El Dorado Hills · CA
Serrano, El Dorado Hills: Neighborhood Guide
Serrano is a 3,500-acre master-planned village with gated sections, a private country club and its own trail network.
What is Serrano?
Serrano is one of the master-planned villages of El Dorado Hills, laid out along Serrano Parkway north of Highway 50. A 2016 FirstService Residential release, written when the firm took over management of the owners' association, put it at about 3,500 acres with several gated neighborhoods, a championship golf course and a private country club.
It is a village in the El Dorado Hills sense of the word: one name, many smaller neighborhoods inside it, each with its own streets, its own builder history and in some cases its own gate. When someone says they live in Serrano, the next question is usually which part.
Talk With Maggie About Serrano
How did Serrano grow up?
The land behind Serrano was part of a much larger holding. Village Life's account of developer Tony Mansour's life says his El Dorado Hills Investors acquired more than 8,000 acres, the land that became Serrano, Blackstone, Valley View and commercial sites near the freeway. El Dorado County adopted his specific plan for that land in 1988.
Serrano was built out over the decades that followed. The National Association of Home Builders' Sales and Marketing Council named it National Community of the Year in 1997, per the same FirstService release. The country club's golf course, a Robert Trent Jones Jr. design, opened in 1996, according to Golf Digest's course listing, and the club has since put about $9 million into a multi-phase renovation.
What kind of homes are in Serrano?
Serrano is single-family homes, and they range from builder-designed production homes to semi-custom and fully custom houses on larger lots. The custom sections are where you find the biggest homes and the most variation from one house to the next. The production sections repeat a set of floor plans, which makes comparing one sale to another a lot easier.
Some Serrano homes back onto the golf course, some face open space, and some sit behind a gate while others do not. Those details move a price more than square footage alone, and they are the first things we sort by when we pull sales.
If you are trading up from an older El Dorado Hills village, the move-up buyers guide for El Dorado Hills walks through selling one house and buying the next without carrying two mortgages for long.
What is there to do in Serrano?
The owners' association lists 17 miles of walking trails and about 1,000 acres of open space, and the trails connect the neighborhoods to each other. Village Green Park, at 4655 Serrano Parkway, is run by the El Dorado Hills Community Services District and has a lawn, a large pond, a stream with waterfalls and walking paths.
Serrano Country Club is private, and membership is separate from owning a home. Buying a house in Serrano does not make you a member. Ask about the club early if it matters to you, because it is a separate decision with its own costs.
For Folsom Lake, the main State Parks access on the El Dorado Hills shore is Brown's Ravine, with its marina and boat ramp. Town Center's restaurants and the shops along Latrobe Road sit on the other side of Highway 50.
Which school district serves Serrano?
El Dorado Hills is split among three elementary school districts, Rescue Union, Buckeye Union and Latrobe, and all of it is in the El Dorado Union High School District. The elementary district for a Serrano address depends on the street. Confirm the assigned school with the district directly.
What should buyers in Serrano check first?
Three things change the monthly cost of a Serrano home more than the price does:
- The parcel's tax bill. Many homes here carry Mello-Roos special taxes on top of the base property tax. The amount is tied to the parcel, so we pull the actual bill for each address.
- The association layers. A gated section can have its own dues on top of the master association. The HOA documents show both.
- The design rules. Paint, fences, pools and additions go through design review. If you plan to change the house, read the rules before you commit.
On the loan side, larger Serrano homes often land above the conforming loan limit, which puts you in jumbo territory. As a mortgage broker, Maggie compares jumbo and conventional options across lenders before you write an offer. Start with our El Dorado Hills buyer guide.
What should sellers in Serrano know?
A Serrano sale is priced against other Serrano sales, and often against the same section of Serrano. A custom home on the course and a production home near the parkway share a ZIP code and very little else. Online estimates blur that line, so we price from closed sales in the same part of the village and walk the house first.
Gated sections take a little longer to prepare. Order the HOA documents early, and plan showings around gate access. If the home is mapped in a high or very high fire hazard severity zone, El Dorado County's Chapter 8.09 rules add a defensible space inspection to the sale. See selling your home in El Dorado Hills for the full plan.
Work with a local team on Serrano
Surroundings handles the house and the loan under one roof, so the tax bill, the HOA layers and the financing get worked out together. Compare Serrano with The Promontory or Blackstone, or go back to the El Dorado Hills guide. When you are ready, book a call with Maggie.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Serrano a gated community?
Parts of it are. Serrano has several gated neighborhoods inside the larger village, and other sections are open streets, so check the specific address.
How big is Serrano?
Serrano covers about 3,500 acres, per a 2016 FirstService Residential release. The owners' association lists 17 miles of trails and about 1,000 acres of open space.
Does buying a home in Serrano include a country club membership?
No. Serrano Country Club is private, and membership is separate from owning a home in the village.
Who designed the Serrano golf course?
Robert Trent Jones Jr. designed it, and Golf Digest's listing gives 1996 as its opening year.
Do Serrano homes have Mello-Roos?
Many do, and the amount depends on the parcel. The county tax bill for the exact address is the only reliable answer, and we pull it before you write an offer.
What school district serves Serrano?
El Dorado Hills is split among three elementary school districts, Rescue Union, Buckeye Union and Latrobe, and all of it is in the El Dorado Union High School District. The elementary district for a Serrano address depends on the street. Confirm the assigned school with the district directly.
What ZIP code is Serrano in?
Serrano is in 95762, the ZIP code that covers all of El Dorado Hills.
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