As Dorn Homes’ communities in Northern Arizona continue to grow, we regularly open new lots or complete construction on planned amenities. This presents a great opportunity for homebuyers to become part of a community they were worried they missed and to see communities they’re interested in take shape. To make sure that interested homebuyers hear about the new openings in their favorite communities, we’ll be posting periodically in a new recurring article, Neighborhood Update. Unlike many of our articles that discuss design, entertainment, and lifestyle, this will be a place for us to share news about community improvements and to celebrate community milestones.

One of the best parts about living in Prescott or the Verde Valley is being able to enjoy the charm of life in a small town without sacrificing the convenience of being close to a big city. But when you’re living in northern Arizona it’s not just the shopping and entertainment options of Phoenix that are nearby, there are plenty of day-trips to make throughout the region. Whether you’re looking for a quick jaunt for a local vineyard tour or a weekend near one of the Wonders of the Natural World, there’s a lot of fun to be had up here.

Welcome to The Vistas, Dorn Homes’ newest community in Prescott, Arizona. Part of The Dells master-planned community, The Vistas is an upscale neighborhood that features spacious lots, elegantly designed homes, and exceptional amenities. Nestled among Prescott’s famed Granite Dells, living at The Vistas offers some of the finest panoramic views that northern Arizona has to offer. Residents of The Vistas will find a lifestyle immersed in the natural wonder of the area and features to benefit the mind, body, and spirit. As you continue reading, take a moment and imagine what your life would look like in The Vistas.

One of the most important parts of finding a new community is making sure it matches your lifestyle. That means a neighborhood full of things you enjoy and friends and neighbors that share those interests. What better way to meet your new neighbors than by doing something you love together? With that in mind we’ve reached out to members of the Dorn Homes family in each community to find out which amenities are most popular with our homeowners.

Whether this Valentine’s Day is your first with a new special someone or your 50^th with your spouse or partner, there’s no shortage of fun experiences and delectable restaurants to explore together. With restaurant specials and special events across Northern Arizona you have practically endless options to enjoy. To help the couples in our communities plan their perfect Valentine’s Day, we’ve decided to highlight some of our favorites here.

As we begin 2019 it’s important to take a moment to look back and reflect on 2018. Whether it’s seeking ways to better serve others or better take care of one another, or it’s looking back in gratitude for the wonderful friends and family in our lives, what we see in 2018 can be a source of inspiration for 2019. Here at Dorn Homes our retrospective is a little of both: gratitude for members of the Dorn Family and the people that choose us to build their dream homes and aspirations for the years to come.

Northern Arizona is the destination of choice for Arizona’s visitors and residents alike when winter arrives. Those living further south and dreaming of a white Christmas flock to Flagstaff, Sedona, and Prescott. Prescott is known as “Arizona’s Christmas City,” after all. Just because Northern Arizona is a great place to be for Christmas doesn’t mean that the holiday celebrations stop there. Across Arizona you’ll find a wide array of events to start the New Year off                                                                    with fun and festivities.

Building a brand new home is a major step for most people, no matter where you are in life. You may be selling an existing home, securing financing, and changing cities, and those are all steps you’ll take before you even start designing your new home. After you’ve chosen your model and met with our professional interior designers in our state-of-the-art Design Center, we get to work building your dream home. All of that work planning, and building culminates in one moment: the moment you step through the front door. We understand just how important that moment is. Because that moment is about more than just what you see as the door opens, it’s about what you’ve dreamt of seeing for the past few weeks or months.

It’s that time of year again. As fall gives way to winter, most of Arizona embraces the cooler temperatures and respite from our sweltering summers. In Prescott though, where summers are more temperate, winter brings more than just relief. Here winter brings hopes for snow and snow days, and, more importantly, anticipation for the holiday season. For anyone with plans of traveling to experience winter at its finest, there's no better place to celebrate Christmas than Prescott, Arizona's Christmas City.

Northern Arizona is a wonderful place to spend time year-round, but there’s really no better time to experience it than fall. Fall brings cooler temperatures and vibrant colors that you simply can’t enjoy further south. Fall also presents the perfect opportunity to experience everything Northern Arizona has to offer, from sightseeing hikes to art festivals and train rides. Whether you’re already a resident or just a visitor, here are five ways to enjoy fall in Northern Arizona.

In the high chaparral, just minutes northwest of downtown Prescott, you’ll find a thriving community that offers you the best of southwest living. Dorn Homes at Talking Rock Ranch offers luxury living and the privacy of your own personal retreat. With home sites nestled alongside the Jay Morrish Championship golf course nearby, you can enjoy a resort lifestyle starting in the mid $400s.

When you picture living in Prescott you probably imagine a quaint Victorian home perched on a hillside. You see yourself rising with the sun for a morning walk through a community full of friends and neighbors. The sunlight sparkles off the water of a nearby lake and across the granite hills that define Prescott.

Individuals planning their retirement often make the mistake of focusing on only two points on their journeys. The first is the starting point: today. Do I have enough money to retire? How much longer do I need to keep working?

You may recall our recent post from March titled Small Town, Big Tastes: Downtown. Well, as part of our ongoing efforts to enlighten potential homebuyers about everything Prescott has to offer, we’d like to offer the latest installment in Small Town, Big Tastes: Microbreweries.

One of the most common concerns expressed by homebuyers that are interested in moving to Arizona from out of state is the availability of water. For some homebuyers, like those moving from California, the concerns are frequently grounded in their experiences with water usage restrictions due to the recent drought.

The first rule of real estate, as we’re sure you’ve heard before, is location, location, location. Most homebuyers have a list of criteria that influence where they focus their search efforts. The list is usually made up of things like proximity to work, the quality of the school systems, access to shopping and entertainment, and as we discussed in our interview with Yavapai Regional Medical Center, access to quality healthcare. Once a homebuyer has a general area in mind they can then focus on more specific homes and neighborhoods to make their final decision. But what, you may be wondering, are homebuyers looking for in neighborhood features?

Our Mission Statement, “Enhancing the lives of all those we touch,” is the driving force behind everything Dorn Homes does. It also means that we have a responsibility to be more than just a homebuilder. It means we have a responsibility to be a community builder. In that spirit, we have reached out to Kenneth Boush with Yavapai Regional Medical Center (YRMC), a not-for-profit healthcare provider, to discuss the role they take in growing and sustaining the community.

The reasons homebuyers decide to move to a small town from a large city are as varied and individual as the homebuyers themselves. Typically, people focus on the accessibility of the outdoors, the sense of community, and the people. But they often resign themselves to the idea that they’ll have to make sacrifices in the variety that living in a big city can bring to life. Especially when it comes to food. Fortunately, in Prescott at least, that’s simply not the case.

Whether you’re a cat person or a dog person, if you have pets you understand just how big of a role they play in our lives. Our four-legged friends (or sometimes winged or scaled) spend more time with us than even our best human friends. That’s why it’s so important to show them the love and affection that they show us every day. And, fortunately for us, Prescott is one of the pet-friendliest cities in Arizona. First off, let’s talk about…