SPEAKER_02 0:20

Hey everybody, welcome to Paradigm Shift. Today I'm honored to have Scott Ward. I'm going to get right to it, but Scott Ward is actually with Mountain Desert Development. And uh I've had the honor to get to know him and his wife and his daughter, and they're just the sweetest people. And they came in to support the gym, which we are sitting at our headquarters building and the gym Family Office Society right now. And uh I just want to introduce you to him. I uh I had a you know a couple weekends we spent some time together, and he's just an amazing human being. And I think for me, we have such a large audience on our podcast platform that I really want to highlight people that I believe deserve it, but also you know, want you to get to know who he is and his backstory and kind of what his pedigree is because I think he's got a niche that most people have not seen in Lake Havasu, but his caliber of development, because he's actually a builder, but his caliber of development is so amazing that I've walked into some of his houses recently and I'm like floored that this even exists in in Lake Havasu. And uh he's so humble and he doesn't get on camera. So I figured, you know what? I'm gonna drag him out, get him on the podcast, and highlight this guy's uh, you know, because you know, I'm also the same type of guy. I want to just you know have something to share with my kids down the road. And I know that's where you are. So if I can take this video and cut it and share it with your kids, that's it. We'll do it right here.

SPEAKER_00 1:33

That'd be cool, man.

SPEAKER_02 1:34

So, Scott, thanks for joining me today, buddy.

SPEAKER_00 1:35

Uh appreciate the opportunity.

Oregon To Park City Construction Start

SPEAKER_02 1:37

Of course. So we'll we'll kind of dive right in. Um, what let's talk a little bit about your background and you know, I would when you were telling me, you know, you were in you know Park City in Utah and kind of how you you would would you go from Oregon to Utah and then here?

SPEAKER_01 1:48

Yeah, so uh grew up in Oregon in the Pacific Northwest and uh then um moved to my family. Actually, uh we went skiing in Park City, Utah, my senior year of high school. And uh Park City's amazing. About six months after that ski trip, my parents literally came to me and said, Hey, we're moving to Park City. And I'm like, Okay, well, I was graduating high school and uh or I'd graduated high school, and uh so I was like, Well, you you move where your family moves, right? I wasn't ready to kind of fly the coop. So moved to Park City, um, ended up getting uh just a summer job uh kind of to you know fill the time before going to what I thought was going to be college. And uh anyway, started with a a construction company that I had no idea at the time the value of the of the job I took. It was an ad in the park record paper for a painter's helper.

SPEAKER_02 2:47

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 2:47

And I had no I'm like, okay, whatever. So I'll paint, no problem.

SPEAKER_02 2:51

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 2:51

Whatever. I never I don't I never held a paintbrush, I never taped off anything. I was I I started off as a construction laborer for this company. Anyway, the the company was Park City Engineering, and uh the principal owner was Matt Price, and he had uh 12 key guys that worked underneath him, and uh they officiated the construction from start to finish in-house, and they built he was the architect and the engineer, and then they did nothing but spec homes, and uh he um these 12 guys literally from excavation all the way to finished carpentry, um, the mechanical and things like that, they subcontracted out. But uh, so my experience was just starting in with this company, and I fell in love with it.

SPEAKER_02 3:41

Yeah, well, I mean, they're everything's in-house.

SPEAKER_01 3:43

It was in-house. I just saw an opportunity like, man, I'm gonna learn so much. I mean, obviously, you start in the trenches doing everything nobody wants to do, but I stuck it out, gained a lot of respect from the the guys that had, you know, that were above me. And I just learned every every opportunity I could to just like watch and learn and observe. Even if I was sweeping the floor, I'm like watching the tile guy, you know, set tile or electrician make up an outlet or whatever, just trying to go, okay, I'm gonna need to know this stuff eventually. So quickly escalated through that and worked for that company for five years, uh, got my own general contractor's license, literally learned how to run and build a construction business from the ground up, meaning I can lay out a foundation, I can cut a roof, I can, you know, answer any framing question that comes up from a framer. And I think that's a valuable thing in a general contractor. Today, a lot of people go and just take a class and get their license and then just call subs. And you know, your subs could easily uh manipulate you if you don't know what you know, right?

SPEAKER_02 4:50

So and have a see that happen at all?

Luxury Home Building Skills And Standards

SPEAKER_01 4:54

At all, right, yeah. So it's like, oh, I, you know, no, it's supposed to be that way. And it's like, no, I don't think it is supposed to be that way. We're gonna do it this way. So spent uh 10 years in Park City uh building uh high-end luxury custom homes. That's all I've ever done. Um, and then uh got married. My my uh my wife and I moved to Lake Havasu uh in our early 30s. Didn't think we were gonna be here this long. Um we've been here 24 years, and uh it's been a great run. Uh we've built some amazing projects in Lake Havasu all over town. Uh started, uh we just you know came down here and and came across the refuge, which was at the time That was a big deal. It was a big deal, it was huge for our community here and the Arnold Palmer signature golf course. And obviously with 06-07, that all fell apart, but uh the community is still a great community. Probably built 45 homes in that neighborhood. Yeah. Um, and uh just really made our name for ourselves in Lake Havasu um doing that, and then we've now we're uh out in the new ref Riviera community of uh Lake Havasu.

SPEAKER_02 6:05

And that's what I really want to talk to you about. Yeah. You know, is just you know, not only your background, because I think that kind of paints the color of like who you are now, you know. Because again, going into the the houses that you've built, what was it yesterday? Was it yesterday we went? Yeah, it was it yesterday or the day before?

SPEAKER_00 6:20

Yesterday we were out there, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 6:21

Yeah, and just going and seeing all the new development out there in the Riviera, you know, I I'm kind of on a different, you know, a different scale, meaning I'm kind of doing, you know, mass production, more attainable, affordable type stuff. Um, and I think the barn caves is a little bit more on the luxury space, but I you know, I I've always looked at things a little bit differently just because I have a background in lending and then have just kind of went through the nightmare of you know 2008. So when you're managing people's money, you try to be as conservative as possible. So I think I've looked at things from a different lens, but I've also dealt with a lot of private lending for guys in Beverly Hills, Malibu, you know, built a lot of you know, helping these guys build specs and really kind of had a front row seat to what they did. And some of the stuff is the most beautiful thing. I mean, I loved that part of my business.

SPEAKER_03 7:06

Yeah.

Why The Riviera Changes Everything

SPEAKER_02 7:06

And then walking the projects that we we did yesterday, I was unbelievably floored about the quality of work that's here in Havasu, but then you were the guy doing it, you know. And I'm like, I apparently I was hanging out with you on the boat and didn't know who like exactly how cool you were, you know. And so uh and so I thought that was really neat. But I, you know, let's talk a little bit about the Riviera because I that's like one of these things that it's such a big project in development. I think it's really changed the way people from all over the country has looked at Lake Havasu. You know, everyone knew Havasu is the London Bridge and you know, all the partying and that type of stuff or the boat life, but I don't think people quite understand the wealth that's coming here, how you know the original you know, founders and essence of Havasu kind of created that whole entire land play. But why don't you just share a little bit about the refuge, a little bit the background of of Havasu and kind of how that all came came along?

SPEAKER_01 7:58

Yeah, so the Riviera was really uh a land acquisition that a family, the Comek family, uh had had in their in their arsenal for, I believe it was back in the 80s, they they took this parcel down. It was landlocked by state pro state land, city property, and then their own development piece. Uh the Comacs have been in um Lake Havasu for almost the beginning of time of Lake Havasu. Uh they developed uh a number of things uh down along the channel early in the years. They developed the uh Islander RV Resort, which a lot of our clients have come out of that uh community and built uh the luxury homes uh once they fell in love with the town. Yep. Um they developed all of Havasu Foothill estates. And so um That's a lot of homes, too. Yes, there's a lot of homes up there. So they had this piece of property and uh they didn't really know what they were gonna do with it, how they were gonna access it. And I'll piece this together the best I can. But so long story short, the state of Arizona felt like they needed another access to this to the lake. Uh Windsor Boat Ramp uh runs about, believe it or not, about 750,000 vehicles through that kiosk a season.

SPEAKER_02 9:22

Yeah, it's a lot. It's a lot, it's a lot.

SPEAKER_01 9:24

So there's a there's about 750,000 people that go through there and launch. And so it just gives you an idea of the but the boat traffic and the importance of boating in Lake Havasu. So there wasn't an they felt like there just needed to be more boat access to or boating access to the water.

SPEAKER_02 9:40

And that's by the way, that's just one launch ramp.

SPEAKER_01 9:42

Just one launch.

SPEAKER_02 9:43

That's not including the marina or site six or any of that's yeah.

SPEAKER_01 9:46

Right. So uh with the development on the island, those access points became more and more difficult for the general public to get to. So anyway, Arizona State Park said, hey, we're gonna build a a launch facility out here on the south end of town. And uh they were talking with the city about that because the city owns 240 acres uh to the north of the boulevard that comes down to the Riviera Marina. Yeah. Um, and the city's like, well, we'll just put the road in, you know, down there because that's gonna ultimately access our property in the future. And then the developer got wind of that and said, Hey, well, holy cow, now that there's a road going in here and off the highway, that's gonna access our our parcels for the Riviera community. So there was this, you know, all the stars and moons align, right? And uh everybody starts talking. And anyway, long story short, the developer, the Comek family, uh they have worked with Arizona State Parks on other projects and things like that. And they they more or less said, Hey, why don't you give us a 40-year ground lease on this, and we'll do all the infrastructure, we'll do all the development for it, we'll control it, we'll run it, and then we'll operate it as a concession to Arizona State Parks. That's the marina, and that's the marina, and everything involved in the marina. Well, that was just a it's not part of the development of the Riviera housing, but they they control it. It's an amenity. It's a wonderful amenity, right?

SPEAKER_02 11:21

It's that's where I launch. It's it's unbelievably, it's like it's perfect.

SPEAKER_01 11:24

It's a state of the art name, yeah. State of the art uh marina for sure, and uh being tied to the residential side, uh that just was a huge selling aspect. I agree. So here the Riviera starts, and this is now, you know, uh they went through a lot of a lot of red tape to get all that accomplished, like all developers do, but they've had incredible success. They've got uh, I believe five neighborhoods that are completed right now, and they've got two more that they're finishing uh that will will be released to the the public for sale here in the next uh probably six to nine months. And uh, but yeah, a total of about 550 home sites out there. That's a lot. It's a lot of home sites. Uh right now there's about 45 completed homes, all multi-million dollar residences. Um, and the the bar just keeps getting elevated with every every home build that goes out there as it typically does.

SPEAKER_02 12:23

Yeah, you built that, I think it was it a 17,000 square foot house that everyone kind of talks about when you're on the water.

SPEAKER_01 12:28

Right on the right on the water frontage, right above the marina. It's a 17,000 square foot under roof, 10,000 livable. Uh, it's got about 5,000 square feet of garage space. Um it's just a beautiful, beautiful home. Uh our uh architecturally, we uh the Comics, when they were ready to get actually the vertical construction going, they came to me and they were like, man, we really want to do something special out here. And we really, we really need a guy like you that can bring a you know an architect and design and everything to this community and really you know, we want to elevate the level of construction in Lake Avasu. So I went out and interviewed a number of architects in the Phoenix Scottsdale market and ultimately came across uh CP Druid with Druid Works Architecture. And uh he and I hit it off like we're brothers, like literally. I mean, like kind of like our relationship, right? Like we met each other, and I don't know, the energy is good. It's like, dude, we're bros. So he designed my personal house out there, and then he did he's designed about 20 other homes for me out there, and we've uh over the last four or five years, we've been building those homes, and um it uh it definitely brought a whole layer of uh polish polish to Lake Havasu. Yep. The general community of Lake Havasu still, I don't think, even knows anything about the Riviera as far as the the homes.

SPEAKER_02 13:54

And that's what I wanted to bring on because I I you know I'm so entrenched in the development of of Havisu overall, and I didn't know how serious the Riviera really was. Yeah, you know, until and I've driven through there a little bit. I think you know kind of my background of having to go through there, but I didn't know it to the level that you just showed me, and I was completely floored, especially the amount of projects that are under development now. Yeah, and then they're expanding all of those new lots in the back, too. I mean, that was impressive, but those lake views, and I mean you know, I remember sitting up on on the bluff with you last yesterday, and I'm sitting there going, like, I don't know anybody else or anywhere else you can get this type of desert lifestyle waterfront properties anywhere in the country.

SPEAKER_01 14:37

It's a magical sight.

SPEAKER_02 14:39

It's and I mean now, yeah. I I was talking to one of the brokers, which as you know, he works out here, right? And he was and you, I think you even teed off on it. They think it's gonna be like an auction because they're not sure how how high those may sell for. Yeah, that's it.

SPEAKER_01 14:54

The last phase of the Riviera that will be released probably sometime next year. Uh Solitude is the neighborhood, which it couldn't be more appropriately named. Yeah. It's literally, it just when you walk back there, you go back there. I mean, even though the dozers are running and stuff, but man, it is the most peaceful piece of ground I've ever stood on. Um I would agree. It literally just it it sits just above the lake. You literally can see 280 degrees, you can see to Parker all the way up to to Needles, it feels like, yeah, of water. And um Which is insane. It's incredible. You've got high performance boats flying right you know at 130 miles an hour.

SPEAKER_02 15:35

And then just that, just that's music to your if you like anything.

SPEAKER_01 15:39

If you like fast cars and fast boats, fast women, they're all right there for you.

SPEAKER_02 15:43

You know, it's it's nice too, because and you know what, it's it's far enough away where it's not that loud either. So if you're inside the house, you won't hear that at all. But you'll see it go right by your glass window.

SPEAKER_01 15:51

I think most people that come to Lake Habazoo are are actually that it's almost peaceful, like that that the roar of a performance engine, you know, running and doing super cool, right? Like they'll get up out of their chair, their chair if they're watching TV and look out, like, oh, what was that?

SPEAKER_02 16:09

Yeah, so well, in that part of the lake, I feel like everybody knows it. Everyone's been on that side of the lake since the beginning of time.

SPEAKER_01 16:17

Yeah, and so you just literally there's an iconic cove that has been on MTV back in the 80s and 90s when they used to have spring.

SPEAKER_02 16:28

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 16:30

Yeah, Copper Canyon. It's iconic. And this this parcel of land that's in front uh a part of the Riviera uh community, the last phase of their development, literally sits right in front of that. I mean, the copper canyon is just directly across the room.

SPEAKER_02 16:44

You literally just sit there and just watch boats coming in and out there all day. It's it's it's always gonna be there's always gonna be stuff going on. It's never gonna be a dull moment down there.

SPEAKER_01 16:50

Yeah. I mean, it's a it's a landmark. Anybody that's ever heard about Lake Havasu, they're like, oh yeah, Copper Canyon. Yeah, everybody knows Copper Canyon. It's it's a iconic spot.

SPEAKER_02 16:59

So it's that's a great spot. Yeah. And then, you know, when we took that shot, I mean, all the way down to Ghost Mind Saloon, right? Is that the ghost is that what it is?

SPEAKER_01 17:07

Yeah, new there's a new uh yeah, new Ghost Mind Saloon, uh waterfront bar, which is a lot of those are starting to pop up around Lake Havasu, which is kind of creating that uh Lake of the Ozarks vibe on our lake as far as a destination boating to bars and lunch and all that stuff.

SPEAKER_02 17:24

And people love that. Oh, people just want to come tie up, jump up, go eat, grab, have a couple drinks, and take off. And then the other side of the other view is all the way down to Thompson's Bay.

SPEAKER_01 17:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 17:32

Going into the channel.

New Havasu Projects And Faster Growth

SPEAKER_01 17:33

Yep.

SPEAKER_02 17:34

And then you can see that new project that's supposed to be built up there with that a billion dollar project, I think, that's going on up there on the island, over there where the old uh golf course is.

SPEAKER_01 17:42

Yeah, where the uh nautical inn golf course uh used to be. Uh uh developer out of Scottsdale uh purchased that about two or three years ago. He's he's in his due diligence and kind of planning phase with the city right now, going through all that. And all the renderings and things that I've seen of his master plan are really cool. I think it's gonna be a huge asset to Lake Avasu. There's, I mean, waterfront property, another great big marina for boat, you know, in the water boat stores on the island, another launch facility that's right next to the nautical, right next to the nautical with you know, they're gonna be some retail, some more density housing, restaurant, reservoirs, yeah, high-end residential, all that cool stuff.

SPEAKER_02 18:23

So that's what Havasy's been yearning for.

SPEAKER_01 18:26

This little town is evolving at a very fast pace right now. It's definitely transforming into I think what a lot of people have been wanting. There's you know, people that have been here for a hundred years that, you know, like anywhere, they you know, anti-development, but you can't you can't stop progress.

Riviera Buyers And Design Guidelines

SPEAKER_02 18:45

Well, it's and it's it's just it's not a matter of if it's when. It's gonna happen. Well, the other side of it is you know, when you bring that type of tax revenue into a city, that and the city, in my opinion, is actually pretty smart because they are gonna focus on healthcare and they're gonna focus on the thing that the community really needs, you know. And and I see that happening already. I'm having conversations, so I'd love to try to get involved in building something, you know, in like the hospital realm at some point, um, or like a medical campus, you know, especially on the north side, there's plenty of land that way. So, but yeah, so the to go back to the Riviera, you know, what are the typical buyers out there? And obviously, they're just buying lots, they're not buying really any homes. There's a couple specs in there, but not not much.

SPEAKER_01 19:22

Yeah, there's a few builders that have that have put up some spec homes that have been uh on the market for a minute. I think you know, the the value of or perception of value is increasing daily as uh people see value being created out there. Yeah, but uh yeah, most of the most of our buyers are uh people from California, but really they're there's people from all over Midwest and they're they've found Lake Havasu. They come from all walks of life, from plastic surgeons to you know executives to contractors and everything in between. Um and uh they buy their lot and then you know they're they're looking to build whatever, yeah. You know, and and the Riviera has done a good job of creating some very good design guidelines. They want to kind of keep a theme of modern desert contemporary architecture um in the community. And uh with with that being said, that you know lends it to a very unique design. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 20:27

So and it's it's cool because I think the Riviera has just been kind of that footprint for people who really do have, you know, capital, they want to build their kind of forever home or their second home. They've been finding, I mean, these lots are great too, just as far as views, but you kind of can't go wrong because the amount of development that's slotted to go in there.

SPEAKER_03 20:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 20:45

So I think a lot of people, especially smart ones, are gonna look at it and go, I can build now, I'm gonna hold my equity. The demand is still there. Why don't I build my house and put my dream house right here? Yeah. And you know what I love is the fact that you have that, you know, it was funny because I did not know you were a builder at all up in Park City. But I kept bringing up the quality of builds in Park City and how I love that design.

SPEAKER_03 21:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 21:06

Then you're like, well, yeah, I was building up the Park City. I'm like, how many people in Havasu built in Park City? Nobody. You know, and I feel like not many people up here or in Havasu have even been to Park City to experience those type of uh builds or you know, real estate in essence, you know. So it's like to be able to bring that caliber of uh development and and architecture and design to Lake Havisu and then make it set up more from a desert feel is like perfect.

SPEAKER_03 21:34

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 21:34

And that's why I was like, I gotta get you on the podcast, man. I want I want everyone to know you exist because that quality of work is unbelievable. I've been we can't wait to take Joe tomorrow. I was gonna bug you and see if you can take Joe out tomorrow.

SPEAKER_01 21:46

100%. We'll give him a we'll give him a tour for sure. Yeah, you need to see it.

SPEAKER_02 21:49

And and just kind of I wanted to we'll take him in the back, we'll take the raptor back out there again. We'll cruise him around and show him those views, yeah. And we'll before he gets going home, but he's gotta see that. So um, what are you working on now?

SPEAKER_01 22:01

So right now we have uh three custom builds. Uh we had we've actually finished 12 homes out there to this point, all custom builds for individual clients, um ranging from three million to seven million dollars in in cost, uh which is funny. I mean, and back Let's just say five years ago, the most expensive home in Lake Havasu that I have built was probably about two and a half million. So we've really changed the Riviera has brought a dynamic that is really revolutionary to our town. And the the bigger money guys are are are looking at our city going, man, you actually can do some cool stuff. And that's what I'm excited about to just start sharing what we've been creating for the last couple of years. Uh, being that they're all private residences and they're not spec houses or whatever, you know, the general public doesn't get to see it. So we've we've spent some time over the last couple of months documenting the footage, you know, taking video, and so we can get it out there and just show people that are interested in the community to come out and go, man, this is actually being built. Yeah, this is really happening. This is really built. I mean, for so many years of living in Havasu, it's like you can't, you know, you can't do that here. You can't, it will never happen here. And I think we kind of did a mic drop on the last couple of houses.

SPEAKER_02 23:22

Yeah, it was a road mic too.

SPEAKER_01 23:24

It was a road mic.

Why Wealth Is Moving To Havasu

SPEAKER_02 23:25

It was you know, it's kind of cool because I think I was telling you about one of the guys who actually came into the gym, and he's actually a rather wealthy guy. He was telling me that he wants to sell some property and he had a stroke and he's kind of going through a lot in life, and he wants to hand over the keys to his kids, which is a very common conversation. Sure. And uh, and what I what the takeaway for me was how much he fell in love with Havasu. He's building houses for even his kids because they all have kids, they're married with grandkids, and he wants everyone close to him. And he's like, But I want to move my money here. Like he said that. And I was like, that's pretty impressive. You know, most people, when they do retire and they find a place they want to call home, you know, they are gonna move their wealth, they're gonna move everything here. And what I our conversation kind of sparked, because he comes from kind of the same background and I do, about you know, putting money on deposit and how you know, as more banks here, regional banks continue to bring in more depositors, sure, they're able to lend that money back out on SBA loans and small businesses and it, you know, help grow the community. And that was like what a great conversation that was because he's like, I've worked really, really hard, but like my whole life is about giving back. And I feel like I have to continue to give back, otherwise, I'm not gonna be happy with what I've earned, you know. And I thought that was really kind of nice to hear that, and I think that is why people love like Havasu. It's the other, it's people, yeah. The people that come here, they're amongst friends. You know, we you know, it's not shocking, but it is a very right-leaning community.

SPEAKER_03 24:46

Yep.

SPEAKER_02 24:46

But no one really tries to swing it that way, like everyone just wants to take care of each other, and that's boaters in general. Boaters take care of each other, but that is like a thing. Yeah, it's it's and people know each other by the names of their boats, not even their real personal name, right?

SPEAKER_03 24:59

What's your boat name?

SPEAKER_02 25:00

Oh, that's your boat, gotcha, you know. That's but but in reality, the you know, boaters they love to help each other and take care of each other, and so you just kind of have this community of people that are always watching each watching over each other's backs, you know. And and the other thing too is it's safe. Safe, it's so safe. I leave my doors open all the time and unlocked.

SPEAKER_01 25:18

I hope I nobody knows where I live, but you know I was gonna say, yeah, I'm like, I don't I'm not gonna add my address to this, but I don't think I've locked my door in 24 years of living in Lake Havasu.

SPEAKER_02 25:27

You don't need to, you know.

SPEAKER_01 25:28

My truck, I never locked. Yeah, it's just I I find myself leaving Havasu going, oh crap, I need to lock my truck. Yeah, yeah, get into Vegas. I should lock it. I should lock it. I should probably lock something, but yeah.

SPEAKER_02 25:39

And I came from SoCal, and I had recently been out here, I've been out here full-time two years, and maybe a little longer, but two years really full-time. And and I the first year was really hard. You know, I was so used to all the resources in California, sure, and then going back and forth from Nashville and California over the since the pandemic. But you know, you can work around that, you know, and then you realize like, hey, only Vegas is a couple hours away. I can go get everything I need there. And then on top of that, Havasu's kind of like there's this like little hidden stuff everywhere that you didn't know existed, and it's there. Yeah, and you're like, holy gee, so you can actually do really well. And then now anytime I leave the leave town, and I I want to come back so bad. And now I know why people, when they you know, if they're from here, they leave here, they always come back. There's something very special about this place.

SPEAKER_01 26:23

There is, and uh, you know, kind of touching on that, you know, Havasu is is small, unique, it's quaint, but there's literally a business opportunity at every turn. Like there's there's a restaurant that needs to be opened, or there's a you know, clothing store, there's a boutique, or you know, whatever it is. I mean, the the city is just desperately waiting for for for us as you know, people in the community to do stuff, which is super exciting. What you're doing with Paradigms and the gym and what we're doing out in the Riviera, we're you know, we're filling those needs and servicing those.

SPEAKER_02 27:01

It's that kind of concept. If you build, they'll come. I agree. We've been talking about that. It's just the city is ready for the growth. Yeah, there's enough density here, there's enough money here. Yep, it's almost like if you build anything new, it's probably gonna do well. So I think you're in that gross stage of Habasu that not a lot of people will talk about, but if big smart institutional guys, they'll they'll see it and go, Yeah, you guys are on that growth trajectory, it's just hardwind census bureau doesn't have good data.

SPEAKER_00 27:25

Exactly, you know.

SPEAKER_02 27:26

So that's why a lot of the money hasn't really landed here as far as institutional capital. But you have institutional guys that have retired out of the game and are moving here. And that's the that's what I have it. No one talks about. Yeah, it's the guys that played in the institutional world and that retired and moved here. So, in my opinion, those are the smart guys. Yeah, those are the guys that saw where the world's going. They were the ones that helped fund the where the world was going. And now they're retiring out and going, you know what? I love Havasu, but they're also looking at making sure they retain their wealth. They all of these houses are gonna go to their kids or some level. So they're gonna go, all right. Well, if I'm retaining, you know, so those are the guys that you want to get to know. Meaning, talk to me about all the you know, bullets that have been fired in your whole life and why did you end up choosing Havasu? And they're gonna tell you all the things that they've had to go through to to build the empire that they built, and and they're and how family's number one and they love the Lord, and the list kind of goes on, yep, and they're like, but I have chosen here because I feel safe here. I like where the where this is going. Yep. I have all the amenities, I'm a boater, I love but my cost of living, taxes, like the list goes on. There's a lot of positive. Don't underestimate this how many smart people are coming here, and that just eventually will just pollinate onto all the businesses. It's just the way it goes.

Legacy Homes And Concierge Marina Living

SPEAKER_01 28:41

Well, there's a lot of people that have been coming out out here for 20, 30 years that have been in the trenches building businesses, building their wealth, but they've been coming here playing, you know, occasionally with their families. And now that they're retiring, they're selling their companies, they, you know, doing doing their second phase of life, right? And they're like, Man, we've always had great memories in Lake Havasu. Why let's go check, let's go back, let's go check and let's let's invest in Havasu a little bit deeper than just a weekend crash pad. Now let's build something, a legacy home for you know, my wife and I and my kids and grandkids. And that's what we're building for, is we're building for these gentlemen or families that, you know, their kids and their grandkids. I mean, they're specific homes. I mean, large storage in the gar in the houses for all the toys and all the fun, and then, you know, all the bedrooms and stuff like that are all appointed or they're ensuites, you know, so everybody can come as a family, gather under one roof, be comfortable, yeah, and then go out and play for the day and just come back to the sanctuary.

SPEAKER_02 29:48

And that a community, you just take the golf cart to the marina.

SPEAKER_01 29:50

Yeah, you jump into your golf cart, you're in, you know, the boat's in the in the marina. It's you know, it's sitting there, you're ready to go. You know, they're the marina and the developer are working together to uh create more concierge type uh services with on-site storage and you know, boat service and detailing. And you know, if you call down, say, hey, I want my boat in the water, you know, on Saturday morning, ice chest full. Yeah, you know, you go down, it's filled, you put it back at the end of the day alongside the dock and the surface. Keep it clean. Yeah, the surface guys pull it out of the water and put it back in storage for you.

SPEAKER_02 30:22

And they got fuel, food, all that's already there.

SPEAKER_01 30:24

Everything's right there. They're getting ready to open or build a uh waterfront uh restaurant right at the marina there, which will be another kind of boating destination on the lake, right? For people from the north or the south come up to the Riviera and kind of kick back and enjoy.

SPEAKER_02 30:41

Yeah. And that's gonna be a cool seat site too. You'll have a 108-degree view there, too.

SPEAKER_01 30:46

Oh, that'll be probably one of the top wedding spots in all of Arizona. That's actually a good way to put it. Yeah, I can totally see that too. You stand out on the point of where this restaurant is, and literally you're looking up and down the lake like you're standing in the middle of the lake. It's it's incredible.

SPEAKER_02 31:01

What is your favorite home that you built out here so far?

SPEAKER_01 31:05

Uh my wife would say it was our house. But uh, my favorite home that I've built to this point is uh a home for um a client out of California. Um just architecturally, this house uh was challenging. And then the owner had just some really owner and their designer had some incredibly complex details that they wanted to implement in the house, which for me as a creative guy and and always liking to take on a challenge, they just brought some really cool stuff to the table. Um, you know, huge cantilevered uh island, you know, pull-up bar area, um, all out of walnut. Their fireplace was just, you know, very three-dimensional with millwork and granite and all this stuff. It was just very, very cool.

SPEAKER_02 31:57

It's hard to explain it. It is, you have to see it.

SPEAKER_01 31:59

You'd have to see it to believe it, you know. And it's you know, we were actually just at the house tonight uh doing a full photo shoot on this house. So we'll be releasing.

SPEAKER_02 32:07

Oh, so that's that one.

SPEAKER_01 32:08

Yeah, we'll be releasing that house on our social media sites and stuff like that just to just to get you know awareness to to what we're doing.

SPEAKER_02 32:16

So I love it. Well, Scott, is there anything else you'd like to add?

SPEAKER_01 32:19

Just appreciate the opportunity, and obviously, uh, I think we're gonna have a bright future together. Oh, yeah, man. I love it.

Favorite Build And How To Connect

SPEAKER_02 32:25

I know we're already talking about stuff that people are gonna go. I know they're gonna do something. If you're if they're on the podcast, they're gonna figure out a way to do some business together. You know, for for those of you that want to uh you know kind of reach out to you and get to know you, what's the best way to reach you? Was you know, yeah, website?

SPEAKER_01 32:38

Uh we have a website, uh Mountain Desert, uh Mountain Desert www.mountain desert. And uh you can always email me at uh Scott at mountaindesert.net and um mountain desert was you I'm sure you probably put the uh two and two together. We came from the mountains and now we're in the desert. So that's how I was actually just about to ask you that makes sense, got it. It was actually Scott Ward Custom Homes up in Utah, and then when we moved down to Arizona, it was I'm like, I don't want to use my name. I just yeah so we do like we came from the mountains and now we're in the desert. So it's mountain desert development. I love it.

SPEAKER_02 33:13

Well, so yeah, so what we'll do too is we'll add you know your contact information all to the the the podcast and all the marketing material too. So thanks for joining me, buddy. I'm really glad you came. Really appreciate it. What time what time is it right now? I think it's what, nine o'clock and we're still shooting PM. I love it. That's great.

SPEAKER_01 33:27

Work never stops, man.

SPEAKER_02 33:28

Never does. So thank you guys for watching and listening. I really appreciate it, and on to the next.