Homes for Sale in SoBo

Imagine being in a Disney movie where animals surround your house in the woods, while the morning seems to get brighter every day. Living in Hot Springs Village is so nice, it’s understandable why many people who move here, don’t want to leave.

Just 15 minutes north of Hot Springs is the largest gated community in the country— Hot Springs Village. There are 11 lakes and three outdoor pools here, and more than 30 miles of nature trails just waiting for you to explore. Stepping into the village is like stepping into a piece of heaven. It’s a hideaway that is well worth the short drive from the downtown area.

It’s no exaggeration that animals may be right at your doorstep when you step out to work in the morning. Deer and squirrels have learned to cohabitate with the residents here. More often than not, they are drawn to the free food and pretty much know which of the families have ready food for them.

When you invest in a property here, you always have something to look forward to after office hours even if you stress out at work. You know your piece of refuge is waiting for you, and suddenly your day becomes better.

There are nine neighborhoods to choose from in the Hot Springs Village. You have the oldest, which is the West Village; The Mountains, which has the highest elevation; the Cortez Highlands, with access to world-class Cortez Golf Course; The Foothills; SoBo; Glazy Pleau; Village Center, Coronado, with its tennis courts and other sports activities; and the East Village.

You can really take advantage of the Arkansas sun to explore the miles upon miles of nature trails. If you are into biking, you can blaze new paths in your neck of the woods; or you can join the biking club in the village. It’s good to share your hobby with kindred souls.

If the temperature proves to be too hot, you can take a dip in the many lakes in the village. If swimming and water activities are not your thing, you can just sit in your boat or the jetty and cast your line to catch some fish.

SoBo Neighborhood

If you are wondering where SoBo got its name from, it’s actually because the neighborhood is nestled south of the Hot Springs Village, just south of Balboa, hence, SoBo.

The heart of the neighborhood is the Balboa Arts Center, and artists and creative individuals are drawn into it like moths to the flame. This is why the neighborhood itself emits that bohemian feel. You can find artists here just carving out their spaces as they dot the rolling hills to find inspiration.

And there’s plenty to be inspired about just looking at the Ouachita Mountains, Lake Balboa, and the view all around. Painters can be seen putting up their easels and canvasses, photographers carry around their cameras; while some artists give impromptu pottery lessons. SoBo can get very lively during weekends when kids are at home.

Balboa Golf Club also gives lessons to kids. It’s good to start them young because golf provides physical exercise and teaches discipline.

Once you master the course, don’t worry because there are eight other golf courses within the village. They are:

• Granada Golf Club
• Isabella Golf Club
• Ponce de Leon Golf Club
• Cortez Golf Club
• Magellan Golf Club
• Desoto Golf Club
• Diamante Golf Club
• Coronado Golf Club

They are designed by Ault, Clark & Associates, one of the premier golf course architects in the country.

Each golf course presents a different challenge and experience. They all range from the novice level to masters difficulty. You will never be at a loss for a place to practice your long and short game.  Not many other communities, perhaps in the entire country, can provide that kind of luxury.

SoBo is also near grocery stores and restaurants when you go out of the Balboa and Danville gates. As already mentioned, it’s a private community even though the golf courses are open to professionals and amateurs as long as they pay the membership fee.

Resident’s privacy and security are respected in the communities and strangers can’t enter the gates going to the private residences without the proper invitation. If you move here, you will be given an electronic key allowing you to access the gate going to your property.

This kind of setup, along with the standby police office in Hot Springs Village, allows the community to have one of the lowest crime rates not just in the state but in the entire country, as well.

Buying a House in SoBo

There are 2,500 homes sites proposed in Hot Springs Village. The HOA has not released any details how many are allocated for SoBo. But the population density in the village is still very low, and you are looking at 1.8 people for every acre.

The HOA has its own home plans that you can choose, however you may bring in your own blueprint as long as it doesn’t violate any of the design themes that the association is looking for. The HOA has its own accredited builders  and one advantage of that is they know all the rules so you protect yourself from a revision or rebuild.

Properties here go for a median price of $200,000 which is a bit more than someone might pay downtown 15 minutes away. However, the home prices in SoBo are nowhere as high as in the big cities like Philadelphia, Chicago, New York, or Los Angeles.

In fact, buyers from out of town are shocked by how affordable the properties are that are being sold in Hot Springs Village considering that value they get in return. Do you really think that $200,000 is expensive when you feel like you are living inside a Disney movie?