Mountain View Villas

Quorum Article - March 1999

Mountain View Villas is a gated condominium community located on Gerald Ford Drive in Rancho Mirage. It is close to Cathedral City to the west and Mission Hills Country Club to the east. The development was built out from 1975 through 1979 and comprises 200 units on 38 acres.

A somewhat unusual occurrence is that some of the units are on leased land and some are held fee simple. The units are mainly laid out in clusters of four. They range in size from three bedrooms, three baths in 1,350 square feet to one bedroom, one bath in 780 square feet. Configuration is generally single story but there are some townhouses. Most units have two covered carport spaces, some have one. Prices range from $35,000 to $75,000.

One of the most distinctive and attractive features of Mountain View Villas is its very large amount of green belt in ratio to individual units. In fact, except for golf course developments, the amount of open, landscaped green belt space per unit is unparalleled in the Coachella Valley. This makes Mountain View Villas one of the best condo values around, especially for folk who like room to roam and are averse to cramped quarters.

Amenities also include five pools, four spas, and seven lighted tennis courts. In addition there is a 4,000 square feet club house with a full kitchen and barbecue. It is not surprising that Mountain View Villas has an active rental program and is an attractive winter season destination for snowbirds from all over.

Mountain View Villas is the story of a maturing community that some eight years ago came to the realization that age was catching up with it and deferred maintenance was hurting property sales. It was clear that action needed to be taken in order for the community to maintain its position in the market place. Under the leadership of Board President Tony Maranino and with the guidance of Property Manager Richard Warfield of Personalized Property Management, a proactive approach to the problems of an aging community was adopted and a concerted program of renovation undertaken.

Recent achievements include the complete re-roofing of all units over a six year period; the refurbishment of pool decks and tennis court surfaces; a new entry directory; new pool equipment; and the redecoration of the club house, complete with a new air conditioning system. In the planning stages are programs to re-roof the car ports and paint the pool fencing. Not least is a plan to upgrade the entire ambience of the association by painting the stucco and trim of all the units.

In addition it has been necessary to confront the problems inherent in the community's biggest asset, its greenbelt. The large extent of greenbelt proportionate to the units is in itself a problem because it necessarily means that landscape maintenance costs relative to each unit are high. A full arborist directed tree maintenance program had to be put in place to deal with such problems as the overgrowth of trees near structures, spreading roots, and insect infestation.

Says Richard Warfield, "The most important lesson to be drawn here is the vital importance of communication with homeowners. Once homeowners understand how essential maintenance and renewal programs are to their property values, resistance to the raising and expenditure of money evaporates."

In fact the principal achievement here is not so much the physical work but rather the successful effort on the part of Board and Management to bring all homeowners to the collective realization that concerted action needed to be taken to maintain their property values. It was at first difficult to raise HOA dues to the level necessary to deal with the problems faced by the association. However, resistance was overcome by constant newsletter communication informing homeowners as to where their money is being spent, making the results of expenditure visible and showing them the benefits of their dollars at work.