Second-Home Buyers Seek Peace During COVID

BETHEL ISLAND, CA—Amid all of the confusion and chaos in today’s world, many second-home buyers are looking for peace and peace of mind. One development, Delta Coves, is seeing interest in part due to the desire for real social distancing in more remote areas and simply owning a home outside the density of the Bay Area.

Delta Coves is a water-centric community on the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta led by DMB Development LLC. Located on a private, swimming lagoon off the canals of the California Delta, the community is home to waterfront residences that all feature private boat docks. Delta Coves is located near fast water at the gateway to 1,000-plus miles of waterways for unlimited boating, fishing and water sports pursuits.

“Boating, fishing and other water sports are essential elements of living on the Delta, but it’s the camaraderie of the community that defines the Delta Coves lifestyle,” said Nick Taratsas, general manager of Delta Coves and executive vice president of DMB Development LLC. “Delta Coves offers a rich life on water. It’s a place where you can take your boat out and hike natural trails with your family.”

In conjunction with builder partners Davidson Communities and Blue Mountain Communities, Delta Coves launched sales in September 2019 and welcomed its first residents shortly thereafter. Home configurations include three to five bedrooms and three- to five-and-a-half baths, starting from the high $700,000s to $1.6 million.

The community, which will feature 494 waterfront residences, offers a collection of move-in ready homes and custom options, with seven model homes available for in-person and virtual tours. In addition, DMB recently unveiled its newest amenity offering, the Island Camp, a 15,000-square-foot activity hub and private club.

“We have seen a significant increase in Bay Area families looking for a primary home or a second home outside the congestion and density of the major Bay Area cities,” Taratsas tells GlobeSt.com. “With so much time spent in our homes over the last few months, we’ve found that many home buyers are frustrated with a lack of outdoor space in their current properties. Our buyers are seeking a deeper connection to nature and are specifically drawn to the serenity that being on the water brings. Many of our buyers had once commuted to jobs in Bay Area cities but now have the ability to work from home, which provides them with the opportunity to live anywhere. They are choosing a life on the water at Delta Coves. Here, there’s plenty of personal space, room to breathe and fresh air.”

Delta Coves is 10 minutes from the Antioch BART station, and an hour from most major Bay Area cities by car.

“With a home office on the water, instant accessibility to the outdoors means that it’s easier to blend work-style with lifestyle,” Taratsas tells GlobeSt.com. “There’s no need to spend time between home and work, driving to the beach or park when you have them both combined, right out your back door. It changes the meaning of a lunch break or sneaking out early for extra free time. When buyers do venture back to the Bay Area, they’re not far away.”

Another Northern California property that is gaining attention these days is Nakoma located at 348 Bear Run in Clio, CA. Dan Gallagher, Nakoma’s vice president of development, recently shared why this community is appealing during the COVID period.

“The Lost Sierra is increasingly appealing to a lot of Bay Area buyers because it refuses to change in a negative way, even in the face of COVID-19,” Gallagher tells GlobeSt.com. “We will often point to the Truckee market because it’s a good example of a market that’s gone a different way. That has seen considerable growth over recent years, rising affluence, real estate prices and a significant topping out of resources like roads, labor and grocery stores, as more and more new residents compete with more and more tourists. This has changed precipitously since COVID-19, which has seen an unprecedented influx of home buyers and a dynamic shift towards primary residency (in Tahoe/Truckee).”

The residents shifting to Nakoma in the wake of COVID-19 are also seeking peace, he says.

“The Lost Sierra is peaceful in a way that Tahoe/Truckee will never be again. A friend related something to this point recently,” Gallagher tells GlobeSt.com. “He realized that he had been hearing lots of honks in recent months and that was something that, as a long-time Truckee resident, bummed him out as he realized he had moved there in part because it was the place where you didn’t deal with the honkers. Now you do.”

Gallagher shared some features of the lock-and-leave concept that are attracting buyers. The area is surrounded by forest service land, alpine lakes and trails so it provides a connection to nature with on-site high-speed connectivity. Homesites begin at $100,000 and Ascend Mountain-modern residences begin at $600,000.

“People are shocked by the value and are moving to get in ahead of the market, and we have high-acreage lots with the kind of views that you just can’t find in many resort communities anywhere at any price point,” Gallagher tells GlobeSt.com. “When you show someone a piece of land in a gated community a stone’s throw from the amenities of the resort that backs right up to USFS land with trails, the Middle Fork of the Feather River and unlimited exploration potential, it speaks to a way of life they simply haven’t been able to attain elsewhere.”

The average sales price of Nakoma homes sold in 2019 was $607,500, while the average sales price of homes sold or pending so far this year equates to $679,880, GlobeSt.com learns.