Courtyards at Desert Falls

Quorum Article - May 2005

The Courtyards at Desert Falls is located on about 38 acres of fee simple land in the southwest quadrant of the Desert Falls complex in Palm Desert. It is bordered on two sides by Country Club Drive and Cook Street and on the other side by the Desert Falls Country Club Golf Course.

The community comprises a total of 102 units, of which 6 are the original Desert Falls models built in 1985 and later annexed into the Courtyards.  The developer was Mark Temple. Construction on the newer 96 units was started in 1991 and completed by 1996.

The 6 “model units” are separated from the 96 and have their own gate, pool and spa. Their view is spectacular over the golf course and Chocolate mountains to the north.

The Courtyards is a common wall, PUD community, meaning that, although not condos, the units have common or party walls that are shared with neighbors. The units are built in random pattern locations to emphasize individual appearance. 

There are 3 floor plans in the 96 unit new section and 6 in the annexed original section. In the new section, plans range from 1609 square feet with 2 bedrooms to 2019 square feet with 3 bedrooms. The annexed section has 6 models ranging from approximately 1100 square feet to approximately 1875 square feet.

All units are located on cul-de-sacs with beautiful flowerbeds in each circle, on each corner, and along the driveways. Two waterway features, including ponds, waterfalls and streams, running through the property, enhance the beauty.

Courtyards homeowners also enjoy 5 swimming pools and spas scattered throughout the community, together with the use of the tennis and fitness center.  The fitness center offers treadmills, upright and recumbent bicycles, free weight and exercise/fitness machines, as well as a racquetball court and 9 hard surface tennis courts. 

Membership in the Desert Falls Country Club and the Golf Course is separate.  The 18-hole championship golf course is rated as one of the top 10 in the desert.

As a gated community with a country club / golf course ambiance, as well as tennis courts and a fitness center the Courtyards attracts both seasonal and full time residents.  Approximately 45% live there year round.

The market for Courtyards homes is currently very strong with not many units available for sale over the past few years. Those that were sold were by private party arrangement. Present day prices range from $350,000 to $550,000. Original pricing was in the $150,000 to $180,000 range.

The location of the Courtyards is excellent. The property is directly across Cook Street from the Desert Springs Marketplace, a Ralph’s grocery store shopping center, which contains a variety of shops, stores, restaurants, a boutique, and nail and hair saloon and a Rite Aid drug store. Everything that one needs is just around the corner.

Aside from its location the homeowners love the beauty and exquisite maintenance of the units and common area, along with the 348 palm trees and another 250 trees of many different varieties. Each year the shrubs, trees and flowers are upgraded to maintain the showplace that the Courtyards have been since original construction.

These high standards are no accident. The Courtyards Board of Directors comprises five seasoned, retired business executives, four of whom call the Courtyards their permanent residence with the other living there six months of the year.  They are a dedicated and hands-on group that continuously reviews all aspects of the HOA’s business and then provides direction for the management company.  The Board meets monthly

While the Board itself fulfills normal committee duties, it also employs the “Block Captain” concept for the landscape committee, where appointed unit owners can have input in the beautification process. The Board has maintained the manicured appearance of the grounds with rolling landscape, mature trees and shrubs, and grass lawns that compare with the best-kept golf courses.

Although now almost 10 years old, the Courtyards competes well with new down-valley development. Its location is near the center of Palm Desert in the heart of the Coachella Valley communities. Its homes are of the latest architectural design with high ceilings and volume interiors, set amidst towering palm trees and a variety of large, well-trimmed and maintained trees and shrubs. And members of the community enjoy superior amenities. 

HOA dues have been $400 since 2001 and will remain so for 2005. The intensely hands-on effort of the Board has resulted in decisions providing this stability in the HOA dues and has kept the reserves 100% funded.

For example, since the energy crises of a few years ago, the Board has utilized methods that have enabled the Courtyards to maintain the same cost of utilities by installing power conserving motors, pumps, and lighting to save on electricity; by replacing pool and spa heaters with more efficient units to keep gas costs within budget; and by monitoring and managing the landscape irrigation to the point where water usage has been cut back to 63% of its former level.

However, cost savings have not been at the expense of regular maintenance. As part of its normal maintenance program, the Board recently painted all the surfaces throughout the complex that can be painted.  This year the Board plans to replace all flat roof sections of the units with the latest roofing technology and to reseal all of the streets. 

Along with the cost of general maintenance of each unit and the common areas, HOA dues also cover Time Warner Cable TV including HBO, weekly trash pickup, membership in the tennis and fitness center, and insurances.  

The Courtyards employs the following service professionals: Powerful Pest, Pest Control; Guralnick & Gilliland, Attorney; Robert Tuvell, Reserve Study; Time Warner, Cable TV;  Asphalt MD’s, Asphalt. Electrical and Waterways are managed in house.

The management company is Albert Association Management. Gayle Bock is the Property Manager and Juanita Arrindell her assistant.  The Board finds Gayle and Juanita extremely capable in doing an excellent job looking after the HOA.

Says Gayle: “I believe the Board of Directors is the Heart of the Association and this Board is the greatest.  (And their Happy Homeowners are a reflection of that!) They take their fiduciary responsibility very serious.  I absolutely love working with them!

When asked what makes this HOA different, Gayle says: “The people!  They have gorgeous grounds, pools and views, but a lot of other Developments do also.  This Association has such a great bunch of people that all have such a terrific sense of Community.  It is the homeowners that are the big difference.  They all seem to truly care about their community and their neighbors.  And I have to think that the Board of Directors has a lot to do with that in the way they take care of the Association.”

In fact one Board member was heard to say “Along with the common area equipment that we look after personally, there isn’t a person within this complex that I wouldn’t personally help with their problems or concerns.”

The Courtyards Board members are:  Greg Vaka, President; Ron Wohlers, Vice President; Alan Coplen, Treasurer; Frank Greenwood, Secretary; and Steve Lym, Director.