Issaquah Highlands collection down to final seven townhomes

ISSAQUAH -- In the past two months, five homes have sold at Highlands Square, leaving seven homes for sale.

The neighborhood of townhomes is located in the Issaquah Highlands master-planned community and within walking distance of the shops and restaurants of High Street Retail Village.

"This is a great community," says Kristi Dilts, the community sales manager. "A lot of people move here because of the elementary school, Grand Ridge. It's a new school located right here in Issaquah Highlands and scored nine out of 10 stars at greatschools.org."

Construction began recently at Issaquah Highlands' newest shopping village, Grand Ridge Plaza. Scheduled for completion in 2013, the plaza is a short walk from Highlands Square and will include a supermarket, restaurants, a multi-screen movie theater and a gas station.

Dana Heyum and her husband, Josh, moved into Highlands Square two years ago. She says they were drawn to the community in part by the nearby amenities.

"When we looked at Highlands Square, we thought it would be a great place to raise a family," Heyum says. "We liked that it was kind of separate from the other neighborhoods in Issaquah Highlands, so you don't get stuck in neighborhood traffic, and there is more of a sense of community. The schools are great, and we like being within walking distance of High Street and so close to the highway."

Built by CamWest, a Toll Brothers company, the neighborhood offers buyers who purchase a presale home the opportunity to customize their spaces to fit their own needs through the homebuilder's CamYes! program.

"One of the [seven homes for sale] will be ready in about 30 days, and the remaining homes will be complete in November," says Dilts.

Highlands Square is on the lower plateau of Issaquah Highlands and overlooks the valley. Several of the remaining townhomes front one of the two parks in the neighborhood.

The low-maintenance zero-lot-line townhomes include up to three bedrooms and 3.5 baths. Exterior architectural elements include brick and shingle accents.Interiors feature kitchen islands, main-level powder rooms and gas fireplaces with built-in shelving.

"We initially made an offer on a single-family home at another community at Issaquah Highlands, but when we went to pick out finishes, the floor plan was all compartmentalized, so we ended up walking away from that home," Heyum says. "Right when we walked into the model home at Highlands Square, my husband said, 'I can imagine living here.' We loved the layout. We entertain all the time, and our main floor is one open room."

All of the homes are four-star Built Green certified and Energy Star-rated. They include high-efficiency furnaces and water heaters, as well as low-VOC paints for healthier indoor air environments. In addition, the homes include two-year systems warranties and 10-year structural warranties.

Highlands Square mirrors the larger Issaquah Highlands community by encouraging homeowner engagement -- with each other as well as their natural surroundings. The master-planned community includes 1,500 acres of parks, open space and trails, while a paved two-mile-plus trail within the Highlands Square neighborhood leads to the Tiger Mountain trailhead.

Heyum has created a Facebook page for the neighborhood, and last weekend she organized a community barbecue in the park.

"Neighbors are friends here -- we all look out for each other. It really is a community," she says.

Toll Brothers is among the nation's leading builders of luxury homes. Its recent purchase of CamWest Development, LLC -- which has been building homes locally for more than 20 years -- expands the company's reach to the Pacific Northwest. Founded in 1967, Toll Brothers is now building homes in 20 states.

Toll Brothers was rated No. 1 in 2011 and 2010 for Financial Soundness, Long-Term Investment and Quality of Products/Services in the homebuilding category of Fortune magazine's annual World's Most Admired Companies survey.

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