches,trails,fish- ingandplentyofwildlife toobserve,too. Twotowns,Noxon, Montana,andClark Fork,Idaho,areabout 15milesawayfromthe propertyandofferaccess togroceryshopping,gas stations,andrestaurants. It'stimetodiscovera differentkindoflifestyle. CallortextMark Garberforadditional informationat(406) 253-4545oremailhim atmbgarber66@yahoo. com. Buy20acresofprimerealestateinMontanafor$590,000.Thepropertycomeswithanewlybuilt2,400-square-footshop.LakePendOreille,Idaho'slargestlake,isjust30minutesfromthepropertyforsale. By Marilyn Kennedy Melia CTWFEATURES Increasingly,buyers havemultiplewaysto viewahome:inperson, avirtualtour,a3Dtour andaslideshow. Butarelativelysimple two-dimensionaldrawing —thefloorplan—offers uniqueinsightsintohow you'dlivewithinthose lines. Thepublicisbecom- ingmorefamiliarwith floorplans,whichare distinctfromablueprint providingconstruction details. "Yearsago,Ihadto starteachdesignmeet- ingbyexplaining,'Thisis adoor,thisisawindow, thisisawall…'Now, werarelyhavetodo that,"notesPlymouth, Michigan,architectDawn Zuber. Indeed,manylistings nowcontainfloorplans, andtheyarethethird mostvaluedonlinelisting feature,accordingtoare- centNationalAssociation ofRealtorssurvey. Withmeasuredlines indicatingwalls,breaks inlinesshowingwindows anddoors,aseriesofrect- anglesindicatingstairs, andlocationsoffixtures likesinks,floorplansoffer astraightforwardview ofsizeanddistance.To enhanceyourexperience, followthisexpertadvice: Compareyour currentsizes Unlessyou'reastrong spatialthinker,a12-by- 13-footroomdoesn't meanmuch.Measure yourcurrentroomsizesto comparewiththeonline plans,suggestsinterior designerJenBunsa, ownerofBunsaStudioin Miami. Placeyour possessions "Ifthere'sonlyone wallforabedinthebed- room,isthereroomfor otherpiecesoffurniture youmightwant,likea chairordresser,too?"says Zuber,illustratinghow todecideifyoucanfind placesforfurnitureyou're keeping. Thinkabout yourneeds Gettingintothe"flow" ofspacesprovidescluesto howeasilythehomefits yourlifestyle. Fromthegarage, isthereanentrance intothekitchentoun- loadgroceries?How doguestsenterinto gatheringspaces?Is themasterbedroom isolatedenough?Com- binedwiththelisting photos,thismindexer- cisegivesinsightinto livability. ReverseMortgagesAvailable upto$3million www.excellentmortgageloan.com Product Rate Points Fees % Down APR 30 Yr Fixed APR 15 Yr Conf. Fixed 20 Yr. Conf. Jumbo 30 Yr Conf. Jumbo 2.625% 2.125% 2.500% 2.750% 0.00 0.000 0.000 0.000 $0 UW $0 UW $0 UW $0 UW 20% 40% 40% 40% 2.625% 2.125% 2.500% 2.750% RobHeath 408-482-8080 DRE#01241953/NMLS#319548 Calltodayforratequote! 2.625% 30 Yr Fixed APR Over21yearsexperienceand 5starYelpreviews Bayview Residential Mortgage 51 E. Campbell Ave #110 Campbell, CA 95008 CA Broker DRE#01498198/NMLS#329189 JUMBO REVERSE MTG, 5 Yelp reviews. NO CLOSING COST LOANS are available. H6 BAYAREANEWSGROUP 111 Homes | Advertising Section