For those of you wondering the latest status of Legend at Villebois, here you go!

Legend Homes only has two finished homes remaining in Phase 1 of the award-winning Villebois community in Wilsonville, Oregon. One of those homes recently went pending so that leaves the builder with only one remaining available home for sale in Villebois. It looks as Legend Homes will come out of Chapter 11 bankruptcy around the beginning of 2010 and hopefully begin construction on new homes once that has happened and it has sold its last finished home.

Full Story: Matrix will also give back raw land in its Phase 2 project at Villebois. The Villebois subdivision was master planned…….. Read the rest of the story here.

Contact Costa Pacific Homes in the Villebois Village Center today! A Costa Pacific New Home Specialist would be happy to take you on a private tour of the distinctive community whenever is convenient for you. Call 866.580.2836 or email Blog@CostaPacific.com for more information about Villebois. www.ChangeHowYouLive.com.

The holidays are the perfect time for creating perfect memories.

Isn’t it time you lived in the perfect place for creating memories too?

The Villebois Village Center in Wilsonville, Oregon, will change how you live.

With our brand-new Seville Rows, Carvalho Condominiums and upcoming Les Bois Collection, you can live a carefree lifestyle in the hip and urban, yet relaxed Village Center. Build life-long relationships with your neighbors. Participate in exciting community activities and events. Live a more sustainable life in a green-certified home and eco-conscious neighborhood.

The benefits of living in the Villebois Village Center are endless.

Aren’t you ready for a change?

Listen to what happy residents say about life in Villebois.

Contact Costa Pacific Homes in the Villebois Village Center today! A Costa Pacific New Home Specialist would be happy to take you on a private tour of the distinctive community whenever is convenient for you. Call 866.580.2836 or email Blog@CostaPacific.com for more information about Villebois. www.ChangeHowYouLive.com

Costa Pacific Homes recently announced that its latest development, the Villebois neighborhood in Wilsonville, Oregon, is a finalist for the National Association of Home Builders’ (NAHB) most prestigious builder award: the Community of the Year Award.

This nomination is nothing new for the award-winning master planner and developer. In 1999, Costa Pacific received the prestigious Community of the Year Award for another development it designed: Orenco Station in Hillsboro, Oregon.

Villebois offers area homebuyers a broad assortment of home styles and amenities from which to choose. Based on the intimacy and character of traditional European villages, the Villebois Village Center features everything from condominiums and row homes to apartments and buildings with ground level retail or office space. The Piazza Villebois, a dedicated community space and plaza, will serve as the heart of the Villebois Village Center and will be the future site of community events and other activities.

The NAHB will announce the winner of this year’s Community of the Year Award in January. Stay tuned.

For more information about the award-winning Villebois or Orenco Station communities, please call 866.580.2836 or email Blog@CostaPacific.com. You may also visit www.CostaPacific.com to learn more about Costa Pacific Homes’ latest projects.

The Villebois Events Committee (V.E.C.) in Wilsonville, Oregon’s Villebois neighborhood recently announced that it will host a Merry & Bright Party in heart of the award-winning Villebois community this Friday, December 4, 2009.

The event will include caroling, cocoa drinking, cookie eating and all around holiday cheer in the Sofia Park Pavilion in Villebois to mark the official start of the holidays. Villebois and area neighbors are invited to ring in the season together this Friday in the community in which the live, work, play and learn.

The V.E.C. will provide hot cocoa and hot cider. Guests are invited to bring a plate of holiday goodies to share as well as a flashlight. Caroling books will also be provided.

The Merry & Bright Party is just one of the many community activities that homeowners throughout the Villebois neighborhood regularly come together to take part in. The Villebois community is designed as a social environment where homeowners get to know their neighbors and develop lifelong friendships.

Click here for a complete list of Villebois neighborhood activities.

Change how you live. Envision yourself living in this social community.

For more information about Villebois or the Merry & Bright Event, please contact Costa Pacific Homes New Home Specialist Andy Green at 866.580.2836 or Blog@CostaPacific.com. The Costa Pacific Homes sales office in the Villebois Village Center is open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and Sunday; and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays. You may also visit ChangeHowYouLive.com.

The new Les Bois Row Homes are the very first detached homes to grace the award-winning Villebois Village Center in Wilsonville, Oregon. These new single-family row homes offer homebuyers their choice of two distinct floor plans – The Alesia and The Montraux.

The Alesia is priced at $309,900 and features two bedrooms and a third bedroom/loft option. Priced at $359,900, The Montraux offers buyers three bedrooms as well as a lofted space.

In addition to bestowing residents with an upscale lifestyle at an affordable price, the Les Bois Collection feature a broad array of distinctive amenities. Not to mention, each of the detached homes comes with its own garage, private patio and low maintenance yard.

EXTERIORS
• 2-car rear entry garages
• Covered porches and entryways with waterproof decking
• Exceptional curb appeal
• Private patios & yards
• Hardi-Plank lap siding with 50-year limited warranty
• Premium Composition Roof with 40-year warranty

INTERIORS
• Sculptured architectural detailing throughout with volume ceilings
• Designer-selected recessed accent lighting
• Gas fireplace with painted mantel & tile surround
• Tile floor in entry
• Concealed fire sprinklers throughout homes
• Pre-wired for security system
• Option to build with elevator

IN THE KITCHEN
• Kohler Forte polished chrome faucet with pullout sprayhead & lever handle
• Sterling by Kohler stainless steel sink
• Tile counters with self edge and 6” tile backsplash
• Recessed can lighting
• Marmoleum floors

GE® HOME ESSENTIALS APPLIANCES
• GE® 30” stainless steel gas range
• GE® tall tub built-in stainless steel dishwasher
• GE® Spacemaker stainless steel microwave oven

QUALITY CONSTRUCTION AND ENERGY-SAVING FEATURES
• Meets Earth Advantage® requirements for energy efficiency, indoor air quality, environmental responsibility & resource efficiency
• Concrete foundation with visqueen vapor barrier
• Engineered floor systems & roof truss systems throughout
• High efficiency 90+% gas furnace
• Milgard vinyl dual-glazed windows with limited lifetime warranty
• R-21 insulation in exterior walls
• R-49 insulation blown in all attic & ceiling areas
• Pre-wired with coil case & line set for future air conditioning

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS
• 160 acres of parks, green space and playgrounds
• Mere steps from Piazza Villebois & the Villebois Sunday Market
• Near future retail space
• Pedestrian- & bike-friendly
• Easy access to Trimet’s WES commuter rail
• Guest parking

If you are interested in learning more about the new Les Bois Row Homes in the Villebois Village Center, please contact Costa Pacific New Home Specialist Andy Green at 866.580.2836 or email Blog@CostaPacific.com.

The Portland, Oregon, metropolitan area, which includes cities from Beaverton to Clackamas, Wilsonville to Vancouver, recently ranked 3^rd on Forbes Magazine’s list of Safest Cities.

To determine its list of the safest cities in the U.S., Forbes Magazine looked at the country’s 40 largest metropolitan statistical areas across four categories of danger, including: workplace death rates, traffic death rates, natural disaster risk and violent crime rates.The Portland metro area ranked 3^rd as it boasts the lowest crime rate out of the 40 cities examined.

When it comes to new homes for sale in Portland or Portland-area real estate, the Villebois community in Portland’s sister city to the south, Wilsonville, Oregon, upholds the area’s reputation for safety and comfort. From affordable prices to exceptional amenities, Villebois offers buyers everything they are looking for in today’s real estate market in Oregon.

Change how you live in Villebois.

To learn more about the Villebois community, call Costa Pacific Homes New Home Specialist Andy Green at 866.580.2836 or Blog@CostaPacific.com. Or visit ChangeHowYouLive.com.

Known for its pedestrian- and bike-friendly nature, the award-winning Villebois neighborhood in Wilsonville, Oregon, offers its residents miles and miles of nearby trails and 160 acres of community green space. A web of paths, nature trails and sidewalks traverse neighborhood parks and green spaces, serving as pedestrian and bike connections between streets and pockets within Villebois. Several major regional pathways also snake through Villebois, including the Tonquin Trail, the Villebois Loops Trail and the Coffee Lake-Wood Trail.

The future of the Tonquin Trail and its connectivity to the rest of Wilsonville and the Portland metropolitan area’s Westside has been one that local residents have watched closely. Metro, the Portland, Oregon area’s regional government, is currently working on the future Tonquin Trail Master Plan, which involves a multi-use regional trail that will connect natural areas, neighborhoods, schools, jobs, shopping centers and transit stops between Sherwood, Tualatin and Wilsonville.

You can now get involved and add your two cents to the planning process of the new Tonquin Trail Master Plan. Attend an open house or share your views online between Dec. 7 and Dec. 21, 2009.

Here are the open house dates:

Tuesday, Dec.8
6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Tualatin Council Chambers Building
18880 SW Martinazzi Ave.,Tualatin
Co-hosted with Tualatin Parks Advisory Committee

Wednesday, Dec.9
6 to 8 p.m.
Wilsonville City Hall, Council Chambers
29799 SW Town Center Loop E, Wilsonville
Co-hosted with Wilsonville Planning Commission

Thursday, Dec.10
5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Sherwood Community Room, Sherwood City Hall
22560 SW Pine St., Sherwood
Co-hosted with the City of Sherwood

Click here to view additional information, including area maps, about the Tonquin Trail Master Plan.

For more information about the Villebois or the Wilsonville trail system, please visit: www.ChangeHowYouLive.com or contact Costa Pacific Homes New Home Specialist Andy Green at 866.580.2836 or Blog@CostaPacific.com. The Costa Pacific Homes sales office in the Villebois Village Center is open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and Sunday; and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays.

The Villebois neighborhood in Wilsonville, Oregon

The Milken Institute recently released its annual report of the nation’s “best performing” cities and the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area (which includes Portland, Beaverton and Vancouver) ranked No. 37 and Salem, Oregon ranked 58 out of 200 large U.S. metropolitan areas.

The Milken report ranks cities on a variety of factors, including job and salary growth over a given time period as well as the strength of their high-tech industries. Last year, the Portland area ranked No. 28 and Salem ranked No. 66 on the list.

Wilsonville, Oregon, resides about halfway between the city of Portland and the city of Salem. Known as the gateway to both Oregon’s rich, horticultural wine country and its urban area, Wilsonville is certainly a special city.

Located along the scenic Willamette River, Wilsonville is home to a number of high-tech companies, such as Mentor Graphics and Xerox, as well as acres of public parks and gardens, including Town Center Park – an attraction with activities for all ages.

Not only is Wilsonville a great place to work and play, it’s a great place to learn, too: the town is known for it’s superior schools, libraries and earth-friendly initiatives, including a public transit system, a state-of-the-art water treatment facility and a comprehensive urban forestry plan.

Last but not least, the city is an exceptional place to live as well. Home to the award-winning Villebois neighborhood, residents living in Wilsonville love their city.

For more information about the city of Wilsonville or the Villebois community, please call 866.580.2836 or email Blog@CostaPacific.com. You may also visit ChangeHowYouLive.com.

Portland, Oregon-based public transportation organization, TriMet, announced this week that it acquired two previously owned rail diesel cars (RDCs) from the Alaska Railroad for use as spares on the metropolitan area’s Westside Express Service (WES) Commuter Rail.

WES currently boasts three diesel multiple unit (DMU) trains that provide transit service between Beaverton and Wilsonville on the metropolitan area’s west side. According to TriMet, there are no spare vehicles for WES service when a DMU is out of service. With the new, additional trains, TriMet can reduce or eliminate the need for shuttle buses to supplement WES service and help make service for riders as seamless as possible.

The new cars are currently being retrofitted and will be available for service by next summer. According to TriMet, retrofitting includes “installation of cab signal and communications equipment and modifications for mobility device accessibility”. TriMet’s WES maintenance facility is also expanding to accommodate the two trains, which are 85 feet long and stainless steel.

For the eco-conscious commuter—or those who just like a little extra time to read the newspaper—WES is a wonderful transportation option. Residents living in the Villebois community in Wilsonville, Oregon, appreciate the close proximity the transit-oriented neighborhood provides to the area WES station, which is just a short walk or ride from the Village Center.

Villebois is a master-planned community that hosts a variety of housing options – from luxurious new condominiums and rowhomes to beautiful single-family houses. Currently under construction, the Villebois Village Center will feature retail and commercial space as well a thriving Piazza space where residents will flock for the weekly Villebois Sunday Market, live music and fun on the bocce ball courts. Villebois is unlike any other neighborhood in the Willamette Valley.    

To learn more about the Villebois neighborhood or the WES Commuter Rail, please call 866.580.2836 or email Blog@CostaPacific.com. Or visit ChangeHowYouLive.com.

Villebois - Wilsonville, Oregon

Last week, President Obama signed legislation that extends and expands the first-time home buyer tax credit originally made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

The new legislation extends the $8,000 credit for first-time home buyers for sales contracts entered into by April 30, 2010 and closed by June 30. In addition, the law has been expanded to now include a $6,500 credit for owners of existing homes who are buying a new principal residence. Current homeowners can claim the $6,500 tax credit if they lived in their home for five consecutive years out of the last eight.

In other news, the income eligibility limits for the tax credit – now for both groups of buyers – has increased from $75,000 to $125,000 for individuals and from $150,000 to $225,000 for married couples. Additionally, the new law also provides relief to cash-strapped home builders by providing broader tax benefits for businesses with net operating losses (NOLs).

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) released a statement last week saying the new legislation will “provide a much-needed boost to the fragile housing market and economy”. In addition, NAHB estimates that the new and improved homebuyer tax credit will create 211,000 new jobs and generate 180,000 additional home sales over the next year. NAHB also expect the tax credit to generate $9.6 billion in wage income and $6.9 billion in federal, state and local taxes.

This means that now – more than ever – is the perfect time to purchase a new home.

And why not purchase that new home in the award-winning Villebois Village Center in Wilsonville, Oregon?

Villebois is the latest master-planned community to be developed by Costa Pacific Communities. Featuring a vibrant mix of single-family homes, row homes, condominiums, retail and commercial space and 160 acres of parks and open green space, the Villebois neighborhood has something for everyone. And with new homes priced starting in the mid-$100,000s, Villebois is a sweet surprise for buyers looking for homes in today’s real estate market. 

To learn more about the Villebois community in Wilsonville, Oregon, please visit ChangeHowYouLive.com. You may also speak with New Home Specialist Andy Green by calling 866.580.2836 or emailing Blog@CostaPacific.com.   

For more information about the new tax credit, visit www.FederalHousingTaxCredit.com.