Couples move into Terra Bella

It all began when Ken and Claudette Dean visited the Terra Bella age-qualified condominium community. Ken Dean told his brother Scott Dean. Claudette told her sister Charlette Lagatare. And just like that, all three families bought condos at Terra Bella within Anthem, a master-planned community in Henderson.

Ken and Claudette Dean live in the suburbs of Chicago and spend the winters in Las Vegas, so Terra Bella is their new secondary home. Scott and Sue Dean live in Las Vegas, so their home is their new primary residence. David and Charlette Lagatare live in Atlanta and visit Las Vegas often for the great restaurants and shows, so the luxury condo is their vacation home and future retirement residence.

When asked why all three families chose the same condominium community, the responses were very similar.

"We wanted an adult-active community that caters to our age group," Ken Dean said.

David Lagatare agreed. "We like that it's an over-50s group -- more people like us with similar pursuits and lifestyle. We didn't want to deal with house maintenance anymore, so this is perfect."

"We wanted to take the next step in our lives and go for a more enjoyable lifestyle. It's time to leave the exteriors to someone else. We walked into this place, and it answered all our needs," Scott Dean said.

Terra Bella is the only age-qualified condominium development in Anthem, a 5,000-acre community that includes golf courses, trails, recreation areas, shopping centers and professionally landscaped common areas.

"It's fabulous here," Scott Dean said. "We're young and able enough to be active, so we're enjoying the pool and fitness center."

"We love the amenities," Ken Dean said. "The clubhouse and pool are wonderful."

The gated neighborhood includes multiple amenities. The fitness center and clubhouse include an equipped workout facility, entertainment areas and full kitchen. Additional features include a resort-style swimming pool and spa, covered barbecue cabanas and an outdoor covered patio with lounge areas and a fireplace.

After choosing from the five floor plans ranging from about 1,400 to 2,200 square feet, the family members chose their interior finishes. "My wife and I really enjoyed picking out our color schemes and finishes," David Lagatare said.

Scott Dean agreed. "We had fun making the interior to our liking. There were so many great choices for flooring, countertops, cabinets, and so on."

Interiors include kitchens with granite countertops and all units include enclosed garages. Each three-story building includes elevators and features an interior landscaped courtyard accessible only to residents of the building. Located near the top of Anthem's hillside development, the community offers views of the Las Vegas Strip and desert mountains.

Prices in the community start in the mid-$200,000s and association fees are $205 per month.

"We knew we may not make as much profit when we sold our current house, but we bought the new home for a lot less than we'd normally pay, so now is the perfect time to buy," Scott Dean said. "We lived in a nice house in a nice neighborhood, and home prices skyrocketed, but then they fell, and then we found ourselves surrounded by foreclosures and renters. We decided it was time to move on to the next stage of luxury living without the maintenance, and Terra Bella is the perfect community for that."

"You can put your money in real estate or in the stock market," Ken Dean said. "I'm not sure which one will increase in value the most, but why not choose the one that lets you live someplace beautiful and enjoy your investment now?"

As all three families move into their condominiums, they're making social plans.

"We look forward to the camaraderie," said Ken Dean said. "It's great to call each other and say, 'Hey, what are you doing for dinner? Come on over.' "

Scott Dean said the community also will help him make new friends. "In the six years we lived in our Las Vegas house, we knew only one neighbor. But at Terra Bella, the homeowners have been so warm and welcoming. We've just moved in and we already know more people here than we did the whole time we lived in a house."

Sales office and five model homes are open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. To visit, take Eastern Avenue south to the entrance of the Anthem master plan. Veer left at Anthem's entrance and continue to Hampton Road. Turn west on Hampton Road and look for the sales office on the left.

For more information, call 361-1223 or visit terrabellacondos.com.