Most Affordable Cities To Buy a Home in SLO County: Part 2

Welcome to part two of our series, The Top three Most Affordable Places to Live in SLO County. Heritage Ranch claims the number two spot as the second most affordable. In this quick video, I will give you a tour of the ranch share why residents love it here, as well as the biggest drawback. I've helped many people buy and sell in Heritage Ranch and was also a resident here myself. So if you have any question about Heritage Ranch after watching this video, don't hesitate to reach out. 

Okay. Let's get to it. So Heritage Ranch is a Lake Community located in Paso Robles. It's about 15 miles northwest of city limits, and it's along the shoreline of Lake Nacimiento. So let's talk housing. Back in the early 1970s, when the community was incorporated, it was mainly manufactured and mobile homes. There was no grocery store and there was very little in the way of offerings and amenities. Fast forward 30 or so years and factoring in inflation, rising housing costs and the buzz around Paso Robles starting to form as a destination, the demand for homes in city limits skyrocketed. So many people turned to Heritage Ranch as a more affordable option, and the expansion and development picked up as more and more people and developers began buying lots and building homes.

There's now all types of homes out there, from manufactured homes to traditional single family homes, even luxury millions + dollar homes, vacation homes. So residents include part timers that use their home as just a place to vacation. We got younger first time homebuyers, retirees and even military families and military personnel that commute from Heritage Ranch to the nearby military bases. 

So there's over 2000 homes in this gated community, and it's managed by the Heritage Ranch Owners Association. At present, the HOA is $125 per month and based on my experience, HROA offers a considerable amount of amenities relative to most associations. And in my opinion, it's worth the $125 a month. What is included? While residents can enjoy a 24 hour gated security access to the lake, parks pools, recreation Center, pickleball Courts, community events, equestrian center, tons of open space for walking, hiking and biking. There's also an elementary school pizza restaurant. There's now a full service grocery store, gas station. They're giving you more and more reasons not to leave the ranch. 

So why is part of Ranch so much more affordable than the homes 50 miles away? Well, based on my experience, not everyone is willing to make that drive. To me personally, the drive is fairly easy. But again, that's a personal decision. So it's a single lane road and the first half is pretty straightforward, pretty easy drive. But I really get closer to Heritage Ranch the last 10 minutes or so, it starts to get a little windier And so what's a tough drive for one person may not be for the next. So if you're considering it, I would recommend just doing the drive yourself.

If you're looking in SLO County, make sure you put Heritage Ranch on your list to check out if you're looking for more affordable options. As always, I'm here to help along your Central Coast real estate journey so comment below or shoot me a message if you're ready to get started.