Upper Canyon · Luxury Buyers
Buying at the Top of Upper Canyon
Ahwatukee's higher end, including the custom and gated communities, with an agent who knows what each one is actually like.
At this level the lot is the decision, not the floor plan
Floor plans can be compared on paper. Lots cannot, and in a 373-acre gated master-planned community the difference between two positions is the part that will still matter in ten years.
Which is why buying at the top of Upper Canyon is mostly a set of decisions made before you pick finishes. Where your home sits relative to the 3.5-acre central park with its South Mountain views, what backs onto you, how long you live beside active construction, and which structural choices are available on which plan.
What you get from me is somebody on your side of those decisions. The builder's sales representative works for the builder, and at this price level the sums involved in lot premiums and structural upgrades make independent judgment worth more, not less. I read the purchase agreement, the upgrade schedule and the timeline language before you sign, and I tell you which of those spends I would make and which I would not.
The community detail is at Upper Canyon.
Questions about your move? I'm glad to help.
Why buyers at this level work with Savvy Realty Group
Savvy Realty Group is Amy Richardson's practice at HomeSmart. My focus is $700,000 and above, so the upper end of Ahwatukee is the ordinary work here rather than an occasional excursion.
I have earned HomeSmart's Diamond Club three years running, in 2023, 2024 and 2025, and in 2025 I ranked in the top 5% of the brokerage. Nine of my career transactions have been over a million dollars, the largest at $3,377,000. I hold the CEBA designation and have been licensed since 2017.
The specific value on a new build at this level is comparison. I have sold in the established communities this one is competing with, so I can tell you what your money buys in Ahwatukee Custom Estates, where homes are custom throughout on larger lots, or in Calabrea, the gated custom community beside Foothills Reserve, where about 90 homesites are mostly half an acre or larger. Those are real alternatives at this level and a model home is not going to raise them with you.
Discretion is straightforward where you want it. Read how I work with luxury buyers, or start a quiet conversation.
How a purchase at this level runs here
The framework is the buyer track at how I help you buy. What changes is where the work concentrates.
- Registered before the first visit. Most builders require your agent to be present or registered at your first visit for representation to apply, and it is generally not added retroactively. On a purchase of this size that is not a formality.
- Financing or funds, and the incentive read properly. Builder lender incentives can be worth taking and can be worth declining. Comparing against an outside quote is the only way to know which.
- Lot before plan. Position, orientation, what backs onto you, proximity to the central park and how long the construction phase sits next to you. This is the choice you cannot revisit.
- Structural decisions, separated from decorative ones. The changes that must be made now and the ones you could do afterwards for less, listed plainly so a design center visit is a shopping trip rather than an ambush.
- The agreement read line by line. Timeline language, change-order terms and what happens if the schedule moves. Builder contracts are written by the builder, and that is not a criticism, it is a reason to have somebody read it for you.
- Inspection and closing. I handle three independent inspections: before the drywall goes up, right before your final walkthrough and closing, and right before your builder warranty expires. Escrow and title are handled by my transaction coordinator and me.
New build against established Ahwatukee, at this level
This is the comparison worth making carefully rather than emotionally.
Upper Canyon gives you a warranty, current layouts and a planned amenity package that no established Ahwatukee community offers: a resort pool, spa, fitness center, pickleball and basketball courts, a playground, a 3.5-acre central park with South Mountain views, a botanical garden and trails. It is gated, on 373 acres, on Chandler Boulevard between 19th and 27th Avenues.
What it does not give you is mature landscaping, a settled resale history, or the lot sizes the older custom communities carry. In Calabrea, most lots are half an acre or larger and every home is a one-off. In Ahwatukee Custom Estates the homes are custom throughout. Those are different kinds of ownership rather than lesser ones.
There is also the practical point people underestimate: living in a development that is still being built means construction traffic and noise for a while, and at the top of the market that is a real consideration rather than a footnote.
If you are selling something in Ahwatukee as well as buying, luxury listings in Upper Canyon covers the other side. Foothills Club West next door is the third comparison most buyers make, and the Foothills holds gated luxury pockets of its own including Tapestry Canyon and The Sanctuary.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a lot premium worth paying?
Sometimes clearly yes and sometimes clearly no, and it depends on what the position actually gives you rather than what it is called. Proximity to the central park, what backs onto you and orientation are worth real money. A premium attached to something you will stop noticing is not.
How does a new build compare to Ahwatukee's custom communities?
You gain a warranty, current layouts and the amenity package. You give up mature landscaping, a settled resale history and lot size. Calabrea, beside Foothills Reserve, is about 90 custom homesites mostly half an acre or larger, and Ahwatukee Custom Estates is custom throughout. Both are genuine alternatives at this level.
Which upgrades are worth it?
Structural choices you cannot add later are usually the ones worth taking. Finishes you could do afterwards for less are usually not, and some items simply will not come back to you. I will go through the schedule with you and say which pile I think each one is in.
Should I register with the builder before contacting you?
Not if you want me representing you. Most builders require your agent to be present or registered at your first visit and will not add representation afterwards. One message beforehand keeps the option open at no cost to you.
Upper Canyon
What luxury buyers looks like in Upper Canyon
The largest new residential development Ahwatukee has seen in decades, opened in 2026.
New construction in Ahwatukee, which we have not had at this scale in a long time.
- The homes
- A 373-acre gated master-planned community on former State Trust Land, planned for roughly 1,050 single-family homes plus townhomes and multifamily, around 1,500 units in total, at an estimated $300 million. Three builders are involved: D.R. Horton, Pulte Homes and Blandford Homes. D.R. Horton's homes run 1,314 to 2,392 square feet with three to five bedrooms, single and two-storey.
- Why people choose it
- Buyers who want new construction without leaving Ahwatukee, which until now has meant leaving Ahwatukee. That covers move-up buyers, relocation buyers and right-sizers who would rather have a warranty than a remodel.
- Schools people ask about
- Kyrene de los Cerritos Leadership Academy, Kyrene Altadeña Middle School and Desert Vista High School.
- Getting around
- On Chandler Boulevard between 19th and 27th Avenues in the Ahwatukee Foothills, just west of Club West. Out via Chandler Boulevard to 17th Avenue, or Liberty Lane, and less than five minutes to the Loop 202. The new Fire Station 74 is being built on Chandler Boulevard near 19th Avenue.
- Nearby
- Planned amenities include a resort pool, spa, fitness center, pickleball and basketball courts, a playground, a 3.5-acre central park with South Mountain views, a botanical garden and trails.
- The trade-off
- New build against established Ahwatukee. You gain a warranty, current layouts and the amenity package; you give up mature landscaping, settled resale history and the larger lots the older custom communities offer.
The method
How we do it in Upper Canyon
Luxury Buyers: keep exploring
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