As published in the Boynton Forum

By Mike Rothmann | Staff Writer

Even with the housing market far from prospering, a Boynton Beach home building company is offering high-end homes that are still selling in the area.

GL Homes recently opened eight fully furnished model homes July 19 at its new Canyon Springs development in West Boynton, south of Boynton Beach Boulevard off Lyons Road.

Marcie DePlaza, GL Homes division president, said Canyon Springs has 500 family homes of which 140 have sold. The homes ranges from $300,000 to about $1 million. The eight model homes include various amenities that DePlaza said are usually found only with million-dollar homes.

One model includes a new central control system in which the owner can control everything in the house from lighting, window shades, music and security. She said the central control system helps to conserve energy and is beneficial for the environment.

DePlaza explained why GL Homes is still selling and investing in high-end homes, even with the recent dip in the housing market. "If you basically supply a quality product at an affordable price, people are still in the market to buy," she said.

The development has a clubhouse, fitness room, spa, pool, kids'center and social hall. Additional features like tree houses, sand boxes, sport courts and pools in backyards are what have helped GL Homes and Canyon Springs make $36 million this year.

Gone are the days where the only option was a pool in the backyard. With Canyon Springs, a sport court has a basketball hoop, volleyball net and a hockey goal.
Barbara Smith became project manager of the Canyon project in 2006 and said she thinks the homes in the development have been selling well compared tot he rest of the market. "We would always like to be selling more but we are still doing pretty well," she said.

DePlaza said a different aspect of the development is the fully furnished models homes. "It's just something you don't see these days," she said. "It is a financial commitment but one that adds quality to a development."