Mountain Falls offers vacation home

When Bill and Susan Day aren't at their primary residence in Wisconsin, friends know it can only mean one thing -- they've retreated to their vacation home at Mountain Falls, a master-planned golf community in Pahrump.

The couple said they found the William Lyon Homes community, which is located 45 miles west of the Las Vegas Strip, when they were on their way to a Death Valley camping trip.

"We saw the value and wanted to get in on the ground floor. We would have been crazy to pass up the opportunity to purchase a second home at Mountain Falls," said Susan Day, who grew up in Las Vegas. "These days, Las Vegas is a little too big for us, but we found the right community for us and our home is impressive."

The Days purchased a 1,511-square-foot floor plan at Cascata. Singers and music lovers, the couple schedules Mountain Falls getaways around their theatre group performances and Bill Day's teaching schedule at the University of Wisconsin.

"Our backyard has a perfect view of Mt. Charleston," said Susan Day. "We especially love visiting Mountain Falls in the winter, when it's 60 degrees here and below zero in Wisconsin."

The Days said they toyed with the idea of purchasing a home in a senior community in Wisconsin, but quickly dismissed the thought. Susan Day said their instincts were correct, and that waiting for the right purchasing opportunity paid off.

"Housing prices in Wisconsin are going sky high. We weren't interested in living in a senior community there," she said. "Our time at Mountain Falls is enjoyable and we're making wonderful friends in the neighborhood. We got a very good deal at Mountain Falls, plus the airport is less than an hour away."

The community's amenities include a complete fitness center, resident lounge with a pool table and an aquatic center with family and adult pools, shade structures and an interactive splash pad. The facility, located in a Mediterranean-style clubhouse next to The Grill Room, is perched alongside Mountain Falls Golf Club.

William Lyon Homes' Cascata sold out in late 2006, not long after the Days closed on their home. Home buyers can now purchase at Cascata's sister community, Cascata Ancora at Mountain Falls. It features the same four single-story floor plans buyers embraced at Cascata. William Lyon Homes offers 10 additional single-story floor plans spread across its other Mountain Falls communities: Entrata, Tramonto and Bella Sera. The home builder's floor plans range from 1,157 to 2,897 square feet with as many as five bedrooms and four baths. Prices start in the upper $100,000s. Model homes are open at all William Lyon Homes' communities.

Villa Serena and Villagio by Celebrate Homes are preselling from the low $200,000s. Six floor plans measuring 1,609 to 2,513 square feet are offered. Layouts have up to four bedrooms and three baths

To visit, travel about 45 miles west on State Route 160 (Blue Diamond Road) past Interstate 15. Before reaching Pahrump, turn left on Manse Road. Proceed to Hafen Ranch and turn right, then left on Lakeview. The Mountain Falls information center is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. For more information, call 866-468-3255 or visit mountainfalls.com.