BUYERS SURGE IN TO BUY OPULENT ESTATE HOMES IN
THE SANCTUARY AT THE OAKS

Sales staffers at The Oaks in Boca Raton cannot understand this talk about a slump in real estate. They just recorded their best January sales figures ever.

"Buyers come here looking for immediate occupancy homes which we have," said Lorna Swartz, director of sales and marketing for The Oaks. "Other buyers are looking to build their dream home."

She has seen plenty of both lately. The marketing director expected crowds when the community held a special sales event late in January but buyers came before that and they haven't stopped coming.

What's the attraction? "Part of it is the idea of country club living without the expense of a golf course," Swartz explained. "Many people don't want to pay for the upkeep of greens and fairways."

But they do want a world-class clubhouse, community and location -- The Oaks delivers that on a platinum platter.

Pampered living centers around the Santa Barbara-style club with a spa and fitness center, catering and party facilities, an informal cafe, card rooms and meeting rooms.

The spa rubs out tension with massage therapy and beauty-body treatments. Work out on the state-of-the-art exercise equipment, move to the music in aerobics classes or calm your mind with yoga classes.

A separate recreation area for children offers a frisky play area, home theater and a full-size basketball court. Unwind beside the resort-style pool or in one of the cabanas.

Get in the swing at the tennis complex with 12 lighted courts that include a stadium court. The on-site teaching staff arranges for a year-round schedule of tournaments, round-robins and tennis-related social events while the pro shop displays the latest apparel and equipment. All this with no equity expense.

Visitors are dazzled by the newest of seven villages: The Sanctuary. The Sanctuary is described as "a privileged retreat from everyday living, a luxurious collection of magnificent estate homes."

Co-developers of the master-planned community are Kenco Communities and Albanese-Popkin Development Group. Albanese-Popkin, Charlse · Watt Communities and Kenco are all building estate homes in The Sanctuary. Prices range from more than $1 million to more than $5 million.

Four furnished models are the newest addition to The Sanctuary in the Royal Estates Collection by Kenco and Albanese-Popkin.

New models by Kenco include the Biella and the Cosenza. Biella impresses from the moment you step through the door. Start with a 24-foot-tall foyer and living room.

Note the coffered ceilings in the dining room, family room and downstairs master bedroom. The den or study is decorated as a real library -- not just a handful of books. A second bedroom has its own bath.

Ascend to the second floor on a circular staircase in a modern day turret. Up here are four more bedrooms, each with a bath, and an awesome bonus room designed as a home theater with its own bathroom for everyone's convenience. Biella offers 6,630 square feet under air and 7,712 total square feet.

Albanese-Popkin's new models include the Bermuda and the Chateau. Chateau takes a French twist in style that is apparent as you cross the cobblestone-like pavers to the front door. Past the foyer are the rotunda and living room, both peaking at 25 feet.

Double oval coffers highlight the dining room while octagonal coffers top the family room and the kitchen. Two bedrooms with baths are downstairs.

Follow the curving stairs to the upper level for two more bedrooms with baths plus the master bedroom suite that includes a sitting room and an L-shaped covered balcony. Don't miss the media room or the loft with a pool table. Chateau provides 6,948 square feet under air and 8,268 total square feet.

In all, there are 10 furnished estate homes in The Sanctuary's Model Showcase. Treat yourself to a tour of the Grand Lake Estates Collection by Charlse · Watt Communities.

The Oaks is piped for natural gas so gourmet kitchens and exterior summer kitchens are equipped with commercial-quality gas stoves.

"Buyers like it that The Oaks is an established community with shops and restaurants nearby so they don't have to be pioneers. They respect the reputation of the builders and the developers," Swartz pointed out.