Val Vista Lakes is a luxury residential community that is located off East Lakeside Drive in Gilbert, Arizona. It gets its names from the scenic lakes that are found throughout the area. It is a family-oriented enclave that offers impressively upscale amenities like a large sports park, paths for bicycling, a lagoon with a swimming beach, and a multi-million dollar clubhouse that houses its own sports facilities.

The community of Val Vista Lakes was founded in 1986 when the first of the expansive luxury homes were built here. Construction on the homes continued through 2004, and the real estate market now comprises almost entirely of resale homes. Interested buyers can find out what properties are for sale and can view them by contacting local real estate pros like Carl Chapman REALTOR at West USA Realty.

Further, Val Vista Lakes is just 26 miles east of Phoenix. It sits conveniently along U.S. 60, which runs directly into Phoenix and the world-class shopping, restaurants, and entertainment venues found there.

The homes for sale in Val Vista Lakes, which include condominiums, townhouses, and single-family residences, reflect the exclusivity and upscale way of life that homeowners enjoy here. The median sale price for a home in the community is around $430,000. However, sale prices can actually go as high as $600,000 to $700,000.

The price breaks down to an average of $200 per square foot, and homes in Val Vista Lakes can range in size from 700 to more than 5000 square feet in size. The outside of these homes typically features green lawns, stucco finishes, and terra cotta roofs. Inside of the homes, buyers will find features like:

• Cathedral ceilings
• Tile floors
• Chandeliers
• Fireplaces
• Large utility rooms
• Dual vanity sinks
• Walk-in showers
• Garden bathtubs
• Studies or dens
• Walk-in closets
• French doors leading to the backyard

The backyards may also feature balconies that overlook in-ground swimming pools.

Everyday life beyond one's home in Val Vista Lakes falls under the governance of the community's homeowners association. The HOA is governed by a board of directors. Board members are homeowners within the Val Vista Lakes community.

The HOA also offers a variety of resident services, which homeowners here can access on the HOA's website. These services include providing a palette of paint colors that people can use with which to repaint their homes. The website is also the place where homeowners can submit requests regarding architectural changes to their homes.

All homeowners in the Val Vista Lakes community are automatic members of the HOA when they buy their homes. They pay the HOA dues that average around $333 per quarter for their membership.

The HOA in turn uses those dues for the betterment of the entire community. The board of directors meet regularly to discuss how to use those funds to pay for repair or maintenance projects to improve everyday life in the community.

The funds are also used to maintain or repair shared amenities in the Val Vista Lakes community. All homeowners in the community have access to these amenities. The premier amenity that residents can use is the Val Vista Lakes multi-million dollar clubhouse, which offers:

• A sand beach
• Swimming pool
• Tennis courts
• Baseball fields
• A cardio room
• Racquetball courts
• A lap pool

The Val Vista Lakes community is also close to numerous scenic lakes and parks. For example, people who live here are just minutes from Discovery Park and Lakeside Park, both of which offer amenities like:

• Picnic areas
• Sports courts
• Playgrounds
• Rose gardens

These parks are lined with lush green trees and offer quiet, relaxing and open spaces for Val Vista Lakes residents to spend quality time with their friends, family members and children.

Finally, the community hosts events regularly throughout the year for people who live here. These events include holiday parties, dances, socials, arts and craft nights and volleyball camps.

Finally, Val Vista Lakes is part of the Gilbert Unified School District, one of the best performing public school districts in the state. Families who live here have the option of sending their children to nearby public schools like Patterson Elementary School, Highland Junior High School and Highland High School.

The Gilbert Unified School District gets a national grade of A, excelling in areas like academic excellence, college preparation and athletics. Within the state of Arizona, it ranks as the fifth best out of the state's 115 total districts.

It has an enrollment of just over 34,000 students a student-to-teacher ratio of 18:1. State standardized test scores show that 59 percent of the district's students are proficient in reading while 57 percent of students are proficient in mathematics.

The district has a graduation rate of 91 percent, well over the national average of 85 percent. Students achieve an average ACT test score of 27, higher than the national average ACT score of 20.6.