Here is a tour I did for a great neighborhood called Brookhaven.  Shot it on a dreary day in February, so the area doesn’t look as good as it does when all the mature trees have their leaves and the big lots have grass that is green

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I was in a lot of houses last year.  Just about all of my buyer’s in the $140k to $180k range looked at houses in a cool little neighborhood called Hunting Hills.  Well, it’s actual name is Squire Oak, but it is commonly called Hunting Hills by realtors.  If you look online, you may see it called by either name, so just remember them both.   Ever been there?  It is one of those neighborhoods that pinches the upturned noses of those that think you have to live inside New Circle Road for a neighborhood to have any character.

I think there are 3 factors that have kept this area on people’s radar and have brought stability to the neighborhood.   One reason is it has one of the coolest little neighborhood parks ever.  I always love to show people the park.  It runs between both sides of the road on Edgebrook Drive.  It is big enough to do just about anything you want.  It has a small creek running through it too.  There are lots of mature trees and landscaping.  It is owned by the Homeowner’s Association.  They have done a great job of maintaining it.   Google map “Edgebrook Lexington Ky”, then check out the satellite view.

Another cool feature is that it has a good performing elementary school right there in the neighborhood.  That always lends a good community feel to a place.  You could walk from just about any house in the area to the school in 5 minutes.   For people with kids, this is HUGE!

The last unique feature doesn’t benefit all the neighbors on a daily basis, but it sure does help to keep up the home values.  There are a lot of houses that back to Overbrook horse farm and a small neighborhood of 10 acre-ish estate homes.  That is one of the benefits of being on the edge of the Urban Service Area.  I have been in several of the houses with these lots.  Even the ones that back to the estate homes feel more like it is a farm since the houses are so far away.  Masters Lane, Hunters Rest Ct.,  Huntsman Ct., Hunting Hills Ct., Houndstooth Glen, Brook Park Dr., Oakbrook Dr., Oak Place Ct., and Farmview Dr. all have some of these lots.

In high school, I had a friend whose mother build a brand new house in this neighborhood.  I remember that I really liked it even way back then.  It just had one of those vibes that you can’t really explain.  I guess it was just the combination of all the good stuff that I saw.  That was 1986!  The neighborhood still feels the same to me, only a little better because the trees have grown.  I always say that if a neighborhood has that good vibe when new, it will likely age well.  That good vibe is something that usually can’t be added to an area later either.

So, here is the lowdown:

Typical Price is in the $140-$180k range.  Most fall in the 1400 to 2000 square feet range.   Most houses were built in the mid 1980’s.  Some traditional, some a little contemporary, some split foyers and a lot of ranches.  Some have those cool lots.  There seem to be a lot of houses with basements too.

Like anywhere, there are always at least a few negatives.  I guess the only one I really have is that you have to drive down Summerhill or Featerston Drive to get into this area.  Neither of those street are really good gateways into Hunting Hills.  Not that they are rough or unsafe, they just have much smaller houses and…………well……….Summerhill is just rundown looking to me.  But all you have to do is be on Summerhill for like 30 seconds before you come into this wonderful area.  I guess it is a positive thing that there are only two ways into the neighborhood!

There is an extra plus to this area:  Most of the hard core bicycle riders tend to ride on Delong Road.  Well, Hunting Hills is about a mile from Delong Road.  No need to ride through town or haul your bike.  I like to drive my old Mazda Miata out Delong, so if you have a sports car, it is a really nice road.  Just watch out for the bikes on a pretty day!

Mature trees.  A neighborhood park.  A pond.  A city park close by.  Walking distance to banks, restaurants, etc.  To some Lexingtonians, what I have described only exists within New Circle Road……..But surprise!!  We are talking about a neighborhood called Autumn Ridge.

I remember going to the Parade of New Homes in the early 1990’s.  I liked Autumn Ridge even back then.  Sure it was waaaay the heck out there, but that was before Hamburg and the construction of Pleasant Ridge.  Now it seems like it evolved into an ideal location.

Most of the houses out there are ranches and 2 stories.  Yeah, some have basements.  There are a few smaller houses, but most are in the 2000 to 2500 square feet range.  Just about all of the neighborhood was built in the early and mid 1990’s.  The newest houses seem to be the ones on Crimson Creek.  Most of the houses are worth between $180k and $260k.

Here is what to love:  That you are closer to Hamburg than Chevy Chase is to downtown.  You can take Pleasant Ridge and be in Hamburg in about 5 minutes.  There are a lot of mature trees.  It is one of those neighborhoods that just has the right feel.  The city has a clean, neat park on Pleasant Ridge that you can walk or ride a bike to easily.  There is also a pond that can be seen from Autumn Ridge Blvd.  Not too many neighborhoods in Lexington have a water feature.   Some of the lots on Deer Crossing back to a heavily wooded area that has a creek running though it.  On the other side of the wooded area is Willow Spring.  You can also get creek lots on the other side of Willow Spring and Briarpatch, but the wooded area isn’t as big.  At the lower end of Crimson Creek, there is a neat little park that the HOA owns.  It has a creek, big trees, and yes, the sound of the interstate to remind you that you are not really in a forest.

What to watch out for:  If traffic bugs you, then buy somewhere other than on Autumn Ridge Blvd.  While it is a pretty street, a lot of people cut through on it to get to Hamburg.  Noise can also be an issue.  Crimson Creek backs to the interstate, so it can be a little noisy the closer you get to it.

Overall, I think this neighborhood has a great location, a lot of character and great amenities.  When I was looking for houses a couple of years ago, it was on my list.

Okay……If you are one of those people that frowns on cookie cutter houses and the lack of character, go a head and hit the back button.  If you like newer suburban areas………well, read on.

Here is what I like about Masterson Station:  It is a big neighborhood, so that helps with stability.  I always see people out walking their dogs, pushing baby strollers, kids on bikes, etc.  It seems like a friendly place to live……..And they have a brand new elementary school on one of the main drags through the neighborhood.

What some folks think is a drawback is that it is kind of away from everything.  There isn’t a whole lot of shopping around that part of town.   Also, there is a minimum security prison across the street from the west end of the neighborhood.  Now this is such a minimum security place that when prisoners do escape, they usually just walk off!  It really wouldn’t worry me unless I was one of the first houses across the street.  I must add that there have been no major problems.  I think the worst thing that happened was a car was taken once.

Probably the draw for most buyers is that you can get a lot more house for the money in Masterson Station.  A house I sold a few months ago would have been an extra $20,000 if it were on the more popular south end of town.  Plus the lots are sometimes bigger too!   There is a lot to be said for getting more for less. 

The prices run from $125,000 to close to $300,000.  The bulk of the area is in the $125,000 to $180,000 range.   Like any neighborhood, I wouldn’t go over the typical value range.

If you want to know what I think Masterson Station will look like in 25 years, take a look at the whole Buckhorn/Squires/Alumni area in Lex.  There are dozens of different names for all the development phases out there, like Century Hills,  Hunting Hills, East Lake, etc.  The whole area pretty much just blends together now.  You have some tiny starter homes and some nice move up homes.  They all seem to happily co-exist.

So, there you have it.  Overall, I give it a thumb’s up for giving you more for less in a friendly environment that will probably age well.