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Larger homes on spacious lots are becoming the trend in Fallon as the housing boom continues. Photo by Kim Lamb
It's not just Fallon's boundaries that have been growing over the last year, it's the size of the buildings within those boundaries as well.
Just a few short years ago, the vast majority of building in Fallon consisted of entry level homes on small lots. The economy and housing market was in a lull then that has since turned around 180 degrees.
"Basically, builders couldn't get their dollars back out of nicer homes (then)," said Aaron Guillen, a spokesperson for Lumos and Associates, the engineering firm that designs much of the development in Churchill County.
All that has apparently changed. Some of the most successful developments recently built or currently under construction boast homes upwards of 3,000 square feet on quarter-acre lots or more.
Just a few short years ago, the vast majority of building in Fallon consisted of entry level homes on small lots. The economy and housing market was in a lull then that has since turned around 180 degrees.
"Basically, builders couldn't get their dollars back out of nicer homes (then)," said Aaron Guillen, a spokesperson for Lumos and Associates, the engineering firm that designs much of the development in Churchill County.
All that has apparently changed. Some of the most successful developments recently built or currently under construction boast homes upwards of 3,000 square feet on quarter-acre lots or more.
"I know the latest (subdivision) maps we've been getting we've been seeing that a lot - bigger houses, bigger lots. People seem to be snapping them up," said Fallon Mayor Ken Tedford, Jr.
The change in style of city homes started even before the market's dramatic upswing that has put home sales at an all-time high while reducing home availability to an all-time low.
Local developers began the change shortly after the millennium, when they began plotting out roomy lots on the northeast edge of town.
Local Realtor Mike Berney said at the time developers went ahead with the plans for two basic reasons: They had little competition for more upscale homes, and that's what people seemed to be looking for.
"A lot of people wanted city utilities but they (also) wanted room for an RV or an extra building," Berney said.
The change in style of city homes started even before the market's dramatic upswing that has put home sales at an all-time high while reducing home availability to an all-time low.
Local developers began the change shortly after the millennium, when they began plotting out roomy lots on the northeast edge of town.
Local Realtor Mike Berney said at the time developers went ahead with the plans for two basic reasons: They had little competition for more upscale homes, and that's what people seemed to be looking for.
"A lot of people wanted city utilities but they (also) wanted room for an RV or an extra building," Berney said.
The new larger homes range in price anywhere from $300,000 to a $2 million-plus estate just north of city limits.
Asked where the buyers of pricey homes are coming from, Berney pointed out that nine of 11 new homes in the Country Air subdivision were bought buy Fallon-area residents working in a variety of mid to high-level jobs in Churchill County.
Other large, expensive homes in Fallon have been purchased by commuters, he said, or by former California residents who sold their old homes at a premium in that state's inflated real estate market and walked away with enough cash for an upper-level home here.
With the demand for bigger homes and yards, the city early this year created new zoning districts that set minimum lot sizes at 7,000 and 10,000 square feet to go along with the 5,000 square-foot minimum that has been the city's standard for decades.
Asked where the buyers of pricey homes are coming from, Berney pointed out that nine of 11 new homes in the Country Air subdivision were bought buy Fallon-area residents working in a variety of mid to high-level jobs in Churchill County.
Other large, expensive homes in Fallon have been purchased by commuters, he said, or by former California residents who sold their old homes at a premium in that state's inflated real estate market and walked away with enough cash for an upper-level home here.
With the demand for bigger homes and yards, the city early this year created new zoning districts that set minimum lot sizes at 7,000 and 10,000 square feet to go along with the 5,000 square-foot minimum that has been the city's standard for decades.
Not all new building in Fallon is trending toward the high-end, however. Several apartments and townhome projects are also in the planning stages, as well as dozens of smaller homes.
Several developers, Guillen said, are now trying to provide a "broad array of options," including condominium-type housing for those that might not be able to afford what was once considered an entry level home but is now priced out of the average first-time buyer's range.
"I have some developers being very conscious that that's going to drive people out of the market," he said.
The real test for Fallon's booming housing market, according to Berney, will come in the next year or two, when hundreds of homes now in the planning stages are built and put on the market.
"It'll be interesting ...," he said. "I think there's a call for it, but it'll be interesting to see" how it all works out.
Several developers, Guillen said, are now trying to provide a "broad array of options," including condominium-type housing for those that might not be able to afford what was once considered an entry level home but is now priced out of the average first-time buyer's range.
"I have some developers being very conscious that that's going to drive people out of the market," he said.
The real test for Fallon's booming housing market, according to Berney, will come in the next year or two, when hundreds of homes now in the planning stages are built and put on the market.
"It'll be interesting ...," he said. "I think there's a call for it, but it'll be interesting to see" how it all works out.
