La Quinta Tennis Villas 

Quorum Article - October 2004

 La Quinta Tennis Villas is a gate-guarded community made up of 48 condominium units in one, two and three bedroom townhome configuration. It lies on fee land adjacent to the La Quinta Resort in La Quinta. Landmark Land Company, the developer of the La Quinta Hotel, built the project in 1985. 

Due to its close proximity to the La Quinta Resort, the target market was the second home and vacation rental market. Owners who have their unit in the vacation rental program with La Quinta Resort Leasing have access to all of the resorts amenities, either free of change (pools, spas, fitness center), or at a discount (golf and tennis). Only one of the 48 unit owners is a full time resident.

The townhomes are in groups of 3 or 4 with a few stand-alone units.  A majority of the units overlook a grass, clay or hard tennis court. Those that do not have a view of the tennis courts are clustered around the two swimming pool/spa areas or the fountains/water features.

The La Quinta Tennis Villas come in four models ranging in size from 1,100 to 1,800 square feet. Currently, prices are in the $425,000 - $525,000 range. Those units that do come on the market sell very quickly because of their income potential and their close proximity to the La Quinta Resort, which is a big draw for owners and renters alike.  Most owners are avid golfers and/or tennis players.

Homeowners enjoy a beautiful, quiet, and secure location, nestled at the foot of the Santa Rosa Mountains. As well as being adjacent to the grounds of the 5-star La Quinta Resort and its amenities, the community is also close to downtown La Quinta and Highway 111 and handy for the La Quinta Cove bike trail.

The grounds and amenities are attractive and well maintained. This is the result of successful management of the maturing process of a 20-year old community.  In 2001 a major renovation of the exterior of the complex (exterior paint, lighting, street signs, pool furniture, tree, etc.) was completed.  And this year, the landscape irrigation system was renovated and upgraded for better coverage and water efficiency. 

With respect to energy management, the operating hours of the 3 water features/fountains have been cut back from 24 hours a day to 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. each day.  Pool and spa temperatures have also been reduced. Keeping utility bills and landscape costs within budget are an ongoing challenge, although being within the low electric rate sphere of Imperial Irrigation District certainly helps. Association dues are a very reasonable $405.00 per month.

Two special challenges arise due to the fact that that 99% of the owners live primarily off-site.  The first is getting a quorum for the annual meeting. The second is managing a transient resident population caused by the large number of units in the vacation rental program.

An additional challenge, facing all small associations, is finding volunteers to serve on the board of directors. While nominally comprising five members, the Tennis Villas board currently finds itself operating with only four members. Since none of the board members are full-time residents, the board meets 5 times a year via conference call.  Those board members who can attend the meeting in person do so if their schedule allows. 

Says Association Manager Ron Halstead of Gold Coast Enterprises: “The HOA has a board of directors who are all second homeowners that put forth a real effort to be very active in the association. Homeowners are very fortunate to have a very dedicated board.”

The Board and Ron are supported by Desert Concepts for landscaping, Securitas for guard service, Truly Nolan for pest control, Don McIntyre Pools for pool service, and LaBarre/Osknee for insurance.